This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
OLYMPIC LINKS
Headteacher Sister Brenda
There were a number of occasions when they used
their newly-acquired status to act as young sports
Wallace explains her
Destination
reporters, and put others in the spotlight.
My students has the chance to interview David
Tanner, the manager of the very successful Great
school’s involvement in the
Britain rowing team. They were also invited to an
evening reception given by the most celebrated living
Towards the Olympics project
Chinese artist Yang Yan. They learnt about his work
Beijing
and were privileged to watch him as he created a
painting in front of them as a gift for the school.
HEN KEN Walsh, an So now that we are back in Britain on familiar
W
associate director of the territory and ready to start another academic year, what
Specialist Schools and do we carry with us in addition to the memories and
Academies Trust (SSAT), thousands of photos?
told me about the Towards Well, we have definitely established more formally
the Olympics project last our partnership with St Paul’s Convent School, Hong
year, I had no hesitation in Kong, which we will continue to strengthen by more
asking if my school, Gumley House Convent School, teacher exchanges, curriculum projects and planning
could join in the programme. for student exchanges.
I had just spent a week in Hong Kong on a return We have progressed in our desire to establish a
visit to St Paul’s Convent School to talk about a partnership with a Chinese School, with the Beijing
partnership with the school and then went on to Beijing National Day School proposing themselves as our
for the iNet Conference, hoping to open some doors to partner. A proposal we are delighted to accept.
establishing a partnership with a school in Beijing. But there is even more. Our students and teachers
Towards the Olympics has at its core the aspiration who were on the trip have gained a wider cultural
to set up working partnerships between schools in the awareness and greater understanding of what China has
UK and those in Beijing, China and Hong Kong. The to give to the world.
theme was to extend and share awareness, knowledge The sheer scale of life in a country that counts its
and inspiration around the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. population in hundreds of millions can be scary (the
Seven UK schools, two schools from Hong Kong Beijing National Day School alone has 5,500 pupils),
and four Chinese schools were involved in the project. but we have been in Beijing as partners looking to
For Gumley House it was a very exciting proposal that collaborate and co-operate, to learn with and from each
came at exactly the right time. other, to bring the best of East and West together. We
Our first group of students had begun to learn hope that we are building bridges of understanding and
Mandarin Chinese for GCSE and the school had recently dialogue for the future.
been designated as a high-performing specialist school Our students have been exposed to the passion and
with the opportunity to apply for a second specialism commitment to detail that has underpinned the success
– which we had decided would be languages. of the 2008 Olympic Games.
All schools in each of the three countries were They are returning to a new academic year with
initiated into the ways of working jointly on the project with the programme, Mr Walsh launched a kite-flying and the sentiment was repeatedly expressed by all the a very real sense that the Olympic motto, “Faster,
website, operated by Uniservity. The students and competition. Each school had to design a kite that participants. higher, stronger”, and Michael Phelps’ statement, “if
teachers researched their own interests on the Olympics would epitomise the aspirations of the project. I hope they will go on to do amazing things in years you dream, anything you dream is possible”, can also
and posted their questions and findings on the site for The winning kites would be built and flown in to come, but this experience opened their eyes to the inspire and enthuse them in their studies and future
all to share. Beijing when we all gathered there last month. Clearly reality of a culture that is very different, and challenged ventures. SecEd
The Hong Kong Island School students created an the culmination of the project was to meet up in the students to step outside their own assumptions
innovative and excellent online student magazine to Beijing and Hong Kong when the students and teachers and presumptions in order to assimilate other ways of • Sister Brenda Wallace is headteacher of Gumley
which everyone could contribute. The students from would come together to enjoy the excitement of the seeing and doing things. House Convent School in Hounslow.
Gumley House and St Paul’s participated in video Olympic Games they had been researching, and the They experienced what it means to be seen by others
conferences which served to sustain enthusiasm, build awe-inspiring cultural delights that a civilisation as old as different: “alien”, as the immigration landing cards
Further information
confidence and establish a sense of being partners in as China has to offer. designated them. Everywhere they went they collected • www.ssat-inet.net/china/projects/towardsthe
the task. To say that this was an experience of a lifetime a crowd of Chinese people who wanted to photograph olympicsaspx
During the first few months of our engagement for our students does not seem to be an exaggeration or be photographed with them. • Uniservity: www.uniservity.org.uk
Inspiration for all
Headteacher
in the future. In September, we launched a four-year The programme has also equipped teachers with In a school environment, it is very easy to get
programme designed to create a culture that inspires the neuro-physiological tools they need to adapt their wrapped up in processes. What we are trying to do at
Phil Mooney
every single pupil, each member of staff, and the wider behaviours, helping them to learn how to examine and Cardinal Allen is look beyond day-to-day business and
community that is an integral part of the school’s challenge their behaviours so they can put themselves not lose focus on what we are trying to achieve.
make-up. back on track during their daily lives. The end result is A successful culture that any right-thinking
explains how
not only people who feel happier and more fulfilled, headteacher or school should aim to achieve is a culture
Solutions
but a workforce that is more productive and open to of achievement. If that is embedded into a school then it
his school has
When you light the fire in people, when the culture change. will motivate children and parents, and ultimately allow
of an organisation inspires staff and its pupils, where Phase one of the programme is now complete. Next pupils to achieve success in life. If they are successful,
embarked on a programme
people buy in to its vision and values, then everyone year, this will be cascaded throughout the teaching not just in terms of academic work, then it will make the
will aim to give 100 per cent every time they come to staff. A collection of teachers will become cultural school a more positive place to be.
designed to create a culture
school and every time they do anything in life. champions – tasked with selling key messages to the Living by the values of a school, so they are not
With that in mind, we introduced a “cultural school’s wider population. This will eventually be just words on a wall, will undoubtedly have a positive
change” programme starting with the senior leadership rolled out to the student base, concentrating initially on impact on pupils in years to come. SecEd
that inspires pupils, teachers
team. Through this process we identified what positive years 9 and 10. The ultimate aim is to live by the vision
behaviours the team wanted to feature in their everyday and the values of the school in every corridor and in • Phil Mooney is a headteacher at Cardinal Allen
and the community
lives and equipped them with the skills to make it every classroom. Catholic High School, Fleetwood. The North West
happen. school has just completed the first year of a four-
The programme examined the kind of behaviours
Results
year programme with organisational and personal
that prevent people from enjoying life and recognised There are signs that the programme is starting to bear development specialist, Leading Light.
LL SCHOOLS are facing those that enable us to flourish at home and at work. fruit. Importantly, the way that teachers approach lessons
A
challenges like never before, with Staff were taken through a series of cognitive behaviour and deal with students; the manner in which they speak
Further information
social upheaval a big factor in models to help them understand their behaviour more to them; and the way in which they recognise exceptional Leading Light was launched in 2007 to transform
teenagers’ lives. clearly, relating positive behaviours to things like more qualities demonstrated in pupils, have resulted in the performance of people in the government-funded
The pace of change, new fun with friends or better performance on the golf tangible behavioural changes in particular classes. By sector and the organisations they work for. For further
technologies and relative wealth, course. communicating with pupils in a positive way, students information, visit www.leading-light.tv
mean that children often lead This has helped to build the emotional buy-in, because become calmer and more engaged – as one senior
unstable lives – the teacher who is respected, valued people can see what is in it for them. Fundamentally, member of staff commented, certain classes now
and trusted can be the anchor in the lives of vulnerable it is about staff leaving their preconceptions about look “completely different”.
adolescents. towing the line at work and starting to see how
Any teacher who has spent time in the classroom approaching every day and every task
knows that teachers do make a difference – this isn’t with enthusiasm can really
new! Writers, from the late Ted Wragg through to Taylor make them feel more
Mali, have reminded us just how important teachers are fulfilled.
in helping to mould tomorrow’s workforce. The task of
achieving this, however, presents a sterner challenge.
Coping with increasing levels of bureaucracy, the
pressures of meeting government-led targets, and the
job of providing emotional support for those “vulnerable
adolescents” is, in short, a complex balancing act.
But, whether you are a public service, voluntary
organisation, or business, success stems from the same
three things: a solid culture, a strong set of values, and
a clear vision.
When I joined Cardinal Allen Catholic High School Leading light: Staff at Cardinal Allen Catholic School are in the
in the autumn of 2005, we re-evaluated all of these process of creating a culture of inspiration throughout the school
elements to set out how we wanted the school to look
SecEd • September 11 2008 19
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20
Produced with Yudu - www.yudu.com