Message from the Head of Primary

Celebration of the unity and the remarkable achievements of this young country. Reflection of what the flag stands for; justice, peace, tolerance, power and moderation. The country stands as one at one moment in time. 

The leaders of the country use the flag and Flag Day to unite the country and to reinforce the expectations that we should live by in the UAE. The treatment of the flag itself, direction about the materials allowed in its construction, its size, how it is to be flown and the handling of it all set an expectation that the flag and what it represents, should be valued and respected. We take on those messages when we pause to see it being raised. All the institutions including schools take part and our children take on the messages and expectations of those around them that they respect and trust, seeing us all stand in silence and showing our respect. 

Flag day made me reflect as a parent and as an educator on the importance of setting and maintaining expectations for our children both academically and in how they act and behave on a daily basis. How do we encourage our children to develop respect and kindness to those around us? Simple acts like a morning greeting, holding the door, saying thank you, all surround our children with the behaviours that we hope to instill that build a wider picture of what we value and what we respect. The same is true in our pursuit for high academic outcomes. On this journey we all must set the expectation of what is good and why it matters. 

Why are simple things like full stops or capital letters still important when a child is not doing English but writing in science? The answer to us is clear but not always to children unless we make it so. When we praise our children and love them for their efforts and achievements, how explicit are we about what we are pleased about? If our praise is general, then we risk missing an opportunity to help reinforce what we value, and the praise may have less effect. But if we praise and make specific reference to the actual behaviour or skill or application of knowledge that we value, then we have more chance of reinforcing what is important, and the child has more chance to connect with this and keep wanting to do it. 

I have seen some fantastic examples of this in our day to day interactions. Children being given personalised and specific feedback and praise. Teachers picking up on technique in swimming and sports, English teachers making specific reference to sentence order, adults noticing the way students have collaborated effectively in a group task – showing empathy and active listening. The more we all do this the more it unites us in what we value and hope for with our children in our school. 

Alan Cocker

Head of Primary