VIEW FROM THE CLASSROOM
View from the classroom
on year, and are now a four form entry school with 480 children. Although Connaught is a large junior school,
we are extremely caring and nurturing towards every single one of our pupils. Visitors often comment on the happy atmosphere and ‘vibe’ around the school, which is something you really can’t fake! We draw our strength from the warm relationships forged between staff, pupils, governors and parents. We’re also passionate about extending out into our local community, especially towards our older residents, grandparents and charitable causes.
T
his month Education Today speaks to Siobhan McGann, Headteacher at
Connaught Junior School in Bagshot, Surrey: a mixed primary academy school for pupils aged 7-11, with approximately 480 students on roll. The school – rated ‘Good’ with ‘Outstanding’ features – is one of five schools belonging to The Alliance Multi Academy Trust (TAMAT), catering to over 1400 children across the Surrey Heath area. TAMAT is Surrey’s first combined faith and secular multi-academy trust, with a focus on strong leadership and delivering the very best child-centred education.
Can you tell us a little more about your school? Connaught Junior School first opened in 1962 as a secondary school, which is why we have a large building, site and premises – plus facilities like a cookery room, pottery room, separate dining hall and main hall. Since our conversion to a junior school in 1971 we’ve continued to expand year
Can you talk us through your ethos and values? We live and breathe our core values of being Caring, Confident and Committed every day and make sure they are at the heart of everything we do here at Connaught. These values were voted in by staff, pupils and parents so that everyone could feel a sense of ownership and identify with them. We want our children to be committed learners
who enjoy learning, make outstanding progress and achieve, confident individuals who are able to live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives and caring citizens who make a positive contribution to society. Childhood is such a special time, and no one gets a second chance at it – which is why we place such emphasis on prioritising our core values. Above all, we want our school to deliver the very best education for everyone.
How do these values have an impact on daily life at Connaught? Our values are instilled at every level across the curriculum and are central to our daily routines. For example, we practice a Growth Mindset, which means we not only talk about but celebrate mistakes, as we believe they are the best way to learn. We teach the children about
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neuroplasticity and the brain’s ability to transform itself, which we all agree is a much healthier way to engage with learning as it boosts self-esteem and doesn’t pit children against one another. The word ‘ability’ has lots of negative connotations, so instead we refer to ‘skills’, as these can be developed. So much of successful learning is about having the resilience to persevere, which is only improved through failure – we don’t want the children to feel scared of making mistakes. The very best learning happens when children
are really thinking. Our Active Classrooms initiative encourages children to get out of their seats and move more during lessons – whether it’s simply standing while the teacher is talking, or having a quick mental break by doing some physical activity, the benefits of movement for the brain are well-documented. We aim to get the children more active for an additional 40 minutes a day. To encourage a positive mindset, our Leader In
Me programme - which runs across the whole of TAMAT and is based on the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey – focuses on developing a different habit each week. Children who have demonstrated they have really worked on their weekly habit receive the Headteacher’s Award in assembly and walk the ‘red carpet’! They then visit me (and Toffee the puppy) in my office for a drink, biscuit and a chat about how I should run the school!
Many children struggle with confidence when it comes to maths lessons – can you talk us through your delivery of the subject and Connaught’s journey? A few years ago we identified that some of our children needed assistance with core skills like reasoning, as well as building their confidence up so they felt empowered to have a go at each challenge. Since then, we have recruited a number of specialist mathematics teachers who
February 2020
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