Fiona Walker's reflections on her first six months as Head of Pre-Prep range from the power of teamwork in teaching Maths and instilling resilience to her joy in teaching handwriting. (Pictures taken from Pre-Prep's recent trip to the Wallace Collection).
Where did all the time go? It’s hard to believe that a term and a half has elapsed since I took on the role of Head of Harrodian Pre-Prep. But while I do occasionally still pinch myself, I’m pleased to see that, as we reach the mid-point of the school year, some of the plans I had in mind when I set off on this journey are already starting to take shape.
As we reach the mid-point of the school year, some of the plans I had in mind when I set off on this journey are already starting to take shape.
Fiona Walker, Head of Pre-Prep
Take for example, the new phonics-based reading scheme that we launched last term and was the subject of my first blog. Our goal in introducing Anima Phonics was to adapt our approach so that our teaching met the needs of all our pupils, whether they took naturally to reading, or found it a bit more of a challenge.
Six months on, the scheme is becoming embedded in Pre-Prep life. Children are enjoying its mixture of routine and variety and, if a child is struggling, we have found it easier to clearly identify where the gaps in learning lie and how to put the right help in place, whether that means academic or emotional support or perhaps a bit of both.
Our individually-focused approach to learning relies for its success on the dedicated commitment of our whole teaching team and the constant process of communication and collaboration between all of us.
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I’m hugely encouraged by the headway we’ve made since introducing the scheme. And it’s important to recognise that initiatives like this are very much a team effort. The individually-focused approach to learning that takes into account the needs of every child relies for its success on the dedicated commitment of our whole teaching team and the constant process of communication and collaboration between all of us.
In this context, it’s hard to overstate the contribution of our Teaching Assistants – who work so hand in glove with their teaching colleagues that they seem more like partners than assistants. Maths teaching epitomises this. When we introduce a new topic, for example, our teachers will often ask their TA to ‘Pre-Teach’ the topic to a select number of pupils who may lack confidence with numbers. The intro session aims to ensure that every pupil is well prepared to grasp the fundamentals of a topic and feels on the front foot when the teacher introduces it to the class later in the day.
It’s hard to overstate the contribution of our Teaching Assistants – who work so hand in glove with their teaching colleagues that they seem more like partners than assistants.
Collaboration between our teachers and TAs is as vital to our Pre-Prep pastoral programme too. Self-esteem and confidence can sometimes be fragile among early learners. The resilience sessions run by a well-being practitioner from the borough – during which pupils might enjoy winning or losing a game of Snakes and Ladders – have proved a simple but effective way of familiarising children with the inevitable ups and downs of school life. The positive impact of sessions like these has encouraged us to enrol two of our TAs in a series of Emotional Literacy Support workshops co-funded by Richmond Council which will allow them to hone their nurturing and therapeutic skills and to pass them on to colleagues too.
A game of Snakes and Ladders can prove a simple but effective way of familiarising children with the inevitable ups and downs of school life
For me one of the best things about my job is that I’m still able to work in the classroom Thanks to my job-share with Ms Deighton I’m still teaching at least one day a week. And my work alongside Mrs Whitmore is literally ‘hands-on’: we run morning handwriting clubs with me providing extra support with fine motor control and both of us vying to make use of every moment we can to enable learning and development.
This regular exposure to the daily challenges teaching throws up is priceless to me. Being Head of Pre-Prep is exciting because it gives me the chance to develop strategies that change our academic and pastoral learning for the better. But the hands-on fulfilment that comes from empowering children to acquire the tools they need to succeed in life is what brought me into teaching in the first place. And I never want to give that up.
Fiona Walker is Head of Harrodian Pre-Prep
