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Looking to next year – already!
Posted by: Tom@GAL on Thursday, June 9th, 2011
So we’re fast approaching the end of the year – well it’s the end for anyone involved in Education! Even though I’m not based in a school any more, as a teacher my default is that: the summer holidays marks the end of one and the beginning of another.
I know we all say this, but this really has been the quickest year of my life. Whether it’s that ‘a change is as good as a rest’ or that I’m getting older and ‘time is relative’, the fact is that it still feels like October in my head – the temperature doesn’t help (11° C this morning – Chilly for June!). Anyway, what I’m saying is it’s time to start thinking about next year? Have a look at these questions:
Important questions:
- Are you even thinking about next year?
- How many working days are there until you break up?
- What are you doing over the summer?
Things to think about:
- Are you looking forward to next year?
- What concerns you?
- Are you ready?
- What support would be useful?
Although our summer is very very important we’re trying to get ready for next year, just so that we’re ready to support you in whatever way we can.
PLEASE ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS BY COMMENTING BELOW
Don’t forget that we’re here to help
...but most importantly - make sure you ENJOY YOUR SUMMER!
About the author
After graduating from Durham University in 2001 with an honours degree in Education, Tom worked in a range of primary school settings for over 8 years; the latter of which he spent on the senior leadership team as Year 3 teacher, acting assistant head and leader of assessment and PE. He now manages the business end of GAL Education which includes marketing, school liaison, project management and much, much more!
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I am certainly thinking a lot
I am certainly thinking a lot about September - staffing is organised, new class lists are prepared and resources are ordered. We have begun to plan the first whole school topic in our new Learning Challenge / Open Futures curriculum and I am really looking forward to seeing it develop over the new school year.
On the downside, I am wondering when we will find out (at last) if we are definitely to become a full primary school in September 2012, so that we can begin to plan for the change, and I am worried about standards as we approach the end of the year.
I am spending the summer in France and hoping to return to school mentally and physically refreshed for my last school year ever, as I am retiring in August 2012. So - September will also be a time of very mixed feelings for me. I know I will miss the school desperately when I go (though not the constant problems!) and every 'last time for....' next year will be painful.
Lots of replies coming in to
Lots of replies coming in to this blog - either to GAL personally, by the blog, or by twitter. The over riding feeling is one of trepidation when we look ahead - to the new academic year, to the changes within Ofsted for January, and to the changes heralded by the Dfe, within the White Paper, the EYFS and the SEN Green Paper.
Again, overwhelmingly, schools are turning to their colleagues, and increasingly finding both support and challenge there. But many are also missing the broader - and deeper? - support of the local authority and SIPs, and are looking elsewhere for this level of challenge.
Here at GAL we are receiving record numbers of requests from individual schools and clusters to work with them in shaping the future - for the schools and their leadership, for the teachers - and, above all, for the children.
We continue to follow the blogs, the twitters and the emails with interest!
Liz Greensides
I'm thinking about it lots,
I'm thinking about it lots, and have lots of fleeting ideas about changes that I want to make. At some point over the next week I intend to start making a list so that I don't forget it all by September.
There are 6 weeks of term left, which makes 29 days (we finish a day early), and for me those weeks will be very full - most secondary teachers lose their yr11 & 13 classes now and get some planning time as a result, but my timetable is entirely KS3 so I don't get that. Other than spending time with my own children, I want to look at the KS3 lessons from this year to adapt them more than I managed as I was going along. Since I'll be adding GCSE & A-level classes next year I'll also have to do quite a lot of planning for those.
I'm looking forward enormously to changing my form tutor role (we're switching to vertical tutoring and I'll be co-tutoring with someone new) and to teaching older students. I've also volunteered to be involved with the student council, so plenty of new things to look forward to!
I'm worried about helping my students get their target results (especially after marking some pretty poor work this evening!), about my relationship with students that haven't liked me this year (I'm still working on being less confrontational).
I'm definitely not ready, but making a list will be a good start. I'm not sure that there's much support that others in school can offer me, although the school mentors have been great and are always there when I've had something specific that I need help with. I will need lots of support at home to get enough time around caring for my own children to get the amount done that I want to!
Thanks for getting involved
Thanks for getting involved Philip! All the best!
I am thinking about September
I am thinking about September 2012! I've no idea how many days are left, but a combination of too many and too few... The summer will see a slow down, a break and a speed up. Next year is big. I always look forward to the new - change, excitement and innovation. I will look for the support I need through a myriad of sources, but my own determination will be at the core of that.
Education concerns me; children's life chances concern me; teachers and staff being able to do their very best concern me. I have to ensure that it happens.
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