What Did You Do At School Today?: George And Alice
0001 10:00:24:23 10:00:27:19
Close to the rural village
of Chailey, East Sussex,
0002 10:00:27:19 10:00:32:00
two families are preparing to take
part in an educational experience.
0003 10:00:33:23 10:00:35:15
Our first family -
0004 10:00:35:15 10:00:38:16
dad Ian, mum Jane,
0005 10:00:38:16 10:00:41:15
and five-year-old George
who struggles with reading.
0006 10:00:48:05 10:00:50:19
On the other side of town,
our second family -
0007 10:00:50:19 10:00:52:23
dad Les, mum Irene,
0008 10:00:52:23 10:00:57:16
and seven-year-old Alice,
who can suffer from shyness.
0009 10:01:00:15 10:01:03:05
Both families
have one thing in common.
0010 10:01:03:05 10:01:07:05
They haven't a clue what their
Key Stage 1 children do at school.
0011 10:01:07:05 10:01:10:11
But with our expert Adam
and some cameras in the classroom,
0012 10:01:10:11 10:01:12:16
they're about to find out.
0013 10:01:14:01 10:01:15:24
Because the communication is good,
0014 10:01:15:24 10:01:18:00
if there is anything
it can be dealt with.
0015 10:01:18:00 10:01:21:13
(narrator) Adam Abdul Noor has over
30 years' experience in education
0016 10:01:21:13 10:01:24:01
as both a teacher and psychologist.
0017 10:01:24:01 10:01:26:18
And when you take concerns
into the school...
0018 10:01:26:18 10:01:29:07
What do you hope
to get out of taking part in this?
0019 10:01:29:07 10:01:31:07
An insight
in what goes on at school.
0020 10:01:31:07 10:01:33:07
I'd like to see
what George gets up to.
0021 10:01:33:07 10:01:35:18
Don't really have
much contact with the school.
0022 10:01:35:18 10:01:38:12
I've never been in there
in a normal school day.
0023 10:01:38:12 10:01:40:24
So it will be interesting to see -
a fly on the wall.
0024 10:01:40:24 10:01:45:01
(Adam) As someone with 13 children,
there must be some similarities
0025 10:01:45:01 10:01:47:23
about managing a family
and managing a class.
0026 10:01:47:23 10:01:49:24
So you might have some experience
0027 10:01:49:24 10:01:53:11
which people who have just
one or two children wouldn't have.
0028 10:01:53:11 10:01:57:07
Yes, to a degree.
But, obviously,
0029 10:01:57:07 10:02:00:04
because of the relationship
I have with the children,
0030 10:02:00:04 10:02:04:01
it colours it differently from the
relationship a teacher would have.
0031 10:02:04:01 10:02:05:01
Yes.
0032 10:02:05:01 10:02:07:09
So I think theirs
is probably more objective,
0033 10:02:07:09 10:02:09:15
whereas mine
would be more emotional.
0034 10:02:09:15 10:02:12:15
(Adam) Obviously one of the most
important things at school
0035 10:02:12:15 10:02:16:19
is reading and writing.
How does George do at that?
0036 10:02:16:19 10:02:18:14
There have been a few problems.
0037 10:02:18:14 10:02:22:08
We've highlighted that he needed
a bit of extra encouragement.
0038 10:02:22:08 10:02:24:23
But... it wasn't something
we were too worried about,
0039 10:02:24:23 10:02:27:09
but it's something
we obviously were aware of.
0040 10:02:27:09 10:02:30:01
Did the school put anything
in place to deal with that?
0041 10:02:30:01 10:02:34:13
Yes, they did. They have what
they call an early literacy scheme,
0042 10:02:34:13 10:02:37:17
and basically George
was taken out of the class
0043 10:02:37:17 10:02:41:18
by the classroom assistant several
times a week for about an hour
0044 10:02:41:18 10:02:43:06
and they had a one-to-one
0045 10:02:43:06 10:02:47:08
and they concentrated mainly
just on reading and writing.
0046 10:02:47:08 10:02:50:08
And he's come on
in leaps and bounds since then.
0047 10:02:50:08 10:02:54:14
And also I think it's really given
him an interest in wanting to do it
0048 10:02:54:14 10:02:58:16
because it's boosted his confidence
knowing he can do it.
0049 10:02:58:16 10:03:03:00
OK, well, in a little while we'll
see George in action in school,
0050 10:03:03:00 10:03:05:15
which I think will be really
exciting for both of you.
0051 10:03:05:15 10:03:07:10
You might see some surprises.
0052 10:03:07:10 10:03:09:19
You might see a George
you haven't seen before.
0053 10:03:11:10 10:03:14:18
(narrator) Also looking for advice
are Alice's parents.
0054 10:03:14:18 10:03:17:14
- So, who's your teacher?
- Mrs Garland.
0055 10:03:17:14 10:03:20:03
- Mrs Garland. And do you like her?
- Yes.
0056 10:03:20:03 10:03:23:03
- Tell me why you like her.
- Erm...
0057 10:03:24:04 10:03:28:04
I sort of had her for three years
0058 10:03:28:04 10:03:31:23
and I don't really know
why I like her.
0059 10:03:31:23 10:03:36:10
OK. So, what about you? What's
your general view of the school?
0060 10:03:36:10 10:03:40:05
We're very happy with
the progress Alice has made.
0061 10:03:40:05 10:03:44:14
I think the class she's been in has
provided a really good foundation
0062 10:03:44:14 10:03:47:23
for her next level of education,
0063 10:03:47:23 10:03:49:19
so we're really pleased.
0064 10:03:49:19 10:03:53:00
What do you hope to get out of
being involved in this?
0065 10:03:53:00 10:03:56:12
I think I'd like to see
how Alice behaves at school.
0066 10:03:56:12 10:03:58:21
Obviously we know
how she behaves at home
0067 10:03:58:21 10:04:01:18
and it will be good to see her
interact with her friends.
0068 10:04:01:18 10:04:06:12
Sometimes she can come across as
a bit shy in new social situations.
0069 10:04:06:12 10:04:10:10
It's possibly been an issue in the
past, but she's been working on it,
0070 10:04:10:10 10:04:15:05
so perhaps it would be nice to see
how her confidence is growing
0071 10:04:15:05 10:04:19:22
and how she's developing
perhaps more on the social side
0072 10:04:19:22 10:04:21:20
rather than academically.
0073 10:04:22:14 10:04:25:14
Alice and George attend
St Peter's Church of England Primary
0074 10:04:25:14 10:04:28:04
near Lewes, East Sussex.
0075 10:04:28:04 10:04:30:13
With only 97 pupils
in the whole school,
0076 10:04:30:13 10:04:33:12
several different age groups
work together.
0077 10:04:33:12 10:04:34:23
At Key Stage 1,
0078 10:04:34:23 10:04:39:15
Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 pupils
are all in the same class.
0079 10:04:39:15 10:04:43:12
Head teacher for the last 18 months
is Munch Morrow.
0080 10:04:44:11 10:04:50:03
Nursery plays a really large part
in readiness for learning.
0081 10:04:50:03 10:04:54:08
It's not like we're expecting too
much from children when they come in
0082 10:04:54:08 10:04:57:20
but they have to get
used to sharing space
0083 10:04:57:20 10:05:01:06
with some other children
in our first class.
0084 10:05:01:06 10:05:04:09
There are only going to be
18 children in September,
0085 10:05:04:09 10:05:08:04
as opposed to having 30 children
all in one space.
0086 10:05:08:04 10:05:09:14
But still, for children
0087 10:05:09:14 10:05:12:11
that have maybe only got
one brother or sister at home
0088 10:05:12:11 10:05:14:17
or maybe there isn't
anybody else at home,
0089 10:05:14:17 10:05:16:23
that's quite a lot of change.
0090 10:05:16:23 10:05:20:24
So it's actually more the social
aspect that is the important one,
0091 10:05:20:24 10:05:23:19
because if children
can find their feet socially,
0092 10:05:23:19 10:05:25:20
then the learning takes place.
0093 10:05:29:20 10:05:32:11
(narrator) It's 8:40am
on observation day.
0094 10:05:32:11 10:05:36:02
George and Alice
have arrived for registration.
0095 10:05:36:02 10:05:38:11
- Morning, George.
- Morning.
0096 10:05:39:13 10:05:41:18
(narrator) As the bell goes
for first period,
0097 10:05:41:18 10:05:44:23
it's time for parents Les and Irene
to join psychologist Adam
0098 10:05:44:23 10:05:47:05
in an adjoining classroom.
0099 10:05:49:18 10:05:52:03
- It's Professor Norman.
- It's Professor Norman.
0100 10:05:52:03 10:05:53:15
He's actually bought it
0101 10:05:53:15 10:05:56:00
cos he thinks
it's a really interesting site,
0102 10:05:56:00 10:05:57:24
a really interesting place.
0103 10:05:57:24 10:05:59:21
(Irene) Oh, there she is.
0104 10:05:59:21 10:06:02:07
(teacher) What's a mammoth?
0105 10:06:02:07 10:06:04:24
We're getting to the idea
of what this might be about.
0106 10:06:04:24 10:06:07:15
What's a mammoth, then?
Do you know, Alice?
0107 10:06:07:15 10:06:11:07
Was it a type of animal
that lived a long time ago?
0108 10:06:11:07 10:06:13:00
Right. Do we have them today?
0109 10:06:13:00 10:06:14:12
- (all) No.
- No, we don't.
0110 10:06:14:12 10:06:17:17
There are no mammoths alive today,
but there are creatures...
0111 10:06:17:17 10:06:19:07
- Elephants.
- That's right.
0112 10:06:19:07 10:06:22:02
There are some creatures
related to the mammoth,
0113 10:06:22:02 10:06:23:16
and they're elephants today.
0114 10:06:24:07 10:06:26:09
Do you read to her a lot?
0115 10:06:26:09 10:06:29:17
Yes. We've read to her
right from when she was a baby.
0116 10:06:29:17 10:06:31:24
- She can read herself?
- She loves reading.
0117 10:06:31:24 10:06:36:16
She's often found after bedtime
sneaking books into bed.
0118 10:06:36:16 10:06:39:07
Surely not?
0119 10:06:39:07 10:06:42:12
- A readaholic.
- Well, that's no bad thing.
0120 10:06:43:15 10:06:48:02
OK. I wonder whether I could
ask Alice to start today.
0121 10:06:48:02 10:06:52:02
If you could read
page two and three for me.
0122 10:06:52:02 10:06:55:15
I want to see if we can find out
more about how this story begins.
0123 10:06:55:15 10:07:02:04
"Chapter one. It all began when Dad
saw the advertisement in the paper."
0124 10:07:02:04 10:07:08:01
"Children's archaelolo...
archaeol..."
0125 10:07:08:01 10:07:11:04
It's difficult, isn't it?
You did the first bit really well.
0126 10:07:11:04 10:07:18:00
Archae... and then we've got
the next section - ..olog...ical.
0127 10:07:18:00 10:07:20:20
"..dig, places still available."
0128 10:07:20:20 10:07:23:08
"Come and work with in...
0129 10:07:23:08 10:07:28:22
with a highly qualified
archaelolo...
0130 10:07:28:22 10:07:30:04
archaeologist."
0131 10:07:30:04 10:07:33:21
"You can discover
the fossils of an ancient world."
0132 10:07:33:21 10:07:37:13
She got halfway through the word
and then wanted some help.
0133 10:07:37:13 10:07:41:21
It's interesting that in this class
there are Reception-age children
0134 10:07:41:21 10:07:45:17
who may have had only a few months
of experience of school.
0135 10:07:45:17 10:07:49:04
So what I'd be interested to see now
is how this task is carried out
0136 10:07:49:04 10:07:52:14
by children of different
abilities and ages.
0137 10:07:52:14 10:07:54:17
Presumably they're grouped on tables
0138 10:07:54:17 10:07:58:12
according to ability
rather than age.
0139 10:07:58:12 10:08:05:21
Has anybody got an idea of what
might be the mammoth mistake?
0140 10:08:06:24 10:08:09:03
(Adam) We've got
an interesting dynamic.
0141 10:08:09:03 10:08:11:10
The more
the children don't get picked
0142 10:08:11:10 10:08:15:03
when they've got their hands up,
the more they gesticulate wildly.
0143 10:08:15:03 10:08:17:19
What do you think? Have a think.
0144 10:08:17:19 10:08:20:13
There's a clue already here,
isn't there, Alice?
0145 10:08:20:13 10:08:23:22
She might lose it
and then they might find it again.
0146 10:08:23:22 10:08:27:04
They might dig it up. What's
going to be the mammoth mistake?
0147 10:08:27:04 10:08:28:14
Are they going to go:
0148 10:08:28:14 10:08:32:01
"Look. It's one of these little
wooden mammoths from the shop"?
0149 10:08:32:01 10:08:33:20
- No.
- What are they going to do?
0150 10:08:33:20 10:08:36:24
They're going to think
it's a very old one.
0151 10:08:36:24 10:08:41:15
They're going to think it's the old
ancient people tool. That's right.
0152 10:08:41:15 10:08:45:07
Actually, the person
who's getting to answer the question
0153 10:08:45:07 10:08:49:07
is the person who didn't put
her hand up at all, which is Alice.
0154 10:08:49:08 10:08:54:12
(Irene) I'm not surprised, in a way,
that she doesn't put her hand up,
0155 10:08:54:12 10:08:56:13
because I know she can be sometimes
0156 10:08:56:13 10:08:59:04
reticent about doing that
when she knows the answer.
0157 10:08:59:04 10:09:03:16
(Adam) I think we can rule out
that she doesn't know the answer.
0158 10:09:03:16 10:09:07:10
So it's either... Well,
two possible explanations.
0159 10:09:07:10 10:09:09:22
She doesn't like
answering questions,
0160 10:09:09:22 10:09:13:04
or she's worked out that she doesn't
need to wave her hand around.
0161 10:09:19:18 10:09:23:00
Now, your drawings
need to be quite big
0162 10:09:23:00 10:09:26:01
and you don't need to do
any background.
0163 10:09:26:01 10:09:30:15
I don't want to see the environment
that the animal lives in.
0164 10:09:30:15 10:09:34:01
I think Alice will enjoy doing this.
She loves doing art at home.
0165 10:09:34:01 10:09:35:05
Yeah.
0166 10:09:37:18 10:09:40:18
Excuse me. I'm trying to put my...
0167 10:09:45:15 10:09:49:21
Oh, there's a bit of a tussle
developing here.
0168 10:09:51:02 10:09:54:24
If we put the book there
and move the palette...
0169 10:09:56:02 10:09:58:12
(Irene) She's quite determined,
isn't she?
0170 10:09:59:20 10:10:03:17
(teacher) And it coils
into the centre.
0171 10:10:03:17 10:10:05:15
That's it.
0172 10:10:05:15 10:10:07:24
Well done. OK.
0173 10:10:08:12 10:10:09:19
I think it's a snail.
0174 10:10:09:19 10:10:12:05
(Adam) It's a snail.
Yes, you're right.
0175 10:10:12:05 10:10:13:22
That is a fine motor task
0176 10:10:13:22 10:10:19:14
which many seven-and-a-half-year-
olds couldn't perform, so...
0177 10:10:19:14 10:10:22:23
And when you have children
with some dyspraxia,
0178 10:10:22:23 10:10:26:18
they would find that very, very
difficult even at an older age.
0179 10:10:26:18 10:10:29:20
So you're doing all the lines
going this way first...
0180 10:10:29:20 10:10:31:24
and then you'll do
the ridges afterwards?
0181 10:10:31:24 10:10:33:09
That'll look really good.
0182 10:10:33:09 10:10:36:16
By tomorrow this will be dry and
you'll be able to do the next part.
0183 10:10:36:16 10:10:39:04
That is a different colour,
cos it's sort of red.
0184 10:10:39:04 10:10:42:09
It is, isn't it? You think
it's just brown at first,
0185 10:10:42:09 10:10:44:24
but the harder you look
the more colours you can see.
0186 10:10:44:24 10:10:48:03
She's picking up all
the observations from the drawing.
0187 10:10:48:03 10:10:51:11
Once she's started looking or
been pointed in the right direction,
0188 10:10:51:11 10:10:55:09
she's really sort of focusing
on different aspects.
0189 10:10:55:09 10:10:58:20
It's because she gets the idea
when the teacher explains something.
0190 10:10:58:20 10:11:00:12
That's very gratifying.