When Rachel Tomlinson’s primary students were about to get their exam results she sent them a special letter of support.
The headteacher from Barrowford school in Nelson, near Burnley, told children that the people who created their tests didn’t know each of them uniquely, as teachers do. She said: “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.” Tomlinson wanted students to know that there was much more to them than their test scores.
A group of teachers at St Paul’s primary school in Gracemere, Australia, wrote a similar letter to students sitting the National Assessment Program – telling them examiners didn’t know how “amazingly special” they were.
These stories are from primary schools, but ahead of GCSE and A-level results day we want to hear from secondaries and sixth-forms. Tell us what you want your students to know as they get their grades. It might be words of encouragement or perhaps you want your class to know that learning is about more than just test scores. You might also want to celebrate the progress that a child has already made; for some the fact they even made it into the exam hall is a triumph in itself.
On the results days themselves, we also want to hear your messages of support and guidance – whether children have had great successes or have been left disappointed.
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