Wrapped

Luckily, the rapture appears to have been a false alarm, so you should all be reading this from a tellurian vantage point, rather than some incorporeal setting. If, perchance, you were swept up and those of us left aren't good enough to have noticed, please transmit cover work in whatever way possible.

Another half term is nearly done and dusted; wrapped up, so to speak. It's been a challenging (read the article or stare at the muscles!) term, from the disjointed first three weeks, to a mock Ofsted, as well as the regular items which have again been squeezed into an essentially five week term. We now face the final week of this half term, which will be busy and challenging in itself.

First of all, it will be the first time that an entire year group will have sat their Controlled Assessment together, on the corridor, for real. This is an excellent opportunity to develop our administration of this vital part of the new GCSE. All feedback relating to improvements is welcome. Hopefully, the pupils will be wrapt in the work, and this unit will be wrapped up positively, with more good marks in the bag. So far, we're on course for a good set of results, but we must keep striving for excellence in our teaching and their learning. Remember, if you feel any work is under par, we can revisit it; make sure you track your pupil's progress against their targets and their potential. If you fear a child may underachieve, make sure you flag that issue to the relevant staff immediately. This goes for all year groups, not just exam classes.

We've also got the English house competition. The poems that the pupils write can be about anything, and I look forward to seeing and hearing what is produced. This could be good material for the blog - I'd love us to start filming work (where appropriate, of course) and create a YouTube channel to promote it, too.

Speaking of t'internet, I mentioned Twitter last week, specifically UKedchat. This week's chat was on the theme of 'Getting them writing" wp.me/pYldx-3P - the link takes you to the blog which captures the whole chat. There are some fantastic ideas on there, and it shows how valuable this type of communication can be for our professional development.

We'll be meeting on Wednesday, with a big focus on moderating Literary reading for Controlled Assessment, so make sure you've got your homework sorted, or there'll be detentions all round! Enjoy the week - keep working hard and providing a stimulating, challenging and secure environment for all of our pupils to learn in. We may not be greeted by rapturous applause every lesson, but the work you do is invaluable in so many ways.

This was the week that was...

... and what a week it was.

Firstly, a huge thanks to all of you for your hard work last week, especially during the QA process, which you dealt with like the truly professional people that you are. The end results were more than satisfactory, largely good, and often outstanding. This really shows how well we are developing as individuals within a thriving team. It wasn't easy, especially if you had to wait until the last possible minute to undergo scrutiny, but everyone showed great fortitude and humour throughout the whole process. Again, thanks. Also, thanks to the ITT students - the fact that teachers could take their groups back so successfully and painlessly shows what a good job you're doing.

When the real thing comes, this will prove beneficial to all of us, regardless of how many times we've been through the hoop-jumping experience.

Still, let's not relax, because we have lots to look forward to...

• Progress Reports are due this week, with end of year grades to be put in. Be positive and make sure you allow the pupil's attainment to shine through in the grades they receive!
• Year 7 reports are due to be completed - be honest and productive as ever.
• Year 11 sit their English GCSE - support your pupils and coachees in a positive manner. Strangely, this became a worldwide trending topic on Twitter today! This shows the power and potential of social media - this Grauniad article on #UKedchat may show how we can harness some of that goodness! Lurk and steal ideas, or take part on a Thursday from 8 - 9; it's genuinely enjoyable.

Most of all, we can look forward to a department night out, on or around the 27th May. Last time was great fun, so add ideas to the board or specify a preference for venue, and we can have another quality night out!

See you on Monday...

Here we go, yo...

What's the scenario? (Sorry - cheap way of getting a song that won't leave my head into the blog!) And here we go, yo, indeed.

I'm sure you have all had a weekend that has involved a fair bit of work, with the QA process about to hit. It is a lot of work, but it will be worthwhile - ultimately, it will help us to improve as professionals and mean that we are more effective teachers. The sheets are something we should carry forward, and perhaps set up in detail at the start of each year, to be added to, as a living document. Clearly, this will help us to avoid rushing to complete these tasks at an inconvenient time. Despite this, I hope you have all found time to relax in some way over the weekend. It ain't no joke - we know our pupils well, and will know them even better after this process, but make sure you're well rested and in a position to do yourself and your classes justice where it matters - in the classroom.

You all have excellent subject knowledge, strong relationships with your classes, so go out and express yourself in your teaching. There is no magic number for how many assessment opportunities to put into your lesson, no sure fire way make your class perfect - trust in your consistent good practice, subject knowledge and the excellent lessons you've planned, and all will be well. Think back, reminisce; you do this job for a reason, and you do it very well.

If you have clicked on the links today, you may notice I've gone a little hip hop heavy, and worked in many awfully contrived references to allow me to get a few of my favourite tracks in. This is all a convoluted way to draw your attention to our forthcoming 'Love Music' week, which the Performing Arts team will be leading on. Hopefully, we will all be able to play a really active role in this, whether it is the studying lyrics of our favourite artists, contributing to the Chronicle articles or even, if you can, singing with the choir! Music links well to literature, as I'm sure you all know, and this video shows.

Aside from this, which is something your organised selves will no doubt manage, there will be plenty to do. Choices for Wednesday's training were sent out on email, we've got a full five day week, and I'm sure plenty more will crop up! No department meeting this week, though.

Make sure you relax tonight, and don't worry about the QA process; it's ultimately supportive, and will stand us in good stead for the future. Give myself or one of the Key Stage managers a shout if you need anything over the next few days, and beyond, of course.

The approach...

The approach we take to our work is all important. That is a self-evident truth. We cannot just run in, like this. If we do, we will end up like this. And we wouldn't want that, would we? The way we look at our work is particularly important right now. April has vanished into the aether. After a five week term, we are essentially a week into another one, thanks to arcane celebrations and needless pomp and circumstance. This could put us under some pressure; exams loom, reports are coming up, schemes need to be planned for next half term, adapted for this.

Don't worry. Keep calm. It's all good.

Focus on creating top quality lessons, differentiating from the schemes to engage and enthuse your classes. Use the schemes wisely, looking carefully at the resources and options within. Plan ahead for progress reports, to make them easier. We'll be adding end of year levels in this cycle, so ensure you're up to date with APP and other data, such as the exam results and S & L data for KS4, to make that a smooth process. Remember that the year 7 exam results will be really helpful for those of you who'll be writing their reports in the next few weeks.

With another effort, and collaboration in lesson planning led by Lorraine (mine's on the way, honest!) we can improve our year 11 results even further. With hard work, and the selection of the right question for our groups (look at the suggested question document), we can keep year 10 on track for an outstanding set of results. By asking questions we will make sure we get the best out of every scheme, keep on top of our not inconsiderable workload and ensure we meet our goals.

It's a stressful job, but as a team, we can make it much, much easier.