Friday Bulletin

Dear Parents & Carers,

I hope that you enjoyed the Easter break. It has been a very purposeful and positive start to the summer term.

I would like to thank all those parents and carers who responded positively to my final update before Easter. In that last week of term, we held a series of assemblies for students in years 7 to 10 highlighting the importance of following instructions and behaving in a considerate, kind and polite manner. We also discussed the difference between asking a question to aid your learning in the classroom and asking a question in a challenging way when given a clear instruction linked to agreed school rules. That update can be found at this link.

The assemblies were intended to make the connection between being kind, learning to listen and understanding how positive behaviour ensures that our school environment is conducive to learning. There is currently a national educational focus on children learning how to behave appropriately. As I am now quite old, my instinct, as both a parent and teacher, is that good manners and knowing how to behave kindly starts at home when you are very young. Parental responsibility is very important, but in reality, it is the positive relationship between home, each student and the teachers in the school that is pivotal to positive behaviour. If any aspect is not aligned correctly there can be issues. It is also important that we recognise that some students find social interaction very hard and part of being an inclusive school is that we understand that and help individuals to feel valued and form trusted relationships.

It is also important to have a good understanding of what is possible in schools and, as a parent or carer, how quickly things can be done. By that, I don’t mean the well-publicised current systematic issues in relation to funding, resources, recruitment and a lack of external support (particularly in terms of mental health support for young people). Those things are clearly very difficult at present. However, I’m referencing that an understanding of the purpose of schools and how they function is helpful.  

When I started teaching in 1997, most parental communication was via physical letter and there was only one computer in the school with Internet access. No one would have known what to do with an email in school. As a teacher, I taught 22 hours a week and focused upon supporting students, face to face, helping them to be better students of history and to treat each other, and our wider community, respectfully. I then ran clubs after school and took my marking and planning home. In 2023, teachers still teach 22 hours per week, still run clubs, still spend their days supporting students face to face and still take their marking and planning home. The key difference is that they receive a very high volume of emails each day, in addition to the tasks outlined above. In some ways we are an unusual school, as all qualified teachers at Durham Johnston teach. I do, and all other members of our Leadership Group do too, which is a positive thing for our students. It really matters to us that we are all good teachers and role models and that we can talk confidently about how to support students in the classroom based upon practice and theory.

Some of those emails that teachers receive request an immediate response in quite direct terms. Whilst the world has changed dramatically since 1997, the main activity of teachers actually hasn’t. We don’t work online with a telephone close to hand between 8.15 a.m. and 3.00 p.m. because we work with students in the classroom. Based upon that, please be aware that it is rarely possible for teachers and support staff to reply straight away to a call or email, because they are fulfilling their main role, teaching children and young adults. Students aren’t allowed to have phones in school because we want them to engage with other humans personally and to have a break from the constant pressure of social media. Equally, teachers do not use mobile phones in school because their role is to engage and work directly with children. Those relationships are at the heart of a successful school.

We will always reply to any questions or queries that you may have, but we always explain that it might take three working days to do so. It may take longer if we need to investigate something in detail.  In our current, very immediate world where everyone can send an email from whether they happen to be at that moment, I think it only fair to explain that the reality of schools and teaching means that we rightly prioritise face to face interaction with our students so that we offer a high-quality education. Your support in that is vitally important too. We also understand how important effective communication is, and that is why I have written a weekly update each week since January 2018. We want to answer your questions; we sometimes just need time to do so.

I would like to invite you to the second of our coffee morning for parents and carers. The first session focused upon supporting students who were feeling anxious and was very well received. The next meeting takes places on Tuesday 16^th May, with two guests attending from One Point to discuss the Fearless Parenting Programme. This is aimed particularly at parents who are supporting children struggling with anxiety. It is important that we offer this support and welcome those who have attended before and anyone who might also benefit from additional information.

As you will be aware, the NEU Trade Union plan to take industrial action on two more occasions during this half-term. Those two dates are: Thursday 27^th April and Tuesday 2^nd May. Please find attached a letter outlining our plans for both days.

Industrial Action Update

In simple terms, our arrangements are identical to those in place for previous industrial action. If you are a parent or carer of any students in Years 11, 12 and 13, please ensure that they intend as we will focus very closely on exam preparation.

Each week in school we focus upon key areas that allow students to understand contemporary issues in the news and to prepare for life in Modern Britain. This week, form classes have discussed coverage of the planned emergency mobile alert OMN that will take place on Sunday and its purpose. They have also watched a presentation created by Dana Halhool, one of our 6^th form students, about Ramadan, fasting and Eid-ul fitr. The presentation was excellent, and students have had a number of questions answered by the clear detail. Thank you, Dana.

Finally, we are looking forward to our Year 6 into Year 7 Welcome Evening on Wednesday for new students, parents and carers who will be joining the school in September 2023. It is always an exciting time and our planning for transition will continue throughout the summer term.

For a good weekend.

Mr O’Sullivan

---