Sarah's week in school

Sarah recently spent a week in school learning about school life. Her words first appeared on the Guardian Online.

Monday

When I was first appointed Lib Dem education spokesperson, I felt strongly that I wanted to spend some time in a school experiencing first hand what education is like for teachers and young people now. It has been nearly 20 years since I sat in a comprehensive school as a student, and while you can gleam much from talking to teachers, parents, students and governors etc, there's nothing quite like experiencing it.

However, I was keen to spend at least part of the week observing as unobtrusively as possible. Most MPs are well recognised in their own constituency, so today I drove two hours out of inner city Brent to a comprehensive in the outskirts of London where noone should recognise me.

Today has been an English day for me. Both year 7 and 11 were doing poetry. And some seemed pretty complex stuff to me.

Year 11 (aged 15) were studying Keats and Clare. Some teenagers were missing as they were on a history trip to the Battlefields at Ypres. Even with a smaller number of students, their lesson was quite intense. Nothing nearly so complex was on my syllabus at 15. Students discussed and analysed the structure of the poem, the meaning and symbolism it contained, as well as the life history of the poet.

Perhaps this is a child's eye view - may be lessons have always been taught like this - but I don't remember my education being anything like this 20 years ago. My recollection is that lessons tended to ramble a little and that my attention had usually wandered in frustration very early on. Do our perceptions change that much over time, or have standards of teaching dramatically improved in 20 years?

Discipline was also clear but remarkably unobtrusive. Latecomers had their planning books marked as such with haste and without fuss. And uniform was a big deal. That natural tendency for smartness to degenerate during the school day was countered by an expectation, clearly ingrained, that uniform should be tidied at the end of the lesson before spilling out into the corridor.

As it was my first day, I also spent quite a long time with the Headteacher, learning more about my host school. It is quite a new school, with modern light buildings. It serves a relatively deprived local population, but is in a fairly wealthy Borough. This means the school isn't eligible for many of the normal deprivation funds the Government provides. Wouldn't it be more sensible to distribute funds according to the youngsters who go to a school, rather than the wealth of the Borough overall? The Headteacher thinks that might help.

Nevertheless, the school seems to be very much better equipped than similar schools in my own constituency. And it is a very popular local school, so much so, that it has been forced to expand considerably quite recently to make room for all the people who want to go there.

It has certainly been an interesting day. Tomorrow, I'm doing science. I have a science degree, but I'm not sure how much I shall remember!

Tuesday

Well, considering how many years I spent in formal science education, it is a little depressing to realise how much I have forgotten! I have seen four classes today, years 7, 8, 9 and 13, with four different teachers.

Year 7 were learning about how molecules are arranged to form solids, liquids and gases. This was obviously a follow-up theory lesson as they talked about the practical last week. The teacher also had the children role playing - pretending to be molecules in different forms. A really vivid way to explain the idea. Of course, one of the problems about being 11 is that not all boys have yet grown out of thinking girls are revolting. There were a few red faces at the thought of standing anywhere near a girl when pretending to be being a solid!

Year 9 were learning about cloning - a good example of how science curricula need to adapt to scientific advances. It is incredible to think that 13 year olds are routinely learning about something which was just theoretical ten years ago.

Year 13 was smaller than your average university tuition group. Just four teenagers had opted for chemistry A-level, but the up-side was that they got plenty of individual attention from the teacher. I just about remember electrode potentials, but that really felt a long time ago.

Year 8 were studying acids and alkalis. Now that was a fun lesson. Very lively and good natured.

Several things struck me today. First, school science is quite difficult. It is very fact rich, and you can't do the fun stuff without covering the basics. I was obsessed with science from an early age, it was my best subject by far. But today for the first time I realised why if you don't immediately take to it, you could always struggle. In many other subjects you can get lost for a while and yet find windows of access later which allow you to rejoin. If you haven't mastered the basic concepts and language of physics and chemistry you can't progress.

I spoke about this with the Director of Science during break time. He agreed that a factually rich compulsory curriculum can make this difficult for some students. He particularly welcomed the recent change in GCSE structure so that those students who are struggling can follow a different course. The purpose of teaching all young people science is to make sure all have a basic grasp of the scientific principles to allow them to understand and engage with modern issues. They don't all need to know about covalent bonds, for example. Wouldn't it be better to allow teachers even more freedom to vary their curriculum according to their class?

I also asked him about the lesson structure I had noticed yesterday. He said this was quite deliberate, and they encourage all teachers not only to divide up the lessons, but also to ensure each section uses a different learning method. I saw this clearly talking to one student today. She complained about the theory in science and said she much preferred the subjects where she could do things. This is why all lessons also have practical 'doing' learning.

The other thing that was very apparent by the end of day two, is how exhausting the job could be. One quite new teacher told me she usually arrives at school about 7:15am and leaves about 6:30. She tries not to take work home every evening. And it is intense - a bit like my job in that way - you stand at the front and give all of yourself, for a long time. If that is combined with a bit of low level disruption, which is a problem in some classes in every school, it must be very wearing by the end of the day. Again, I was reminded of my own job, speaking in the House of Commons Chamber. It is all about authority - if you hint at not having it someone will push their luck. If you deal with their cheek quickly, efficiently and without obviously rising to it, you'll be fine. If you make a fuss, or fail to squash it quickly enough, you will drown in seconds.

Not the first time I have compared the Chamber to a classroom. Frankly, these classrooms were a lot better behaved.

Wednesday

Now for something completely different. Today I have been in school in Brent.

My week in school is actually 6 days in different schools. As I explained on Monday, I wanted at least some time observing anonymously where noone knew me. But I also wanted to find out more about the challenges and benefits of learning in my own area.

So, today I have been in John Kelly City Technology College for girls in Brent, tomorrow I am back in the outskirts of London, Friday I shall be in a school for special needs and one day next week at another comprehensive school in Brent.

Sarah talking to teachers at John Kelly

And it certainly felt different today. For a start, John Kelly must have some of the worst buildings in the country. The temporary classrooms were built to take the wave of immigrants when Idi Amin kicked the Indians out of Africa over 30 years ago. They were a short term fix, and not fit for purpose even then. The temporary buildings are still standing. Just.

This school badly needs a new home.

But in spite of shocking buildings, John Kelly is one of the best schools in the country according to Ofsted. This school turns round life chances for young people. Many of the teenagers arrive speaking little or no English. Often their immigration status is uncertain. Some arrive without family, having suffered considerable trauma.

And they come from all over the world. 130 languages are spoken in the play ground. 60% of the students are Muslim.

Yesterday, on the outskirts of London, in a school where non-white, non-Christian children are really in the minority, the Headteacher lead an assembly on Ramadan, to broaden minds about other faiths and cultures.

Today, in Brent, most of the students were living Ramadan. The cafeteria was almost entirely deserted at lunchtime. Ramadan, like Lent, moves in the calendar year. If it falls early, the days are longer and schools need to be sensitive to concentration and mood changes until the youngster's bodies acclimatise to the rhythm of rising at dawn to eat.

Problems with drugs and alcohol, however, are much lower at John Kelly than at many other schools - probably due in part to cultural attitudes amongst students.

And behaviour was good. I saw one rowdy year 9 class, but it was the only bad behaviour I witnessed all day, and frankly I saw a similar year 9 class at a very different school yesterday. 13 is probably a funny age - you're not a child anymore, but you're certainly not yet adult, and you don't have the focus of GCSEs to keep you in check.

This school has significant challenges, however. Sitting in on one maths class, the language difficulties for some students were very apparent. How can you grasp difficult mathematical concepts if you are struggling with English? And some students were clearly also struggling with the concepts. They will require attention, patience and time.

I saw some fantastic teaching though. The year 7 science lesson working through the abstract concepts of variables and the experimental approach was captivating.

The citizenship lesson with a brand new teacher also stuck in my mind: year 8 were discussing crime in Brent, how to prevent it, why people don't report it, what the government, or community could do to improve things. That offered an opportunity for me to talk to the students about what they would want their MP to do.

Young people often have such sensible and practical solutions to problems. It beats me why we don't harvest their ideas more often.

Thursday

Back to the outskirts of London today for politics, history and PSHE, in a day spent mostly with A-level students.

The day began with a couple of politics lessons, so I thought I had better do a little more than watch today! I had quite an interesting question and answer session about my job with a year 12 class. There were varying levels of knowledge and interest in politics, as you would expect at the start of an A-level course. What was striking, however, was that while their level of knowledge of the political system was greater than similar students I have worked with from Brent, they were far less overtly political. I get a much harder time about issues in Brent!

At break, I had a discussion with the head of 6th form about raising aspirations and expectations. She explained that despite getting good results at GCSE, one of her preoccupations is how to persuade students that they really are capable of studying more than the minimum number of A-levels. She said often parents are complicit in this. How do you raise expectations in young people if the message at home is so very different?

The school takes part in a Borough wide scheme to encourage 6th formers to volunteer and undertake activities to stretch themselves and gain new skills. It seems to be a very good idea. I have not met anything so systematic before, and the young people seemed keen to take advantage of the opportunities to gain hands on experience in something new. Undoubtedly such a scheme helps to differentiate students when they apply for their first job or to university.

I also picked up the point I had noticed yesterday in Brent about year 9 and raised it with a few teachers. Had I been imagining it, or do year 9 students go through a phase of not concentrating and being slightly disruptive? If so, why? It seems I had not imagined it. Several teachers confessed to finding year 9 every year to be the most challenging to teach. Suggested potential causes for this included the cocktail of hormones, age, slight lack of focus to the year in terms of set curriculum and societal influence. Some said they felt the national curriculum to be too long and that by the 3rd year, students were really ready to change their focus to something else. Interesting.

The day finished with a couple of history lessons. Some impressive interactive work with the students using the electronic white board. These are definitely a step forward in terms of speed and legibility. But they are expensive - many schools can't afford them for all classes.

Tomorrow will be completely different. I shall be spending the day in Brent at a school for special educational needs.

Friday

What an amazing day. Today I was in Manor Primary School for special educational needs in my own constituency.

The school caters for children with severe learning disabilities. Around half of the youngsters have autism, many have complex medical needs as well as a learning disability. I have to say, I found the day truly inspirational.

There have been many emotional moments this week, but none as great as watching the group of 10 year olds in assembly. As part of a process of helping the children to think about their relationships with others, they talked about who they cared for. One by one, they stood up with a microphone and told us first about their family and then called up one of their friends from their class to tell them why they were special.

It was nice today to feel more involved in the class too. I have played with the reception class, sang songs in assembly, had lunch with a group of 7 year olds and listened to the older children reading. The children obviously make a great deal of progress in their time at the school.

Lunch was fantastic. The school have a fairly new chef. Today's lunch was healthy, colourful and tasty. And there was plenty of variety too. Manor school is as racially and religiously diverse as every other school in Brent and food needs to cater for this as well as individual taste and any medical requirements.

Sarah enjoying school dinners at Manor School

The headteacher very generously allowed me to sit in on part of their meeting with the local authority school improvement link adviser. It was interesting to hear about the particular management pressures on senior staff in a special school. Teachers receive very little training in working with children with special educational needs during their teacher training and so they, as well as the many other support workers, need to be trained in the school, and the training requirements are always ongoing.

Lessons were highly structured, particularly for children with autism. The school uses a timeline with pictures on a Velcro board to tell the youngsters what activity they are doing and what they will be doing next. The older children had their own work areas, own equipment and their own chair, carefully labelled. But despite a careful structure, the lessons were lively, happy and fun for the children.

The range of children's needs is considerable. The school employs a number of specialist speech and language therapists. Some children have little or no language at all and they are encouraged to use PECS (Picture Exchange Communications System). All teachers use a mixture of speech and signing to aid communication as visual communication seems to be more effective.

Some children have behavioural difficulties and can be aggressive. One-to-one support is vital for these children to ensure safety of staff and other students. A few need an entirely individualised programme of support and learning.

It has been a very memorable day, and the end of a very memorable week. I have learnt much about the dedication of staff this week. I have had a few preconceptions demolished, and there have been a few surprises. Many of the real lessons I suspect will come with time, as I reflect on the week and speak to teachers, students and parents about educations over the next year or so. A worthwhile week. It has been a real privilege to be able to do this.