First Impressions

When I first arrived at my current school, I was struck by three things. Some may be specific to the school I'm at, some may be universal across all state secondaries - having only worked in one school I cannot know, but either way I think they are significant and therefore worthy of discussion.

1: I was taken aback by the sheer number of pupils with SEN and Access Arrangements: approximately 18% of my school's student population.

Maybe this doesn't sound extreme to you - in fact, if you're a teacher, it will almost certainly sound very familiar given that ~15% of the national pupil population has SEN - but for me these statistics were surprising for two reasons: first, because I simply would not have guessed that as many as one sixth of our country's children has learning needs; and second, because the spread and variety of these needs is not what I expected.

Before I took up my post, I assumed there would be a small but significant number of children with severe learning disabilities along the lines of Asperger’s, Autism etc. and a similar number with physical disabilities, whilst the majority of learning difficulties would take the form of relatively mild dyslexia, dyscalculia etc. Instead, what I have encountered is a much less polarised - but generally more acute - spectrum of need than anticipated: only 1-2% of students exhibit autistic spectrum disorders, with just a handful of physical difficulties, but those who are on the SEN register almost always experience a variety of difficulties much more complex and challenging than ‘simple’ dyslexia.

Why am I telling you all of this? Surely it’s simply an embarrassing reflection of my own unfounded presumptions, formed by a privileged and somewhat sheltered educational background, one in which high-ability students were assigned a laptop if their handwriting was illegible and children who failed to achieve an A or above at GCSE were mockingly branded ‘retarded’?

But despite taking this into account and digesting my initial surprise, I still find these statistics strangely difficult to come to terms with for reasons that I think are worth reflection and consideration, even by those who have had direct experience of special educational needs for many years.

If 1 in every 6 children experiences (generally quite significant) learning needs then, by implication, that one sixth of the population does not conform to our educational expectations. Now, any scientific study that found 15% of its participants lay outside the accepted ‘normal’ range would have a hard time concluding anything other than a hugely statistically significant result that seriously challenged the models and knowledge taken as fact at the start of the study. My point? Well, assuming all those learning needs are indeed legitimate (which is another question for another time), I struggle to understand how we can maintain those current educational expectations - if such a large proportion of students fail to meet them, surely they must be intrinsically misguided?

My instinctive conclusion at this early stage  is that we are trying to achieve things with children which they simply are not academically programmed to achieve (hence the massive demand for access arrangements and other accommodating support).

Something to be reflected on further as I gain more experience in the role...

2:  I was actually shocked (can I say appalled without sounding old-fashioned and out-of-touch?) by the utter disrespect for authority that pervades the entire school.

I strongly believe (to a seemingly greater extent than some of the teachers I work with) in empathising with children - treating them with the same respect you expect in return, attempting to see things from their perspective, resolving rather than punishing them for their mistakes... Often I question whether the empathy I offer is undue; I accept their reluctance to work as a reflection of my failure to engage and motivate them, recognise their poor behaviour as a misguided expression of anger or frustration at a situation that is out of their control, and prioritise their presence in the classroom over the upholding of sometimes arbitrary rules.

Thus, I do not believe that a student who struggles to sit still and keep quiet should be punished when they contribute in class by shouting-out, but I am unsettled to see that pupil literally ignoring a teacher who is trying to get their attention. Similarly, I do not believe a child should be punished for swearing and lashing out at their bully, but I am disgusted when that child says things to a member of staff for which they would report the teacher if the exchange was reversed. And I do not think a child should be made to complete prescriptive work if they are learning in their own way, but I am shocked when they flat-out refuse to do as they are asked simply for the sake of confrontation.

As someone who relished the opportunity to rebel at school, and resented the plethora of apparently pointless rules that were sometimes aggressively enforced, I do understand expressions of reluctance and recognise that adults often assert authority in unnecessary and unfair ways; but why argue when asked simply to stand behind your chair, and why continue to shout to your classmate when your name has been called multiple times?

Call me innocent and naive, but these are all assaults against authority that I am now witnessing for the first time.

3: There is no school life! 

Kids cannot wait to rush home at the end of the day to play on an armada of screen-based devices and the school does little to offer opportunities for alternative activities - lunch and after-school clubs are few and far between (even sports teams prove surprisingly unpopular) and the school site is near-enough deserted by 3:15 PM. But besides lamenting the (subjectively) unhealthy and wasteful way in which most children seem to pass their time, I find this lack of extra-curricular stimulation disappointing for other reasons.

First, there are the missed opportunities to offer those who fail academically a chance to excel in physical or practical pursuits - and, therefore, the chance to enjoy positive experiences at school. And what about the valuable skills of teamwork, determination and leadership that are most effectively developed through non-academic activities? Then there is the fact that many children come from homes which they probably don't actually want to rush back to, and keeping them occupied in school for as long as possible is in everyone's best interests. And don't underestimate the value for these children in particular of simply spending time with adults in a relaxed environment and on a completely optional basis, where they are not forced or expected to achieve anything and students and staff alike can walk away without consequence if they no longer want to be present - that alone is a positive and often rare opportunity. 

Anyway, surely what many children stand to gain most from school is not exam grades, but the positive, eye-opening and challenging opportunities which would not otherwise be available to them: exposure to everything from the arts to extreme sports, trips to places beyond their local square mile, training for a future job or expert advice in a field of personal interest? And anyway, isn't this what school is really meant to be about? Community, happiness, friendships. Realising that the world really is your oyster and gaining the skills, ambition and confidence required to reap it's rewards...

Instead everyone rocks up, drags themselves through a tedious timetable of lessons (all too long) punctuated only by lunch (all too short) and a break (which really is just that), then as fast they can (and quite understandably so) fucks off home.

Not the most glamorous lifestyle, is it?