In the words of Yvonne Newbold MBE: “Whatever you're doing, please stop and find 35 mins to listen to this fabulous conversation between 2 of my favourite people. Listening to Rachel talk about the simplicity of kindness and empathy in transforming schools to welcome, include and make every child feel safe blew me away”
(Learn more about Yvonne’s fantastic work at Newbold Hope in Episode 13)
I always hoped this podcast would be about bringing in new people in order to bring in fresh ideas and perspectives.
Rachel Tomlinson is the head teacher of Barrowford school in Lancashire. I connected with her when she was a speaker at Newbold Hope conference. Like Yvonne, I was blown away by the simplicity and humanity of Rachel‘s message.
Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋
- Learn to love. Love to learn!
- Inclusivity. Look through the lens of the child. including the Infant voice
- Find out what matters to people #WMTY
- If we tap into our shared humanity and connection, the systems and protocols fit around that; simple solutions follow
- Healthcare professionals have lived experience too. Don’t put people in boxes
- Not even healthcare professionals find it easy to navigate healthcare pathways!
- “On the other side of the fence”, it feels so different. And why is there a fence? 😢
- Some children find school very difficult. Work WITH them and make sure everyone has the best experience
- A school with no punishments and no rewards - unusual!
- Restorative approach - for children and adults alike. Learn from our mistakes
- Go back and unpick what went wrong, to avoid similar outcomes in the future
- Focus on restoring the relationship
- Make the school feel safe enough for children to be honest and talk about problems
- Don’t let the small stuff escalate
- Take the power imbalance away
- Learn from lived experience – children and parents
- Telling personal stories can be very painful - how can we get more people listening?
- Let’s learn (as medics do) from serious incidents; prevent permanent exclusions from school
- Move away from the blame / shame culture. It breaks trust.
- Shaming parents and children has dire and lasting consequences
- Believe parents when they report problems and seek help
- Children (people!) behave differently in different situations – find out why rather than be smug!
- Don’t expect parents to apologise for their child
- If we contain the child in school in such a way that they erupt at home, we have work to do!
- Feelings of inadequacy run deep. Don’t judge
- Life is fragile - we are all one step away from being ‘on the other side of the fence’
- Empathy increases when you become a parent yourself
- Is what we provide good enough for our own children?
- Children are just learning ‘how to be’. Help them get it right, just as you would do with long multiplication
- Advocate for children – particularly those with less resilience
- Different ‘sectors’ must work together for the benefit of the child – leave the ego at the door.
- No ‘cookie cutter’ children! Every child comes with a different experience, different circumstances, including young carers.
- A culture of openness in the school means that teachers listen and understand
- Be human. B
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Please recommend 'Wild Card - Whose Shoes' to others who enjoy hearing passionate people talk about their experiences of improving health care.
