Challenge Partners

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Challenge Partners carries out school evaluation work across the UK. School leaders are trained to carry out review activities in one another’s schools. Leaders from Churchill Academy & Sixth Form have visited five different schools across England to carry out reviews, and in return we had five reviewers from schools across the country visit us just before Easter to review our Academy. 

The review took place over three days at the end of Term 4, and involved thorough scrutiny of documentation and data, visits to lessons and tutor times, meetings with staff and students, and discussions with governors. It was a testing and searching process, but very helpful to us in providing external scrutiny on our provision. 

Unlike Ofsted, Challenge Partners does not reduce the school to unhelpful single word or phrase judgements. Instead, they provide a narrative report designed to help the school’s continued development and improvement. 

We are delighted with the findings. Some highlights include: 

  • On behaviour: “The school now has established routines that support the calm and purposeful environment. Key Stage 3 pupils said about behaviour, ‘Quite a big change … it’s better now because it means you can do more learning and focus more…classes are quieter and more concentrated.’” 
  • On relationships: “Across the school, the very positive relationships between staff and pupils create a safe, purposeful and welcoming culture. Teachers know pupils as individuals. They celebrate achievement and effort.”
  • On tolerance: “Leaders ensure that tolerance, difference and inclusivity are promoted through curriculum design across the school. Pupils’ voice, related to their perceptions and experiences, is valued and used to inform [professional development]. The school has developed cultural celebrations to further recognise diversity, including neurodiversity and LGBTQ+.”
  • On curriculum and progress: “The curriculum is continually reviewed to ensure that it is broad and challenging for all pupils…In 2023, pupils at the school made better than national rates of progress.”
  • On disadvantaged pupils and pupils with additional needs: “Vulnerable pupils are known as ‘priority learners’ to represent the intention for them to be placed foremost when creating the universal provision. Leaders take a strategic approach to planning for pupils’ needs…A group of ‘priority learners’ who were spoken to appreciate the levels of support provided to them and they felt they could ask for help.”

These are just some of the highlights of an overwhelmingly positive report, which confirms our view that the Academy is in a strong position and that we are continuing to improve. I would urge you all to read the full report, which is published on our website here.

Equals and equality

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The equals sign

Wikipedia tells me that the word “equals” derives from the Latin word “æqualis,” meaning “uniform”, or “identical”, which itself stems from aequus (“level”, “even”, or “just”). The equals sign – a pair of parallel lines, one above the other – apparently originated with a Welsh mathematician, Robert Recorde, in 1557. Bored of writing out “is equal to” again and again, he used a pair of parallel lines to stand instead.

Robert Recorde’s original explanation of the equals sign

Recorde wrote: “And to auoide the tediouſe repetition of theſe woordes : is equalle to : I will ſette as I doe often in woorke vſe, a paire of paralleles, or Gemowe lines of one lengthe, thus: =, bicauſe noe .2. thynges, can be moare equalle.” In modern English, this roughly translates to: “And to avoid the tedious repetition of these words: “is equal to” I will set as I do often in work use, a pair of parallels, or duplicate lines of one [the same] length, thus: =, because no 2 things can be more equal.”

The first recorded use of the equals sign in 1557. 14x + 15 = 71

Recorde called his new symbol – a much longer pair of parallel lines than we are now used to – “Gemowe lines.” The word “Gemowe” means “twin,” from the same root as the star sign “Gemini.” What Recorde has captured in his new symbol was the idea that the two lines are not the same – one is above the other, and one below – but they are of the same value. The are worth the same. They are equally valuable – equivalent.

This famous illustration has been used in training to help staff think about the ideas of inclusion and diversity

We have been thinking carefully about what equality means in education. We are not all the same – each of us is unique. Achieving equality of opportunity does not mean giving everyone the same treatment – as shown in the left hand picture above. Some people need extra help or support to achieve – as shown in the middle picture – and as a school we work hard to put that in place wherever it is needed.

Our ultimate goal is to remove the barriers that stand in the way of achievement and progress, so that our students can set no limits on what they can achieve. This is illustrated in the picture on the right. We know that this is challenging, and that some of the barriers are beyond our control. We know that we can’t always achieve it on our own – but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.

I recently visited a maths lesson and saw another expression of “equality.” The teacher was guiding the students through solving algebraic equations to find the value of x. Something like this:

2x2 + 12 = 44

Students volunteered to take the class through the process of solving the equation to find the value of x. The first step was to subtract 12, from both sides of the equation, to leave 2x2 = 32.

The teacher asked: “why do you need to take 12 from both sides of the equation?” The answer emerged: because both sides have to equal the same amount. If you only took 12 away from the left hand side, then they wouldn’t be equal.

The Year 8 mathematicians went on to divide both sides of the equation by 2, leaving x2= 16, before taking the square root of both sides and concluding that x=4.

After I had visited the lesson, I kept thinking about the idea of equality – in mathematics, in education, in society. 2x2 + 12 is not identical to 44 – the two sides of the equation look very different. But they have the same value. Our students are all different too, each with their own unique qualities, needs and circumstances. Their differences make them unique, and it is this uniqueness which provides the richness of our community. But every single child matters: they are all Churchill students. They are all part of the whole, all of equal value; they all belong equally.

Neurodiversity

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This week students have been learning about neurodiversity through their assemblies with Miss O’Malley. These assemblies have encouraged us to explore the variations and differences in our brains that help to make up our rich community.

neurodiversity-week-hiding-in-plain-sight-e1557241946320-1024x836

Neurodiversity is a term adopted by sociologist Judy Singer in the late 1990s. She was frustrated that differences in the make-up of our brains were too often being seen as problems or challenges to be overcome, rather than part of the natural variations in our human makeup. She proposed that neurological differences – differences in our brains – should be recognised and respected as much as any other human variation.

It’s a well-accepted fact that everyone’s brain is different. We are all unique. We recognise that our individual brain is “wired up” differently to anybody else’s. My brain, for example is wired up so that I am left handed. As a small child, I reached for objects with my left hand, and instinctively kicked a ball with my left foot. Despite the fact that everyone else in my family was right handed, it’s just the way my brain was made!

There are many other differences in the ways our brains work. Some people are naturally more organised than others; some have better hand-eye coordination; some see colours differently; others have superb memories for names and faces. What Judy Singer recognised was that some differences in the ways our brains work were characterised with negative stereotypes. Labels such as dyspraxia, dyslexia, ADHD, dyscalculia, autistic spectrum disorder, Tourette’s Syndrome and others were seen as problems to be “fixed” or “cured;” Singer argued instead that they were differences that should be respected and recognised.

Neurodivergent individuals may have many strengths that those without the differences lack: perseverance, creativity, problem solving, oral communication, resourcefulness, visualisation, and practical skills being just some examples. This may be why there are so many highly successful individuals who have neurodivergent qualities:

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This week students have been learning about neurodiversity and how we all need to value our differences, and not to see people who differ from us as “other.” How boring would life be if we were all identical? What can we learn from each other? And how can we celebrate our strengths?

Above all, whilst we are all born with different strengths and weaknesses, what we also know is that our abilities and intelligence are not fixed. Through hard work, careful practice and determination, we can improve on all aspects of our natural ability – and that this process continues throughout our life, not just at school.

Assembly: Curiosity

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We began the year focusing on our value of kindness, before turning our attention to determination to see us through the dark, cold winter. Last week’s assemblies, as the days lengthen into spring, focused on our value of Curiosity.

Our three values form three points on a character triangle, based on the work of CharacterLab. Kindness is a strength of the heart; curiosity a strength of the mind; determination a strength of the will. All three work together to support our students to be successful in school, and beyond, in pursuit of Martin Luther King’s maxim: “intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”

Curiosity enables independent thinking and enquiry, and is the basis of human flourishing. Stone age man was driven by curiosity: what happens if I bang these two rocks together? Can I use this animal skin to store water, so I can travel further from the lake? And so on, generation after generation, we have built on the discoveries of our predecessors in a way which is unique to our species. And we are never satisfied, continuing to push the boundaries of what we know, to solve mysteries, to understand more about the world around us and the universe beyond.

It was this curiosity that led Einstein to develop his general theory of relativity – his attempt to explain how and why the universe behaves as it does. He was driven by a passionate desire to understand, to explain, to make sense of things. It is this uniquely human desire that we seek to foster in school.

This desire for discovery continues to this day, with the Curiosity Rover on Mars and recent landings on the moon. We continue to strive to know more, to understand more, to answer questions, to solve problems – and there is always more to learn.

A dopamine molecule

Curiosity has many benefits:

  • Good for our brains and aids memory: the more we learn, the better our brain gets at learning. This is because our broader general knowledge gives us more “anchor points” for new knowledge to hook onto, to connect with, and to secure itself in our memories.
  • Helps us to be empathetic: understanding people who are different to us is essential to help us collaborate and cooperate with one another, to develop our empathy, and to improve our communities.
  • Increases confidence: the more we understand about the world, the more confident we feel within it. We feel most insecure when we are uncertain, when we don’t know what is happening or why, or when we don’t understand things. The more we know, the more confident we feel.
  • Contributes to happiness: when we learn something new, solve a problem, or something slots into place in our mind – that “lightbulb” moment – we feel a little rush of satisfaction. That is the release of dopamine into our system, a chemical designed to reinforce achievements by making us feel happy. So satisfying our curiosity actually makes us happier!

In my assembly, I went through all the ways we can satisfy our curiosity and extend our learning. The first – and most important – is through reading. Reading much, and reading widely, is how humanity has broadened and extended its knowledge over millennia. Using the library to ensure that we are reading books that we are interested in, and which take us beyond what we already know, is a guaranteed way to help us learn!

We are fortunate also to live in the age of the internet, where all the world’s knowledge is at our fingertips. Satisfying our curiosity has never been easier: we can ask Siri, ask Alexa, ask Google, ask ChatGPT. But we must be careful when using these sources, and always be curious about the answers we get back. Information we get online needs to be verified, as its accuracy cannot always be trusted. And AI, whilst it is useful, is subject to similar cautions: the answers we get from AI are only as good as the questions we ask, and the sources that the AI relies on. So there is no substitute for our human curiosity – we mustn’t become lazy, and let the machines think for us.

I concluded with three ways our students can show curiosity in the classroom and beyond:

  • Enquire: Ask questions – “why” and “how” – and actively listen to the answers
  • Explore: read around the subject – find out more
  • Experience: Seek out new experiences, people and challenges

Keeping an open mind allows us, the inheritors of the benefits of millennia of human curiosity, to continue mankind’s constant journey to know and understand more – and to contribute to human progress. What a privilege learning is!

High School Musical – on stage!

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What a show! Three casts featuring over 150 students wowed audiences over four performances at Weston-super-Mare’s Playhouse Theatre last week. I was lucky enough to go to see it twice, but I would happily have gone again…and again!

Firstly, a confession. I love High School Musical. I was a fan when the first movie came out in 2006, to the point that I had a HSM calendar in my classroom which my tutor group bought as a Christmas present! I’ve watched all the films, and I even watched High School Musical: The Musical: The Series on Disney Plus…so, yes, I am a bona fide fan. So, I was a little nervous about our production. Would we be able to do it justice?

I needn’t have worried! The show wasn’t just good – it was brilliant! The acting, the singing, the dancing, the sound, the lighting, the performance…just brilliant! The leads have a lot of work to do, bringing these huge characters to life, with some really challenging singing and a lot of lines to remember, but they did a fantastic job. From Sharpay’s self-centred narcissism, to Troy Bolton’s struggle to be true to himself against the expectations of those around him, to Gabriella’s struggle to re-make her identity, the lead actors managed to bring depth and emotion to their performances.

High School Musical is also funny – really funny. Comedy is really difficult to do on stage, but our students really committed to the script and brought it fully to life, with hilarious results! Ms Darbus’s thespians, for example, showed how the background cast, with no lines to speak, could steal a scene with a dramatic representation of, for example, an earthworm on stage. In fact, the chorus and background cast were so brilliant that I often found myself watching them (and cracking up!) even whilst the leads were performing in front.

The key to the show, of course, is the music. The band were incredible, totally on point from the big showstoppers to the short interludes, giving a really strong platform for the singers and dancers to shine. And wow, did they shine! The solos, harmonies and chorus numbers blew the audience away. There were so many great tunes that it’s impossible to pick a favourite, although “We’re all in this together” is the number I’ve found myself humming in my head all week.

The Dance teams showed why practice makes perfect, nailing every move with energy and commitment – and some pretty impressive acrobatics! It was also great to see our performing arts captains taking lead roles in the production, with dance captains Matilda Nicholson and Lydia Wilson leading their teams with great distinction. And the younger students, learning from the senior students’ example, showed that the future is bright!

I also need to pay tribute to the staff who made it happen. The amazing team in performing arts have put everything into building the platform that enabled our students to shine on stage, and they have been supported by a whole-school effort to get the show on the road. The performances this week have shown that all those hours, the sacrifices, and the struggles have been worth it.

I could go on and on about how brilliant the show was, and I almost certainly will for months and years to come. The memories that our students have made will last a lifetime, and the experience that they gave the audiences will do the same. But what the show really did for me, in a time of stretched budgets, narrowed curriculums, and a challenging educational landscape, was reinforce why the arts really, really matter. A show like this does everything that education should do: its shows students that hard work pays off; that a team that works together is stronger than the sum of its parts; that full commitment leads to a better performance; and that you can be anything you want to be, no matter what anyone tells you to the contrary. The students have learned a million lessons through the experience of High School Musical, and they are all walking taller as a result.

In the words of the song:

Everyone is special in their own way
We make each other strong
We’re not the same
We’re different in a good way
Together’s where we belong

We’re all in this together
Once we know
That we are
We’re all stars
And we see that

We’re all in this together
And it shows
When we stand
Hand in hand
Make our dreams come true

I can’t say it any better than that!

Moments Matter: Attendance Counts

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We all know that attendance at school is really important. If attendance is low, students miss out on vital lessons. It attendance is patchy, so is learning. The impact is summarised in this table:

Whilst attendance at Churchill is above the national average, that national average is lower than it was before the pandemic. This means that, across the country – including at Churchill – too many children are missing out on their education.

The link between attendance and attainment is clear: 36% of children who were persistently absent in KS4 got 9 to 4 in their English and maths GCSEs, compared with 84% of those who attended regularly. But attendance is important for more than just attainment: regular school attendance can facilitate positive peer relationships, which is a protective factor for mental health and wellbeing.

The good news is, it’s never too late to benefit from good attendance. More than half (54%) of pupils in England who were persistently in Year 10 and then rarely absent in Year 11, passed at least 5 GCSEs, compared to 36% of pupils who were persistently absent in both years.

We know attendance really matters – and that’s why it’s so important that every single student attends school every day that it is possible for them to do so. And there is a wealth of guidance out there to help and support families with school attendance:

Above all, we really miss our students when they are absent. We love having them in school – we want to see them every day!

Social Media

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In this week’s assemblies, Heads of House have been talking to students about social media. We can’t avoid these apps and services – they are part of our lives and the society we live in. What we need to do is ensure we use them carefully, kindly, and appropriately. And that means we need to think about them.

Social media apps make money through advertising. Advertisers want audiences looking at their apps. So that means, for a social media service to be successful, it has to be good at grabbing our attention, and then keeping us focused on it for as long as possible. The whole business model of these apps is designed to get us hooked, and keep us hooked.

Excessive use of social media creates increased loneliness, fear of missing out (FOMO), and decreased life satisfaction. There are also strong links between excessive social media use and body image dissatisfaction, low mood, lowered self-esteem, and disrupted sleep patterns. No wonder there are age limits on these apps:

  • WhatsApp: 16
  • Facebook: 13
  • X (formerly Twitter): 13
  • Snapchat: 13
  • Instagram: 13
  • TikTok: 13

Another big risk around social media is the risk of cyberbullying. Unkindness is rife online. People hide behind keyboards and screens and say things they would never say to someone’s face – but the impact is just as severe. Only this week, an inquest has heard evidence of how online bullying was a factor in the death of a 14-year-old schoolgirl in London in 2021. UEFA have launched a campaign called Outraged to raise awareness of the impact of online abuse on footballers.

Because there are also positives in social media. It can facilitate social connections and peer support, offering the opportunity to talk about things that you may feel you can’t face to face . It can provide a space for rewarding social interactions. There is a wealth of educational and informative content which can help us learn, develop new skills, and broaden our world view. And we can find humour and feel good stories across social media which can reduce stress as well as entertaining us.

So, it’s not all bad. But if we choose to use social media, it is our responsibility to use it kindly and constructively, for our own good and for the good of those around us who are also on those platforms – and in moderation.

Making choices

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The role of the Headteacher is all about decisions. People come to me to make decisions about difficult, challenging or complex situations all the time – and ultimately, it is my responsibility to make the right choices. So, how can we make sure we are making the best decisions?

Whenever I am faced with a decision or a choice, I ask myself four questions:

  1. Do I have enough information to make the right choice? Being in possession of all the facts is really important. Sometimes we need to wait to get all the information we can before we can make a choice.
  2. What are the possible consequences of this choice? Weighing up what might happen if I choose option a, or what might happen if I choose option b, is a really useful process to go through. I will often write lists of pros and cons to each choice. The process of writing it down is really helpful to clarify my thinking. Considering what might happen next is essential to making a good decision.
  3. What are the other options? When presented with an either/or decision, it’s often worth thinking about whether there is a third way. I often try out a “devil’s advocate” approach: what would a really bad option be like? Then, when you return to your original choices, they don’t seem so bad after all!
  4. What do other people think? This is the most important step when faced with a difficult decision. Running the options by people I trust – people with experience and expertise – will always lead to a better decision. I don’t have to agree with their opinions – but hearing them always helps!

When I have asked myself those four questions, I then remember to take my time. I have learned that a good decision and a quick decision are often not the same thing. Usually, the best thing to do is wait. A Headteacher I used to work for told me that, when faced with a difficult decision, he would say “I’m going to sleep on it. I’ll make my decision tomorrow.” I have used this technique ever since; things always seem clearer after a good night’s sleep.

Our students are faced with choices all the time, and this time of year there are some big decisions to make. We have had our Year 9 options evening, where our students have started their decision-making process as they consider their curriculum pathways for years 10 and 11. I have also started interviewing applicants for our sixth form – one of my favourite things to do! – about their subject choices for A-level, and the next steps that they want to take into careers or further study.

We try to support them – as we do our staff – to make the best decisions possible. And, where we (or they) make mistakes, we are constantly working with students to reflect on decisions they have made – so they (and we) can learn from it. Because making good decisions is at the heart of success – and we all need to take time and care to make the best decisions possible.

Happy New Year 2024

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It has been great to welcome staff and students back for the new year this January. I have held assemblies in this first full week back, to remind students about our expectations, to provide a few updates, and to encourage students to reflect on the idea of self improvement.

I reminded students about our classroom and social time top 5 expectations, and our system for punctuality. It has been really encouraging to see so many students starting the new year so positively, with lots of Headteacher’s and Governors’ Commendations to hand out at the start of each assembly.

The Sports Centre

I also updated students on the work going on in the Sports Centre. Following a complete replacement of the roof, contractors are now hard at work inside the building. They are converting the old swimming pool into a multi-use hall, and are redecorating and refurbishing the internal spaces .Over the coming weeks, doors and windows will be replaced, to ensure that the building is ready for our use when it is handed over to us. We are very grateful to the Lighthouse Schools Partnership for their support in overseeing this work, which will greatly improve our facilities and enable PE and Performing Arts to continue to thrive – even during exam season!

Resolutions

I also talked about the idea of new year’s resolutions, offering four options for students to consider as they think about improving themselves over the course of 2024.

We know that regular reading not only improved literacy and cognitive skills, but helps us understand more about the world we live in, and the people who we share it with. I encouraged students to make the most of the regular reading time we provide to choose a book that interests and challenges them, and to push themselves to read more books. This is one I am constantly striving for myself!

I then spoke about the importance of a healthy relationship with technology. We know that reductions in screen time improve mental and physical health, reducing stress and anxiety and leading to better sleep patterns. I urged students to consider steps such as turning off notifications, setting time limits and down time, and ensuring that phones are charged outside of the bedroom so they don’t interfere with sleep. We ensure that students have time away from their devices during the school day – in line with government guidance – but outside of school, it’s up to them. Mobile devices are part of our lives, and will be part of our futures, so developing a healthy relationship with technology is essential for our students to be successful adults.

Thirdly, I asked students to consider monitoring their physical activity, in line with guidance from the World Health Organization. Replacing inactive “sedentary” time with physical activity has many health benefits – any activity is better than none, and more activity is better! So making sure that every move counts would be a great resolution for 2024.

Finally, I asked students to ensure that they made the most of the opportunities on offer to them in 2024. I don’t want any students to look back in twelve months’ time and think “if only…” We want our students to participate fully in their lessons and beyond, to get involved and take part, and to take control of their own self-improvement.

I concluded the assembly with the launch of the 2024 inter-house poetry competition – a great opportunity to get involved and join in straight away! All students have the opportunity to submit a poem in this year’s competition, in any form, under the theme of either “growth” or “solitude.” All entries to be handed in to the English Department by 9th February!

It’s been a great start to the year so far – I look forward to continuing to improve every day as we move through 2024.

Christmas at Churchill 2023

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We’ve had a great last day of term at Churchill, celebrating Christmas and seeing out 2023 in style. The Sixth Form led the way with their fancy dress parade, carol service and revue, whilst the main school had their carol services at local churches as well as enjoying a range of house and tutor activities – including the Headteacher’s Christmas Quiz! Many congratulations to this year’s champions STUART HOUSE, and the winning tutor group, SLH.

Enjoy some photos from today below – and check out our newsletter for more.

Merry Christmas!