Three headteachers took part in our first Boosting Enthusiasm: Raising Achievement event on June 22nd
Their hope was that the policies of the coalition government would provide opportunities for teachers and senior leaders to:
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recover the confidence that had been sapped by the need to adopt pre-packaged programmes
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be honest about the important things that schools do to enable children to learn and grow – beyond their teaching of reading and writing
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focus more attention on the heart of good teaching: the relationship of trust and respect that evolves between a teacher and a child
Antidote’s PROGRESS Programme, they said, had a valuable role to play in enabling schools to take advantage of these opportunities by:
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finding solutions based on local need, ascertained by hearing the voices of all stakeholders
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showing them how to build on what they are good at as they look for ways of making things even better
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helping those that had suffered setbacks (such as being judged as ‘failing’) to rebuild their confidence so that they could take risks
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enabling the whole school community to accept the responsibility for what happens in school and find solutions to issues that arose
The discussion took place in the absence of much clear indication from the government about how it will reconcile its intention to give teachers and their schools more freedom with its responsibility for ensuring high standards and its desire for a focus on the ‘basics’.
A video report on the event will appear on the Antidote website soon.
Find out more about Boosting Enthusiasm: Raising Achievement in Croydon on 14th September