Friday Bulletin

Dear Parents & Carers,

We hosted our Year 8 parent information session on Wednesday afternoon, and it was good to see the school busy with families arriving and students leaving after choir practise, sporting fixtures and a variety of after school clubs. The information evening for Year 12 parents took place on Tuesday and we have additional meetings scheduled for all other year groups in the coming weeks.

As part of the meeting for Year 8 parents and carers we asked those in attendance to consider a key safeguarding question. We shared the following scenario:

What would you do if your child came home from school and explained that a friend had been very upset at lunchtime? Their friend had shared with them that they are being regularly hit and bullied at home by family members. What should you do?

This has been a feature of all meetings and presentations in school for a while now, as we want all adults to be aware of the need to share information quickly and to contact the school if they have any safeguarding concerns.  That key message is vital; don’t assume or judge anything in relation to what your child has said, just share the information with us as soon as you possibly can, and we then act in accordance with advice relating to Keeping Children Safe in Education. In safeguarding situations, speed is always of the essence and Mr Weaver is our Designated Safeguarding Lead.

The 2022-23 academic year represents my 25^th as a teacher at Durham Johnston and in recent assemblies I have shared the key things that I have learnt about successful students since starting at the school in1997.  All those who attend or work in schools should have a keen interest in what success looks like, as we can always learn a lot from the experience of others and what does and doesn’t work. Reflecting upon how students learn, and progress is clearly very important for parents and carers too. It is also important to regularly state how important education is and how it can be transformative.  

So, what can you do as a parent or carer to help your child succeed? There are clearly a huge number of unique things based upon each individual child and their circumstances but there are also general supportive actions that represent good common sense. Based upon my experience, I shared the following observations with Year 8 families.

Observation 1: Trying is as important as succeeding if you want to be successful. At the start of a new year, it is actually much more important than ability if students are to fulfil their potential. Therefore, as a parent encourage your child to make as much effort as possible. It will have a significant impact over time. Children that try hard are more successful. Everyone who is clever but lazy reaches a ceiling of their own creation.

Observation 2: Success is based upon the momentum that students build up across each year; day by day, week by week. It can only build if they are on time each day and attend lessons. If they attend, students will succeed. If they aren’t at school or are regularly late, it shouldn’t be a surprise if they miss important things and don’t fulfil their potential. Therefore, as a parent ensure that your child is in school whenever possible. Have a target of 100% attendance and punctuality. It is very, very difficult for the school to authorise any form of holiday or absence in term time apart from in very exceptional circumstances and it is vital that students are in the classroom if well enough to be so.

Observation 3: Successful students keep things in proportion. Life should not be based upon a rollercoaster of disaster or elation. We don’t expect students to have the right answer or to be the finished article because students learn by trial and error. Teachers don’t expect young people to be perfect; nobody is. They want students to ask if they are unsure – that demonstrates that they are engaged and trying.  Therefore, as a parent encourage your child to ask questions, seek help and talk to their teachers in lessons, or at lunch or break if they lack confidence in front of others. Incremental progress is the key to success.

Observation 4: Young people are inexperienced and don’t always see things in the same way as adults. That can lead to confusion and miscommunication. Don’t assume that what you are being told at home is accurate and, similarly, we will always seek additional information if we are told things in school about situations at home. Successful students and parents communicate concerns in a polite and kind way. Working positively with the school as a parent is always the best way to resolve issues. Making unfounded accusations or being aggressive makes communication much less open and can get in the way of resolving issues. Teachers, School Leaders, Students and Parents can all get things wrong and, in my experience, do get things wrong. Therefore, as a parent and adult, always seek clarification politely and develop a positive relationship with the school. We want the same as you – for your child to succeed. Remember too that between 8.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m. we are usually teaching and working with children. We can’t stop doing that to answer a call or email, or if you arrive at school unannounced. Our priority in those hours has to be helping children to learn and progress. Sometimes it takes time to communicate effectively.

I hope that the above points chime with you and that you consider those observations to represent sensible advice. I have been at the school for 25 years but every day I learn something different or encounter a situation that is new to me. As adults we want to keep learning – encourage your child to have the same mentality.

Have a good weekend.

Mr O’Sullivan

---