Today I spent the morning with in the Curriculum Support Unit (CSU) at School A, observing.
This school makes a huge effort and uses every resource possible to find out where their students are at academically before they coming into the school. There are these tests, middle year indicator scores (MYIS) which predict what GCSE scores a particular student will get. I find it really interesting that a prediction can be made as to watch mark/score a student should be getting.
I also liked how each student has a personality write up in a file - I was observing an English lesson in the CSU, and whilst it was being taught, I was able to read through a file on every student present; their background, their strengths and weaknesses, where and how they can improve. There seems to be a great effort to get to know students, to get to know how they learn, to look at factors beyond the classroom such a personal background, family life... it makes sense to do that. Its another tool which can be used to assist students in being better and improving on their scores.
It is very clear that this is a high performing academic school!
I would like to get to know my classes in that level of detail. I would like to make sure I show an interest in them as individuals. School A has this information available for teachers to access, but if I find I am in a school which does not have this type of resources available, I would very much like to get my own file going with write ups on each child. I am seeing the importance of student-teacher relationships. In my observation, I see they respond well to the educator - there is a mutual respect and a healthy banter.
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