Newsletters

GHS Connect #32 Monday 7 June

From the Head

Welcome back everyone! I hope you have all managed to have a good rest and enjoy the sunshine. Just a few things from me this week.

Firstly, we will have a staff meeting, the first in a long time, on Tuesday. I will be publishing details on the VLE about who should go where and when, as we will need to split the meeting to allow for some social distancing. Attendance for teaching and pastoral staff is compulsory. Please see the VLE for more info.

Surge testing will take place this week for staff and students, and we will have a team in school sent in by the LA to run this. As before, operations will be managed by Arshdeep Dang, and teams of pastoral staff and TAs will be collecting students. If you have not yet taken your own test, please do so and leave in reception, where they will be collected by courier.

As we head into the final half term of the Summer, many of you will be pleased to have some gained time to begin to start to think about plans for next year. We will also be using this half term to try to reintroduce some of our much needed routines such as assemblies, the use of the dining hall and some other aspects of school life that have been missing. Please be aware that the SLT will be very busy trying to both continue to manage current Covid restrictions whilst also planning for next year, and we will be stretched at times. Paul will be especially busy over the coming weeks, putting into place next year's timetable. This is a huge undertaking and will mean that he is very tied up at times. The complexity of it in a large school such as ours, with such a full curriculum to schedule, means that it is not a simple jigsaw. Paul will need to take some time over this task, but, as we know, he is a real expert at this, and will, after a few weeks of working on it, be able to liaise with HODs about where he is at with it. Please be patient!

Finally, a few congratulations to share. A huge well done to Dipesh Patel who has secured a position at Drayton Manor High School as an Assistant Headteacher. As you will be aware, Dipesh has been on the SLT here for the last couple of years following the Associates programme, and we will be very sad to lose him. Well done also to Helen Judson who has been successful in securing the permanent Head of Business role, up against an external field, and congratulations to Jen Williams who has been successful in obtaining the Head of English position, also following a competitive interview process against external candidates. 

We have a few positions to fill, both internally and externally. Watch this space for opportunities that may come up. 

Have a great week,

Mia

Learning and Teaching

Spotted!

A round up of some of the great learning and teaching strategies we’ve noticed being used around school recently…
 
> Buchi Anayamah conducting an exciting science experiment in which a jelly baby was burned to a crisp!

> Jess Humphries modelling how to annotate a literature text at a very high level with her top set year 10s:

> Waris Ahmed using a puzzle to test his students' basic maths skills. They were so focused on finding the “mistake” they forgot they were in a lesson!

> Shaun Channer combining the I-Pevo and Cold Calling together to assess students' understanding. He used their answers to complete the same task and model to the class what their finished sheet should look like:

Learning and Teaching: Keeping it fun!

On a learning walk recently I popped in to see Phoebe’s GCSE PE class who were consolidating some theory that they had previously learnt with a game called Stop the Bus. Under each topic, the students had to write down five facts, with bonus points available for the fastest recall and the most obscure knowledge. The enthusiasm generated by some friendly competition in the room was clear and students were really motivated to revise the topics.

I’d recommend the format to any content heavy subject, looking for ways to consolidate key knowledge.  See the pic below or catch up with Phoebe for more information.

Inclusion & Pastoral

I hope that everyone had a fab half-term and got the chance to rest and recuperate after what was a tough few weeks for us all.

Just a few reminders from me this week - Virtual Tutor and this week’s assembly are on the same theme which is celebrating diversity in all of its different forms. The assembly will be done by me and will be ready to show your tutor groups during form time on Friday - if your tutees have already looked at Virtual Tutor by that time, the message will then be reinforced!

The following week’s Tutoring Friday will be PSHCE and this time round all year groups will be following their RSE lessons - I know that some of you may have already started with these just before half-term, but it is now statutory. Keely is sorting out some training for those staff who feel they need it - please look at the resources on the system, and if you have any questions, just ask either me or Keely.

As Mia will have mentioned above in GHS Connect, there will be a staff meeting on Tuesday where a number of topics will be covered - one of those things will be Show My Homework. The last few Virtual Tutors have been on this topic, so students should be aware that they need to sign-up. I will be reminding staff of how to do this too when we meet on Tuesday and will circulate instructions on how to get started on SMHW if you’ve not already done so.

Lastly, with Year 11 and 13 moving on, there are a number of mentoring and counselling slots that have been freed up - if, therefore, there is anyone you feel would benefit from some extra support, please talk to the respective Year Team. And, remember that Tash, Jo, available on scp@greenford.ealing.sch.uk, Michelle and Scott are also there for staff support too! 

Have a good week, everyone!

Lou Grimley

Behaviour for Learning

Each fortnight in Connect, Mark and Jo will be sharing behaviour for learning tips designed to help manage behaviour in the unusual circumstances of Covid-19.

Behaviour for Learning #12: Understanding (not excusing) defiant behaviour - Part II

We hope you all had a well-deserved rest over half term.

In our last tip, we looked at how we might understand some of the behaviours displayed by our students. When we perceive a harmful event, attack or threat to survival, we have a physiological reaction known as the fight or flight response. The sympathetic nervous system is activated by a release of hormones which, in turn, stimulate the adrenal glands triggering the release of catecholamines (including adrenaline and noradrenaline). This leads to an involuntary display of symptoms like:

> A racing heart
> Balled fists
> Dilated pupils
> Shallow, rapid breathing
> Tensed muscles

Some of our students perceive interactions in school as stressful or frightening. Some students have an overly sensitive fight or flight response where it occurs far too frequently or happens at inappropriate times. Some possible reasons for this are:

> An imbalance of hormones
> Post-traumatic stress
> A history of verbal or physical abuse
> The existence of panic disorder

The picture below shows a range of behaviours that you might see because of the fight or flight response. It also shows some of the emotions behind the behaviours that we see and experience which can help us better understand some of the defiant, rude and disrespectful behaviours displayed by a small cohort of our students.

Although we can’t excuse these behaviours, we can try to understand where they are coming from and work together to change it. 

We hope to have a positive half term and will continue to focus on our school rules with all students: ready, respect and safe.

Have a great week. 

Mark and Jo