Dear Diary,
MONDAY
Today I had to exclude a pupil for a physical assault on another pupil. It’s frustrating to admit this is increasingly a regular occurrence.
Every time this happens it reminds me some of our most troubled pupils are being let down by the system. There is a lack of support for schools with mental health and family issues.
We cannot put them on waiting lists, therefore we have to try managing the situation ourselves. It feels like we are not only educators but social workers, family support workers, mental health practitioners, speech and language therapists, sometimes even the police.
TUESDAY
I went on a home visit to a family whose child has not come to school. Through home visits, I often see families living in extreme poverty. No carpets, bare walls, just mattresses on the floor.
It can be shocking but it’s also really sad to see how families are being let down by public services who have no resources. At this time of year especially, many families’ monies are spent on heating and lighting their houses and then they apologise for their child having no dinner money or not being able to replace a uniform.
While my school does everything it can to support these children, we cannot be expected to be experts in all these areas. Essentially we are fielding the funding cuts of all the other agencies – something that has to be put right.
WEDNESDAY
We had a meeting to thank support staff for their hard work. Talk turned to the budget and I had to update them on the challenge the school faces. There is concern that after the next three years we will no longer be financially viable. We are looking at linking with other schools to pool resources. The staff asked if redundancies were a possibility. It was a tough conversation to have.
THURSDAY
It’s 8.45am and I am dealing with a child who refuses to come to school. I spend 25 minutes talking to this child and their parent. The same reasons seem to come up a lot in these cases.
I’ve seen children not wanting to come in over a fall-out with friends. More and more older
children are falling out while playing online games in the evenings. By the next morning they don’t want to face school. I then spend the next half-hour trying to reintegrate them. I am spending more and more time trying to support pupils who should get help from public services.
FRIDAY
I take the kids to the local museum. I may be the head but I have to drive the minibus. We only have a few minibus drivers as it is a significant cost to train the staff. It’s no surprise we can’t afford a coach driver for the day.
It’s always great to see how worthwhile these trips are. But as finances get tighter I worry they will have to be cut down and we may have to say goodbye to them altogether. It’s a sad thought.