7th – 11th November: Preparation pays off (perhaps)

“He’s only gone and done it”

When I posted my last blog Andy Murray was on the bring of becoming world number 1.  It is great to see he has made it.  If ever we needed someone to show us what it means to bounce back from disappointment, to work hard for success, to overcome challenges and face up to challengers we should look to Andy Murray.

Much of what he has achieved, possibly everything, is down to brilliant preparation and focussed hard work.  In a school context I sometimes feel we are too casual in our approach and I am continually challenging myself and everyone else to prepare even better and focus our efforts on the areas which will make the biggest difference.

With that in mind Mrs Rennie, some of our staff and the P7 teachers have been doing a lot of work around the P7 into S1 experience.  When I arrived at Harlaw around 4 years ago the transition consisted of one visit by me to each primary and two half days into Harlaw for the P7.  Mrs Rennie and her colleagues have worked really hard to do more than this as we believe we can better prepare P7s to really ‘hit the ground running’ when they start at Harlaw Academy.  This week therefore saw the P7s have their second half day visit to the school this time to focus on Health and Well being.  More such visits are planned before now and June when all our P7s will follow 3 days of a secondary timetable.

I hope that by doing this type of preparation and effort will help our new S1 to work extra hard through P7, if they do this then they will be achieving higher levels than they may have done if we had not put in the effort.  I also hope it will help us to take them from that improved level to somewhere even higher than we have been able to do in the past.

In a previous post I mentioned the National Improvement framework a National initiative aimed at increasing attainment for all our young people.  Whilst the National picture is important my main focus is on trying to do the very best for the children and young people who attend, or will soon attend, Harlaw Academy.  It will take a few years to see if all this extra preparation pays off.  What I will say is that the P7s have been really enthusiastic about the experience as have the Primary/Secondary staff who took part.

 

 

 

 

31 October – 4 November: Hard work brings success

As we reach the end of October we hit some important milestones.  We change the clocks, we have Halloween and we have bonfire night.  All of this reminds me to highlight some basic safety points:

  • watch out on the slippery pavements and paths – falling leaves and frosts can be a nightmare
  • give yourself a little bit longer for the journey and, if walking or cycling make sure you can be seen
  • wear sensible clothing for the weather – warm and waterproof ideally (and decent shoes would help too)
  • take care around bonfires, fireworks etc

Late Autumn in Scotland can be a great time of the year but it is not without its problems – with good planning and care we can all enjoy the opportunities to the full.

One of our big PTA events ‘fright night’ is linked to this time of year.  When it was first suggested to me two years ago that we should have a fright night my reaction was “not a chance, the risks were too great, it wold not be safe”.  So in 2014 we did not have a fright night.

By the following year we had done more work on growth mind set, on the need to take risks and learn from them and the need to try to go outside our comfort zone.  So rather than think of reasons not to do “fright night” I asked people to think about how we could possibly make it happen.  After an awful lot of work and careful planning we figured out how to manage the various risks and we held our first PTA fright night in October 2015.  It was a massive success both in terms of money raised and the fun people had at the event.

On Friday 4 November 2016 we held our second ever PTA fright night and I am pretty sure it will be a regular feature in our calendar.  Indeed this year we had to put up the ‘sold out’ sign by 8.30 when it became clear we had booked up all the tour slots.  Next year it will have to be advance bookings only.

Fright night is an example of moving from a situation where I thought something was impossible to a situation where I know it possible.  Some people say “anything is possible when you put your mind to it”.  I do not completely agree with this view.  Something is only possible when you put your mind to it and when you are prepared to put the work in to make it possible.  I can put my mind into improving my golf as much as I wan but it will not improve unless I am also willing to go out and practice a lot more.  So yes you need a growth mind set – striving to improve, belief that change is possible.  But you also need to make a real commitment to work hard to overcome barriers, to then be willing to work even harder when things do not go to plan.

As I write this blog Andy Murray is on the brink of becoming world number 1 in tennis.  A few years back I had my doubts about Andy – he was reaching several finals but failing at the final hurdle.  Although he had the desire and belief I did not think he had the work ethic of Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic.  It has been great to see Andy Murray ‘bounce back’ from the setbacks, redouble his efforts and put himself on the brink of being the best in the world.  Whether it is in the context of ‘Fright Night’ or tennis or school work or any other aspect of our lives there are important lessons there for us all.

 

 

 

 

 

24 October – 28 October: Annual Report

Each year the school is required to prepare a report into the standards and quality of our work.  The reposr for session 2015/16 is available here:  sqip-2015-16-harlaw-draft-final

It is always a bit odd looking back on last session particularly in September/October when the new school year is underway and we are very focussed on doing our best in the here and now and preparing for what lies ahead.

However it is important to pull all the successes together in one place and also note the areas we want to do a bitr better on this session.

As we move forward I will speak more about the National Improvement Framework – a set of priorities set by National Government.  These have a strong focus on;

  • improving literacy, numeracy and health/wellbeing,
  • a determination to raise attainment and to help the most disadvantaged groups to close the attainment gap
  • ensuring more learners leave school and into a positive post school destinations

We do quite well in some of these areas but we need to re-double our efforts to do even better in all of them as we move forward.

 

ATTENDANCE MATTERS at HARLAW ACADEMY

Going to school every day is the single most important part of your child’s education

  • Pupils who attend well do well in their exams.
  • Employers want workers who turn up every day on time.
  • Pupils who attend well learn how to get on with others and enjoy a social life.

Make every minute count.

  • Missing just two days every month means that a child misses 10% of school.
  • Being late for school reduces learning time too.

 

What can you do to help?

  • Contact your child’s Guidance Teacher. We can help.
  • If your child is ill or absent for any other reason, contact us and let us know.
  • Make sure your child arrives at school on time.
  • Ask your child about their day.
  • Help your child to develop good sleep habits by limiting access to phones, tablets, devices and telly at a decent time to allow his/her brain to be calm before bed.

What happens if your child does not attend school regularly?

  • We will contact you.
  • We want to help.

But my child has a health condition…

  • We support all young people, including those with medical conditions. Please discuss any medical issues with your child’s Guidance Teacher.

What about authorised absences?

  • If your child is ill, attending an event or appointment, let us know.
  • Please try to avoid appointments during the school day.

Useful Telephone Numbers:

Main Office; 01224-589251

Mr Duncan – Guidance Teacher, Albyn House: 01224-563250

Mrs Strudwick – Guidance Teacher, Carden House: 01224-563206

Mr Price-Davies – Guidance Teacher, Holburn House: 01224-563272

Mrs Freeland – Guidance Teacher, Victoria House: 01224-563209

Mrs Alexander – Guidance Teacher, Waverley House: 01224-563210

Fright Night – The Returned!

 This Friday our PTA will be having a fright night at Harlaw Academy. we invite staff and families from our primaries to come along. There will be fun activities in the main hall – music, hot dogs, tuck shop, face painting as well as the chance to go on a spooky tour. The tour will be dark and scary in parts so we ask that children be accompanied by an adult. Tours will last around 20 mins. The event runs between 6.30 and 9.00 and entry is £2 per person.

 

19th -23rd September – Child Rights

Last week I took time to talk about #secureyourfuture a really important event taking place at the school next week.  Pupils were given an information sheet home but just in case it fails to make it out of the bag I attach an electronic copy here for you –

A second big event happening next week is a visit by UNICEF UK assessors to see if we meet the standard for level 1 of their Rights Respecting Schools Award.  We have been doing a lot of work to help recognise and realise children’s rights and it has been a recurring theme in my blogs and newsletters.  Early next week we will issue a newsletter about the UN Convention on the rights of the Child (UNCRC) and Rights Respecting Schools but I attach a preview here for your reference –

There has been a fair bit of research done around schools which promote rights and I attach a link to a recent article which emphasise the impact it can have on both behaviour and attainment –

I also attach a poster which sets out the articles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in child friendly language – Child_friendly_CRC_summary_final

I would encourage all children and families to discuss rights issues at home and amongst each other.  When we think of examples of violations of children’s rights we often think of children in conflict zones, refugees or children suffering from malnutrition/disease.  We also hear of issues such as forced marriage, genital mutilation, trafficking and exploitation – some of which happens further afield but which has happened in Scotland.  If we are to protect all children we need children to know their rights and we need adults to respect these rights.  Even closer to home/school are issues such as bullying, humiliation, intimidation and disruption of learning.  These are everyday examples where some children are being denied their rights by other children.  By promoting UNCRC and working towards level 1 and level 2 of the Rights Respecting Schools Award we hope to help more youngsters to recognise and realise their rights.

This week also marked one year since the Global Goals were set.  The global goals set ambitious targets in respect of 17 areas.  192 countries have signed up to achieve these goals by 2030.  As we develop as a Rights Respecting School I am keen that youngsters campaign around these Global Goals.  Youngsters in S1 will be in their mid 20s in 2030 and as well as participating in improving their school and their local community I would like them to have played an active part in creating a cleaner, safer, fairer and better educated world.  For more information on the Global goals go to – http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/

the-global-goals

26th – 30th September – a very successful week

In my last two blogs I highlighted two big events – both which took place this week.  In this blog I shall share with you the success of both events:

The first was an event we called #secureyourfuture.  This was intended to be much more than a standard careers event.  It was an opportunity for Harlaw Academy to sign off on a formal partnership with one of the biggest and most secure employers in the area at this time – Aberdeen City Council.  This partnership is intended to offer our pupils an employment pipeline to the wide and diverse range of employment opportunities within the City council.  The event at the school on Wednesday evening also brought in a range of partner agencies who the City council work with to deliver their services to the public.  The link also brought in the part of the Council who are taking forward the City Centre Master Plan.  For those who do not know about the masterplan it is a 20 year city centre regeneration project which it is hoped will deliver 50 infrastructure projects and create over 5,000 new jobs.  In short we have positioned Harlaw Academy alongside this activity so that our youngsters can be involved in shaping their City and well placed to benefit form the employment opportunities this will generate.  Our other partner in planning the event was DYW NE – this is short for Developing Young Workforce North East.  This is an organisation leading work on linking education and employers.  The challenge we set the DYW team was to bring local employers into the school and they did not disappoint – on the evening we had just over 50 local companies ready to offer our pupils and parents real jobs on the doorstep of the school.  I was pleased we saw between 100 and 200 families take advantage of the well opportunity and I spoke to quite a few adults and young people who picked up contacts and/or work.  We will try to find other ways to follow up this event and may well repeat something similar later in the session.  We will also keep working with pupils to identify the skills they are learning and applying in school – skills which would be valued by employers.  The link below is to a useful item on skills developed by parents for parents nutshells_skills_e-1

The second ‘event’ was a visit by assessors from UNICEF UK to see if our school met the criteria to be awarded level 1 of the Rights Respecting Schools Award.  A team of 5 assessors spent the morning in school meeting staff, pupils, parents, visiting classes and learning about our work around the UN convention on the Rights of the Child.  It was a very thorough investigation of our work and I am delighted to report that Harlaw Academy not only gained the award but has the accolade of being the first secondary school in Aberdeen City to gain the level 1 award.  I hope the award and these 12 extracts from the report offer pride and encouragement to all associated with our school community:

  • the school vision value and ethos were developed in consultation with young people, staff and parents. It underpins the improvement plan and is based on respect for people, learning and community
  • Pupils have a pride in their school, and there are positive relationships between staff and pupils
  • the school actively encourages and supports pupils to take part in consultation and participation events in the school and wider community
  • the school has worked hard to promote inclusive approaches to all children. A partner of the school commented that ’it is a very nurturing school’
  • The school has ensured that there are opportunities for staff and young people to learn about the UNCRC through lessons, assemblies and staff CPD.
  • Displays throughout the school highlight opportunities and achievements of young people and are linked to the UNCRC
  • It was evident that language of rights was established in most classrooms, with staff creating positive and supportive learning environments
  • The school has made significant progress in improving positive attitudes of young people, and recent surveys indicate that almost all pupils feel safe in school. Work on bullying has been explicitly linked to children’s rights and relevant Scottish legislation – The ‘Harlaw Defenders’ have actively supported pupils to feel safe and included
  • Pupils feel confident to express their beliefs and opinions, and the language of respect is used to deal with challenging behaviour – restorative practices are increasingly being used. The DHT noted that ‘the language of respect has changed the approach to discipline in the school
  • There has been a sustained effort to improve the ways in which the voices of young people can be heard, both in the classroom and across the school. Pupils say that they feel valued and listened to – this view was also supported by parents, who commented that ‘pupils are more aware of what is happening in the school and are able to share their views’
  • There is a wide range of pupil groups and leadership opportunities from S1-S6 . Some S6 pupils have become the first in the city to become ‘My World of Work’ ambassadors, and actively promote employer engagement
  • Fundraising is led by pupils and readily linked to the UNCRC by the young people. They appreciate that by learning about rights and supporting charities, they are also developing skills and knowledge which will help them

The links with City Centre employers and the work on Rights Respecting Schools offer a very solid base from which we hope to raise the attainment of all pupils and in particular overcome barriers some individuals face as they seek to do their best at school.  We still have a lot of work ahead of us but this has been a very successful week in which a lot of our hard work has led to positive outcomes for the school and its pupils.  I wish to thank all pupils, staff, parents and others who have worked with us in delivering these successes.