Time away from a school as a headteacher is difficult to take and justify – but a day in London last Friday was time well spent.
I was fortunate to attend the Church of England’s National Conference, titled ‘Flourishing Together’.
The pick of a busy day of speakers was Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel De Souza.
It turns out she was born in Scunthorpe – her father was a steelmaker and mother a refugee – and educated at St Bede’s School.
She had several key themes I’d like to highlight, as all are relevant to what we believe and practice at this Academy.
Dame Rachel (pictured) was clear the reason we are talking about flourishing in school was down to the Church of England.
“The actual school system set up in this country was set up by the Church of England before there was a state school,” she told conference.
It was the reason why Church of England schools did not just do academics and had always had a strong pastoral focus and ethos-driven culture.
She came into post in 2021 and launched, with footballer Marcus Rashford, The Big Ask survey, which received more than 557,000 responses from those aged four to 18, the largest of its kind anywhere in the world apart from the United States.
From it, Dame Rachel wanted to find out from children “what they needed to thrive or to flourish, what were the barriers in their way, and what did they want and hope and dream for their futures.”
The “amazing thing” was that, whether a boy or girl, their family, income level, ethnicity, location or vulnerability, what children wanted was consistent: “A good home, a good education, a job, enough money, friends, to feel well, to be part of a community, fairness, a good environment.”
That crystalised the Academy’s transformational learning experience through the church’s vision of hope and aspiration, living well together, dignity and respect, and knowledge, wisdom and skills.
Dame Rachel explained the survey relayed children cared about their physical and mental health.
While many were happy, some were really struggling.
“Children told me they wanted simple things to help; someone to talk to when they are worried and before things got worse, and where they wanted to have those conversations you will know: it’s at school.
“They look to school for the support that they need and to teachers that they trust.”
This is our experience. We have a significant number of networks and connections in place that come into their own when children are seeking help.
74% of children wanted “a great job” in the survey. Many said they wanted to learn a trade or get an apprenticeship in their local area.
This is where our careers programme comes into its own.
We are recognised for the high quality of careers provision, advice and guidance over the five years a student will spend in the academy.
“People don’t realise how much education is important for life in general,” one student told Dame Rachel.
How true this is.
Children “want schools to be places where they can learn about life skills, relationships and how to set themselves up for the future.”
But “for a child to flourish in their education and any aspect of life, family is fundamental.”
A strong, loving and caring family helps any child to thrive.
78% turn to their family in a crisis which is why we need to continue to celebrate, understand and invest in families.
Dame Rachel went on: “When families invest in themselves and spend quality time with each other, children and parents’ well-being is higher. Children are happier and more successful as adults if they are happy at home.
“If they’re closer to their parents, they do better in exams.”
The evidence also shows where these relationships are strong, children earn more than the average at 25.
When sometimes families become overwhelmed, that is when they turn to services and schools have an important role to play, Dame Rachel said.
“You are right at the heart of the trusting community relationships where families will turn.”
Her mission was to make England the best place to grow up in the world.
She ended with a quote from The Big Ask.
“When we asked children what was holding them back in England in 2021, a 16-year-old boy told us something sad: ‘The social stigma of children from lower class backgrounds trying to achieve something bigger than themselves’.”
The speech was so powerful.
I agree with the Children’s Commissioner. There is nothing bigger than the lives of children. We need to build on their ambition and provide the hope they deserve.
Dame Rachel’s words come at a time when we are dealing with opinion from anyone and everybody on teachers’ industrial action.
Parents received a text message, as promised, two days ago that indicated the Academy would be open today.
I’m not going to enter into a debate with anybody on the strikes or issues around them. But what I will say is this is not a St Lawrence Academy problem.
I’m fully supportive of those schools and teachers who have made their decisions, whatever they are. I respect an individual’s right to have an opinion.
I don’t know what will happen on the next strike date (28th February). I can’t foresee the outcome of any talks or a potential deal.
All we can do is deal with one strike day at a time and communicate as soon as we are able, just as we did this week.
I thank parents / carers for their patience and support.
