School Counsellor:- Pages 10

Perhaps this seems like common sense or feels like parenting when your child was younger. After all, the aim of adolescence is to individuate from the family and ideally reach a state of interdependence. However, this process has been derailed slightly for many, as they have experienced the trauma of the pandemic. Amongst young people, I have noticed a kind of regression to a younger state of mind, especially socially. And yet at the same time they are often troubled by adult concerns, by grappling with complex issues, like sexuality, gender and politics. There is also an increase in self-reliance, a greater dependency on friends and the Internet as I said earlier. In some ways this is good, but in other ways it’s incredibly harmful if their coping mechanisms are unhealthy.

The need for seeking safety and certainty is needed now more than ever and through parental presence we can support young people to develop their own instruction manual for navigating life.

By Matt Barnard, Lead School Counsellor

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“I have worked at Cherwell for 2.5 years now and one of the many things I love about teaching here is the sheer richness of professional pedagogical discussion to be had amongst colleagues both experienced and new to the career. This ongoing developmental dialogue is no doubt in huge part thanks to our incredibly strong links with the Oxfordshire Teacher Training Programme.

Over the last year I have had the privilege of being a 'Visiting Tutor' for the Initial Teacher Training Programme. Associate Teachers on the programme have hands on experience in school placements and are responsible for the teaching and learning of assigned classes, developing their craft through rigorous research, collaboration with colleagues and completion of school based projects. As a visiting tutor it is my responsibility to review their ongoing portfolio at various assessment points in the year and visit them in their placement in order to observe their teaching and discuss their progress.

It gives me a great pleasure to see new colleagues joining the profession with energy, enthusiasm and developing skills in self-reflection. Personally I see my role as an excellent twoway opportunity to share good practice amongst colleagues and schools. It also gives me the chance to reflect on my own teaching and it's always nice of course if I get to 'borrow' an idea from a new teacher.” Kev Slater SCITT Visiting Tutor & Maths Teacher, Cherwell School

“Lots of Cherwell staff have been involved in delivering the Subject Specialism strand of the SCITT teacher training course. Alongside the demands of this unique year, our Subject Specialists have had to brush up on their ICT skills in order to deliver training on new, online platforms. In English Subject Specialism, for example, it has been a pleasure to be involved in: a creative writing workshop delivered by Clare Cory from the Ashmolean Museum, an introduction to dual coding by one of our very own Associate Teachers, and a seminar on postcolonial theory in literature. In short, the year has been as varied and interesting as ever in our Subject Specialism groups, and the collective 'can-do' spirit has ensured that next year’s NQTs are moving on with confidence in their subject areas and perhaps EVEN more resilience than usual!” Neil Sadler & Britt Strickland SCITT Subject Specialists & English Teachers, Cherwell School