COUNSELLING
Lighting fires
“A teacher is one who
makes himself progressively
unnecessary.”
A place of healing
Thomas Carruthers
“A good teacher is a master
of simplification and an
enemy of simplism.”
Louis A Berman
“You have to be prepared to accept that some pupils
will get more benefit from contact with professionals
“A teacher is a compass
who are not teachers,” he added.
Campus cops, increasingly common in Scottish
that activates the magnets
schools in a mentoring/role model capacity, are
of curiosity, knowledge, and
another option, but Mr Gilmour has not been
tempted yet. Partly this is because the police cannot
wisdom in the pupils.”
guarantee “consistency and continuity” in terms of
personnel.
Ever Garrison
With Headroom, the personal relationship was
crucial. “Someone could have come with the same
offer as Rachel, but if I didn’t have the gut instinct that
“Teachers are expected to
they could deliver, then I would have had concerns,” he
said. “I had no such concerns with Rachel, and she has
reach unattainable goals
proved me right.
with inadequate tools. The
“I know from our experience in the last couple of
years that it produces results. I’ve seen youngsters who
miracle is that at times they
have turned themselves around – been turned round,
been helped to be turned round. There are cases that accomplish this impossible
have been quite dramatic if you look at that young
person at the start of the sessions and again at the
task.”
end.”
Haim G Ginot
However, Mr Gilmour is sceptical about the
willingness or ability of other local authorities to pay
for such a service.
“Often, when I am reading
“Part of me is an idealist, but part is a pragmatist.
Unless you’ve been head of a school and seen it
a good book, I stop and
working, then I don’t think you’d appreciate the
benefits, so I could not say all my colleagues at other thank my teacher. That is,
schools would necessarily make the same choices. With
a decreasing budget and increasing pressures, it might
I used to, until she got an
be a choice between this or textbooks, for instance. It’s
not straightforward.”
unlisted number.”
SecEd
Unknown
• Sam Phipps is a freelance education journalist.
Further information
Send your favourite inspirational
Visit www.talkmatters.org/headroom or contact
quotes to editor@sec-ed.co.uk
headroom@talkmatters.org and 01383 626064.
Headteacher's
PA of the Year
Awards 2009
An opportunity to recognise and celebrate the people
who are at the heart of a successful school
One of the most vital jobs performed in
any secondary school is that of the PA to
the headteacher. The PA is invariably the
confidante of the head and a key link with the
Welcoming: ‘It doesn’t feel like a school, and that’s the whole point.’ Rachel Eastop in
staffroom, the governors, parents and pupils. Good PAs are
her dedicated counselling room at Woodmill High School, from where she operates the
Headroom service for students
an invaluable asset and few schools can operate efficiently or
effectively without them.
limited emotional literacy. When I ask someone how for it to go ahead. “There’s no point in being forced to
they feel, ‘annoyed’ is the most common response. come, it won’t work like that,” she added.
In acknowledgement of this essential and important role,
“Then I probe further and ask: are you annoyed, Mr Gilmour is convinced that mental health
SecEd is proud to organise for the fourth year running, in
frustrated, angry, or something else? Getting them to problems across the spectrum are on the increase
association with the DCSF International School Award,
identify how they are feeling, and it maybe a whole among young people. which is managed by the British Council, the SecEd
range of things at once, is probably one of the most He said: “It’s not just teenage children, but also 12- Headteacher's PA of the Year Awards 2009, which will
productive things. Then we work through what it is you year-olds and I’d imagine therefore that it’s a problem celebrate the achievements and success of the modern
can own as an emotion and what you are putting on in primary too. When I started in teaching about 35
headteacher's PA.
yourself unfairly. years ago it was almost unheard of, and I don’t think
“Often the whole pressure of school is what tips that’s because it was covered up. There’s been an
Only personal assistants to the headteacher of a
young people over the edge, because it can tap into increase in stress on everybody and youngsters are not
secondary school, state or independent, may be
an insecurity that has been laid down at a very early immune.”
entered. Nominations will only be accepted by the
age. But the majority of my clients here want to be at Ms Eastop would like to see Headroom extended
school, they enjoy lessons. They can in a sense escape to local primaries, particularly as many of her clients
head or deputy head. To enter, a statement
what’s going on outside. They also tend to be incredibly have experienced severe difficulties with the transition
of not more than 700 words must be
intelligent – some of that may be because they’ve had to to secondary.
written, explaining why the
be resourceful to survive.” Mr Gilmour dismisses as a myth the notion that
nominated PA deserves
One of her clients came across a corpse in the street teenagers generally are out of control.
the award.
when she was doing an early morning paper round. He continued: “Among all this public debate
“She’d been a functioning individual, very bright, about hoodies drinking Buckfast in the street, I think
Nominations should be
and she was going to succeed in school. After that, she youngsters are more serious, more focused than previous
sent to Pete Henshaw by
was traumatised to the extent that she was unable to do generations, including mine. Nowadays, they’ve got
no later than October 1, 2009.
barely anything, including communicate. It took her six pressures and deadlines far earlier. It takes a toll. Imagine
For information and guidance for
months to ask for help.” you’re a bright youngster from a hard-up family, thinking
nominators is also available.
Family break-ups, bereavements, domestic violence, of university. And what? Put yourself in debt?”
Email pete.h@markallengroup.com,
and bullying are among the common factors weighing Though Woodmill High has many individual
on Ms Eastop’s clients, who must be referred to her mentors and confidants among staff, he says, it is
write to SecEd, MA Education, St. Jude's
rather than self-referring. She is careful, however, no substitute for a trained counsellor working on the
Church, Dulwich Road, London, SE24 0PB
not to leapfrog other agencies such as social services. premises in a direct, responsive way that bypasses a lot
or visit www.sec-ed.co.uk
Willingness to attend a programme of sessions is vital of bureaucracy.
pa 2009.indd 1 23/3/09 15:49:07
SecEd • May 7 2009 9
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20