An education blog from Aidan Severs Consulting (www.aidansevers.com)
If you would like Aidan to work with you on developing your transition offer either at your primary school or your secondary school, please visit his website at https://www.aidansevers.com/services and get in touch via the contact details that can be found there.
Today I was delivering laptops, but it hasn't always been devices for children who are struggling to access the online portion of our remote learning offer. I've lost count of the number of free school meals I've delivered, whether that was en masse during lockdown (pre-vouchers), or on a more individualised level for those self-isolating throughout the last term. Before that it was printed packs of learning resources when we realised that many of our families weren't able to access our online offer.
But it is never just the delivery. It's the logistics behind it too.
Way back at the beginning of the year I sent out an online survey to parents asking them about their access to online devices (and also about their need for key worker provision in case of another lockdown). Of course, the online survey didn't fare too well for those who struggle with getting connected so there were plenty of paper copies flying around my kitchen table this week too.
Once I'd imported (exported?) the Microsoft Forms data into an Excel document and filtered various ways to find out which families needed laptops, and once I'd added in the requests from other families, I had to check that against our list of Pupil Premium children. As I expected, the lists didn't match up - from my survey I could say that many of our PP children already had sufficient access to device, but that other children, for various reasons, did need laptops.
Why is Pupil Premium not fit for purpose?
— Aidan Severs (@thatboycanteach) January 6, 2021
Because parents have to apply for it themselves.
And there are many barriers to that application happening for families who truly are disadvantaged:
Not knowing it is available, pride, the complicated form.
2/3
After some ranting and raving about the red tape involved in the government-provided laptops only being available to PP children, my principal helpfully pointed me towards our E-Learning Systems and Media Specialist who this time was doling out our class sets of Chromebooks to aid with remote learning. I sent him my numbers over and by lunchtime I had a stack of laptops checked and ready to go.
Maybe this is my perfectionism kicking in (or lack of smartphone) but I had to create myself some sort of delivery route to make the best use of my time - one Google Maps session later, I had put the local knowledge that I didn't have a year ago to work and had a great journey plan ready. That done I was ready to head off to school to pick up the laptops.
Once there, with requests for laptops continuing to come in left, right and centre, I filled in the serial numbers of the machines on all the necessary paperwork, wrote down usernames and passwords, and Post-It noted each laptop to ensure that I was giving the right one to the right family. With all that done I was ready to leave.
Suffice it to say, there were some very pleased and thankful parents and children this afternoon. The cold weather was infinitely better to work in than the sweltering temperatures of the summer (my normal work wear was not conducive to getting in and out of a car hoying around bags of bread and fruit and the like). After the disappointment of not being able to give government-provided laptops to the children who really needed them, it felt good to be making a step towards getting more children educated during this latest lockdown. Even de-tangling the snaking mass of chargers in the footwell at each stop couldn't break my good mood.
And tomorrow morning I'll go back out to spread more joy, like some kind of out-of-season Santa Claus.
So here I am, ready to enter into another year of reviewing children's books, and kicking things off with the latest book from, I will admit, a favourite children's author of mine: Stewart Foster with his 'The Perfect Parent Project'.
'The Perfect Parent Project' is in the vein of Stewart's previous books in that it centres on a character who represents a potentially marginalised group of children. Sam is a foster kid, and although he loves his support worker, Rock Star Steve, he dreads the day when he'll bring the news that he is moving on from his current foster carers. Avid readers of Foster will have come to expect an absolute spot-on rendition of the child's voice, and this one is no exception: the reader is put well and truly in the shoes of Sam as he searches beyond his current foster family for his perfect parents.
And the heartache feels real. Sam plots with his friend Leah to find his perfect parents, not realising how well things are going with Reilly and his mum and dad. After spying his perfect parents and contriving to get to know them, Sam finds himself spinning a web of lies that eventually ensnare him. Unable to keep up the pretense Sam jeopardises all his closest relationships in his bid to make new ones. Readers, adults and children alike, will recognise that Sam's happiness really lies closer to home than he thinks; the downward spiral Sam creates for himself is sure to generate a sadness in readers of all ages.
Yet, this isn't purely a sad book. Again, Foster's writing is full of humour - a perfect antidote to the emotion of the main storyline. Sam remains upbeat for the majority of the story and his optimism carries the reader onward: although I knew what ending I wanted, I genuinely wasn't sure if I was going to get it. Given that this is a story that contains no real dramatic set-piece moments, it is full of drama, and as a result is extremely compelling - the desire for Sam to stop digging himself into deeper holes hooks the reader in.
As well as being an enjoyable story, this is one of those books that should get children thinking. Orphaned children are a staple of stories for children - many Disney movies, for example, rely on children having no parents so that they can get up to all sorts of mischief. But here we have a much more realistic interpretation of what it is like not to know one's birth parents, and to be seeking a loving home. Here we have a window into a world that, for many children, will be one that they have no experience of. And perhaps, for some children, this will be the opportunity to see something of themselves represented in story form. Either way, it feels right to have this experience acknowledged rather than fantastically exploited.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's UK (January 21, 2021)
'The Perfect Parent Project' is available on my Children's Fiction 2021 book list: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/children-s-fiction-2021
There was a selfish fear too, of course: what if I come into
contact with someone who tests positive and have to isolate? Or what if one of
my own children gets sent home from their school?
My fears were, inevitably, pretty quickly realised: my
middle daughter came home on the penultimate Friday, destined to self-isolate
until Friday 18th. But that didn’t touch Christmas, but it meant a
huge burden on my wife, working at home fulfilling Christmas baking orders. I
hurried back from school every day in order to try to provide some relief.
Every day, that is, until Thursday.
Because, of course, it was the unthinkable that actually
happened.
Rewind to Wednesday night:
Wednesday night was a tough one: I had an inexplicable pain
across my lower back – I couldn’t get comfortable in bed and, along with the
accompanying nausea, it kept me awake most of the night.
I ‘woke up’ the next day feeling slightly unwell, in my own words. Thursday was to be the last day
in school, and not thinking that back ache and tiredness should stop me from
enjoying the last day of school, off I went.
Thankfully, I spent the day ensuring, as usual, that I was
social distancing, was in well-ventilated places, keeping my hands washed
regularly and so on. The day was a great way to end what had been a fantastic
term – yes, a challenging one, but a challenge I had relished. I was glad to
leave by the end though, as, due to a lack of sleep, or so I thought, I was
flagging somewhat.
At home I caught up a little with the DfE’s newly-revealed
plans to ask secondary schools to test pupils as of January. I fired off a
quick commiseration email to our principal (I work in an all-through academy)
and thought I’d forget about it. With one more work-from-home morning left to
go, I retired to bed that night, although not before a heated discussion with
my wife regarding whether or not I should get a Covid test: when my symptoms
are definitely those of Covid, was my stance; tomorrow, regardless, was hers –
so that we knew for certain whether or not our Christmas plans would be
affected.
But my subconscious brain clung on to the evening’s
thoughts, weaponising them and torturing me all night. I dreamt of having to
set up a testing centre at school – one of those looped dreams consisting of
bright colours (the testing booths were decorated with red and white Christmas
string), repeated phrases and nothing at all very tangible other than the
feeling of dread. I woke at 4:10 am and headed downstairs to book myself a
Covid test, the fever being such that the virus was becoming a more certain
possibility.
***
Just before lunchtime on Sunday the test result came back.
I’d all but convinced myself it would be negative, mainly on account of an
easing temperature and the presence of phlegm: it was a chest infection, it must
be.
Dear Aidan Severs
Your coronavirus test
result is positive. It means you had the virus when the test was done.
I went downstairs to break the news. By now, of course, the
rules for Christmas had changed, all our plans involved people now marooned in
tier 4, so my corona was not going to be the cause of spoiled Christmas plans.
However, there were plenty of other consequences.
I have to admit I cried. Many times. Everything set me off.
The thought of potentially ruining so many other Christmases. The fact my wife
had to cancel and refund all her Christmas orders. Knowing my mother-in-law,
who is in our bubble, would not be able to spend Christmas with us meaning that
she may face it alone. The knowledge that my children, who have soldiered on
through the country’s toughest restrictions, living as we do in Bradford, and
not even an area of Bradford that got out of local lockdown for a while, would
have to endure more time indoors with only each other as company. Heightened
emotions may be a symptom – then again, its legitimate for it to be that
upsetting without that as an excuse.
I completed my Test and Trace information, and the academy’s
counterpart. Thankfully it was deemed unnecessary to ask anyone else to
isolate, due to the mitigations in place and my keeping to them. That was a
weight off my mind, although I spent each day of the holiday waiting to hear
that someone else from work had come down with it because of me. At the time of
writing, I have heard only of one very tentative transmission, and am hoping
that when I speak to my colleagues again in the new year, all will report a
healthy Christmas holiday.
And the thing just left me weak, wheezy and a waste of
space. Unable to go out, incapable of doing anything of any value. I
par-watched a film, and an episode of a series. Reading, writing, music had
very little draw – besides the initial headache that came with my Covid
prohibited these activities. I slept on and off. I mostly just felt guilty – I
know it wasn’t my fault - and sad that my wife was having to take on
everything. My muscles ached, my skin felt like it was on fire, my head felt
like it was sunburnt.
At some point, it robbed me of my sense of smell, leaving me
with only a partial sense of taste. All that Christmas food! Would I be able to
taste it? That was if I even had the appetite for it – usually ravenous the
whole time, I certainly experienced some fluctuation in my desire to eat.
It felt unfair. We’d stuck to all the rules. I’d survived
the term, always being there at work, covering when others thought they might
have had it, or indeed, when others did have it, plugging away finding
never-ending solutions to all the latest Covid problems. We’d ridden wave after
wave of the UK’s harshest restrictions, very rarely losing hope.
Even after a week, I was still dog tired. I woke up on the
23rd feeling a bit brighter, a little more energised, but as the day
wore on, that wore off. If there’s one thing this virus does well, it’s robbing
its host of their vitality. Perhaps the exhaustion was due to my body fighting
of the illness effectively enough for me to remain at home, instead of being
hospitalised? I suppose if that was the case, then I am thankful for the
tiredness.
Of course, friends and family rallied round. Many a kind
message was received, people picked stuff up for us, dropped it off.
Entertainment for me and the children was sent. My wife did a cracking job of
keeping the morale high despite everything.
Christmas Eve was merry – I was feeling a lot better and
managed to join in with all the day’s activities – still inside the house,
isolating of course. Just before we headed out for a drive around to look at
the Christmas lights loads of my family members came to the street and sang to
us – a lovely, heart-warming moment, and a chance to sample some of my dad’s
Covid Carols live! But we weren’t only going to see the Christmas lights, we
also made a second trip to the test centre: my wife had begun with a cough
- a cough which by now was plaguing me
to the point of perceived pain in my lungs.
And on Christmas morning, whilst preparing the meal, her
text came through: positive.
And the so the saga continues. Thankfully by Sunday 27th
(my official release date) I was feeling normal enough again to do a decent job
of having a good time with the children, feeding the family and keeping the
house in some sort of semblance of order. I took the kids out for a brief walk
in the woods and it did us good. At the time of posting, my wife is still ill
in bed, experiencing her version of all the symptoms I had.
Having a bit of a laugh with students can actually be a great behaviour management technique in and of itself.
I feel like this year I've read far fewer of the newly released middle grade books - I think I've read more grown-up books this year, particularly more adult non-fiction, and I've read a few older children's books too.
However, I've read a decent number of really great books released for children in 2020 - enough to share a few in a round-up blog post. Now obviously, because I've not read all the books published in 2020, I can't call this a 'best of' list, so instead it is just a list of really great new books to add to your shelves or put under someone's Christmas tree.
In no particular order, here are the first 10:
A historical, magical tale which sits so comfortably in a long tradition of children's literature and makes for an original but familiar-feeling read. Readers will feel the warm homeliness of such classics as the Narnia stories and The Wind in the Willows whilst recognising the gritty realities and family drama of war that they've read of in Goodnight Mr. Tom and Carrie's War. The Midnight Guardians brings together two worlds at war, weaving folklore, magic and oh-so accurate historical fact together into a truly engaging race-against-time tale of dark versus light.
The Midnight Guardians can be found on my Children's Historical Fiction - Fantasy and Magic bookshop.org list: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/children-s-fiction-fantasy-magic
Quite a few books have been published in recent years which portray the plight of refugees. Boy, Everywhere sits nicely between books aimed at older children, such as Boy 87 and Illegal (which have a slightly more graphic portrayal of the harsh realities involved in seeking refuge in another country) and The Boy At The Back of The Class and The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle (which don't go into as much detail but rather focus on the realities of life after making the often hazardous journey). Boy, Everywhere provides the modern parallel to books about World War 2 refugees such as The Silver Sword and Number The Stars, providing a realistic picture (which has been praised by people who have experienced similar circumstances to those portrayed in the book) without some of the more distressing, potentially age-inappropriate details that sadly are the experience of some refugees. A very compelling read.
Boy, Everywhere can be found on my Children's Historical Fiction - Refugee Stories bookshop.org list: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/children-s-fiction-refugee-stories
Just before hearing about this book I had discovered Noor Inayat Khan during some research for a year 6 topic focusing on the role of women and children in the world wars, so when I did discover this I was very keen to read it. I was really pleased then to win a copy in a competition from charity Making Herstory. Sufiya Ahmed does a cracking job of retelling a well-researched, child-friendly version of the key events in spy Inayat Khan's life. As a woman of Indian descent and the first female radio operator sent to Nazi-occupied France by the British SOE, it is an incredibly important story to be told, one which exemplifies how people of many ethnicities played a part in World War 2. Great for children to read alone but equally suitable as a curriculum-linked read aloud.
Noor-Un-Nissa Inayat Khan can be found on my Children's Historical Fiction - World Wars bookshop.org list: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/children-s-historical-fiction-world-wars
A short story this time from Lisa Thompson for the ever-excellent Barrington Stoke (who specialise in books designed specifically for dyslexic readers). In this story of loss and hope, grief and guilt, Lisa blurs the lines between dreams and reality and ultimately leaves the reader questioning but willing to believe that there actually is just a little bit of magic present in this world. Tackling the difficult subject of losing a family member and the regret of not appreciating them enough in their lifetime, this story follows a girl's journey of discovery as she investigates the links between her grandad and a mysterious artist. A brilliant little tale for those who need a grown-up feeling book but don't always find reading the easiest thing to do.
The House of Clouds can be found on my Children's Historical Fiction - Short Reads bookshop.org list: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/children-s-fiction-short-reads
Chris King's cover illustration says it all, really. Bikes, supersoakers and an undead army is exactly what you get in Dan Smith's excellent short reader for Barrington Stoke. Opening up a market for books inspired by 80s movies that the kids of today probably haven't even seen but would love if they watched them, The Invasion of Crooked Oak will certainly appeal to adults of a certain age as well as children who just want an awesome, spooky, mystery adventure (and this is what plenty of children want). If you haven't got this for your class bookshelf, then do, and prepare for the next installment coming next year.
The Invasion of Crooked Oak can be found on my Children's Historical Fiction - Supernatural & Spooky Tales bookshop.org list: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/children-s-fiction-supernatural-spooky-tales
More spookiness now in this Adamms Family-esque thriller. A strange assortment of otherworldly beings are confined to the grounds and house of Rookhaven, supplied and kept secret by the local villagers. Two siblings, a brother and sister, stumble through a tear in the magic veil and find themselves involved in a cruel plot to rid the world of the kinds of people who call Rookhaven their home. With amazing black and white illustrations from Edward Bettison, this book feels like very few others I've read - darkness permeates the book, yet the more the reader becomes familiar with the family, the more they realise there is real light in them. A subtle call to respect and love those perceived as outsiders, this beautifully-written story should be widely read and loved. Read my review for more: http://www.thatboycanteach.co.uk/2020/08/book-review-monsters-of-rookhaven-by.html
The Monsters of Rookhaven can be found on my Children's Historical Fiction - Supernatural & Spooky Tales bookshop.org list: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/children-s-fiction-supernatural-spooky-tales
