Monday morning

The start of another school week and I am reassured by the reappearance of one of my students without the obvious headlice which had frolicked so happily in her hair on Friday. Working with older students it’s much less common for them to get nits as they become more and more preoccupied with personal appearance and grooming but when it does happen it can quickly spread leaving the staff scratching away at the mere mention of them.

The Year 11 class are beavering away with revision and are as fed up with poetry as I am by now. I can’t believe that it is necessary for so many poems to be included in the requirements of the Language and Literature exams. Even for someone who loves poetry as I do, the number smacks of overkill. Having said that, it does help raise issues connected with the adult world which far too many of the students are disengaged from such as the religious divide in Ireland through Seamus Heaney’s poems and the conflict in former Yugoslavia in Gillian Clarke’s.

The inclusion room’s not too busy to start with, just a couple returned from exclusion but their number is added to during the day bringing the afternoon session to 5. They are all working well and you wonder how they can have found themselves in such trouble but there is a world of difference between this and the classroom for some of them.

One of the highlights of the school year is upon us with the GCSE drama exam running over the course of the next four days including an evening performance for parents and friends to enjoy. It is always interesting to see how the groups gel together and some of those who struggle academically shine in performing in front of an audience. As one of the school’s strongest departments it is no surprise that so many of the students enjoy it so much thanks to the strength of the teaching.

I shall report back on one or two of the performances. Last year’s three little pigs was a highlight and the year before saw a group of four lads tackling Bouncers by John Godber. They looked fantastic in their dark suits and menacing sunglasses and clearly enjoyed dressing up in women’s clothes for the female roles.

Having promised stories almost akin to those of James Herriot as a vet, the schoolteacher equivalent hasn’t quite materialised today. Too long in the inclusion room has put paid to that. Highlight of the day has been reading ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ with Year 8 following on from ‘The Signalman’ last week. A quick poll revealed the class spilt down the middle over which they enjoyed most but it’s interesting that this used to be GCSE work and they are coping with it well at an earlier age.