David Sherriff (Headteacher at Lowton St. Mary's CE Primary): First week of opening for EYFS, year 1 and year 6

In this episode, Claire talks over the internet with David Sherriff, headteacher at Lawton St. Mary’s CE Primary School in Warrington.

David talks about his journey in education and teaching including how, from a young age, he always knew that he wanted to be a teacher. Starting in year 4, David soon moved to teaching year 6 and, as well as leading maths in his school, was also given responsibility for leading all of Key Stage 2. After ten years, David decided to move to a different school where he became deputy headteacher and is now headteacher of his own school.

As we are, at the time of recording, seeing schools begin to open to more pupils following the coronavirus restrictions, David discusses what his school is doing to minimise the risks while trying to make sure that children and staff are as safe as possible. He shares his thoughts on the importance of teamwork, communication and how vital it is that everyone at all levels support each other. He also talks about personalising learning for the children and the challenges of organising provision for both the children who are in school and those who are still at home.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Teamwork and communication are crucial.
  With so much information coming from so many different departments and sources in a short period of time – including directives and advice from the government – it can be incredibly difficult to know which decisions to make and how to best coordinate things. Here, ensuring that whatever decisions are made are clearly communicated is key. Along with this, making sure that the messages are consistent between staff will also be important in making sure mixed messages are not given. Having a staff that works well together, good links with other local schools and the local authority is also hugely beneficial.
• Flexibility and adaptability has been and will be key.
  As the situation with the coronavirus can change very quickly, and might even soon see decisions made based on locality rather than nationally, being able to be flexible and adaptable is really important.
  Also, as every school is very different and has unique considerations and circumstances, this can create additional frequent challenges. Having a staff that can be flexible and adaptable makes these challenges much easier to overcome, and this will be even more important in the days to come as schools eventually begin to move back to some kind of normality.
• Wellbeing and welfare are paramount.
  Above all else, ensuring the safety of the children and staff in a school is a primary consideration. Many children and adults have struggled and continue to struggle with the lockdown restrictions. Schools have played and will continue to play an important part in supporting children and their families.
  
  

BEST MOMENTS

“I think the key to it all has been communication and that sort of two-way conversation. We've always prided ourselves on being an open-door policy listening school, so we use our various means of communication to make sure that the parents have got the answers that they need.”

“I was self-isolating at the start… I wanted to do my bit to help with the smooth closing of school but, this is just how great my staff are, they all pulled together and they all rallied round and yes, obviously, I was involved from a distance, but I just led a great team of individuals.”

“I must thank the other local heads that I work very closely with for their support. I think it is really important to have those close links right at the outset.”

“I owe a lot to the staff throughout this and they continue to be amazing.”“In some of our groups we've got a range of age groups so it can be difficult to pitch to reception right through up to a year five. So there have been challenges but we've met them head on.”

“There's nothing better than going out of those gates first thing Monday morning or last week on a Friday night and wishing them well for the weekend or welcoming them back. I'll go out wind, rain or shine and I think the parents appreciate that. I'll always do that no matter how busy I am or what things I've got to get done. I think that's a crucial part of leadership that you are visible.”

“I've really prioritised staff wellbeing and welfare over the last three or four months; more so than anything majorly strategic or operational.”

“The parents have been really positive in terms of the information we've given them and the decisions that we have made. They've understood why they've been made and they've all been made, obviously, with the best interests in the safety of their children and the staff. That’s what it's always about.”

“I think that it's the million-dollar question isn't it, really, on everybody's lips. What's it going to look like in September? Are we going back to normal? In an ideal world, that's what we're all hoping: that things go back to the way that they were and we're able to bring more children back in. But obviously, if that's not the case, then I suppose this last twelve weeks has been a rehearsal for what's to come.”

“Parents are absolutely doing their best but, in an ideal world, you want everybody back in the classroom because nothing replaces the impact and the motivation and the inspiration that a teacher can have on a child's life. It's important. You only get one shot at education, so we want to make it the best we possibly can.”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Classroom Secrets Kids: https://kids.classroomsecrets.co.uk/
Classroom Secrets website: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/
The Teachers’ Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheTeachersPodcast/
Classroom Secrets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassroomSecretsLimited/
LIFE/work balance campaign: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/lifeworkbalance-and-wellbeing-in-education-campaign-2019/

ABOUT THE HOST
Claire Riley

Claire, alongside her husband Ed, is one of the directors of Classroom Secrets, a company she founded in 2013 and which provides outstanding differentiated resources for teachers, schools, parents and tutors worldwide.

Having worked for a number of years as a teacher in both Primary and Secondary education, and experiencing first-hand the difficulties teachers were facing finding appropriate high-quality resources for their lessons, Claire created Classroom Secrets with the aim of helping reduce the workload for all school staff.

Claire is a passionate believer in a LIFE/work balance for those who work in education citing the high percentage of teachers who leave or plan to leave their jobs each year. Since February 2019, Classroom Secrets has been running their LIFE/work balance campaign to highlight this concerning trend.

The Teachers’ Podcast is a series of interviews where Claire meets with a wide range of guests involved in the field of education. These podcasts provide exciting discussions and different perspectives and thoughts on a variety of themes which are both engaging and informative for anyone involved in education.

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