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Teachers get support in dealing with ADHD


by Chris Parr


A support package for schools, incor- porating a range of activities and tools to help new and experienced teach- ers in dealing with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the classroom, has been launched. Statistically, at least one child in


every class of 30 will be affected by ADHD, but despite this, experts claim it has been overlooked in


many schools. The new support package from Janssen-Cilag, a medi- cal company, includes an animated film called Living with ADHD, and a website where parents, teachers and medical professionals can find information about the issues arising from ADHD. There is also a training session


for school staff, designed to be delivered by school SENCOs, and an ADHD factsheet. Holly Evans, an ADHD educa-


Inspiring article wows Amnesty


A London schoolgirl has been named the first ever secondary school Young Human Rights Reporter of the Year. Nicketa-Lee DaCosta-Salmon,


14, from Harris Academy in Purley, scooped the Amnesty International prize for her article on bullying (printed below) – an issue that is very personal to her, and which allowed her to draw on some of her own experiences. Nicketa-Lee said: “The bully-


ing didn’t happen to me at Harris Academy but in four other insti- tutions. I hope my article helps children get through it and helps them understand it, and come forward and address it. “My article was read out in


assembly and since then lots of pupils at my school have come up in the playground and asked how I decided to come forward and write about it. It can be hard to react to people knowing my story as it’s so personal. But I feel so


Amnesty prize: Nicketa-Lee


upset and hurt when I hear about people’s human rights being bro- ken. I’m so passionate about it.” The competition challenged


seven to 14-year-olds to write a report on a human rights-related issue. Following her win, Nicketa-


Lee’s work was showcased in front of an audience of over 400 of the nation’s top journalists at the Amnesty annual Media Awards in central London.


Sticks and Stones By Nicketa-Lee DaCosta-Salmon, 14, Harris Academy, Purley


Sticks and stones may break your bones but words will never hurt you. This is something that was constantly recited in my mind as I tried


to overcome the words flung across the bus, the tutor room and the playground. Bullying. What is the first word that runs through your head when


the verb is thrown at you. Maybe something that is repeated constantly in order to make someone feel bad about themselves, or maybe just something to pass someone else’s time on a school day. The dictionary definition of bullying is, “the act of intimidating a


weaker person to make them do something”. My definition in a nutshell was “I don’t want to wake up in the morning”. Being a victim of bullying for five years left me scarred and vulner-


able to the outside world. It was hard enough being in school everyday having to hang my


head low, waiting for the next spear of abuse to hit my back, but even going to the corner shop for my mum, I felt that I had to hide myself away from the public, looking over my shoulder several times, expect- ing someone to comment on my face, the way my hair was done or the way I walked. It was a continuous battle of the heart, mind and soul. My mind


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struggled with the fact that if I was to tell somebody then it would seem like I was a snitch. That would make things so much worse for me, whereas in my heart


I just wanted to be free of all the verbal and physical abuse. In my soul, I longed for a friend who would stand up for me or


maybe make me feel better about myself. Bullying is something that happens worldwide and many young


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people as well as adults face this daily and don’t know what to do about it or what to do with themselves. Bullying in itself is against human rights, everyone deserves the right


to feel safe in the environment they are in, whether school or home, and no-one should be given the chance to have that security taken away from them. No-one should feel that they are being degraded in any way or form.


We all have a right to live as a human and live the life we choose to. No-one should be bullied; the world is a diverse place with millions


of people of different race, sexes, talents etc. If we all respected each other more, the world would be more than a happy place.


tional advisor, said: “We know that teachers play a pivotal role in help- ing to identify and discuss ADHD with parents, however more work needs to be done to support them in what can be an extremely chal- lenging role. It might be that certain teachers currently have children with ADHD in their classrooms but they haven’t yet realised it, or are struggling to cope.” Speaking to SecEd last month, Fin O’Regan, former headteacher


of a special school in London and ADHD expert, described the condi- tion as the “poor relation” when it comes to SEN, because it is not included in the government’s SEN code of practice (Recognising ADHD, SecEd 250, May 20, 2010). He told us: “Schools’ provision


for students with ADHD varies enormously from area to area. In the UK, there are many advisory teachers for autistic or dyslexic stu-


dents, but there are probably only around five or six in the whole country for those with ADHD. “At the moment, ADHD is in


the same place as dyslexia was 20 years ago. Newspapers back then said it was a ‘middle class syndrome’ invented by parents to explain why their children were under-performing.” For more information, and to


access the resources, visit www. livingwithadhd.co.uk


Schools awarded for helping to raise students’ aspirations


London schools that have success- fully raised aspirations among their students have been awarded for their work. The London Education


Partnership Awards, run by the Institute of Education, recognise initiatives that transform life pros- pects for London’s youngsters and improve their chances of going on to higher education. Among the nine winners, award-


ed at the Institute of Education in Bloomsbury last week, were Acland Burghley School in Camden, north London, and Eastbrook School in Dagenham, Essex. Acland Burghley won the award


for Creative Journeys: excellent professional practice in curriculum support for arts and design. The school collaborated with the Media Trust and Channel 4 to run The Apprentice-inspired “You’re Hired” challenge. Around 25 year 10 and 11 students took part, initially creat- ing a marketing plan for a youth magazine as well as pitching it to a high profile judging panel. Following its success, the project


took place again in 2009 and stu- dents were asked to create a new television show with a media mar- keting campaign, which they had to pitch to the Channel 4 bosses. Oliver Rosen, media studies


and English teacher and Aimhigher co-ordinator at Acland, said that the challenge has made a notable impact on teaching and learning within the school: “The students developed a huge resilience and confidence and the challenge has raised aspirations across everyone involved. I would definitely encour- age schools to get involved with local projects like this.”


Winners: Staff and students from Eastbrook School, Essex Elsewhere, Eastbrook School


won the Supporting Journeys: excellent professional practice in student support award. In 2005, poor student attendance


rates and low staff morale resulted in the school being placed in spe- cial measures. Only 10 per cent of the school’s pupils aspired to go to university. However, two years later, the school emerged from the category and, in 2009, was named one of the top 20 most improved schools in London. As part of the turnaround,


Eastbrook targeted White girls who were underachieving at maths, and White boys underachieving at English. One of the effective strate- gies put in place was the employ- ment of a maths advanced skills teacher who came into the class- room once a week for two years to provide support to teachers.


Valerie Dennis, headteacher,


said that the student support initia- tives had had a very positive impact on the school. “We have worked extensively


with staff and have had excellent support from the local authority. The results are a clear example of suc- cess breeding success,” she said. Judging panel chairman,


Professor David Woods, chief advi- sor for London Schools, added: “One of the clearest messages com- ing from many of this year’s excel- lent finalists is how important it is to enthuse children and young people with the idea of higher edu- cation, making it possible for them to achieve their ambitions.” To find out more about the


schools, visit www.aclandburghley .camden.sch.uk and www.east brookschool.co.uk. For more on the awards, visit www.lepawards.org.uk


Pupils get lessons from the past


Post-primary pupils in Northern Ireland are to receive valuable les- sons from the past through a new learning pack for schools involving former prisoners. Support groups for ex-prisoners


of the main paramilitary groups helped produce the resource. From Prison to Peace – Learning


from the experiences of political ex- prisoners, is to form part of the local and global citizenship strand of the key stage 4 curriculum. It has won praise from the


North’s education minister Caitriona Ruane who says the experiences of ex-combatants and politically motivated ex-prisoners can provide valuable learning points for today’s school children. Activities are split into three sections based on the narratives


2


of ex-prisoners, and cover three key themes: becoming involved in conflict; understanding the prison experience; and contributing to conflict transformation and com- munity development. It has been produced with the


help of Lesley McEvoy from the School of Education at Queen’s University in Belfast. All the prisoner groups involved,


she said, are supportive of the peace process and want to share their experiences with pupils to demystify romantic or ill-informed notions of conflict and the prison experience. “While its content is challeng-


ing, we know from experience that young people are keen to explore these issues,” she added. “Some of our young peo-


ple remain involved in activities detrimental to their communities and this is a way to engage them in community development and conflict transformation, including issues like interface violence.” Margaret McTeggart from the


Community Foundation says such initiatives can leave a lasting impact on young people benefiting from interaction with the former political prisoners. “A DVD production accompa-


nies the pack to illustrate the person- al nature of conflict and the contribu- tors will no doubt strike a personal chord with participants,” she said. From Prison to Peace is to be


rolled out to schools over the next academic year. Youth clubs and providers will also be targeted to spread the impact of the scheme.


SecEd • June 17 2010


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