Now “ sprint!” shouts PE teacher David Collard, as more than 20 pairs of legs, each belonging to the parent of a pupil, start pumping pedals as fast as they can.
The room is filled with the sound of purring spin-bike wheels, the unmistakable cheesy beats of 1990s Eurodance group Vengaboys, and the occasional motivational cry from Collard.
“Look at the person next to you – are they going faster?
“…Just put your head down and close your eyes – let’s go!
“ …Nobody slow down!
“…If you don’t challenge yourself, you don’t change yourself!”
This is “bring your parent to school day” at Boroughmuir High in Edinburgh. Or as one parent, Leena Patel, quips after the spin class we take part in, “bring your parent to school, take them home in a bag day”.
It is a Thursday and more than 55 parents – about a fifth of this year’s 260-pupil-strong intake – are following the kind of timetable their children follow every day, experiencing six periods of lessons ranging from modern languages, English and geography, to science, home economics and drama. And, yes, PE.
It is a no-holds-barred, full-on, this-is precisely-what-happens-to-your-kids-when they-come-here experience. It encompasses everything from making your way to classes (although we do have some lovely guides to help us) to negotiating the school cafeteria, getting over your inhibitions in drama and baring all in the communal changing rooms.
By the end of the day, my group will have taken part in a mime workshop and created objects using our bodies in “the configuration game” – I will have been the tail of a dragon and the caterpillar track on a 14-person tank.
Denne historien er fra November 01, 2019-utgaven av TES.
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Denne historien er fra November 01, 2019-utgaven av TES.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Try not to get hung up on linguistic convention, chic@s
Languages are like water – they take the easiest route. And, like gender, they are fluid. That is why, as world languages evolve to reflect cultural change, a revolution is under way in the use of ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ terms, writes Heather Martin
Three simple psychology tips for better behaviour
When a pupil is acting up, their motivations are often hidden from view. It’s possible that teachers themselves are partially at fault for setting the wrong tone in their interaction with others, writes Lekha Sharma, who suggests ways to remodel a school culture
This research could be music to your ears…
Schools should resist putting additional time and resources into yet more English and maths lessons and instead give children’s learning a research-evidenced boost by encouraging them to join a band or an orchestra, says Martin Leigh
Minority (school) report
Predictive technology – powered by increasingly complex algorithms – is finding its way into schools, promising to pre-empt misbehaviour, violence or mental health issues before they happen. But does it work, and is its use ethical, asks Simon Creasey
Giving school a spin again
In a bid to improve parental engagement, one Edinburgh school is putting parents in their children’s shoes to experience a typical modern school day – and the results are breathtaking, finds Emma Seith
Averting Pupils' Social Stigma By ‘Poverty Proofing'
Do your school policies unintentionally ‘out’ children from disadvantaged backgrounds? One charity says such occurrences are all too common and have proposed ‘poverty proofing’ as the solution. Lucy Edkins investigates
A Plant-Based Diet Of Learning
Aware of the mental health benefits of green-fingered working, Nigel Cox helped to set up an outreach course at his college to support people recovering from substance abuse and other personal challenges
Social And Emotional Skills In The Early Years
Children who are able to focus their attention, manage their behaviour and interact positively with others from a young age experience better learning outcomes later in life, finds Irena Barker
How Centralised Detentions Get Pupils' Attention
By adopting a consistent whole-school approach to rewards and sanctions, we achieved a marked improvement in attitudes to learning – and reduced teachers’ workload, says Calvin Robinson
Homework Truths
With some studies claiming that homework has little or no impact on pupil achievement, schools have been tempted to cut back on it or ban it altogether. But we shouldn’t write homework off, warn two gurus of UK education research. Steve Higgins and Lee Elliot Major argue that the evidence on homework has been misrepresented – and out-of-school study can, in fact, have a major impact on learning outcomes
