Continuing our work in Raising Boys’ Achievements
On Monday, 5 February we were delighted to welcome back Gary Wilson, Consultant in Raising Boys’ Achievement, to the College; Gary first visited us back in December when he observed boys working in lessons, met with parents, spoke to groups of students and delivered a fantastic, thought provoking presentation to staff on how we can further support our boys in raising their achievement.
During this return visit, Gary was able to see how the College had put in place additional strategies to support our boys in the classroom, which in turn helps all students in striving to get the most out of their learning experience. He was impressed by our use of silent starters, reinforcement of positive language and praise, as well the challenges that teachers were building in to their lessons to further engage students.
As part of the day, Gary delivered a motivational assembly to over 800 students; his use of humour and astounding statistics seemed to resonate with the boys and helped instil the message that they should be aspirational in everything they do. One Year 8 student commented, “He made me think about my daily routine and I realised I do spend too long on my phone and I must make time for breakfast.” A Year 10 student said as he left the assembly, “I liked the way he was so positive and encouraging and made me think about my future more.”
The day concluded with a packed Dining Hall as Gary presented to over 300 parents of children in the College. His unique style of delivery (including some audience participation) was met with a lot of laughter, but his message of guiding and supporting boys, being positive role models and his many top tips for supporting their education was extremely well received by parents.
We would like to thank Gary Wilson for the time he has dedicated to Ivybridge Community College this term and we look forward to continuing our partnership in the future.