Making a positive difference to young people through pastoral care
LEAD ARTICLE:The Art of “Switching Off to Switch On” by NAPCE Journal Editor Professor Noel Purdy Find Out More
Switching off to Switch On by Professor Noel Purdy
Have you ever felt overwhelmed and exhausted by the relentless busyness of your working day as an educator and/or pastoral leader, juggling your time between teaching commitments, meetings with internal or external colleagues and hurried phone calls, all the time interrupted by the incessant pinging of emails into your inbox, before heading home to a series of family-related caring responsibilities and challenges, similarly interspersed with out-of-hours work-related messages from colleagues and the continued incessant intrusion of emails on your phone?
Do you feel busier than ever, under pressure to respond more quickly than ever, and to squeeze more and more frenetic busyness into your waking hours?
If so, you (we) are not alone for a recent survey[1] of primary and secondary teachers and school leaders has highlighted that 78 per cent of teachers, 89 per cent of senior leaders and 95 per cent of headteachers report feeling stressed, while 36 per cent of teachers and 40 per cent of senior leaders report symptoms of burnout. A further 51 per cent of teachers and 55 per cent of senior leaders have experienced insomnia and difficulty sleeping.
There is unfortunately no silver bullet and as yet no easy solutions to remove remove the threat of physical and emotional burnout for teachers.
However, I wonder if there are any lessons to be gleaned from a new book by Cal Newport, lecturer in computer science at Georgetown University in the US, who is also a New York Times bestselling author.
In this latest publication entitled Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout, which I have been reading (in between meetings and emails), Newport criticises what he terms pseudo-productivity (‘the use of visible activity as the primary means of approximating actual productive effort’) where more and more of our waking hours are consumed by talking about work through an endless onslaught of messages, emails and zoom calls, leading to a sense of distractedness and overload, while in fact accomplishing less and less, in terms of high-quality thinking, writing, planning or interpersonal engagement.
Cramming more and more activity into our professional lives ironically seems to leave us all feeling less and less productive (and certainly less fulfilled).
In response, Newport proposes an antidote to the demands of relentless pseudo-productivity through the adoption of slow productivity, an approach to organising work efforts in a more sustainable manner based on three principles, and illustrated with examples of success from Jane Austen to Benjamin Franklin and Ian Fleming:
The first principle is to do fewer things. This is not to pretend that we can simply neglect all of our professional responsibilities, but where possible, it is an encouragement to reduce our obligations as much as possible and fully embrace a smaller number of projects that matter most.
The alternative is to spend our time responding to emails and performing low-impact administrative chores rather than prioritising what really matters: writing that new pastoral strategy, investing in your professional development, planning that new course.
It’s not about spending less time but about spending more quality time engaged in our prioritised activities.
The second principle is to work at a natural pace.
Again, Newport is quick to point out that we all have deadlines in our lives which cannot be avoided, but for our most important, creative work, he argues that we should allow it to unfold and develop along a more sustainable path, resisting the temptation or pressure to be carried away by ‘jittery busyness’ which leads only to exhaustion.
It is argued that as humans we are not built to work with such incessant intensity and that such an endeavour leads only to misery and a feeling of estrangement from our natural rhythm of work and rest.
Instead it is recommended that we adopt more realistic timelines and expectations of ourselves, and that we take time to think, rest and sleep.
Thirdly, Newport recommends that we obsess over quality. It is argued that our efforts will be fruitless in doing fewer things and working at a more natural pace if we do not also implement an obsession with quality.
While resisting the temptation to aim for a destructive perfectionism, we are encouraged to take time to think, plan, draft, and to surround ourselves with critical friends.
Reference is made to the Inklings, a small group of academics at Oxford including CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien who met regularly to read drafts of their work and give constructive feedback.
Not all of us are engaged in writing novels, but embracing an openness with trusted colleagues, whether as a teacher, school leader or researcher can be stimulating, challenging and hugely supportive.
In writing this (and yes, I have left my phone in the next room to avoid interruption), I am not just reviewing a refreshing new publication, but hopefully making a case for taking a breath, realising our need to switch off, acknowledging the benefits of slowing down, removing some of our online distractions, focusing on a smaller and more manageable number of key tasks, pursuing quality over quantity of output, and freeing ourselves from the dehumanising allure of pseudo-productivity.
Could there be lessons here for all of us as educators?
Professor Noel Purdy,
Stranmillis University College, Belfast
NAPCE Journal Editor
April 2024
AWARDS: Record Number of Entries Received for NAPCE Awards 2024Find Out More
Entry to National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education 2024 Now Closed
Entry to the fifth annual National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education has now closed.
The NAPCE team is delighted to announce that we received a record number of nominations, more than double the amount received when we broke the record in 2023.
All entries will now be considered by an independent judging panel, a process which will begin shortly.
We will then announce the finalists and the Presentation Ceremony will take place at the County Ground, Worcester in October 2024.
The NAPCE Awards is the first and only awards scheme dedicated to recognising outstanding achievements in the field of pastoral care in education.The categories are;-
Pastoral School of the Year
Pastoral Team of the Year
Pastoral Member of Staff of the Year
Pastoral Leader of the Year
Pastoral Development of the Year
Raising Awareness about Pastoral Care
Outstanding Contribution to Pastoral Care
International Contribution to Pastoral Care
NAPCE Awards 2024 is an excellent opportunity to share good practice in pastoral care and through our social media, website and those of our partners, the Awards raises awareness of where pastoral support is making a real difference in the educational experience of young people.
The Awards also encourages new initiatives and ideas in pastoral care and will recognise the contributions being made to developing policy and practice in pastoral support.
There will be a prize of £100.00 for the school or institution for the winners of each category and individuals will also be recognised for their achievements.
SUPPORT: Support with Professional Development in Pastoral Care Find Out More
Support with Pastoral Professional Development
NAPCE admin has had enquiries about support with planning and delivering professional development on pastoral areas as schools prepare for the new academic year.
NAPCE has contacts with educationalists with expertise in pastoral areas who can support with the planning and delivery of professional development days or training.
These include speakers and presenters who have experience of leading professional development for staff on the pastoral work of the school or college.
Please contact the Admin team at admin@napce.org.uk if you think NAPCE might be able to help with the planning or delivery of your professional development for your staff.
REPORT: NAPCE Online Spring Conference 2024 – A Report
Following the success of similar events in recent years NAPCE once again organised an online conference in March.
The event attracted 461 views on the NAPCE Eventbrite page, and 64 links were reserved for the evening.
Delegates joined from the UK and a number of places across the world including USA, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Switzerland, Greece and Moldova.
Delegates came from all parts of the UK including Belfast, London, Manchester, Norwich, Lincoln, Bolton, Burnley, Guildford and Sheffield.
The guest speaker was Shaun McInerney, School Leadership and Strategy Lead at the University of Worcester.
In his interesting and stimulating presentation he explored how pastoral care can unlock potential.
He talked about the need for a pro-active approach to pastoral care and the importance of listening to children and young people to be clear about their needs and how effective pastoral care can build their confidence to communicate with other people.
He examined the concept of social capital and explained how it can open up future social mobility opportunities.
Sean commented on the need to build relationships that connect the academic and pastoral work of schools and that leaders need to create the conditions and positive relationships to unlock potential in learners.
The presentation was followed by a “Pastoral Question Time”. The members of the panel were.
Professor Noel Purdy, Director of Research and Scholarship, Stranmillis University College, Belfast
Dr Mark Diacopoulos, Assistant Professor, Department of Teaching and Leadership, Pittsburg State University, USA
Dr Caron Carter, Senior Lecturer in early childhood/childhood, Sheffield Institute of Education, Sheffield Hallam University.
Victoria Raynor, Director Raynor Safeguarding Ltd,
and Shaun McInerney
The questions were put to the panel by Phil Jones National Chair of NAPCE.
These included.
Is conformity the goal for pastoral leaders and pastoral systems in 21st century schools?
Do all learners need pastoral care and support?
Is there time to care in the pastoral work of schools in 2024?
Does new technology and social media always have a negative impact on well-being and mental health?
Some of the comments made by delegates about the event included.
“Thank you all, a really well considered conversation by the panel and the chat.”
“Thanks to all speakers and to Phil for organising this conference, much appreciated.”
“Such a fantastic conference! Thanks everyone!”
“Thank you, very interesting.”
ARTICLE: “Education and the fallout from COVID – the canary in the mine?” By Blogger & Teacher “?missdcox”
This blog aims to outline some of the current challenges that teachers and leaders are dealing with, for those that don’t know what is happening in schools.
I’ve tried to back most points with evidence (varying sources) but some of it is anecdotal. It is in no way supposed to be critical of schools and their staff.
It’s an overview of where I think we are and why. You may well disagree but unless you spend a significant time in schools then you may not be aware of these things.
I come from a secondary background however I suspect these issues are across phases.
The original title of the blog was going to be ‘COVID kids – the impact on schools and children’ which reflects my thoughts on one of the biggest causes of the issues below.
They always existed but I believe that the lock-downs of 2020 and 2021 were hugely impactful to children, their parents and ultimately to schools.
Attendance
Attendance of students is at a stage that I have never experienced in my career. A significant number of students are not coming to school; some coming in less and some not coming in at all.
For many schools, relying on tutors or heads of year to deal with absenteeism is now unmanageable. Schools need to make roles for colleagues to work specifically (and only) with these students and families.
But this isn’t enough, reports show that adverts for these sorts of jobs are increasing, but are vacancies being filled? I’ve seen people share threads on X/Twitter of what they’re doing which is lovely to share but I think we should be clear that this isn’t a case of a few ‘hacks’.
This needs a coherent strategy at a national level, fully funded and with shared resourcing in what might work. We need people to see this job as rewarding, valued, fully supported with continuous training and do-able.
Someone that has gone on holiday during term time will have saved multiple times more money than the fine, by avoiding school holiday hiked up prices.
And for those whose absence is linked to school refusal, a fine isn’t going to do anything to help. Parents won’t be helped in getting their child to school, by paying an £80 fine.
Parents need help with parenting. They need support in dealing their child that is refusing to get out of bed in the morning or refuses to go into school.
However this has fallen onto schools and we don’t have the capacity to do so. We have become an emergency service, social services and pseudo-parents and we just don’t have the knowledge, skills, time or capacity to fulfil these roles.
The Government needs huge investment into these sorts of programmes to ensure that future parents can be supported and schools can get back to fulfilling their usual role in society (mainly education).
What training have teachers had for dealing with deep rooted behaviour issues? I feel that dealing with students with more complex issues are way beyond our capabilities.
Schools need to be able to support these students where possible but also, where necessary, find students an alternative to their current context, ideally to more specialist provision.
Persistent disruptive behaviour has increased and schools are having to make the ultimate decision to suspend students. Despite what some think, this isn’t an overnight decision and takes a lot of time and resources to try to resolve before suspension.
The Mental Health Crisis
I don’t think we will ever fully know the impact that COVID has had on the nation and the world’s mental health. And when we start to realise the long term impact, it will be too late for intervention for some people.
As already mentioned, teachers and school staff are not trained to deal with the levels of mental health issues we are facing.
Coming up with a code for school registers might help in identifying the numbers we face however it’s not a solution. Schools need specific, targeted support for these students because the current systems aren’t coping.
CAMHS referrals have significantly increased and the system doesn’t have the capacity to deal with them. Stories are being shared of having to wait weeks for referrals to be processed.
Unfortunately, during the lockdowns some people broke the law and people in authority have since been found to have not followed the rules that they were enforcing. People’s view of authority figures have been affected by this, this includes schools and school staff. The value of schools has therefore changed in some people’s eyes.
Let’s be brutal, there are students that were told to leave school in March 2020, that now have qualifications that they weren’t fully assessed for.
They did not experience the end of school rites of passage. They missed out on important life skills and social interactions. These students may become parents themselves soon and I think this will impact their perception of schools and schooling, and consequently their own children.
“And in education we have seen a troubling shift in attitudes since the pandemic. The social contract that has long bound parents and schools together has been damaged. This unwritten agreement sees parents get their children to school every day and respect the school’s policies and approach. In return, schools give children a good education and help prepare them for their next steps in life. It took years to build and consolidate, from when schooling first became compulsory.
Unfortunately, there is ample evidence that this contract has been fractured, both in absenteeism and in behaviour. Restoring this contract is vital to sustaining post-pandemic progress, but is likely to take years to rebuild fully.”
This links to socialisation.
Socialisation
I’m not an expert but I can see the impact that lock downs have had on students’ socialisation. Surveys seem to support the impact that they had on social and emotional development.
For some children, in their formative years, they didn’t have to deal with people they didn’t like or do what they didn’t want to do, for several months.
I think that some students haven’t developed the skills of dealing with these important aspects of life. Some are using ‘fight or flight’ when encountering things they don’t like. Flight includes not coming to school and internal truancy. Fight includes refusing to go to class and arguing with staff.
Starting secondary school is a hugely important time for deciding who you are, how you are going to be and who you are going to hang about with.
School provides children with the space to be with other people. People their own age, people that are younger and then some people that are a lot older! Part of being in school is learning to get on with people you may like but also people you may not like.
Also, it’s doing some things you might like but also doing things you might not like. Many students missed out on these important stepping stones in life. (I believe that current year 10 have had the worst of this.
They missed their year 6 SATs, end of primary school rites of passage and couldn’t have the same induction to secondary school as normal. They then went into lock down again in term 2 and had barely found their feet in year 7.)
“The COVID-19 crisis highlights that school fulfils not only an educational mission of knowledge acquisition, but it also satisfies the socialisation needs of young people. With students at home, the school community is absent and despite the virtual interactions and learning opportunities provided by the internet and social networks, a barrier is created in the educational relationship between pupils and teachers.“
Parents
It’s impossible to fully quantify what parents went through during lockdowns. Some parents went from being mum/dad to also being learning mentor or even teacher.
They were handed responsibility for ensuring their child did things that they wouldn’t usually have to do. Many found maintaining discipline and keeping their child/ren motivated, hard.
Schools are now reporting an increase in parents challenging school rules. Whilst people will always debate which rules should/shouldn’t be challenged it’s the impact that these challenges have on teacher and school leaders that goes unrecorded.
Receiving abusive emails from parents, parents shouting at teachers at the school gate or posting hateful posts on social media about staff, have an impact. Some have forgotten they are dealing with human beings and that schools aren’t the enemy.
Sadly, parents questioning authority of the school has an impact on students. If they’re hearing ‘I’ll go up the school and tell them…..’ then this is giving a message to children about who is ‘in charge’.
Students then openly question teachers when they are told things they don’t want to do/hear. They are copying what their parents are saying at home.
Whilst students are in school they are required to follow school rules for their own and others’ safety. This crossing of boundaries was not helped when school was home, and parents became their authority on school work. The boundaries of authority became blurred.
Both schools and Ofsted have received significantly more complaints post COVID. These are taking up Headteachers’ time.
Some aren’t warranted so are wasting time that could be spent on supporting students. It’s also not good for Headteacher well being.
All credit to Headteachers that deal with these on a daily basis however it is a huge time-consumer and I can’t help feeling it is also changing the nature of the job.
The pressure then falls upon teachers to try to ‘close’ the gap. This is now becoming a complete nonsensical thing to expect from teachers.
The issues of disadvantage are far more complex than an engaging lesson or after school class can resolve. Amongst other things, the Education Policy Institute recommend a cross-party child poverty strategy.
Teachers, Teaching and Learning
Anecdotally, more and more discussions about education are about the above issues and less about teaching and learning.
Teachers don’t have time to talk about curriculum matters if they’re dealing with behaviour matters.
Form tutors won’t have time to talk to students about learning if they’re talking about attendance. We’re losing the time and energy to talk about the stuff that matters to deal with things that will probably make a limited difference.
Even back when the lock downs were happening, teachers could see that COVID was going to cause issues with learning. If it didn’t, we’d have some big questions to ask about the role of schools!
More recent research suggests the impact of lock-downs on learning. One report found there were less children who achieved a ‘Good Level of Development’ and the perception from parents and schools is that children (EYFS/KS1) have been disadvantaged in their socio-emotional wellbeing, language and numeracy skills.
The DfE summarised suggestions of what aspects of learning have had the most losses:
Teachers aren’t as happy as they have been. They’re now dealing with everything above. Teachers are increasingly stressed and their wellbeing has hit a 5 year low.
Whilst the Government has promised a “£1.5 million of new investment to deliver a three-year mental health and wellbeing support package for school and college leaders; providing professional supervision and counselling to at least 2,500 leaders”.
\However this doesn’t help with teacher retention.
To top this all off, education is having a recruitment and retention crisis. So even if we get children into schools it is becoming less and less likely they’ll have a specialist or even a regular member of staff teaching them.
The quality of education cannot be the same with non-specialist or supply staff, than with regular, subject specialists.
There is also a shortage of supply teachers so internal staff are having to increasingly cover for colleagues.
This is not good for teacher wellbeing and will clearly impact retention. Why bother going to school if school isn’t fully functioning as it should?
The reality is that four years ago, schools stopped functioning in the way they had been, for the majority of students.
Whilst there may be doubts over correlation or causation, I believe that the impact of the pandemic, in particular the lockdowns have significantly affected schools, children and parents. Is COVID’s impact on education the canary in the mine?
As these children grow up, what further impact will there be on society? The data is piling up but it seems the solutions (or at least possible strategies to try) are not so forthcoming, at least at a governmental level. Society has changed, never to be the same again.
As a new government is on the horizon, I hope they take on board all these issues. We need new direction and support. Schools need help with this ‘new normal’.
(NB I never usually write anything political and expect I will delete soon after publishing.)
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