I had the absolute privilege of visiting Hartsholme academy in Lincoln, another city in the north of England.
It was a very early start from Sheffield where I am staying. I got to see the sun come up midway through the trip! It was just great rolling through the English countryside on a train, and this has been something that I have really been looking forward to on this trip, as on our previous trips to the UK we have remained in London.
The sun coming up on the English countryside.
Upon landing in Lincoln, on went the coat and I was immediately struck by the extreme cold.
A quick walk around the city centre as I was early made me realise that this city needs a few days of exploring, and I was disappointed I was only here for a day. A massive Cathedral overlooks the city, and has a castle next door. The Magna Carta was signed here too. When walking through the city centre there are modern buildings everywhere, but every now and then there would be an historic church or building tucked in between.
They were just swans, but I'll remember this moment for a long time.
So I then caught a taxi, and being a social sort of person I jumped in the front seat rather than the back. Immediately the driver and I were having the best chat, so much that he gave me his card so that I could book him for the return trip. I know it was in his interests to do this, but I had no hesitation because we learnt so much about each other on the trip.
Wait until later when I tell you about the return trip!
Upon entering Hartsholme I was struck by the immediate friendliness and warmth from every staff member who I had the pleasure of talking to. Plus the pretty flash system of signing in by ipad...impressive!
My next hour or so was spent talking with an inspiring leader by the name of Carl Jarvis, and two of his leaders, Jon Chapman and sara Pearson, inspiring leaders as well.
Three inspiring leaders....and me.
What this team has achieved, in conjunction with such a dedicated staff is nothing short of mind blowing. If ever there was a model of a school that appeals to me most, this is it.
The first impression I got was the wow factor of their school settings and structures built throughout the school for the kids, but these very quickly faded into the background once I discovered the quality and depth of learning that the children were exposed to.
The classrooms have few if any tables and chairs, meaning that the kids don't have to worry about sitting in the same seat each day, something that I just love. The rooms are rich in identifying what the learning focus and intentions are. In some rooms there were cubby huts with ladders, others had hay bales around the room, one was like walking into Willie Wonka's factory, and even had a chocolate scented candle burning.
But let's not be fooled into thinking this was gimmicky, it couldn't be further from the truth. Everything has been carefully and purposefully planned months in advance with clear and specific intentions and purpose identified at all times. These environments just add so much to the children's learning, and if I had this opportunity as a child I would have been over the moon.
What also struck me was the dedication from the teaching staff. The mood in each room was vibrant and this doesn't happen by mistake. Upon talking to various children and teachers, all I could see was how happy they were doing what they were doing
And best of all, to hear these kids talking about their learning was amazing. They knew what they were doing, why they were doing it and how it was going to benefit them.
I could go on and on about the excitement I experienced throughout my day here, but where would I stop. I'll let the attached photos speak for themselves.
As Molly Meldrum would say, "Do yourself a favour" and go and check out their website.
Or do as I did. Go and visit !!! ( but check first to see if it's okay!!)
In the playground. Waterfall (kids just put on a raincoat and play under it.) A hand pump that pumps water and tubes to attach to it. Up the back is the Mud Cafe where the kids can just play with mud.
Gold.
Water pipes. How much fun would they be?
One of their projects.
And another.
What a great way to reflect.
Now if you have got this far I'll finish my taxi story. The school kindly booked the same taxi that brought me to the school, and the look on the driver's face (Frank) was priceless, as I said I'd ring for him agin but he probably thought I was just pulling his chain.
We just banged on from where we left off, and at one point I said to him "You just love this city, I can hear the passion in the way you talk about it", and he just turned and said "You are so right".
Yes!! I got something right!!
He was taking me back to the train station, but threw in some extra km's as he showed me highlights of the city. And he didn't bill me for them. Imagine my surprise when he pulled out a book all about the city of Lincoln and wanted me to have it. It even had his name on it.
He was just so proud of his city and wanted me to take away a special memento. The fact that it was such a personal memento meant so much.
When it came to paying, I couldn't even get him to accept me rounding it up to the nearest pound. As for a tip, well he just wouldn't even let me go there. Even after paying, we just sat in his rig chatting for another few minutes.
Frank the Taxi man, God bless you!!
No comments:
Post a Comment