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GHS Connect #13 Monday 8th December

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GHS Connect #13 Monday 8th December

Mia's notes

Just over a week and half to go until we all get a well earned break. 

A reminder that as usual, all lessons should continue as normal right up until the last day of term. The last day will run in the usual format with assemblies and tutor time, and I will communicate specific details via the VLE.

The reason for keeping lessons structured and focused is that our students respond much better to routine. You may feel worn down by them asking for ‘an easy lesson’ or ‘a film’ but it actually makes things much more difficult if we give in to these requests.  A day’s worth of films or easy lessons leads to boredom, frustration and pent up energy which will then come out in other ways.  So please keep to normal lessons right up until the last day.

Thank you to everyone who was involved in our LA inclusion visit last week. It was great to showcase some of our wonderful work.  Please remember to use your seating plan as a start for inclusion, to identify which students you will go to first, and please remember to use red pen for teacher feedback and green pen for student feedback..  

Finally, thank you to everyone involved in Teach 1st’s Ofsted inspection. We haven’t heard back yet, but we do know that they deeply appreciated everyone giving up their time for this.

I hope you all have a good week,

Mia

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The week ahead

Monday
Normal Day

Tuesday
Department Time 3.15pm - 4.30pm
HOY training 3:15 - 4pm

Wednesday
Briefing in the library – 8.15am

Thursday
Normal Day

Friday
Normal Day

Notes
Year 11 Mock Week 1

Learning and Teaching Tips and Strategies

This week, one of Dipa Pindoria’s methods for live marking:

  1. Identify a small set of core questions to mark.
  2. Mark only the selected questions.
  3. Pause for 1-2-1 explanations when misconceptions arise.
  4. If several students struggle with the same question, pause and re-teach it to the whole class.
  5. Use insights from circulation to nudge the class forward (e.g. “let’s all move to Q3”) to ensure they have time to practise each skill. 

This method makes full-class circulation achievable within one lesson.

New this term! The fourth episode of our Learning and Teaching podcast: Verbal Feedback with Amit Pall. Listen here.

Student Voice – What are our students telling us?

Our Vision for Student Voice 25-26

At Greenford High school, we aim to use 'Student Voice ‘ as a consultation strategy, regarding pupils as ‘expert witnesses’ on teaching and learning (Rudduck and McIntyre, 2007).  Our vision is to cultivate a vibrant, inclusive, and academically ambitious school culture where every student feels valued, heard, and responsible for their learning environment.

What have we done so far to consult with our students on key aspects of teaching and learning?

  • Met with the current Head Students to discuss what they value as members of the GHS community
  • Discussed our  behaviour policy with students in year 7
  • Discussed Teaching and Learning with our year 7 students as they come to the end of their first term in secondary school
  • Hosted a student voice session with a sample of students who were selected for the SLT Book Look
  • Taken 30 members of the JLT to The Guardian Headquarters as inspiration for the relaunch of GHS News: For the students, By the Students
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What have we learnt from our discussions with students, and how might this influence our teaching and learning?

 

What did our students say?

Actions for us to consider in our classrooms:

Praise

Zhra in Year 7 said: I love a phone call home – it  lets my parents know how I’m doing! 

Younes in Year 7 said: Character points are great but sometimes inconsistently awarded; it can devalue the merit!
  • Try to make 2 positive phone calls home a week – this has a huge impact on how our students feel about their learning and is a great motivation tool.
  • Think carefully about which tasks/ moments in the lesson we are going to reward with Character Points. Students want to know that they are being praised for great work/ academic success.

Live Marking

Amy in year 10 said: ‘Live marking is really helpful; personal feedback is powerful.’

Mysha in Year 7 said: ‘When you are struggling in a subject, and they write something in your books for example, when I was struggling in maths, they start you off by how to answer the question. This is the best way to learn.’

Aaliyah in Year 10 said: I prefer whole-class feedback when the teacher goes through questions on the board.

Dexter in Year 10 said: I like when teachers take in books and write an LR; I like when teachers point out spelling errors. I like individual LRS.
  • Our students love the attention that live marking offers.
  • Consider the route around your room so that you are strategic in whose work you will live mark in each lesson.
  • Be clear and purposeful in what your live marking will focus on so that you are as efficient as possible. This will enable you to maximise the number of students who you are able to give feedback to.
  • Use your visualiser to show students how to make progress, especially if you notice a common misconception as you circulate around the room.
  • Help students with their literacy errors as these are tangible ‘quick fixes’ that help students like Dexter feel an instant sense of progress.

Books

Mysha in Year 7 said: ‘Our exercise books are important because they store knowledge.’

  • Our students care about their books, but they sometimes need support with how to organise their knowledge.

  • Use a visualiser to clarify and support with how you want sheets tagged/ stuck in

  • Model the use of highlighters so that students know what information is key to their progress; support students with the signposting of key knowledge

  • Consider numbering the pages in your books and creating a contents page so that students are conscious that they are creating a revision guide for future knowledge retrieval and revision.

If you have any questions, suggestions or feedback or if there is something you’d like discussed with our students, please contact: jwilliams@greenford.ealing.sch.uk

Jen

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Pastoral Reminders

Safeguarding

Question of the Week

“In the run-up to Christmas, a child says, ‘I hate Christmas,’ and the adult replies, ‘Come on, Scrooge — it’ll be fun.’ It might sound jokey, but how might this response shut down our professional curiosity? What are some of the possible reasons the child could feel unhappy about Christmas?”

Possible reasons

  • Family conflict or tension: arguments, stress, unpredictable routines.
  • Domestic abuse: Christmas can be a high-risk period at home.
  • Financial pressure or poverty: worries about gifts, food, heating, or comparison with peers.
  • Bereavement or separation: Christmas highlighting who is missing.
  • Sensory overwhelm: noise, lights, crowds, rehearsals, and disrupted routines.
  • Stressful contact arrangements: anxiety about handovers or seeing/not seeing a parent.
  • Seasonal alcohol misuse at home: fear or unease about family gatherings.
  • Unmet basic needs: tiredness, hunger, or instability.
  • Social pressure: not wanting to answer “What did you get?”
  • Mental health needs: anxiety, masking, or fear of the holiday period.
  • Caring responsibilities: knowing Christmas may mean additional anxiety or stress.

(And of course, we might be affected by these things too.)

When a child says they ‘hate Christmas’, it’s rarely about the holiday itself; it’s a cue to pause, stay curious, and gently explore what might lie underneath.

Please note that just before the school holidays, I will be sending out letters to enable students to seek help from various organisations should they need to.

Inclusion- Young Carers

Please note that we are in the process of identifying our Young Carers in School.  Niloo has placed in all form tutors pigeonholes a very simple tick sheet for students to complete.

We are also sending all families a letter with a Google Form linked to see if we can identify our young carers through both groups.

More information on young carers can be found here

SEN

I wanted to say a huge thank you to Christie Tremain and Monika Siek for running a fabulous Year 11 workshop with SEN students and parents.  The aim of the workshop was to support parents/guardians with tips on helping their child revise. All students were given revision packs to support them over the next few months. 

Form Time Activity 

This week form tutors should be focussing on online safety.  I will be echoing similar messages in assembly next week.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend.

Gurvinder

Bright Spots

The first of this week's Bright Spots comes from Ajay:

A huge thank you to Dan Jenkinson, Jay Ramgi and Jarnai Brady who recently supported the school with patrols and the IE Room. It was a great team effort and very much appreciated.

Next, Sarah Williams nominates her Bright Spots:

  1. I'd like to nominate Nim Virdee. My morning always gets off to a better start if Nim is at reception when I push through with my bike. She ALWAYS welcomes me (and everyone, I'm sure) with a bright smile and opens the gate so that I push my bike through easily.  She is always so cheerful and helpful.  Small gestures that make a huge difference ?? 

  2. I'd also like to nominate Belén Sanchez: she is the MFL IT wizard! She has been so kind and patient in guiding me through the preparation of resources for the new EPI teaching method we have adopted in MFL. I am a slow learner, but she always has time to explain.  She has been a great companion on several long Wednesdays after school spent preparing said resources. Una estrella ??!

Finally, Peter Mather wants to thank those whose classes were visited by our local MP:

As part of our partnership with Teach First, we had a media event last Friday, 28/11/25, with our local MP, Deirdre Costigan.  She visited Joseph Khako’s Year 7 Maths lesson, Nadima Begum’s Year 12 science lesson and chatted with some of our JLT then with Noor and Hebe.  Many thanks to all for allowing me to disturb lessons and take up your time at short notice.  

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If there are any concerns about Equality and Diversity (staff)  at GHS please contact A Johal (DHT)

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05 Dec 2025
Young Carers Reply Slips
Good afternoon all,Following the announcement about the young carer survey, can I please ask you NOT to put the slips in the post box outside AG16.That box belongs to schools counselling partnership and is only for SPACE drop-ins.Many thanks for your continued support.Kind regards...
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