Have you ever wondered as a teacher about the pupils you teach and what becomes of them? In the secondary sector, you may have some idea, as you will be aware of GCSE and A level results and destination data, but what about in Primary, when the pupils leave in year 6? Can you predict where they may end up?

 

I know what some of the first pupils I taught are doing. I can thank Facebook for that.

 

But do the teachers who taught me at the inner city comprehensive I went to, ever think of the girl who used to avoid the cracks in the pavement, who walked home alone and thought of a better life?

 

Do they think about the girl who wrote about being a silent and ignored white working class girl for inclusion in a publication called ‘learning without labels’ and then went to the book launch at The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple? Did they ever have such high expectations of me?

 

Do they know that the girl who wrote ‘cracks in the pavement’ describing what it was like to be a working class girl, was a girl they taught and were they aware that the girl used dream that she had a different life?

 

A life where parents where available to pick her up from school and drive her to music and ballet lessons.

 

A life where she could catch the school bus with friends.

A life where she could bring friends home and have sleep overs.

A life where if a friend asked her to do something that cost money, she would not have to say no

 

A life where she did not have to sit in lessons with pupils who did not want to work , or where others were allowed to steal your belongings and spit in your hair (yes this really did happen, pupils also spat sweets and chewing gum as well, both of which are very difficult to remove!)

 

A life where she did not have the free school meals and make her own clothes.

 

A life where she could fit with the other children who had aspirations to be more than cleaners and workers in factories, because they knew about other occupations

 

Instead, how much did my teachers understand about the girl who walked home alone, her mother too busy with her siblings and her Dad working shifts in a factory.

 

Did my teachers think what impact this might have on support for homework or when I was younger who listened to me read? Or did they consider that reading with someone was impossible with two smaller demanding siblings, and one parent, as the other was either at work or sleeping.

 

Did the teachers know that I shared a room with my sister, who was disruptive and could not sleep through the night, so consequently I would not sleep through the night either and some days would be very tired

 

Did my teachers know that I would walk to the library alone to change books so that I could read books, but often I did not know what I was choosing ? (which led to some interesting choices)

 

 

Who is claiming the prize for my social mobility?

 

I have decided that I’m claiming this prize. Its mine.

 

It could have been that I had a comprehensive education, and a Grammar School would have suited me better, but something made me self motivated and hard working, and that was poverty. It was not having things that I thought others had, and to someone poor this is material things, because this is what I could see. This is what I imagined when I thought about falling down a crack in the pavement and into another life.  

 

In the Learning without Levels book, edited by Marc Rowland. I list ten things which I believe could support working class children like myself, prepare for University, and considerations for  teachers.

We have to remember that we all bring different experiences, family backgrounds and values to our teaching, and it may not be the same as the children we are teaching.  

 

Disadvantage should not be a barrier to achievement. Being poor should not stop children from going to University, but it nearly happened to me.

We can learn from this and not let it happen to other children in similar and much worse situations.

 

For many more examples of Improving Outcomes for vulnerable pupils, do read a copy of Learning without Labels, Edited by Marc Rowland.