Parents' night

This evening was my opportunity to wear my parent's hat and meet with my daughters' teachers in order to find out how they are getting on and to discuss what, as parents, we can do to further support the work of the school. Pleasingly, both girls are progressing well. Importantly, they enjoy learning and have good relationships with others across the school. The teachers we met tonight were superb. They clearly knew our daughters' strengths and weaknesses, and, through Personal Learning Plans, next steps in learning were being planned in consultation with the girls and ourselves. What was particularly impressive and reassuring was how aware and alert the staff were of the girls' personalities and idiosyncrasies and how their teaching methods were adapted to take account of these.

All the teachers we met spoke enthusiastically of Curriculum for Excellence and it was clear that 'richer', 'deeper' and 'connected' learning and a concerted effort among staff to develop the four capacities is at the heart of what is practised at Tollcross.

When we got home, the girls were eager to find out what we had learned about them. It was lovely to share with them how pleased we were with their efforts and the progress they were making.

Reflecting on what I learned this evening I feel that Secondary teachers have much to learn from our Primary colleagues. Perhaps, in the secondary context in recent months, too much time and energy has been spent on discussing examinations and when schools should start teaching content that is at National Level 5. These are distractions. What we must continue to focus on is ensuring that we have the best teachers in our classrooms with the best resources that can be found. Our children will need to have the best possible education in order to compete in an increasingly competitive world. 'An t-ionnsachadh òg an t-ionnsachadh boidheach'.