The word unprecedented must already be one of the most frequently used words of 2020...
But this really has been an unprecedented year for everyone associated with schools and for the young people in our school communities. We have seen teachers, support staff, teaching assistants and school leaders transform and reinvent all the processes and practices in our schools, along with moving to a digital curriculum, literally overnight. Stories I have read about the incredible things schools have done have staggered but not surprised me; schools have been driven to ensure the best possible provision for our young people during the strangest of times.
Our thoughts and focus are now about welcoming all our young people back into our schools. I am confident that all of us are not only keen to see and hear our buildings full of the sights and sounds of young people, but also to reflect on the lessons we have learned and embrace the challenges of planning for possible blended learning throughout the next academic year.
This set of articles provides practical starting points for practitioners and focuses our thinking on key solutions for the year ahead. They explore the theme of going “beyond recovery”, and I know this is the approach underpinning so much planning in schools. Our curriculum, pedagogy and pastoral care are not simply focused on providing a school environment where young people can recover, but on using our creativity and the lessons we have learned to go beyond that: to continue to allow young people to be challenged, to thrive, and finding new and different ways to help them engage.
Young people in our schools need us to support them, to provide nurturing pastoral care, and above all to provide them with opportunities to thrive and succeed. All young people, including our most able, will thrive in school when we continue to do what schools do best: provide them with a rigorous, well-planned curriculum delivered using pedagogy which has at its heart the highest expectations for all.
CONTENTS
- 10 dos and don'ts for primary schools - Dr Keith Watson, NACE Associate
- Moving forward with secondary teaching and learning - Neil Jones, NACE Associate
- Opportunities in the early years foundation stage - Emma Tibbitts, NACE Associate
- 7 key questions to review your use of digital teaching and learning - Elaine Ricks-Neal, NACE Challenge Award Adviser
- Beyond recovery: 5 key messages - summary of key messages from our member meetups on this theme, plus recordings of the sessions
If you find these articles useful, please share them with a colleague.