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...

Read More

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...

Read More

#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...

Read More

#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...

Read More

#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...

Read More

#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...

Read More

#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...

Read More

#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...

Read More