Hellooo!
As tonight is our Open Night, I thought I would write a wee blog post reflecting upon the proceedings leading up to this special school occasion.
This term we have been partaking in a new initiative in Northern Ireland, known as the 'Welcoming Schools' project. Never heard of it? Me either! - until one member of staff embraced the opportunity to take secondment to be in the depths of it and our full staff were involved in an interactive training day! So, what is it? Well according to the Welcoming Schools Project Team:
'The project aims to develop within schools a welcoming ethos and atmosphere built on the principles of inclusivity, respect for others and an embracing of diversity within their own school culture. It focuses on whole school support for developing a welcoming schools agenda and supports work with parents and the whole community.'
So what does this mean? Well in practical terms it really means that you simply employ a little common sense! It applies to everybody in the school building- from the school receptionist, the Senior Leadership, teaching and non-teaching staff right through to the visual appearance of how the school and classrooms look. Essentially, the school needs to pull together to try to enhance the 'welcoming' nature, which is what our staff have been working towards with Open Night.
As tonight is our Open Night, I thought I would write a wee blog post reflecting upon the proceedings leading up to this special school occasion.
This term we have been partaking in a new initiative in Northern Ireland, known as the 'Welcoming Schools' project. Never heard of it? Me either! - until one member of staff embraced the opportunity to take secondment to be in the depths of it and our full staff were involved in an interactive training day! So, what is it? Well according to the Welcoming Schools Project Team:
'The project aims to develop within schools a welcoming ethos and atmosphere built on the principles of inclusivity, respect for others and an embracing of diversity within their own school culture. It focuses on whole school support for developing a welcoming schools agenda and supports work with parents and the whole community.'
So what does this mean? Well in practical terms it really means that you simply employ a little common sense! It applies to everybody in the school building- from the school receptionist, the Senior Leadership, teaching and non-teaching staff right through to the visual appearance of how the school and classrooms look. Essentially, the school needs to pull together to try to enhance the 'welcoming' nature, which is what our staff have been working towards with Open Night.
So what have I done to try to implement this?? Like I said - common sense really! Here are a few things I've highlighted:
- I have always made sure I am outside my classroom when pupils arrive, to ensure they line up appropriately and are ready to enter into my practical environment. With 'Welcoming Schools,' I have really been conscious of making sure I welcome the pupils to class, even a simple 'Hello' and eye contact is valuable to them!
- If a pupil has missed a lesson or has moved class after Christmas/Summer exams, I did help them to catch up, however, perhaps not as dedicated or focused on a one-to-one as 'Welcoming Schools' implies. I now try to be proactive and keep a tighter record of who has missed a lesson, making a point of spending one-to-one time going through the material and ensure the pupil is content - all in the next lesson they are back.
- With my classroom environment, I've concentrated on the first entry to the room - the door. I've found Pinterest and Twitter very useful for classroom display materials and came across a fantastic 'Welcome' acrostic. The materials on my door are colourful, appealing and set the tone for the creative environment within.
- I am keeping display boards inside and outside my classroom updated with a focus on celebrating pupil learning. I have decided to capture learning through photography and have created a number of photo boards of pupil activity. I have also encouraged pupils to record their work using the Flip Camera - this is good practice anyway but as part of 'Welcoming Schools' it is inclusive, involves everyone and celebrates their learning.
- I'm also working on starting a 'Music Club' after school - this is aimed at anyone who wants to learn modern music on the Keyboard. Pupils can tell me what pieces they would like to learn and spend time after school working on these with my help. The thinking behind this is to help promote the subject to everyone and anyone and spend time with those who are most keen to learn after school.
- As ICT Co-ordinator, I have set up a school facebook account that is secure to parents only. The purpose of this account is to celebrate achievement. Any successes inside school or even outside school, we highlight this to show how proud we are of our pupils, sharing these triumphs with parents. This helps to promote our welcoming, inclusive and encouraging ethos.
If anyone else has experience of this project, I would love to hear from you!
A :) x
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