Creating a Brighter Future with Dennis and Friends
In a week that called upon the Chancellor’s magic to conjure up a budget to brighten all our futures, I was interested to see that the Bank of England has turned to the Beano for help. Dennis the Menace will be grinning broadly! Recognising the importance of financial literacy for everyone, the Bank believes it’s education programme is central to equipping younger generations with enough economic understanding to create a brighter future for themselves by making well-reasoned financial decisions from an early age. Bravo. But why Dennis and the Bash Street Kids?
Linking important but challenging learning targets to fictional characters is not new and the Beano has been engaging children for over 80 years. The continued tongue-in-cheek glorification of immoral behaviour is something that children still love to read about and if this is the hook on which to educate then let’s continue.
Using comic strips is a brilliant way to encourage reading. They are short, they are engaging and they keep even poor attention spans on task. Some parents worry that this is not ‘proper’ reading but they shouldn’t. Yes there is something powerful about the physical act of holding a book and turning the pages, but a comic, magazine, newspaper or even an e-book are just as effective at helping a child to learn. All reading engages the mind to comprehend and reason, to build vocabulary and reflect upon emotions. And so all reading should be encouraged. A lot!
On World Book Day yesterday, pupils in the Middles and Seniors were treated to a presentation and workshop by the multi-talented author, poet and hip-hop artist Karl Nova. The children learnt about and practised writing haikus, rhyming couplets, and using repetition to create rhythm in a poem. Meanwhile the Juniors enjoyed a similar morning of events with the author Chris White, who humorously explained how to illustrate stories before helping the eager Androvians to create wonderful poems. Dennis the Menace was most certainly grinning at this!
With the impending return of the pupils from Monday, I want to reassure parents that my colleagues and I are fully aware of the differing emotions floating around in households at present. There will be excitement but there will be nervousness too. There will also be FOMO for those children who cannot yet return to on-site learning; they will not be forgotten! For most children any anxiety will be containable and will soon dissipate as the routine and natural course of the first few days takes shape. For some, the stresses may be consuming and we are fully ready to support. Sarah Piper, as Head of Wellbeing, together with our Welfare Management Team, has been laying plans for how to re-integrate the pupils to school life after such a fragmented period.
Media news stories in recent weeks have tended to err on the negative side regarding big educational gaps and the need to lay down ‘catch-up’ initiatives. To me, and with Androvians in mind, this is overlooking a number of positives that have lined our remote learning provision. Lockdown was undoubtedly challenging and while the pupils may not be quite at the same stage as they would have been from a full term of uninterrupted on-site learning, not for one second do I think there is a panic about the academic development of the pupils.
We will not suddenly become an academic hot-house, pushing the children to catch-up at the expense of their emotional development. Instead we will focus on getting the children back in to an academic routine through engaging work that allows them to collaborate or be creative or express their thoughts and ideas. And we will identify what needs to be done to support the children. In short, the St Andrew’s teaching staff will do what they do best – keep inspiring the children with an excellent academic delivery that is balanced by a high level of pastoral care which understands what each individual child needs.
Talking of individual care and attention, please do check out our brilliant new film showcasing our wonderful Nursery: Click here. There is a reason why we have maintained the highest possible ratings in our last three ISI inspections and we feel this video captures it!
Please do not forget the Friends’ comedy evening tomorrow at 8pm. This event is for adults only and is designed to provide some light relief away from the confines of lockdown. Facilitated by an experienced comedian, you can expect 60 minutes of sketches, comedy games, and all round fun. Tickets can be purchased from FOSA Sales here. All proceeds go towards The Brain Tumour Trust and Friends of St Andrew’s.
Also, for parents in Years 7 and 8, please do not forget to ensure your child takes their Medatest tests on Sunday before returning to school on Monday. You will also need to submit your child’s Medatest result here.
Finally, please do not forget that the children should be wearing sports kit for the final two weeks, including tracksuits, every day, irrespective of whether they have games / PE or not. This decision was made to help with the issue of out-grown uniform and shoes and also to make logistics easier regarding changing room use over these final two weeks. Please do not worry about which sports shirt to wear under the tracksuit; we will be relaxed in that sense.
See most of you on Monday but, in the meantime, have a lovely weekend!