VIEWS & OPINION
Three ways to build flexible working
into the school day Comment by GRAHAM COOPER, Chief Marketing Officer at Juniper Education
The pandemic has radically changed the way people think about the working day, accelerating the move towards flexible working throughout the business world. But can flexible working ever really work for schools? It certainly can, but the answer lies not in the corporate world of
home offices, video conferences and virtual hubs. The solution is all about creating a practical version of flexible working which is tailored to the school. We’ve been speaking to headteachers who are introducing flexible
working to their schools while keeping the focus on what’s best for the pupils. Here’s what they suggest.
• Maximise teachers’ skill sets Secondary school timetables don’t always allow for flexible working
options. However, if some teachers are able to teach more than one subject, this opens up opportunities for members of staff to cover for colleagues. Mike Applewhite, headteacher of William de Ferrers School says,
“We consider flexibility when we’re recruiting teachers. We now ask people as a matter of course what other subjects they might be able to teach. “One of our modern foreign language teachers was really excited
about also teaching geography. Naturally we plan these lessons carefully and make sure nobody is overloaded.” Many teachers have the skills to teach additional subjects, and this can help schools build flexibility into the timetable.
• Plan job shares that work One way primary schools have been able to offer flexible working is
through job sharing but it’s an approach which has to be carefully handled to ensure children receive the continuity of teaching that a single teacher provides. When they are done well, job shares can be hugely beneficial for
teaching and learning as well as providing opportunities for flexible working. Marie Staley, headteacher of Moulsham Junior School explains. “We
aim to marry up teachers’ strengths and skills in a job share partnership. For example, one of my current job share teachers is really creative and artistic, the other is very knowledgeable in science and technology. “The teachers complement each other with their deep subject
knowledge which is great for the pupils. Job shares are remarkably effective when the communication is clear and the teachers are sharing specialisms and passions.”
• Re-schedule non-teaching time A few small changes to meeting times and teachers’ planning,
preparation and assessment (PPA) time can enable people to work more flexibly. Marie explains how this works at her school. “We plan our
professional development meetings for the whole term and we ensure they’re succinct and focused. We also keep two of those sessions free so a group of teachers might go off and do an activity together, or they might choose to go home early to walk the dog or meet a friend for coffee. “All or staff are able to take their PPA time at home,” adds Marie.
“They can choose to do a supermarket shop on a Wednesday afternoon and save their planning for Sunday morning if that works better for them. Everyone can manage their time as a professional.” It’s interesting to see how schools are building flexible working into
the day by making small yet effective changes. This will help teachers benefit from a healthier work-life balance while focusing on what’s best for the children.
Addressing maths anxiety
Comment by FIONA GODDARD, Education Consultant, Whizz Education
There is no doubt that maths can be a challenging subject for some people young and old. I taught in primary schools for 20 years and know how difficult engaging some children in maths can be. Maths anxiety is a notoriously common issue but often goes unidentified
as many symptoms are also symptoms of poor behaviour. Maths anxiety is a negative emotional reaction to mathematics, leading to varying degrees of helplessness, panic and mental disorganisation that arises among some people when faced with a mathematic. It is widely acknowledged as a barrier to engagement and progress in maths, as well as other areas of education, employment and life. One reason for this, is that it is binary in nature: the answers to mathematical questions are either correct or incorrect and children can get hung up on this very early on. There are also multiple topics which are all interconnected, so if firm foundations are not established in one area, progress will be affected as overall learning progresses. In my experience, developing a culture where it is ok to make mistakes
can help. If everyone understands more can be learned if mistakes are made than not, a positive learning environment can be created. A further challenge is that maths is a subject full of abstract concepts
which can be difficult to grasp. Making maths real can help students feel comfortable and make progress. This might be by manipulating objects in the classroom, counting items or encouraging children to get up and move
December 2021
around to use equipment to create understanding. Shifting the focus from the final answer being the goal to exploring the methods being used, focusing on problem solving as a process and how best to achieve this, helps make students comfortable enough to explore and work things out which increases confidence. This approach also offers students coping techniques and tools so they can begin tackling problems themselves as well. Students can then progress from using maths resources to achieving
understanding through pictorial representation and then ultimately understanding of the abstract concept. Virtual tutors will never replace classroom teaching however, I believe
they also have an increasingly important role to play. Virtual tutors can add a fun element to maths. They can identify and address knowledge gaps while teachers focus on the creative side of face-to-face lessons. For example: the award-winning virtual tutor Maths-Whizz caters to each student’s individual needs and pace of learning in covering the curriculum and can provide valuable, scaffolded support to keep skills simmering, even if accessed for just one hour per week. The interactive nature of the tutor is engaging and fun and children think they are playing computer games, but really, they are learning a range of skills which develop their fluency, increasing confidence in the classroom. While we must aim to make maths practical and fun with physical
resources and pictorial representation, we should still emphasise the ‘why’ of learning is to remember and retain. Here again virtual tutors can be helpful to practice skills if they regularly re-visit topics ensuring baseline competency is maintained across the curriculum. Addressing maths anxiety needs proactive focus and by concentrating on
practical ways to reduce any stress in the learning environment teachers can work towards ensuring solid foundations can be put in place for students’ further learning and attaining life-long mathematical skills.
www.education-today.co.uk 21
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