KEHELLAND SCHOOL
KEHELLAND SCHOOL
The new Head introduced himself to us. Though very slightly outside the parish, I thought the initiative and enthusiasm deserved encouragement. This is written by the School.
Running a school in today’s climate of government targets, and parental expectations, is not a job for the faint hearted. Keen to take up the gauntlet, is the newly appointed head at the Kehelland Village School, Geoff Smith. Mr Smith was appointed in April 2008, and the school has already seen major improvements, both in and out of the classroom.
“Kehelland is a small scale school with a lovely family atmosphere. There is an emphasis on the individual child, with a topic based approach, which makes learning relevant and real for the children,” said Mr Smith. On joining the school he recognised the need for extra curricular activities. A keen surfer himself, he has established a Surfing Club, and with the help of parents he has created after-school football and gardening clubs. As a keen guitarist Mr Smith is striving to put music at the heart of school life. The newly formed School Choir has already been called upon to entertain the locals, with a debut performance at the Kehelland Methodist Church.
The new IT suite has also had a great impact – “We have launched an Early Morning Maths Academy, and` Education City` for English support, so that those children needing a boost can use a specialised program on our computers before or after school to catch-up,” said Mr Smith. Already the benefits are being seen, with a 100 per cent pass rate in Maths and Science, and over 80% in English in the Year 6 SATs tests.
Mr Smith has also introduced a unique system he first encountered while teaching in Canada. The “Virtues Project” – “The aim of the project is to encourage the development of good character qualities in the pupils – our staff are constantly looking to catch children doing the right thing and praise them for it”. Mr Smith said the system works well in the more extreme cases. “You may have a child that is being perceived as bossy and domineering,” he said, “but these could also be seen as strong leadership skills, which need to be channelled in the right way”. Every two weeks the children are given a new virtue, such as `honesty` , `tact` or `caring` – currently it is` positivity`. The teachers work with the children encouraging them to look at situations and individuals in a positive way. “Rather than naming and shaming a child,” said Mr Smith “which can stay with them for life, you build upon their virtues. If you praise that one quality it can unlock the rest of the child qualities for life.”
At present there are places available in Reception and Year One classes. For further information please contact Kehelland Village School 01209-713928