To
All Parents and Carers
I
am delighted to be writing my first blog as Head Teacher of Gracemount High
School. It is a privilege and an honour to have been appointed and I very much
look forward to building on existing best practice in the school so that we
continue our own journey to becoming an excellent school. At the heart of this
is ensuring that we continue to improve the education and life chances for all our
young people and this is something I feel very passionately about. As an
educator I am unashamedly child-centred and my key priorities will be to meet
the needs of all our pupils, deliver a first class education and secure
positive and sustained destinations for all young people.
On
my first day I met with all year groups and I used this opportunity to
highlight what I feel can make a difference to their learning and development –
my presentation can be viewed here.
During
the presentation I made reference to what I call the “GHS Factor” and used this to highlight the importance of:-
Growth Mindsets – based on the
work of Carol Dweck, a prominent psychologist at Stanford University. A growth mindset is when people believe that
their intelligence and ability can be developed through dedication, hard work
and perseverance. Quite simply the harder a person works the more successful
they become. People with a growth mindset believe that effort is important and
they embrace challenge. They persist in the face of setbacks, learn from
criticism and feedback and find inspiration in the successes of others. My aim
is to ensure that all members of the Gracemount High School community are aware
of and develop a growth mindset to facilitate their own development both as an
individual and as a learner.
High Expectations – refers
to the belief that all pupils can be successful regardless of background or
personal circumstances. If, as educators, we truly have high expectations of
ourselves and of the young people we teach, then we can have a significant and
positive impact on their lives. Our
expectations in relation to learning and teaching in and out of class, behaviour
in school and in the wider community and dress code will need to be clearly established
and reinforced. Some of our young people will need support in reaching these
expectations and it is our job as teachers to ensure this support is in place
and in collaboration with our young people, parents, carers and partners we
will do all we can to get it right for every child.
Self-efficacy – is the
belief in the ability of individuals to make positive things happen in their
lives. This can play a critical role in how we think, feel and behave. In many
ways this comes down to how confident our young people feel about facing challenges
and performing tasks. I do believe that if we wish to develop high educational
attainment and achievement among our young people, we must develop a spirit of strong
self-efficacy.
I
have spent the majority of my first two weeks getting to know the young people,
visiting classes and meeting the staff. It has been a real pleasure to be able
to spend my time doing this and I have been very encouraged by many aspects of
the school. There are a number of features of a successful school and in many
ways Gracemount High School is already a successful school. Nevertheless, our
focus will remain on rigorous self-evaluation so we can be clear about our
strengths and our priorities for improvement. I fully believe that parents and carers
should play a pivotal role in the evaluation and development of the school and
I look forward to meeting you over the days, months and years ahead. It is
important that all parents and carers feel they belong to their school community
and I am keen to hear your views and thoughts on the school. I intend to engage
with the parent community in a number of ways and have already met with the
Parent Council. To facilitate this process and to give you an opportunity to
meet me, I will be available to meet parents every Tuesday after school from
4pm to 7pm starting on Tuesday 18 November. Should you wish to meet with me in
person, please contact Yvonne Jardine in the School Office on 664 7440 to make
an appointment. If Tuesday is not
suitable, we will try to find an alternative time. (Please note I will not be
available on Tuesday 25 November).
A
few final thoughts……
As
well as focusing on the academic progress of all our young people, I will not
neglect the importance of building a positive ethos where respect and
responsibility are key values in our school community. Martin Luther King once
said that “Intelligence plus character –
that is goal of true education” and I
could not agree more and believe this is well reflected in our current school
motto, “Committed to Care and Excellence”.
It
is important to me that all young people know and understand that the type of
person they are is equally as important as their academic success. To realise
this all pupils must feel valued and respected and I fully intend to make
Gracemount High School a “Rights Respecting School” within the next 3 years. I
am delighted to say that work on this has already begun and Mr Rodger in the Support
for Pupils Team is leading an initiative on this. I will keep you updated on
our progress. More information on the Rights Respecting School Award (RRSA) can
be found at http://www.unicef.org.uk/rrsa.
Finally,
I am delighted to welcome two new members of staff who have been appointed into
temporary posts in the Social Subjects faculty. Naviahsa McMillan will start
with us on Monday 24 November as a full time member of staff and will be in
post until October 2015. Adam McGaughland who is already with us as a supply
teacher has been appointed as a 0.7 teacher of Social Subjects and will be with
us until at least June 2015.
Please
continue to keep up to date with all school matters via our excellent website
and I very much look forward to meeting you over the weeks and months ahead.
R Hunter
Head Teacher
