校長帶來的改變

山西 秦海英

圣達米安學校和圣托馬斯學校曾經都不是一流學校，他們是采取了什么方法榮升最高排名的？

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How have former struggling schools such as St Damian's and St Thomas managed to raise themselves up from the bottom of the league tables to achieve the highest rating awarded by Ofsted?

“Certainly not with a silver bullet,” says St Damian's headteacher, Mr Logue. He believes that it's a matter of raising expectations of both staff and pupils and not accepting second best. “It's not about adopting different methods,” he says.

“Turning around a school is about resetting behaviour. If you get a mass of students behaving well, then they become the biggest advocates of the system,” says Mr Collett, a leader of the school.When Mr Connolly took over as headteacher at the school, he walked into his first assembly (晨會)and told the pupils that St Thomas was the worst school in the area. On that same day, he also sent 75 pupils home for bad behaviour. “I believe in honesty and I had to send a clear message,” he explains. The strategy has since paid off. The school's league table results have improved greatly and many new staff have joined as a result.

Teachers need to be tough with the details too, says Ms George, deputy (副手) headteacher at St Thomas the Apostle College. Schools are rightfully proud of their good relations with families. “Part of this has been to raise parental expectations too and let them know that destinations such as Oxbridge are within reach,” says Ms George.

“All we've done is that we have taken a few ideas from really great schools and carried out them with strictness,” Mr Sparkes, Dixons Trinity's executive (有執行權的) principal, insists. For five years in a row, recorded pupil satisfaction has been at an all-time high. Starting with a clean slate(石板), the school has been able to communicate a clear set of values. “We're driven by fairness,” continues Mr Sparkes. “Children feel safe and happy and they genuinely love this school—they tell us every year.”

Reading Check

1. What does the underlined part “a silver bullet” in paragraph 2 refer to?

A. A sharp weapon. B. A fast train.

C. A delicate decoration. D. An excellent approach.

2. How can a school improve according to Mr Collett?

A. By employing a new headteacher.

B. By turning around students' behaviour.

C. By sending students home for dishonesty.

D. By raising expectations of parents and pupils.

3. What's Ms George's advice when it comes to transforming a bad school?

A. Schools should establish a positive relationship with parents.

B. Schools should communicate a clear set of values.

C. Schools should pay less attention to the details.

D. Schools should organize regular meetings.

4. How do the staff operate Dixons Trinity according to the text?

A. They have recorded all-time high students' satisfaction.

B. They communicate with children who feel safe and happy.

C. They bring in some effective measures and conduct them strictly.

D. They begin with sending strict messages and treat students with punishment.

Language Study

Difficult sentence

“Part of this has been to raise parental expectations too and let them know that destinations such as Oxbridge are within reach,” says Ms George. “這樣做一部分也是為了提高父母的期望，讓他們知道，像牛津劍橋這樣的一流大學也是觸手可及的。 ”喬治女士說道。

【點石成金】動詞know后面為賓語從句；介詞短語within reach作表語，意為“伸手可及的；夠得著的”。