27 Jan The Things That Matter
A problem with the role of Headteacher is that it is all too easy to lose sight of the things that really matter in a school. One can get bogged down in all the paper work, meetings and emails that never seem to stop arriving.
Each day I try to escape the office and the computer, and walk around the school to speak to the children and teachers – today was no different. After a morning of strategic thinking with our Senior Leadership Team, I went and joined in a game of King Ball in the playground. For those of you that don’t know, King Ball is a game that was introduced to the school years ago by Philip (one of our sports teachers), and is a phenomenon that is pivotal to life in the playground.
What struck me today was there was such a range of different children playing together; there were girls and boys from a mix of backgrounds and year groups. As in life, things don’t always go to plan; the same can be said of King Ball. There are times when the children get upset and say or do things in the heat of the moment, but with support they do reflect on their behaviour, and hopefully understand where they have gone wrong.
Playground life is an important part of this learning process and is like a microcosm of wider society. Children, like adults, do fall out from time to time but it is our job to provide a safe environment for them to learn from these situations and move forward positively.
In light of recent events in Paris and the resulting tension now spreading across Europe, we have to find more ways to teach children to be able to understand different points of view, to empathise if they disagree and to do so in a sensitive and appropriate manner.
At Coleridge we have children whose families come from many different countries and there are 42 different languages spoken. As a school, it is important that we celebrate this diversity, creating opportunities for children to learn from one another. Amongst other things the school is doing, we are beginning to plan a week celebrating the different cultures of Coleridge to run from 18th to 22nd May. We are looking for parental input to join in the planning of ‘Cultures of Coleridge’ and would like to work with you to share ideas about various activities and events that will take place. We will be sending out a letter in due course.