Uphall Primary School

Transcription

1 Uphall Primary School on behalf The Creative Curriculum Network (part of the Redbridge Networked Learning Communities) and in partnership with Human Scale Education visits Lundtofte Skole in Copenhagen 18 th -21 st March

2 School Context and Organisation Uphall Primary School, Ilford, Essex, England Lundtofte Skole. Nøjsomhedsvej 1, Kongens Lyngby, Hovedstaden 2800, Copenhagen, Denmark No of Pupils Age of pupils No of pupils per class % Ethnic Minorities Dominant Muslim Christian religion Social Economic make-up Low Middle and Upper Building No of teaching staff Teaching 5 ½ 4 hours per day Teaching Hours 8.50am-3.30pm (1hr lunch) 8.00am- 12pm (1hr lunch) Some classes go on until 3.30pm Average time spent planning per week

3 Introduction It was our perception that Lundtofte Skole seemed to reflect the values demonstrated by the Danes in wider society. Working Danes pay 50% in tax and the majority of staff are quite happy to do so because they trust their government to use their money well. And use it well they do their free health care and education systems provide an amazing service to its citizens. As a culture, there is a huge emphasis placed on a healthy body and care for the environment all roads are allocated wide cyclist lanes, trains also have parking areas for bikes with instructions for people to give up their seats for a bike, if one should get on the trains. As a result the citizens of Denmark, on the whole are at a healthy bodyweight. This emphasis on health is reflected at Lundtofte Skole with children having the opportunity to explore a range of physical activities in their extensive outdoor facilities. Children also ride their bikes during break times. In Denmark children learn about the benefits of outdoor activity from an early age - it is traditional practice for babies to sleep outside in their prams. At the Lunder Nursery, babies were placed outside for their nap unless it was below -10 degrees centigrade. The cleanliness of the streets across Copenhagen demonstrated that somehow through education and socialization, young people and adults in Denmark take pride in their country and the need to care for the country is embedded into the social consciousness of all citizens regardless of age. In comparison, our country has a litter problem, a spitting problem, a dog messing problem and other anti-social behaviours that demonstrate a lack of care for the environment and a lack of empathy for those who would like clean streets. Ethos, Culture and Relationships The overwhelming feeling in the school community is one of trust: children trust children; teachers trust children; children trust teachers; teachers trust teachers; leaders trust teachers; teachers trust leaders; the government trusts teachers; the teachers trust the government. This holistic level of trust was quite startling for us as teachers from the UK. At Uphall we work hard on building quality relationships between children and teachers and between teachers and teachers and I would say a high level of trust exists within the school community. However, the trust that we saw at Lundetofte Skole seems to stem from wider society. It would seem that the government trusts the teaching profession and vice versa. Choices about what children learn are made locally by teachers. There is a real sense of being proud to be part of the profession. Lundtofte Skole is seen as a second home by the children and it certainly in many ways has a homely feel. Children call teachers by their first name; children remove their shoes and walk around in their socks if they choose to; children move freely around the room even when teachers are talking but this is not interpreted by the teacher as a child not listening. One boy in a lesson we watched, who was obviously a football fanatic came in after play, took his trainers off, sat down at his table, with his football under his feet and then proceeded to roll the ball under his feet for the whole lesson. Even though he was doing this he was fully engaged in the lesson. Freedom of movement around the school without supervision is the norm. In lessons, when children wanted a resource from somewhere else in the room they just went to that area, stayed in that area and used the resource. We saw children moving across the room in a variety of ways and the teachers fully accepted this children moved under tables and on top of tables to get to where they needed to go. Children went to the library unaccompanied and playtimes were without adult supervision. When we asked staff about this, they said that the children knew where to find them if they needed them. 3

4 Playtime without supervision There is a greater expectation of the children to be responsible for their own safety in Denmark. Health and Safety was viewed in a different way by the Danish teachers children were alone in secluded areas and challenging play areas. At the Lunder Kindergarten for children age 1-5, there was a play area that overlooked a horse racing course instead of enclosing the play area and putting up barriers, they had built a viewing platform for the children to look over the course. Another school we visited backed onto the sea and there were no barriers put in place to keep children from danger. When we spoke about the potential dangers in terms of the height of the platform, the children possibly toppling onto the race course, or children drowning, we were met with blank stares and then told that the children were taught from a very young age how to be aware of their bodies and how to decide on safe risks to take. Only one class displayed class rules and the teacher said they are hardly referred to and unlike English schools there are no consequences for negative behaviour and surprisingly no physical rewards are given for good work or behaviour. Instead there is an emphasis on intrinsic reward and self-motivation. Children behaved not only for themselves but because it was good for the whole community. The staff continually demonstrated respect for their pupils by the way they spoke to them and the warmth they showed towards them. At Uphall we have a No Shouting Policy so it was pleasing to see the level of respect given by the teachers to the children. You could see the genuine fondness the staff had for the children and vice versa. We also saw this reflected on the trains. In England there is a great divide between the youth and adults with positive interaction occurring in the family or the school setting but rarely as part of everyday life. In Denmark we saw children talking to the elderly, teens talking to the elderly on trains and there was very much the feeling that we are all part of humanity and our age is not of importance. Fear of teenagers does not seem to be prevalent in Danish society in the same way it is here. Relationships appeared to be strong across the school community. There was real understated warmth between all parties. In a Year 4 class, we witnessed a boy who was clearly distressed being comforted by his classmate. Throughout the interaction, approximately minutes, there was no teacher intervention. We don t know why he was distressed but his classmate, another boy, touched his face, wiped his tears away, hugged him, held his hands, looked into his eyes and talked to him earnestly before they both went and sat down and got on with the task. The incident seemed to go unnoticed by the rest of the class and the teacher but resolved in such a sensitive way. Amongst the school community there was high level of physical contact that would have been frowned upon in England; it would have been seen as weird and would have invariably been seen as sexualised. In a Kindergarten class in Lundtofte, at the end of the school day at 12pm,the Pedagog put on some soothing music; the children went and collected their neatly folded blankets, spread them out on the floor (in most cases 2 to a 4

5 blanket) and lay down, closing their eyes. The Pedagog then went to each child and stroked various parts of their bodies; hair, face, legs, stomach, arms. This quiet relaxing time lasted for about 15 minutes. A bit of rest and relaxation after a busy morning This was considered to be accepted behaviour and the explanation given for this particular practice was that it built trust between the Pedagog and the children. We were told that children are less likely to be rude to you if you care for them and are willing to spend that time with them. Children will trust that you will look after them and will come to you with their problems. Pedagogy and approaches to learning The high level of emotional intelligence displayed by the children across the age groups may be contributed to by the quality of early years education provided in Denmark. Typically, in England, the qualification for early years is NVQ 1, 2 and 3; each part lasting for a year, attending an institution for 1 day a week. In comparison, the Danish place so much value on early years education; a person who wants to become a Pedagog (title given to someone who has trained in Early Years education) must train for 5 years full time. A teacher trains for 4 years, the same as someone carrying out a B.Ed in the UK. The extensive training of a Pedagog in child development gives the country the reassurance that their children are getting the best quality early years education possible. It is commonly thought, that education for children in Scandinavian countries begins at 6 years old and therefore they are at a disadvantage when compared to an English child. It is true that our children begin formal education a year earlier, ie the learning of reading, writing and maths. However, Early Years Education in Denmark typically begins at age 1(most mothers take the 1 year fully paid maternity leave) and continues until they start formal education at age 6. So much more quality early years education is given to the children in the early stages of their development. In those 5 years the curriculum consists of: Language Development (speaking and listening) Social Skills Nature (outdoor activity, exploration, climbing, etc) Art It is easy to see why this is considered to be a successful model. By the time the children start their formal education they have a keen understanding of the world around them; they can express their thinking, emotions and feelings through language and art. They know how to build relationships and how to problem solve. They 5

6 are aware of their own bodies and the capabilities of their bodies. They know how to dress and undress themselves, they know how to organise their possessions and look after the spaces they are working in. Most importantly, they know that their individual success is dependent on the whole group. In comparison, our experience has been that children arrive at school with very little awareness of themselves and a tremendous amount of time is spent teaching the children how to be independent, in terms of dressing, looking after items, organising themselves. Inclusion At Lundtofte Skole, the children with moderate or severe behavioural difficulties spend time at the Grey House which is a building across the road from the school. It operates as a separate unit working hard to support the children in modifying their behaviour. Some children are in the Grey House for all lessons; others are there for only part of the day and spend the rest of the time in main school. The aim is always that the children will eventually be reintegrated into mainstream. During our visit, we were often given the challenge by the Head of SEN to identify a reintegrated child; it really was impossible to tell. On our visit there were 8 children in the unit even though there is room for up to 20. The facilities mirrored those in the school with soft furnishings and different learning areas over several floors. There was room for group work and there were also individual workstations for those times when children had to work independently. Even within this environment the children are afforded a lot freedom in terms of choosing which spaces to work in. Often these spaces were without adult supervision even here there was a high level of trust. The Grey House also offered after school activities for the children there at the time. The outdoor area offers a sizeable climbing and gardening area. On our visit the only real case of inappropriate behaviour we saw was a child trying to hit other children this behaviour was for our benefit. The Pedagog running the game turned her back on the perpetrator and at the same time blocked his access to the other children and they all ignored him and continued playing the game. Danish as a second language- All the children we met for which Danish was a second language were surprisingly proficient. We met children who had come over from Cambodia, India and the USA. The children did not have extra support and had gradually picked up the language. Learning in the classrooms Staying in the same school from the age of 6 16 seems to reap extremely positive benefits. Not only do the children foster long and meaningful relationships with their peers but with adults they can trust. They do not have to navigate the traumatic transition from primary to secondary. They are not thrust into a totally different environment and ethos as children are in the UK. The teenagers we met on the one hand appeared to be so child-like in terms of trust and happiness and yet, on the other hand, so mature in terms of skill and academic ability. There was a real sense that they remained children for longer rather than being forced into coping with an alien learning environment at 11 years old, in which, in a lot of cases, the institution forgets to nurture the whole child and focuses on academic achievement. In addition to this, younger children also had access to amazing resources, unlike in the English system, where the whole school primary budget is so much less than that of a secondary school. 6

7 15 and 16 year olds Firm friendships established from the age of 6. All able to speak English fluently. In Denmark, throughout their schooling children will typically, have 2 to 3 form tutors. The form tutors teach the children his/her specialist subjects whilst other subjects are primarily taught by other specialists, much like the secondary system in the English system The official school day ends at 1pm and the children eat their lunch before heading off to after school club. At Lundetofte, the after school facilities felt like an integral part of the school function. For example, children at the after school club made the cakes and other refreshments for the workshop that was being held for visiting teachers, including ourselves for the following day. The children have an extensive range of activities to choose from such as Art, sculpture, woodwork (we saw an all girl group making an Easter egg holder out of wood in this club), basketball, cookery, horse riding, homework, pool, gardening etc. Alternatively, the children can choose their own activity which could be just relaxing; they even have the option of hiring a classroom for an afternoon with a friend/s. The clubs are run mainly by trained Pedagogs who continually look for new and exciting projects for the children to explore. Resources for the clubs are of a high standard. It is all funded by the state and further enhances the children s skills and confidence. 7

8 Timetable Mondag Tirdsdag Onsdag Torsdag Fredag 8.00 Idrat (PE) Dansk(Danish) Billedkunst (Art) Dansk Natur/Tecnik Idrat Dansk Billedkunst Dansk Kristendom (RE) 9.55 Matematik (maths) Musik(Music) Matematik Dansk Dansk Matematik Musik Matematik Dansk Dansk Dansk (danish Klassens tid Dansk Dansk Matematik A class timetable for 8/9 year olds The subject Danish incorporates lots of different subjects by using the topic method. Christianity is the only religion taught in schools and spending an hour tidying the classroom is seen important to the Danes. At Lundtofte, we spent a significant time with a class of 8-9 year olds and the standard of learning produced by the children was akin to our year olds at Uphall. The cross-curricular link approach was very familiar; however, the method of teaching was very different. The teacher in the lesson was merely a facilitator she spoke minimally and really only to give instructions. The children were given tasks and through these tasks explored, learned and took ownership of the outcome. The learning style mimicked team work in a work environment. This lesson took place in a large art room. Surprisingly, there was very little artwork displayed on the walls. Display as a whole did not appear to take high priority in any of the Danish schools we visited. The class of 8-9 year olds were working on the topic Buildings. The topic had cross-curricular links. The previous week before our arrival they had been told they would be going in to Copenhagen to explore buildings. They were told to choose their own groupings and to choose a theme for their exploration. The teacher had chosen Colour for her theme. Colour teacher s demonstration Doorways 8

9 Windows Repeated Pattern Roof tops Glazing houses Before they went out they were given a photography lesson on how to frame photographs they were given quality Canon SLR s to use. They were told to take lots of pictures based on their theme and to make a careful note of the name of the building and location. The children all took on specific roles to ensure the task was done. On their return from taking photographs they were asked to select their best shots to fit their chosen theme and create a collage. In the lesson there was a child with special needs. He did not stand out at all in the lesson until you looked at his collage of photographs they were all Lego structures taken at various locations in Copenhagen. The classteacher explained that he had wanted to work on his own and he was obsessed with Lego. When I questioned her about him not doing the same as everyone else, she explained that he was - he had chosen a theme, framed his photographs, chosen his best shots and was creating a collage. This was true and she explained that this choice would still enable him to carry out future tasks linked to this piece of work. When I asked her about the fact that he was working on his own, she said that would be discussed at another time. She explained, that through regular 1:1 discussions with children, key questions would enable him to think about his choices. Questions such as, How do you think you re getting on?, What do you think you need to improve on? She explained that all the time the responsibility was given back to the child so that they could take ownership of their decision making. In the same lesson they moved to glazing a building made from clay. The teacher explained where the different coloured glazes were and the change of colour that would occur to their structures once it went back into the 9

10 kiln. Children were then given the freedom to move from one table to another according to the resources they needed. Throughout the 2 hour lesson the teacher moved from table to table. To support her in the lesson she had an art specialist who worked at the after school club but who had been specially drafted in for this topic. The quality of the pottery buildings was very high as was the children s artwork inspired by their photographs. The emphasis on Art in the early years enables children to develop a high level of skill in the subject. The standard and skill level of art across all the schools visited was outstanding. The ability that the children have in expressing themselves through the language of art is phenomenal and Art is clearly valued by wider society. Art work inspired by photographed buildings Back in the classroom the teacher explained that they were going to do a Danish lesson. The lesson was linked to their topic. Using Google Maps they had to write a description of the buildings they had used for their collage and place the descriptions on the map. The children took out their laptops and worked with the same group that they were with when they went to Copenhagen to take the photographs. For guidance, they used an A4 instruction sheet given out by the teacher, as well as a history report based on the trip, written by the children in a previous lesson. Again, the teacher spoke only for a short time and gave a demonstration and then children were left to explore. They worked in twos and threes so that they could all experience the task. Using Google maps in a Danish lesson Laptops to hand when needed At least once a term the school holds a Project Week for the older children in the school to give them a break from formal education. They can choose to work at home or work in school. They are all assigned a tutor who is there to help them should they need the support. 10

11 If they choose to work at school they must notify the assigned tutor. The only stipulation for their project was that it must have 3 parts:- A problem A solution A conclusion. The titles of previous projects were Breast Cancer, Poor People in Denmark Prostitution Legal v Illegal When it was suggested to children this was a perfect time not to do any work and to get away with doing less work, they genuinely seemed horrified at the idea and then proceeded to tell us how much they enjoyed working with each other in this way. Parental Engagement Parents are expected to place a significant amount of time in supporting their child s learning at home. The family is considered to be equally influential in the education of the child. At Lundtofte in the Kindergarten class (6 year olds) all the children were timetabled to give a presentation on their topic of choice. All parents were notified at the beginning of the school year of the date and were expected to help their child with the presentation. We watched a 6 year old give a presentation on his holiday to Turkey. The project he presented consisted of a document produced in Word with scripts and photographs. He used this as an aide memoire to give his presentation. Although, he was very nervous (because we were there) he gave a quality presentation. The teacher interviewed him when he got stuck. You could see his confidence growing as he moved further through his presentation. The children sat engaged throughout and spontaneously applauded him at the end. The quality of questions that the children then asked him about his presentation showed that they were responding to what he had said, fully trying to comprehend his experience and comparing it to their own experience The teacher then got him to reflect on how he felt giving the presentation. To which he replied that he had enjoyed doing it. She then got him to articulate what he enjoyed about giving the speech. A kindergarten (6 years) child giving the whole class a presentation on his Turkish holiday 11

12 The Learning Environment Key features of the learning environment: Vast amounts of space, indoor and outdoor Sofa s, soft cushions, blankets Not much focus on displaying the children s work Quality resources, e.g. high spec cameras Resources that support individual learning styles and needs, e.g. headphones to block out sound Resources to aid independence Freedom of movement by the children in lessons Children carry out task in various parts of the school during a lesson Tend not to wear shoes inside No school uniform Children make more choices about where and how they learn Children get a drink when they need it Children tend to own the space more than the teacher Individual tables that can be joined rather than tables that seat 2, to enable independent learning Laptops in cabinets in classrooms for easy access when needed Work Life Balance for Teachers Staff appeared to work smarter than us in the UK. When asked about their work life balance they all seemed to have time to follow their private pursuits. The Headteacher of Hellerup School, in Copenhagen has 42 days of the school calendar that he uses to carry out his other passion, being a referee for FIFA. The head of Special Needs has also written books and trained teachers across the country in special needs. Teachers told us of other hobbies that they had time to explore. On closer inspection some of the key reasons for a better work/life balance than that of English staff is primarily a cultural one Danes believe in a healthy mind and body and live it. There is less time spent writing up lesson plans. The planning for the Building topic by the teacher for the 8-9 year olds covered 4 pages. There was no reason for more because the lessons were nearly always task-based where children explored, learnt a skill or practiced a skill. The responsibility for learning always lies firmly with the child. English teachers spend a lot of time marking whether they are in the primary or secondary sector; Danish teachers do not. Within most tasks there is an element of self-assessment built in so that the children themselves can take ownership and know what they need to do to improve. This occurs as early as Kindergarten. 12

13 Examples of self-assessment built into tasks - using coloured pegs and string with 6 year olds The sound of the letter was on the front of the card to self-assess the child looks at the picture on the back of the card Teachers, frequently, have conversations with their children to establish how the child thinks they are doing and what they need to do to improve. Testing is something the Danes have only recently taken from the English system. They test their 14 year olds the results are not published but they are passed onto the district. If these results are too low it might trigger a visit from the district, however the headteacher was very keen to point out that they were all on the same side and worked together if there was a problem. How is success measured for the children? Success is measured for the children in the same way it is for adults. Are they happy? Do they have a real sense of who they are? Do they think beyond themselves to the wider community? Are they healthy in mind and body? 13

14 Can they achieve both academically and physically? Do they have the ability to learn anything they need to learn? Can they think creatively? Can they adapt to a variety of situations? Can they work with others? Can they foster and build positive relationships? Do they have a variety of skills they use in a variety of roles? Can they problem solve? Can they analyse and evaluate their own performance and know how to improve? Will they be able to contribute to Danish society in the future and help to support and grow the economy? In the past Denmark relied heavily on agriculture, fishing and shipping to maintain its economy. These industries have now died out and Denmark relies almost solely on its service industry with other countries. The country continues to thrive not only because of the high taxes but because the Danish population have been able to reinvent themselves through creativity and adaptation. There is a low unemployment rate which tells us that children go onto giving back to the workforce. The Danes seem to measure success by the success of all rather than the success of one and this clearly reflected in their school system. Legacy from the Denmark experience to Uphall School More of:- Simple Improve the learning environment in terms of comfort Encourage children to feel at home by taking their shoes and socks off Continue to emphasize the importance of building positive relationships Provide an area for bike riding during break times Provide headphones to block out sound Encourage staff to be less restrictive in terms of movement in the classrooms Encourage the staff to allow the children to work in a variety of spaces around the room Trial some elements of task-based learning Difficult Give the children more ownership of their learning Build a culture of trust Create better outside spaces Train staff to incorporate self-assessment strategies in tasks Purchase laptops in all classes in Key stage 2 Remove one of the ICT suites to create space Become a Healthy School not just in name only but through the ethos and values of the school 14

15 Thanks to RNLC, Luke Abbott (RNLC Lead), and Mike Davis (HSE) for making the visit possible. Thank you so much to our host school Lundtofte, especially to Lene, the Headteacher and the children for being so accepting of our presence. A special Thank You to Kim and Trina for looking after us so, so, so well. We look forward to seeing you at Uphall soon! 15