Hope not hate

"When will there be another World War, Mr Townend?" a child asked me yesterday. His question was clearly spurred on from a week of Remembrance activities where there has been much talk of WW1 and WW2. Added to that, we joined in the national minute's silence to remember the victims of the Tunisian beach massacre earlier in the year, and more recently, bowed our heads in silence during assembly to think of the victims of the plane crash in Egypt.

With that in mind, his question was very reasonable. Another child had asked "When will the Germans attack us again?" To an adult, such a question sounds ridiculous, but to a child, it is a perfectly logical thing to enquire about. In their understanding of movies and game sequels, we've had World War 1 and World War 2, so surely the third instalment can't be too far round the corner.

We spent some time watching the Sainsbury's advert from last Christmas - the Christmas Truce, where the British and German soldiers met in No Man's Land on Christmas Day to play football and exchange gifts. I pointed out that the German soldiers were the same as the British - innocent, young boys who didn't have a clue what they were letting themselves in for when they followed the orders of their superiors. I also told them that the story proves that even in the depths of despair, darkness and depravity, hope and love can shine through.

"There will not be another World War." I reassured him. "We live in a very different world now. In this country, we are safe."

This morning I switched on the news to see that 130 people had been killed by terrorists in France -  a country just thirty or forty miles of water away from my own, A country with highly advanced intelligence and security systems, like my own. A  country with similar values to my own. What's more, there wasn't just one attack - there were several co-ordinated acts of terror, and not one of them was thwarted.

"We are safe." I had said. Do I believe that today?

Children in primary schools have a lot of questions to ask. Many parents try to shelter them from the brutalities of the world, with good reason, but there is no escape from the truth in the classroom or in the playground. 

As a teacher, I have always seen my role to educate, not in a purely academic sense, but in a more 'holistic' way (to coin an over-used word in education circles.) That means talking openly about the problems and issues in the world to create a greater understanding and tolerance of all people, colour and creed - a message of hope, not hate.

My own class is 100% white British, which has its challenges. The world's issues may seem quite distant to some children. Others may be heavily influenced by unhelpful opionions of parents. 

I sometimes wonder how different my approach would be if I taught in an inner-city school in Birmingham or Bradford. Those teachers are on the front-line between hope and hate. There are forces at work that are trying to brainwash innocent children into being martyrs for a hopeless cause that incites violence and hatred. Those very same forces are responsible for the massacre in Tunisia, the carnage in Paris, and probably the plane crash in Egypt.

My message as a teacher, to educate those children, would be this:

Your faith is a force for peace in this world. Your religion and its teachings inspire so many people to share love and hope with a world that needs it. Whatever direction your life takes, make sure you choose to love, not hate. We all depend on it.

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A blog to my Year 6s

Here is a blog post I have written to my Y6s on our Kidblog.org account. I wrote it straight after our Y6 production of Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. For me this achievement was far more impressive than their excellent SATS results.

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Hi everyone.

I'm writing the morning after a night that I will never forget.

To say people were proud of you is a massive understatement. Your parents love you, and whatever positive things you do at school and in your life, they will always be proud of you. But last night you put on a performance that, given your age, would have made Andrew Lloyd Webber himself proud.

And as for your teachers and staff - you may feel at times that we nag you or get on your back but remember this - each and every one of us cares for you as individuals and we want you to achieve the very best that you can. Last night you did that - you put on a complex and technical West End production that in parts wouldn't have looked out of place on the professional stage. And you made it your own. And you're 10 and 11 years old!

For me, your production brought back many memories of when I used to act as a child. In fact, your performance was truly on another level compared to anything I've been in myself. But as a director, I have enjoyed every minute of this. I have been singing along to every song; I have been going through all of the emotions in the play; I have laughed and I was very close to crying. Very close! So thank you for the gift you have given me. You pushed beyond your comfort zone. You learned to sing. You learned to dance. You learned to act. You were patient. You were never satisfied when you knew you could do better. You were amazing. It is a gift that I, along with everyone in that hall will hold in their hearts for a very long time.

It would be impossible of me to pick out individuals because it was a show that involved everyone for the duration. You were never out of the gaze of the audience. But I did watch the audience through the show. Needless to say, there was a sea of proud parents and grandparents wiping their eyes, genuinely moved to tears by your performance. There was much laughter. There was a parent who punched the air with her fist every time her daughter said a line. There was a certain Pharaoh's parents who turned around to me in stunned disbelief!

And of course there was a standing ovation - and that's never happened.

So now as we move on, and Joseph becomes Hollie, and the King becomes Max once more, always remember - you rocked it last night. You have all grown so much in confidence as well as talent and you put on a performance that none of us would have dreamed you could do three months ago.

In a few short weeks, you'll be leaving your cosy surroundings at Barlby CP and taking your next steps in the world as you go to high school. As you take that step, you can hold your heads high and know that you can achieve anything. You have showed us that in the most extraordinary way.

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#24 Children are worth more than a piece of paper

Today we sent home our reports. And with them...SATS results.

In my class, the children broadly fell into 4 categories.

The majority worked hard and got the results they deserved.

A very small minority didn't work hard (despite high levels of support) and got what they deserved - poor results.

An even smaller group didn't work as hard but managed to pull off good results against my expectations.

Finally, some children worked hard but didn't  get the grades they were aiming for.

It is this final group who I feel for the most. The truth of the matter is, some children test well, and others don't. I watched one girl crumble under the pressure of the Mental Maths test. She picked things up in the written paper but didn't  get the Level 5 she deserved. So she, like a couple of others, we're left with a Level 4, which up until recently was seen as a good grade.  Now it's just average. Some children see that as a failure, which is probably due to the burden of expectation from schools, parents, and yes, although I hate to say it...teachers too.

As I write this,  I know that practically the whole of Y6 will be talking in a secure internet chat room about their results. For some, there will be celebration. Others will feel crushed.

I'm  not against testing. I think it does develop character. But it doesn't work for all children. Six years of primary schooling should not be summed up by a week of tests under pressure.

Before they left this afternoon, I talked to my class, fully aware that some did not 'perform' (a horrible word) as well as they might. I told them how much we valued them as children rather than valuing their test scores.

And I can honestly say that I have seen the best of the children in my class over the last fortnight - not in classroom activities, but in our Y6 production of Joseph, and our residential trip to East Barnby.

Here, I have witnessed their confidence grow; their relationships flourish; their level of challenge increase; their creativity set free; and their laughter flow. They have been doing what children should be doing.

No test could ever make up for that.

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#23 We live in a broken world

This week, it's been announced that there will be a national minute's silence for the victims of the dreadful terrorist attacks in Tunisia.

At midday on Friday, people will pay their respects and reflect on how fragile and unstable our world has become.

When I was at primary school in the late 1980s, I can remember isolated news stories, such as the Lockerbie bombing, the Piper Alpha disaster and Hillsborough. At the time, these were huge tragedies that devastated communities. I remember discussions about these on the playground, but can't ever remember discussing them in class.

At secondary school, I was even less aware of the major news items of the day. My only memory is overhearing a conversation of two older boys in the cloakroom about the death of the former Labour leader, John Smith.

Back then, the world was a very different place. Of course, it changed forever on  September 11th 2001. Now, not a day goes by without another news stories about western values being threatened by extremist ideologies.

In my Year 6 class, we talk about these issues. Often, the children will catch up with the day's events by watching Newsround, and we discuss the stories together. These help the children to understand religious and cultural differences, as well as enabling them to form opinions on the world around them. We talk about them, because it affects them. Many of them will be taking foreign holidays this year. It pains me to say it, but what happened in Tunisia could easily happen again. Yet we also talk about them to remind them that Islam is a peaceful religion, and that they have nothing to fear from their Muslim neighbours.

Needless to say, children are confused by this - that's the 10 and 11 year-olds in my class. I'm not sure what our school is doing to mark the silence, but I know that my class will treat it with great respect. As for those in other year groups...

I think of my own daughter in Year 1. Would I want her to take part in a minute's silence about a man with a gun murdering lots of people on their holidays? No.
We turn the radio off when she is in earshot of troubling news stories. Perhaps we are sheltering her. But at six years old, I don't think she's ready to know just how broken our world is.

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#22 The SATS are not as evil as people make out

It's the final day of SATS. Actually, I've had a pretty good week. Compared to last year, I've found it much more - dare I say - pleasurable.

Apart from one student who appeared to be listening to a completely different set of questions during the mental maths test, our children have coped with them magnificently.

There has been nervous energy before; lots of huffing and puffing during; and tangible relief afterwards. Then we've all been to let off steam with a good old-fashioned game of rounders and a sing-song in preparation for our upcoming production.

It's all been remarkably chilled out.

We've had no booster sessions before or after school; we haven't been sending home reems of extra homework; we haven't been crushing our 11-year olds with the burden of pressure.

The result? On the face of it, the children have  been calm and collected. They've had smiles on their faces at the extra privileges afforded them during SATS week. And I've had no marking!

It could be argued that SATS serve no real use to pupils. The secondary school's seem to take little interest of them, preferring their own assessments. The scores will go on no CVs or individual records. They are more important for the primary schools who administer them as they are the barometer to show how well the school is doing.

For the kids themselves, it's been a positive experience to experience pressure and learn to cope with it effectively. It's been positive for the children to to prepare for exams, as they come thick and fast at secondary school. It's been positive for them to be competitive about how well they can perform compared with their peers,

In a few weeks time, the results will come in. That could be what makes or breaks me as a Y6 teacher. But I know that every child in my class has done their very best. I know they have revised hard for these exams. And ultimately, I know that we've given them the room to still have a childhood whilst preparing for them.

Well done, Barlby. I'm proud of you all. And I'm proud of the way we, as a school, have handled it too.

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#21 The General Election? It's anyone's guess.

On the evening of May 7th, I plan to sit up all night with a selection of craft ales (from various rural constituencies) watching the results coming in. I am genuinely excited by the prospect of change, and am looking forward to the entertainment value of it all - it beats Britain's Got Talent any time (and I enjoy BGT).

But as for to who vote for, that's something of an open field, and none of the TV debates made that any clearer,

Obviously, I'm a teacher, so I simply cannot vote for the current ruling party, as they have ruined the heart and soul of my profession. What's more, their whole election message has been based on slagging off Ed Miliband at every given opportunity. "On May 7th, you have a choice," they tell us. "The stability of a David Cameron, or the chaos of Ed Miliband." How do they know?  Yawn. Tories, I truly expected better from you. I don't even know what you stand for. And you didn't turn up for the debates, which to me speaks volumes.

So what of Labour? Traditionally, this is the party that is supposed to represent me as a teacher. They got my vote last time around. This time, I'm unsure. I like many others was disappointed that Ed Miliband became leader. Yes, he won in a democratic process but I thought his brother was more statesmanlike. Did he shaft his brother? That's not for me to say, but I'd like to think that family loyalty counts for a lot. After winning the vote, Miliband was quick to take away some of the powers of the unions that had guaranteed him his role. So it could be said he's shafted his brother AND the unions. Would he do the same to the country? I don't know but I do get the feeling that he's power hungry and is in it for personal gain. If his colleagues were more dynamic, then I might think twice. But there is no-one in the Labour shadow cabinet who excites me.

And then there are the other kids on the block. I can't vote SNP or Plaid Cymru for obvious reasons. I can't vote for UKIP for even more obvious reasons. The Greens have lots of wild ideas that will never add up. And then we're left with the Lib Dems, the party that is seen as the Judas of the political scene.

I've always felt a little sorry for Nick Clegg. He had a big decision to make in 2010, but what choice did he have? Since then, many of his key principles have been uprooted. Many students will never forgive him for what happened with tuition fees. But as a minority party in power, that's probably to be expected. For all Nicola Sturgeon talks about Trident being a red line issue, there is absolutely nothing she will be able to do to stop it if she is in a coalition government.

Clegg may be clinging on to the scraps of what he has achieved (and there are some good policies that he's pushed through), but can you imagine what life might be like if the Tories had secured an overall majority? I'm glad the Lib Dems have been in there to offer an opposite view, and to be honest, I'd be glad of it again this year.

And after all that's happened over the last five years, Clegg still stands out as the most honest of the main party leaders, and that says a lot! I hope he keeps his seat, because I think they will have a big part to play on May 7th.

So I havcn't really said much about policy, but the key areas for me are education; family; and lifelong care as my parents are approaching retirement.

With that in mind, I looked at an election policy guide for education. I'm close to making a decision on where my vote is going. Five years ago, this decision would have shocked me to the core.

Anyone got any good suggestions of craft ales?

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#20 "Why is the River Ouse so dirty?"

"Why is the River Ouse so dirty?"

This is the question I was asked during our Geography topic on Selby, the closest town to our school. My geography A-Level has taught me many things about physical geography, one of which was that tidal rivers often appear mucky because of the sediment that is churned up and down stream with the daily tides. It's where that sediment comes from which makes it particularly interesting...

Forty miles away, the East Coast is disappearing. I'm not talking about the stretch from Bridlington northwards. That remains intact (apart from the spectacular demise of a hotel in Scarborough almost thirty years ago). No, the North Yorkshire coast attracts millions on tourists a year to its resort towns, quaint fishing villages, and stunning coastline. Its the coast of the East Riding which is disappearing into the sea.

I'm very familiar with the Yorkshire Coast. I know every town and have visited all significant villages from Whitby to Spurn. But I have never been to Old Kinsea, Ravenser Odd, Sisterkirk, Minkwell, Great Colden, Hartburn or Wilsthorpe. Why? Because those towns and villages have vanished into the sea. Indeed, since Roman times, 4km of this coastline has gone - hundreds of square miles of the East Riding have been lost forever.

You only need to spend a few hours in this part of the world to realise that this is the land that the authorities have given up on. I have just returned from a weekend break to Skipsea Sands, a Park Resorts caravan site. To get to this large site, you have to take the road from Skipsea to Ulrome. The problem is, the road is hanging over the edge of the sea, and is no longer passable beyond the caravan park. By the side of the road, metres away from the cliff edge, is a fish and chip shop, defying gravity. Its owners, unlike scores of other seaside businesses around, are defiant in their battle with the sea. As long as they can sell fish, they will.

Road to Nowhere

The caravan site itself is busy, but you can't help wondering if Park Resorts may manage the decline of Skipsea Sands. After all, each year, another row of caravans is threatened from going over the edge. What's more, the glorious sandy beach, from which the site takes its name, is no longer accessible for safety reasons. Strangely, for a caravan park that is as close to the beach as it can possibly be, the nearest beach is ten-minutes drive away,

These will be the next to go - not if but when

The local councils have created huge coastal defence schemes further up the coast at the big towns and resorts, such as Scarborough, Bridlington and Filey, but this stretch of coastline has been forgotten about. Neglect is setting in. It has an 'end of world' feel to it, or 'the seaside town that they forgot to close down', as Morrissey put it. Even the tourism board have given up on this stretch of coast. The highly successful 'Welcome to Yorkshire' tourism agency have brought millions of pounds and tourists to the county, You won't find any evidence of it here. In a couple of months, the eyes of the cycling world will be on the Yorkshire coast as the Tour de Yorkshire takes place, but the peloton will head north out of Bridlington, and not visit these often forgotten communities.

That's not to say that there is nothing of value or interest here. Skipsea Castle, an English Heritage site, was built by William the Conqueror in 1086 and dominated the coast until it was left to ruin.

More recently, the coast was seen as a Frontier in World War Two - the accessible sandy beaches and low cliffs made it ideal for a German invasion. All along the coast, pill boxes and sentry boxes are sited, the narrow gaps in their concrete walls pointing out to sea. Some of these have slipped over the edge and lie intact, submerged in sand on the beach. It's difficult to imagine machine guns waiting in readiness for German landing craft on this sleepy coast.

Going back much much further, these beaches are amongst the best places in the country to find fossils, largely because of the way the sea is chipping away at the cliffs bringing down the rocks and earth.

Rocks and earth.

Here lies the answer to the question from the start. The land being eroded is boulder clay, an easy target for the predatory instincts of the North Sea. The process is heightened by the coastal defences further north. The brownish earth is broken down into mud and silt; drifts south towards the Humber Estuary where at high tide, it makes its way up the River Humber and then up the Ouse until it reaches Selby. The River Ouse in Selby is dirty with the history of the forgotten Yorkshire coast.

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#19 Don't talk about the F word in my class.

This week, I have been reminded just how damaging the primary education system can be to lower ability pupils.

I asked my class to write a New Year's Resolution. One girl in my class wrote this:

"My resolution is to do my very best in my SATS. I know I will fail, but I will try my hardest."

This says an awful lot about the pressure children are under in their SATS, and how results affect confidence and self esteem. 

I made her remove the 'f' word and told her that nobody is a failure in my class, whatever result they get.

The truth is slightly different though. If this child doesn't get a Level 3, she will be not graded. When all of the other parents open their envelopes, and ask one another how their children did (which let's face it, is what all parents will do), she will be left feeling that she has failed, just as she expected all the way through her schooling.

This is no fault of the teachers. It is an education system that is driven by results, categorising children into pass and fail. It is an education system that assumes that all children should make progress and doesn't take account for the fact that some children are simply intellectually challenged. It's an education system that forgets that underneath the school uniform is a fragile person who should be entitled to a childhood.

I will try every intervention for this child, and all others in my class. But one thing she will never be in my eyes is a failure. Some things are more important than exam results.

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