From the Head of Secondary 12.09.2020

Year 7 Parent Meeting

On Wednesday this week we held our Year 7 Parent Meeting. Originally scheduled to take place in June during the Year 6 to 7 Transition Days it was pleasing to see so many parents in attendance. Mr Kelly gave an overview of Secondary expectations as regards such matters as homework and the use of the diary, and addressed the question of how parents can support their child at home, from setting up a ‘study station’ to monitoring the amount of homework. In Year 7 we do not expect any student to be spending more than half an hour per subject each day, and the homework schedule is clearly set out in the diary. He also emphasised the importance of communication with us here at school. Mr Watson and Ms Bater, form tutors, were there to say ‘hello’. They are the first port of call for parents should there be a relatively simple matter that needs attention and Mr Kelly and I are always available and happy to respond should there be more involved issues that we can help with.

We were delighted to report that the Year 7s seemed to have settled in really well and their teachers are very pleased with them. They seemed to really like having a locker each and above all going from lesson to lesson and having different teachers for the range of subjects within the curriculum.

Student Leadership Roles

In this newsletter you can see the results of the House Presidential elections. Congratulations to those students! The next stage is the selection of House Captains.

There is a lot of interest in student leadership this year and Ms Bater dropped in to my office earlier this week to tell me that over 40 students have volunteered for the Charity Committee! As this is a purely voluntary group and there are no elections all 40+ will be members of the team. More news to follow about what they, the student council and the Eco Warriors [also with increased student numbers] are planning moving forward. There will have to be an increased level of creativity as many of the usual events cannot be held at the current time, so it will be interesting to see how ingenious our students can be!

We have had 22 applications from Years 11, 12 and 13 for the Prefect role, which is excellent. Mr Hallas will be conducting interviews as a next step and after that decisions will made and Head Prefects chosen.

It is really great to see so many students stepping up this year and showing their interest in these roles!

Mrs Margaret Renshaw

Deputy Principal / Head of Secondary

The votes are in and counted, with around 90% voting turnout for the first ever House President student-led vote.

Here are our House presidents:

These leaders will be selecting House Captains from other year groups (year 7 – 13) through applications by email and Google classroom to complete their house teams and we look forward to seeing them work together moving forward!

The Year 13 A Level Psychology students (Iffa, James, Tazkhi and Lauren) have been learning about Health and how communication style, dress and approach influences the relationship between a doctor and their patients.  As you read, think about whether you have had similar experiences – we’d love to hear from you.

To improve doctor-patient relationships, doctors should take into account the importance of how they communicate with their patients and their preferred consultation style; either patient-centered or doctor-centered. Patient-centred is when the doctor asks lots of questions, to find out as much as they can about their patient which helps when they advise on a course of treatment. Doctor-centred is when the doctor tells the patient what is wrong and does not ask many questions.

When doctors choose their style of communication, they should take the age group or condition of the patient into consideration for a much more effective consultation. Such an example is that older people are more fond of the doctor-centred style as they would much prefer straightforward medical treatment instructions. On the other hand, young adults would much prefer patient-centered as they would like to know about their symptoms and treatment in a deeper context, hence they’re more likely to engage with the doctor when discussing their health problem. However this is subjective and it varies from person to person.

Doctors should also be aware of the type of vocabulary they use with their patients, as the patients sometimes might not understand the words that are being used to explain their condition. Often patients act as if they do understand so the doctor should check by getting the patient to repeat back what was said. Doctors should try to avoid jargon and bear in mind that the patient remembers more of what is said at the beginning of a consultation.

The clothes worn by the doctor plays a huge role in how the patients view the doctor. For example, if the doctor is dressed in casual clothes, the patients may think less of them, possibly thinking they looked less qualified, whereas if they were wearing a classic lab coat and stethoscope around their neck, then the patient may take the doctor more seriously as they seem more professional.

Another consideration is the way the doctor’s office is decorated. If the lights are dim/gloomy, patients are more unlikely to engage with the doctor. This is because it could bring the patient’s mood down and they may not feel comfortable in this situation. However, in an office setting with brighter lights, they are more likely to engage and feel more comfortable.

See if you can see any of the above next time you visit the doctor!