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View Full Version : Primary school headteacher's inspirational letter to pupils goes viral



The One
16th July 2014, 18:56
Primary school sends children letter with exam results to say ‘there are many ways of being smart

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02976/letter_2976149b.jpg

A school sent a heartwarming letter telling its pupils there is more to life than exam results.The letter was sent out to all Year Six pupils at Barrowford Primary School in Nelson, Lancashire, along with their Key Stage Two test results on Monday.The message told them to remember that “the scores you get will tell you something, but they will not tell you everything”.The letter was sent out on Monday signed jointly by the head teacher, Rachel Tomlinson, and the head of year six, Amy Birkett, and addressed directly to pupils themselves.It started being shared on Twitter on Tuesday morning, and users said it should be “the first thing the new Education Secretary Nicky Morgan should read”.

It champions the role of teachers over standardised testing and centralised controls over education – issues over which the now-former education chief Michael Gove was repeatedly challenged – saying: “the people who create these tests and score them do not know each of you”.The letter is not particularly original and first surfaced on Facebook last year in the US when it emerged from an unidentified elementary school “with the names of the principal, pupil and state removed”.The text includes a couple of Americanisms – including a mention of travel to “a really neat place” – but it is thought to be the first time it has been picked up and used by a school in the UK, and as a result went viral in this country.Ms Tomlinson admitted that she had found the text online around six months ago and, having emailed it but lost the link to the original, felt it contained sentiments worth passing on to the children at the end of the school year.She said that since the letter had been shared online by a parent, the school had been “both surprised and pleased” by an extraordinary international response.On Twitter, Ian Duhig said it showed “what teachers can do and tests can't”, while another user said it was “a fantastic example of what primary school should be about”.Jo Braddock wrote: “Barrowford Primary School really need to be commended for this approach,” and Sharron Galley said: “This has made my day. Well done Barrowford Primary - you sound ace.”Here is the text of the moving letter in full: “Please find enclosed your end of KS2 test results. We are very proud of you as you demonstrated huge amounts of commitment and tried your very best during this tricky week.“However, we are concerned that these tests do not always assess all of what it is that make each of you special and unique. The people who create these tests and score them do not know each of you– the way your teachers do, the way I hope to, and certainly not the way your families do.“They do not know that many of you speak two languages. They do not know that you can play a musical instrument or that you can dance or paint a picture. They do not know that your friends count on you to be there for them or that your laughter can brighten the dreariest day.“They do not know that you write poetry or songs, play or participate in sports, wonder about the future, or that sometimes you take care of your little brother or sister after school. They do not know that you have travelled to a really neat place or that you know how to tell a great story or that you really love spending time with special family members and friends.“They do not know that you can be trustworthy, kind or thoughtful, and that you try, every day, to be your very best… the scores you get will tell you something, but they will not tell you everything.“So enjoy your results and be very proud of these but remember there are many ways of being smart.”

THE LETTER IN FULL
Please find enclosed your end of KS2 test results. We are very proud of you as you demonstrated huge amounts of commitment and tried your very best during this tricky week.However, we are concerned that these tests do not always assess all of what it is that make each of you special and unique. The people who create these tests and score them do not know each of you- the way your teachers do, the way I hope to, and certainly not the way your families do.They do not know that many of you speak two languages. They do not know that you can play a musical instrument or that you can dance or paint a picture. They do not know that your friends count on you to be there for them or that your laughter can brighten the dreariest day.They do not know that you write poetry or songs, play or participate in sports, wonder about the future, or that sometimes you take care of your little brother or sister after school.They do not know that you have travelled to a really neat place or that you know how to tell a great story or that you really love spending time with special family members and friends.They do not know that you can be trustworthy, kind or thoughtful, and that you try, every day, to be your very best... the scores you get will tell you something, but they will not tell you everything.So enjoy your results and be very proud of these but remember there are many ways of being smart.

If carlsberg did schools they would probably be the best schools in the world ever lol

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/10969735/Primary-school-headteachers-inspirational-letter-to-pupils-goes-viral.html

Stoat muldoon
16th July 2014, 20:17
What a lovely way to encourage children . this will be crushed . I can hear them know " We can't have encouragement of this sort , sack them . We only need button pushers and yes people , not thinkers" .