HEADLINES

By James Saunders

LEARNING AND PROGRESS

Learning and progress. Two words that are often at the heart of any conversation about school and education. They are often topics of discussion during our parent tours of the school. I have been asked many times about learning and progress. What’s learning like at Honywood? Are children making progress?

It can be very hard to see learning and progress in a short space of time which makes it tricky to point people to lucid examples that illustrate my answers. Learning is not always visible in neat little chunks; it is not always tangible. What is visible is the calm and purposeful learning environment and the behaviour for learning that our learners demonstrate and model so well. It is in a climate such as this that learning and progress are able to thrive.

But is it possible to see learning and progress? Is it possible to measure it?

I would like to focus on sport. Over the last 5 years I have been following the progress of our school sports teams. One sport in particular that has impressed me is the progress of our netball teams. Every year they get stronger and stronger and turn in more impressive performances. This week we have seen success with our C7 and C8 team and our C11s. The C11s in particular have really developed as a team over their five years here and have achieved much success. Mrs Jones and I were speaking this week about how well they have done.

Sport is an area where progress and learning can be quite visible. I have watched quite a few games where the process of coaching has really supported them. We all make mistakes. It is a vital part of the learning process. Sport is no different. It’s fair to say that even when we win (which is quite frequently) a few mistakes are made. However, it is through the coaching of our teachers that improvements and gains are made.

What I witness when watching our netball teams is tangible visible learning. They learn about each other, about the opposition, about where to position themselves, about improving their technique, and about how to work as a team. And, through that learning they make excellent progress towards a successful outcome. I am very proud of all our sports teams not just for the outcomes but because they all demonstrate how Honywood learners possess a capacity to learn though evaluating their own performance. In doing so they make excellent progress. So the answer is yes, children are making progress, our learning designs are equipping them with the ability to reflect on their performance so that they continually improve.

I have often shared an image I once came across in the LA Times. It accompanied an article documenting the career of LA Lakers basketball star, Kobe Bryant. The image illustrated every shot of his career; over 30,000 of them.

28th April 2023

What’s great about it is the message it gives about being great at something. He missed more shots than he scored; this was a key characteristic of his success. Just as we have areas of strength that increase our chances of doing well, so too does Kobe Bryant, as can be seen in the clusters of successful shots and along the centre line. I imagine that through years of practice and trial and error he has learnt where to position himself - just like our learners do on the netball court.

As we approach the end of the day, week or term, some things will go well and some will not; each one will help build and shape our development as a learner. How we deal with both will define our long-term success. Playing to our strengths is great. But sticking our neck out and shooting from somewhere new is how we get better.

Learning at Honywood is about so much more than just studying subject content: knowing yourself as a learner; responding to critical feedback; reflecting on your individual performance; working with and learning from others and having a great coach are all things that we aim to provide our learners.

I wish you all a great weekend.

James Saunders

We would like to remind students, parents and carers that as well as being able to discuss any issues and concerns with any member of the Honywood team, there are a wealth of resources on the wellbeing site that cover a vast array of topics from LGBTQ+ identities and mindfulness to bullying, eating disorders and self-harm. These resources, we hope, can offer a great deal of support to students and families, with many of these resources coming from organisations and charities focused on these specific topics.

RAINBOW FLAG AWARD

We are a school that supports and celebrates all of our students and recognises the great importance of diversity. We are continually striving to further develop how we support this, with one such way being our current work to obtain the Rainbow Flag Award. This award celebrates LGBTQ+ Identities and ensures that, as a school, we not only know how to tackle LGBT phobic behaviour, but also embed knowledge and acceptance of different cultures and identities within our curriculum, further creating a safe environment for all learners throughout their journey with us.

For example, our LGBTQ+ resources detail organisations such as Outhouse East, a North Essex charity that offer support to young people and their families, through initiatives such as social groups for young LGBTQ+ people and oneto-one support for young people experiencing difficulties with their identity, as well as support for parents and carers of young LGBTQ+ individuals. This is just one example of an external body and resource that can support our students with concerns they may be facing - particularly if they feel less comfortable seeking support within school.

Within school, we are always looking for ways to further support the wonderful, diverse range of students we have, with one such example being our new ‘Pride Club’, running each Monday lunchtime, open to all students, regardless of identity, celebrating LGBTQ+ Identities and discussing how best we can improve LGBTQ+ inclusion at Honywood. We are always open to further ideas of how we can support our students both academically and pastorally, welcoming, as ever, parents and carers to utilise ‘parent time’ to discuss any ideas, questions or concerns with our team.

WELLBEING AND MENTAL HEALTH SITE

C7/C8 TEAM: Abigail Casey (C7), Evie Hammond (C7), Zaina Ibrahim (C7), Darcy Luckett (C7), Belle Turner (C8), Sophia Jefferies (C8), Lily-Mae Gilden (C8), Zoe Robinson (C8)

On 19th April the team of C7s and 8s went across to Alec Hunter to play their district league match. They won 8 - 3 and were delighted with their victory!

C11 TEAM: Amber Chard, Amelie Cooper, Eloise Duffy, Fern Mascot, Joanne Neary, Gloria Nyc, Nadia Twardosz, Esme Webster

On Wednesday 26th April, our C11s went to Notley for their final district league group game and won in the final minute 16-15 which was brilliant!

In April, Alfie Cork (C9) took on the challenge of roller skating 1000 laps of the skating rink to raise money for the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance. He completed this challenge in just two weeks raising just over £250. Well done Alfie!

AUTHOR EVENT with JAMES ERITH

Come and meet James Erith as he talks about his new novel, Time Stamp, an entertaining, thought-provoking and hilarious look into a world of artificial intelligence in 2058. James will also be talking about his seven part Eden Chronicles books, a YA series of fantasy adventures full of riddles and heroics set around the North Yorkshire Moors.