I’d like to start by welcoming you all back to College after the half-term break. I hope that you all had a good half-term and are ready for the last seven weeks of this year. There is a lot to look forward to this half-term – we have awards evenings, sport and performance evening, art design and technology exhibition and Oklahoma to look forward to. In addition to this, we also have a new-look activities week at the start of July, which will start with a whole-college sponsored walk to raise money for a fantastic local charity. I will give more information and details about this in assemblies over the next two weeks. In July, we will also take a College photograph with all students in it, which will show our whole community together.

I’d like to start by saying a huge well done to all students for the fantastic start we have had with the MRC Proud cards. You all look incredibly smart and are wearing your uniform with pride. I always thought that you looked smart as a school, but I am hugely impressed that you have taken a step-up. We can always do better and you are proving this – well done and thank you.

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn” Benjamin Franklin

I often hear that it must be nice to teach a “creative” subject.  However, in my experience all subjects have an element of creativity, depending on what your definition of creativity is. 

Although music may be creative in an obvious way, we still have to teach theory and content for an exam.  In this blog, I wanted to explore how a creative classroom can support the learning of our students. 

This week will see the introduction of the MRC Proud cards. You have two key challenges with this card: to try to get as many ‘above and beyond’ signatures as possible. This will show that you are helping other students or staff in our school through being polite, hardworking and respectful. The other challenge is to keep your card completely clean, which will show that you always wear your MRC uniform with pride, that you look smart and are ready to learn. There will be house competitions and rewards for the house that gets the most clean cards, as well as above and beyond signatures. You may well win something for yourself, as well as for your house.

We’ve all done it, ‘Ok we are doing group work today….’ and we get the students into groups and then give a task.

Our expectation is that they know how to work in a group with other students, some who are more able than them, some less, others quiet, some loud etc!

How much actual work and progress are they all making in this scenario?

If we can get this right and train the students then the research suggests they can make gains quite rapidly in small collaborative work with each other.

Educational research shows that one of the most effective ways of delivering meaningful CPD to teachers is to give them the opportunity to discuss good practice and ideas together.

This was the rationale behind our very successful Speed Dating CPD session on Friday 4th May.

Last week’s whole College assembly focussed on tolerance and respect – making sure that we are tolerant of individual differences and that we respect each other at all times. This means that, irrespective of gender, religion, race, sexuality or intellectual ability we must always treat others the way in which we want to be treated ourselves. As a College community, I think we are very good at this and I am proud of this. 

From the moment we stepped into teaching, we all notice that we do something different to the person in the classroom next door. Good or Bad, these differences are essential to a student’s development and relationships. How you create your classroom and the learning experience is individual to each teacher and each student. Here are some tops tips from lessons I have be lucky to see from my Teaching and Learning background and some of my own practices that I am glad make me different.

There is a lot to share from last week. Thank you to Mrs Hathaway for organising the fantastic Community Day on Saturday. It was good to see so many of you there. The Year 10 exams have started really well – well done to all Year 10 students for the positive approach you have taken in these tests; it will help you to prepare for next summer’s GCSEs. I also think that our College looks much tidier – you are clearly making an effort to keep the school tidy. We must all keep this up – this is a non-negotiable and we must all do it.