Dear Parents and Carers

As we start the school year, it is timely to go back to our school vision and remind ourselves of the values we hold most dear:

2021 Vision: No child left behind

“The outstanding teaching at Myton School, combined with the highest expectations of learning ensure the students are aspirational and are determined to succeed. They can articulate their learning, value the core skills of literacy and numeracy and know precisely what they need to do to improve. Subsequently, progress for all students is outstanding. The curriculum, which moves seamlessly from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 5, both inspires and challenges students who, through being resilient and reflective learners, rise to the challenge. Myton students display respect and tolerance in their interactions, are ambitious both for themselves and for others and are confident in their ability to make a positive difference to themselves and their communities.”

Today I would like to draw out the characteristic of resilience. Over the next few weeks, all students will attend an assembly delivered by members of our teaching and learning team on what resilience looks like in the classroom. We will show students that making mistakes, getting stuck and having to do things again are all vital aspects of learning and shouldn’t be feared. We will introduce the ‘Learning Pit‘, a process by which we can ensure deep learning takes place – vital for all students to be successful in their exams. And in delivering these ideas, we will demonstrate to students what learning looks like as a opposed to simply producing work.

What binds all this together is resilience, the essential characteristic in learning. Students must try hard to learn; there will be days when they get great outcomes and days when they don’t, but the essential ingredient is trying and never giving up – resilience. To support your child I would encourage you, before looking at any test grades, to discuss with them their effort in school. Research in this area tells us very clearly that if success is bound to outcomes only, children can often give up for fear of failing. However, if success is bound to effort, if we lavish praise on trying hard, condemn laziness and then discuss the outcome with the child in an objective way, identifying where they could improve further, we will motivate them. It is resilience which counts and it is this quality which children can control.

Andy Perry – Head Teacher