It has been an extremely busy week at the College.
I felt that it was the appropriate time to issue a strongly worded assembly on Wednesday as standards had somewhat drifted.
Issuing strong messages to the entire student body can be a tricky task, and one which requires an appropriate tone.
My assembly, entitled ‘Community’, I feel, broadcasted that message loud and clear - that which the College stands for most: a shared set of ambitions and goals held by everyone connected with it: to prioritise education - to attend College to make the very best of themselves by being present and engaged in every lesson, all of the time; to try their best to improve and give all of their effort to ensure that they give themselves the best chance they can to make progress; to be considerate of all other people who are part of the same community as they are. To consider their needs, to be polite to them and to try to help them whenever they can.
I’ve already seen a difference following the tightening of some rules, and students have responded exactly as I’d hoped - like the mature young people I know that they are. They understand that the College works on trust, and a robust relationship between students and staff. Some of them also try to push the boundaries from time to time, and there needs, every now and again, to be a reiteration of expectations to ensure that we get the best from them.
The day after, on Thursday, I welcomed three visitors - Chris James-Roll, Deputy Head at Sherfield School, Gregg Davies, an experience inspector, former Headmaster at Shiplake College and Education Director at Bellevue Education, and Montserrat Carillo, the Head of MFL at Webber Independent School in Milton Keynes, to conduct the annual Learning Review of the College.
Though the report has yet to be published and the key findings are yet to be supplied in detail, the initial feedback was immensely positive, with an affirming sense of pride resulting from it.
As part of the review, the team interviewed staff and students, conducted learning looks and investigated an agreed set of criteria to see how well placed the College was to meet the priorities mapped out this academic year.
The overriding impression which they got was how incredibly special the students who attended the College were. The team expressed that there were several key indicators which showed that we had made a huge difference in their lives, as a theme was repeated throughout their conversations: how their time at Ealing Independent College had been significantly happier than they’d had during their last educational setting. Trying to get to the heart of the matter, the team asked why students felt this was. Some suggested that this was down to small class sizes, but many schools and colleges offer such an arrangement. Others highlighted the consistently excellent teaching they receive across their subjects. Again, this is a contributing factor, but not unique to our environment. Finally, students came to realise that perhaps it was down to the strength of relationships that really made the difference, that teachers were not the enemy who were hunting them for homework or turning up the pressure when tests were on the horizon, but rather someone who ‘believed in them.’
The relationship itself, where teachers at the College work in partnership with students to support and guide them through the myriad of challenges they face throughout the year is key to what we deliver on a daily basis. There is an entrenched sense of collaboration, encouragement and empowerment.
The result - that students ‘find a home’ within our nurturing environment - is what we seek, and it is truly wonderful to hear that, in the vast majority of cases, we make it happen. Childhood should be a happy time - of curiosity, of development, of trying new things, of finding their own way to success. The unfortunate reality is that this simply is not the case for a significant amount of the young people in this country.
I read a few articles this week which made, to my mind, the commitment to what we do even more crucial. The Guardian article ‘teachers buckling under strain of pupils’ mental health crisis’ outlined a number of concerning findings, chief amongst them being that while rates of mental illness in under-18s have risen by half in the last three years, only one in four of the 500,000 children and young people referred to CAMHS every year receive help as services are stretched, and many are refused care because they are deemed not ill enough.
Another article, entitled ‘Headteacher in South Yorkshire warns student’s mental health is the “worst it has been”' speaks for itself. The embattled Head in question had spent £500,000 of her budget in an effort to prioritise student wellbeing - but found that it still wasn’t enough.
Perhaps most worryingly, I recently read an article in the Daily Mail, which referred to some students as ‘ghost children’ - those school-aged children who had found it difficult to return to class following the pandemic as a result of a range of issues. Apparently, there are 135,000 children in the UK who meet this definition, having now ‘lost all interest in their education and social life, preferring to spend their time alone in their room’. They miss at least 50% of their lessons at school.'Potential consequences of this phenomenon are life changing. Without that vital social connection, yet more problems pile up and these are problems that might last a lifetime,' the experts said.
The experts questioned in the article highlighted one key determinant for breaking the cycle of refusal, anxiety around getting into school and depression - the prioritisation of relationships: of talking to students on their terms; of getting to know them personally to prompt intervention where required; of praising their individuality and making abundantly clear how much their presence is valued. This is something which is woven into the fabric of the College.
Yes, we have small classes.
Yes, our teaching is excellent.
Above all, however, we care. We work day by day, hour by hour and minute by minute to show that to the students at the College - that they matter to us more than anything else. This, fundamentally, is why we make such a difference to their lives, and the gains from the dedication which is given to them, means the world to all involved.