Lewes New School Blog

The radical approach to education at the New School is deeply stimulating and challenges our children to grow in more mature ways than most schools can imagine, but I’m sometimes asked if the New School experience doesn’t seem like a bubble detached from reality. How fluidly will our children make the transition to secondary school? Will they be prepared enough? Will they wilt within the structure of it? Will they be imbued with a strong enough sense of self to manage the challenges presented by such a serious change in environment?

The elementary school I attended was somewhat experimental, but my high school was shockingly radical, by 1970s American standards. Believing that testing and league tables have no real value, the school took a more student-led, holistic approach to learning with few exams, no grades and very small classes. We were set work and mile markers and evaluated on our progress. We were expected – and trusted – to work to the best of our abilities and take responsibility for ourselves and our decisions.

After high school, I went hardcore mainstream. On a whim, I’d applied to American University in DC, which had an excellent languages program and a prestigious School of International Service. Rather than being intimidated or overwhelmed by the intellectual demands and academic achievement levels that were suddenly expected of me, I felt driven, capable and grounded. I knew who I was and I revelled in finding out how far I could push myself. My grades were excellent and I remained at the top of my class.

I’ve turned out the way that I am (hold the laughter until later) thanks to the schools that I attended. Like the New School, they trusted the intellectual hunger of their students and knew that their unorthodox approach would provide us with, if not all of the requisite tools, certainly the ability and desire to learn and apply them. To succeed, not just survive, in an increasingly complex and demanding future, our children must be given a school experience that trusts, pushes, holds and questions them – and teaches them, above all, how to learn.

Jared Louche (Parent at Lewes New School)

Boys and their light sabres… this seems to have been the main issue at school for the past couple of 

weeks…what to do about boys and their light sabres. We obviously don’t want children getting hurt, but we don’t want to go down the route of an outright ban either – substitutes are always found, and anyway we feel it’s vital that boys can act like boys without feeling that they are bad or wrong.  Our first decision, to make a deal with the boys and hand the responsibility for safe play over to them, worked fantastically well for a while, especially with the older ones helping the youngest to stick to the deal. 

This responsibility has become a bit of a burden for the older boys over the last couple of days however, and we have decided to have a break from light sabre play for a while. So at assembly yesterday we acknowledged the successful efforts of a lot of the boys in the playground, and discussed what we had learned from it (like ‘not hurting people when you’re playing fighting games’). We then observed that we had noticed that some people were running out of steam and seemed to be a bit worn out by the effort involved, so maybe now was the time to have a break. There was a feeling of ‘fair enough’ from the children, and an acceptance of a ‘let’s wait and see’ approach to playing again. 

This seems to me to be a great example of the way things are worked out at Lewes New School: the trust in the children; the clear boundaries; and the flexibility to manage situations appropriately as they change.  Added to that of course is the learning we take from the children’s learning, and finding out what they are capable of. If any parents would like to know the deal that worked so well, for use at home or after-school play time, these are the magic words: ‘If you want to play with light sabres, it is your responsibility to make sure that nobody gets hurt. That’s the deal.’  Then add trust!  

Stephanie PET/TET co-ordinator 

 

“For too many people, not just in our own country but around the world, the penny hasn’t yet dropped… that this climate change challenge is real and is happening now…The penny hasn’t dropped too that Copenhagen is the chance to address on a global scale the climate change challenge. There isn’t yet that sense of urgency and drive and animation about the Copenhagen conference.” –  David Miliband 

I read recently that one of the best ways to influence the behaviour of people is not to offer rewards but to set a good example, a kind of do-goody keeping up with the Joneses.  I have signed the school up to the 10:10 commitment for 2010, to reduce our carbon footprint by 10% next year and hope that th ‘good’ behaviour of our school community will have repercussions for the local area and, perhaps, beyond. 

The 10:10 site suggests four key areas to measure: electricity; on-site fuel use (gas); road transport; air travel. These are some ways in which we can reduce the school community’s carbon footprint but I have an ambition to go further, to develop and implement creative and innovative ways to save energy and resources and I’m asking for your help!  So, if this is your bag, come along* to the 10:10 forum that I’ll be hosting on: 8th December at 9.15am in the school hall. 

Bring your urgency, drive and animation to the meeting, even if the leaders of the world can’t to theirs and let’s start a carbon footprint revolution! 

Matthew Mills Junior Co-Head

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The beginning is the most important

part of the work -  Plato

 

After nearly nine weeks I have  ‘settled’ into my new class!  This was a new beginning for all concerned. The transition for both the children and myself has been eased by such a curiosity-led approach in the classroom. The openness and flexibility of the classroom environment has enabled us to take our time and to gently unfold and open to one another.  This has meant that as teachers we have needed to remain emotionally receptive at all times. The social and emotional needs of each child have been given priority; this is vital if we are to develop trust in the classroom.  In such a space children feel valued and accepted and are better prepared to embrace learning. We all need to feel safe and secure in order to take risks in our learning.  This is an environment where the deeper needs of the child to create, initiate and imagine can be nurtured.  The sheer thrill of discovery and boundless curiosity of the children in Class 1 is both a joy and a pleasure. Our aim is to engage and nourish each child’s innate curiosity and love of learning to create a strong foundation on which to build.  I had almost forgotten the energy that one needs in order to stay ‘in the moment’ at all times with these little ones. It has been refreshing for me to be working with children of this age again - to be totally consumed by the moment! I look forward to the year ahead, to growing and learning together. Lorraine

Well here goes my very first Friday letter! This half term

has of course been full of firsts for me. My first day at the

Lewes New School, my first quiet time, my first slice of

Alex’s lemon drizzle cake… I could go on.  One of the

biggest and most exciting ‘firsts’ for me, though, has been

my journeying into what could be described as an

‘emergent’ curriculum.

 

Up until now, my role as teacher has involved to varying

degrees deciding and ‘planning’ in advance the

curriculum for children. However, at the Lewes New

School the children do a lot of what used to be my job –

rather than the stimulus for new topics or projects

coming from the teacher, the children’s interests initiate

and guide learning as we go.  This, apart from meaning

less paper work for me, means in turn they are - perhaps

ironically - more motivated and engaged (what Stephanie

might call a ‘win-win’ I think). This makes things more

exciting for everyone, as no one knows where things are

going to end up – there is genuinely no predetermined

product or outcome in mind at the start of a project.

Instead of practically dancing on my head to engage

children in handpicked topics, I am now in a position to

offer children the freedom to follow their natural

curiosity and discover the world for themselves.

 

It was interesting to me to hear the topic of ‘pupil voice’

being raised in snippets of conversations at last Friday’s

conference. Whilst this is not an unfamiliar subject to me

and even though I have only been here a matter of weeks,

it seemed rather strange to me to hear familiar

conversations replayed. Here of course the children’s

voice is so embedded in what we do, we do not give it a

special name or have separate discussions about how we

can involve them, almost as an afterthought.

 

For me, it’s the trust expressed here in children that

makes this such a special school; trust that they will be

naturally curious about the world in which we live; trust

that they can ask their own questions and trust that they

will have their own ideas about how to communicate

their discoveries. I am looking forward to my next

adventures in Class 2 as I wait to see where they will lead

me!

 

Clare (Teacher, Class 2)

I might be speaking too soon, but it feels like summer has finally arrived here in Lewes after a lengthy spell of wet and cloudy weather. You can see the relief on people’s faces when the sky finally clears and the sun breaks through. What better time to indulge in what our inner nature most desires, gazing at the stars on a clear summer’s night, keeping campfires burning, tending to simple tasks, stuff that the soul yearns for. Both children and teachers are blessed to be spending a few days at school camp next week, and I for one can’t wait!

Almost everyone can recall a favourite trip or outdoor moment from his or her childhood, but did you really know the lasting effect that the experience had on you? In today’s busy world, few people find time to truly commune with nature and reap the rewards. Our school camp reminds us of what you can receive for paying nature a visit. Our stress levels significantly decrease in nature, without all the worries and complications of everyday life, nature allows us to clear our minds and relax.

There are numerous advantages to our school camp experience, camp can help children to be aware of their surroundings and so they become more acutely aware of what is taking place around them. It teaches the children basic survival skills, it aids a deeper understanding of nature and the earth itself, its importance and how to take care of it. The children will learn a great deal about themselves while at camp. Teamwork and individual skills are developed through games; shelter building; tool skills; lighting fires, the list is endless. Each activity encourages intra and inter personal skills, as well as practical and intellectual skills.

Last year I saw first hand how being close to nature enriches the children’s lives. Seeing our children gain in confidence, overcome fears, work positively with their friends, and come to terms with themselves and their abilities is a truly satisfying experience.

Lorraine (Class 3 teacher)

Over the last week or two, Colin has been teaching the teachers and TAs how to throw pots. In the midst of a particularly busy time, it felt like something of a luxury to roll up our sleeves and make a lot of mess. On one level, of course, we were working to acquire skills that we could pass on to the children. But it had the additional benefit of providing a few hours of blissful preoccupation with a manual task that left no space for thoughts of any other kind.

I’m coming to realise that (apart from between about 8.55 and 9.10 in the mornings) there is no such thing as a quiet time at Lewes New School. This half term like all others has been jam packed with interactions and events that have kept us all buzzing. Thank heavens for the coming half term break, which hopefully brings the possibility of slowing down, catching up and gathering all that we need to embark on the final chapter of our current school year.

I’m feeling rather proud of the pot I made and really motivated to spend more time working on it. I’m usually keen to get away at the end of a half term but on this occasion I’m even fantasising about sneaking back in to school when you’ve all gone home to see if I can get that clay spinning like we were taught last week. I’ve always wanted to master the art of throwing the perfect pot. And now that I know that I might at the same time learn to master the art of clearing my mind, I’m more inspired than ever!

Lizzie

Recently I have been participating in the interview procedures for new teachers at Lewes New School and it has been wonderful to meet lots of teachers all wanting to become a part of our community. I think that there is always an initial fear about a lovely and respected teacher leaving, but I have come to recognise the value in having new teachers joining our school and working alongside those who were part of the school almost from the very beginning and those who joined along the way.

The danger in any community which is held together by an ideology or belief is that it is easy to become fixed and dogmatic; being fallible human beings we have a propensity to seek out evidence which supports our beliefs and dismiss that which doesn’t. Having new teachers coming in to the school keeps us on our toes and helps to prevent that from happening.

It seems to me to be very healthy to have new members on the team who may do things a little differently, or challenge some of our ideas - whilst at the same time supporting and believing in our ethos. This led me to thinking about what the key principles are that hold us together; the qualities which would be instantly recognizable to those who share them, but which do not straightjacket us into only one way of thinking, or one set of opinions. I came up with authenticity and respect – anybody else like to have a go?

Over the past couple of weeks, in the process of meeting lots of teachers from other schools, I have felt very proud of what we have achieved at our school and I am aware more than ever before of what we have to offer any teacher seeking to join us. But I am also excited by what they have to offer us from their very different backgrounds and experiences.

The other way in which we can achieve that balance between stability and growth is in embracing the value in teachers leaving us for a while to learn and grow through new experiences, and then returning and sharing it with us. Aforementioned lovely and respected teacher: hurry back!

Stephanie [PET/TET] facilitator

Like the best of parties, our recruitment day last week was lots of work but also lots of fun. Thanks to the efforts of all involved it ran like clockwork and gave parents, governors, trustees, staff and children opportunities to get beneath the skin of the teachers who are keen to work in our school. It was interesting to notice how our judgements varied according to our different experiences and fascinating to watch how these were shared at the end of the day when we attempted to reach agreement on who to shortlist for interview.

The feedback from candidates has been good. They were both amused and lightened by the ‘speed-
dating’ activity that broke the ice at the beginning of the day. They, like us, had fun walking around with clipboards and a licence to record whatever observations they judged to be significant. They
were refreshed by the common sense of Stephanie’s ‘Respectful Communication’ taster session and
nourished by the deliciousness of Alex’s springtime pea soup and home made bread. Many are curious now to come to our conference in the autumn (whether they are appointed or not) in order to continue their link with the school.

The whole day was a bit like organising a party. We invited more people than we could possibly accommodate. We felt anxious when one or two (who we were banking on to be at the ‘heart and soul’) pulled out at the last minute. But in the end it worked out fine. Like with all good parties, we had a clear sense as it drew to a close of who were the friends we really liked. Now that the party’s over, we’re busy with the final stages of scrutinising whether these are also the people who really have what it takes to thrive as teachers in our community.

Watch this space - we’ll keep you posted!

Lizzie

Parent skills

I am running two Communication Skills for Parents courses next term on Thursdays. There will be a morning [9.30–11.30] and an evening course [6.30-8.30]. They will run over ten weeks, with the first sessions on Thursday April 23rd.

Please take an information sheet from the office and sign up to reserve your place.

Next Wednesday morning (25th March) I am giving a presentation about the course at 9.30am in the Quiet Room. So, if you want to hear more about the course please come along - especially those of you who are newer to the school and would like to find out how this fits in with the school’s ethos. Hope to see you there! Stephanie (Aileen)

Good News!

One hope shared by founders of the Lewes New School was that it would be an integral, valuable, and dynamic part of the local community, as available as possible to as many families as possible, whatever their financial status. To carry this hope forward, we are putting the finishing touches to the first phase of a bursary scheme, which, in its opening year, will offer 5 assisted places for eligible families joining with children in years 3-6.

We also appreciate the loyalty of families already committed to the school, for whom in the present economic climate things can be really tough, so we will also be launching a fund to help eligible families in times of financial difficulty.

Application forms for both funds, along with details of how they work, will be available from the beginning of next term, with the first awards from the bursary panel taking effect from September 2009.

Our special thanks go to the Guerrand Hermes Foundation, whose extremely generous support has greatly strengthened this exciting new scheme.

Dancers in search of a title

Next Friday, in an endeavour to wring every minute out of this term, there will be two performances of a dance, devised by the children of classes 2 & 3 with some of the older children in class 1 and working
with their teachers and Amanda Banks.