Achievement for All
Tue, Jul 6th 2010
I really like this government initiative! The Achievement for All (AfA) project aims to improve the outcomes of all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). “It is designed to enable schools and local authorities (LA’s) to reflect on existing strategies that are effective for children and young people with SEND and provide the capacity to strengthen provision in areas which will impact on this group of learners.” For me, simply, it’s about financially supporting good common sense about inclusion so that schools can build all children’s self-esteem so that they can release their innate potential and achieve all they are capable of.
Bexley, one of the pilot Local Authorities, asked me to contribute to their DCSF Achievement for All Bexley Leadership Conference on 18th March 2010. It was a dynamic and exciting conference with very motivating presentations by Joan Armstrong (DCSF) andHelen Johnston (Bexley). Even more excitingly they took the brave decision to ask me to demonstrate circle time with a class of uncoached secondary pupils to demonstrate how weekly well structured, well planned, circle times can help all young people enjoy social and emotional success.
Good Quality Circle Time involves giving back responsibility to young people to support all the members of their class. The vibrant pace of circle time enabled these young people to release surplus energy. I chose games that allowed everyone to experience success. The heart of circle time involves an ‘opening up’ phase, where pupils voluntarily ask for help with behaviours that are getting in the way of them achieving or learning or just feeling included. The young people who really obviously needed support did request it; their peers offered help by signalling with ‘thumbs up’. When chosen their peers would say “would it help if…..”
These young people came up with heart warming and moving ideas to help each other. It was just a typical class, including some very motivated young people along with others who had significant concentration problems whilst one or two were very withdrawn. By the end of an hour the magic of a well run circle time prevailed – and we were all unutterably moved by the team spirit and support they gave each other. Young people have loads of energy, as Sir David Puttnam said, “In circle time young people are explicitly given time to socialise and support.” If you don’t timetable circle time at secondary level then their energy can become negative and the class full of tension. In my daughter’s school they never did circle time – she talked of her class being divided into ‘the slappers’, ‘the townies’ and ‘the swats’. All were terrified of receiving a bad stare from each other as it meant trouble later.
Unless secondary schools start building the team spirit through weekly circle time, we are going to squander the fabulous potential of young people who have been engaged in community circles, often since the age of three.
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