PhotoI didn’t want to rush into anything and have spent 6 months trying to understand the dynamics of my new school and the needs of my students.  The overriding feature, compared to my previous experiences, appears to be a lack of English language.  They are attentive and quite motivated students but too often when they are required to work outside the classroom I see them just missing point. I fear that the key element is that without first language English support at home the students are not getting that additional guidance that they need.

So my response is the creation of the Learning Space – an after school space designed to be conducive to study.  To help this we have a quiet room, a range of materials, various seating options, snacks and on-hand teacher support.  So now I sit and wait.  I don’t want this to be a place that students get sent to for missing deadlines.  I want it to be a place they come to because they know it helps.  For this reason I have gone for a relatively soft launch and now sit here waiting for the students to come.  I hope that they will come and intend to track the progress of all students against those that regularly attend.

Please reassure me that they will come…