Head’s Blog: The holidays are coming!
As the nights draw in and the temperature plummets it can mean only one thing – Christmas is round the corner!
It’s less than two weeks till the end of term, but we know there is no time to waste in supporting students to do their best. Long gone are the days of watching Christmas movies or making decorations in lessons for the last few weeks. We want students’ time in school to be purposeful and productive. Year 11 mock exams took place this week and there will be important assessments in all other year groups before the end of term.
Who would be a teacher?
As we reach the final weeks of the term I want to pay tribute to the amazing work teachers are doing at Fearnhill. The truth is, teaching has become an unpopular job in our society. When I first applied to be a science teacher at a school in Aston 18 years ago, I was interviewed along with 6 other teachers – I didn’t get the job! Today, most schools would be lucky to get more than one applicant for a science teacher job. It seems there are three big reasons that teaching has become less popular nationally: pay has gone down, behaviour of students has become worse in most schools and workload for teachers has increased.
Inspiring teachers
Fearnhill is lucky to have such talented, committed and kind teachers who show remarkable dedication to help students every day. I see teachers support students with excellent lessons, extra-curricular opportunities, pastoral support and after school revision and homework. They do it because they are passionate about the achievement and wellbeing of the students in our care. I could not be more proud to work alongside such inspiring people.
It is very important to me that I provide the best conditions for our teachers so they continue to enjoy work. Without good teachers, pupils at Fearnhill cannot achieve well. No school can take for granted that there will be an endless supply of teachers: we have to look after the ones we have. That is one of the reasons that we place such importance on good behaviour of students. Likewise, we make every effort to reduce unnecessary workload that can make teaching a thankless task.
If you get the chance before Christmas, why not send an email to one of your child’s favourite teachers to say thank you. Teachers value positive feedback and this is one way of helping to make Fearnhill a great environment for the best teachers.
Celebrating student achievements
I am also looking forward to handing out a lot of certificates – awards will go to the many students who show an excellent attitude, make great progress and maintain high attendance. Just as great teachers make the school a better place, I am proud to work in a school where so many students do their best every day. Tim Spencer, Headteacher