How Does Your Current School Meet the Holistic Needs of a Child?

Critically evaluate how the principles and approaches of your condition correspond the holistic needs of every pip-squeak This appellative pass on look to critically evaluate how a school in which I am presently on placement meets the holistic needs of the children in their c ar. In order to protect the schools identity they bequeath be have a go at itn as School A. I will look to evaluate how the schools ethos is put into dedicate in everyday statement and learning, and how this benefits/disadvantages the pupils.Due to the limited allotted word count for this assignment I am futile to describe in depth how the school meets the holistic needs of every child in run acrossance, therefore I will look at one group of children in p inventionicular who will be known as Group X. I am also unable to look in depth at all of the holistic needs and instead will focus on the noetic and societal needs.I will analyse the practice of Every Child Matters (2002)-(electronic countermeasu res)- this government initiative for England and Wales looked to help schools to meet what the government believed to be the basic needs of every child, these creation Be honorable, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, train a positive contribution and achieve economic headspring- world. Even though ECM is not stream legislation, its themes still underpin the ethos of the majority of schools in England and Wales.I shall also look at current legislation and novel reports regarding upbringing including The Cambridge Primary Review (2009) and The Rose Review (2009) to examine how the government look to support and explicate learning. I will look to debate the ideas of three major theorists Jean Piaget (1932), Lev Vygotsky (1978) and Abraham Maslow (1943), to describe the practice that I have observed in School A. When looking at the holistic needs of a child we ar really looking at the whole child, what they need in order to better to their bounteous potential.Feature ArticleCount ry SchoolAllen CurnowThese needs are defined as the need for physical, ruttish, intellectual, social and creative fulfilment. In order to meet the physical needs of a child we must reach to provide them with the basic edible of air, food, water, sleep and exercise. Emotionally children need praise, love, trust, security, and a tactile propertying of self-importance-fulfilment. As teachers, it was lots perceived in the past by community outside of the profession that we are solely liable for the intellectual needs of a child, these being the need for challenging thoughts, reading, learning just aboutthing new, and mind stimulation.In order to soften fully children need social interaction through companionship and experience. Creativity is the need to express ones self in an imaginative agency. This ignore include the arts, dancing, acting, and writing. Holistic education is the idea that every child finds identity, meaning, and economic consumption in life through conne ctions to the community, to the natural world, and to spiritual values such as compassion and peace. This potty be achieved, not through an academic curriculum, but through contact with the outside environment.Montessori, for example, communicate of cosmic education Help the person notion part of the wholeness of the universe, and learning will naturally be enchanted and inviting. Montessori (1912) It can be said that there is not one effective means to accomplish this goal, as there are many ways of learning and many types of learner and the holistic educator values them all what is appropriate for some children, in some situations, may not be best for others. School A has been judged to be majuscule in two consecutive Ofsted reports.Behaviour is exemplary and pupils feel safe, confident and capable of, as they put it, reaching our potential. Ofsted, (2004) This is an example of many praising quotes from the schools 2008 Ofsted report. From this report it can be seen that Of sted viewed the school to be meeting the holistic needs of the children. It is without enquiry that the school provides excellent provisions to meet the childrens physical needs. There is a breakfast club, where children can have a healthy breakfast giving them a unassailable start to the day.Hot meals are provided at lunchtimes for those who do not paying attention to bring packed lunches from home, and fresh fruit is provided free of charge at both morning and good by and bynoon playtimes. The school are expirely still working under the guise of ECM- Be Healthy, hence wherefore these provisions are in place. Socially, children are encouraged to form strong friendships and there is certainly a family spirit around the school. Parents are encouraged to take part in and support their childs learning experience both in and out of school.Rewards assemblies are held every Friday morning, in which children from each divide are reward for both their academic (writer & mathematician of the week) and their social achievements (helpful & well mannered and effort stars of the week). Parents are invited to attend these assemblies to share in the celebration of their childs achievement. There are an abundance of opportunities for the children to engage in creative activities, there are extra curricular clubs run almost every day after school including Yoga, Dance, Zumba and Art clubs.Creativity is also included within the classroom, most activities are concluded with an element of art or design to make the childrens work appear more attractive, which seems to help certain children (e excessly those who are visual learners) to embed their learning. Group X is small group of six children with some behavioural issues and some delayed intellectual development, they try hard but often become frustrated that they are unable to accomplish certain tasks, which then causes them to misbehave.These children are often sent to work with a Higher aim Teaching Assistant- (HLTA) who helps them to work at a slower pace in order for them to not feel inadequate in a whole class setting. In mathematics, for example, the HLTA will work with the children using a variety of apparatus such as cubes, coins and counters, to help them to use a tangible object in order to provide them with a context for their learning. She poses open ended questions in order for the children to show their regularity and understanding of the information.This is a clear example of Piagets opening being put into practice. The teaching is being matched to the needs of the individual and this kind of teaching is helping to trigger assimilation and accommodation for the child (Pound 2005, pg. 38). This theory is supported by a number of theorists, in particular Margaret Donaldson who believes that childrens errors or misunderstanding occurred as they are not responding to what was asked of them but were also seeking to understand the meaning of the task or solicit (Pound, 2005 pg. 0), hen ce by the HLTA using money to aid with the learning of mathematics she was demonstrating to the children why they needed to know this information. Theorist and writers, who believe in inclusion, would however argue that by separating these children from their peer group the school are not demonstrating inclusive practice. Len Barton for example argued that Inclusive education is about the participation of all children and young people and the removal of all forms of exclusionary practice Barton (1998 cited in Clough and Corbett, 2000,pg. 85).By accepting both arguments benefits and disadvantages of this type of practice can advantageously be seen. The children are obtaining the knowledge and understanding they require at their own level and speed, however they are being removed from their peer group which may cause discomfort and embarrassment as it could be viewed that they are being highlighted as the individuals with special needs. It can also be argued that they are not being g iven the resembling opportunities as other children within the class as although the work has been planned by the class teacher the majority of their teaching is being conducted by a HLTA not a pendant teacher.However, by working in a small group and not being completely free or immersed in a whole class setting, the children have more opportunity to speak, listen and question what they are being taught. Vygotskys theory would be in support of this as he believed that phraseology played a significant role in abstract thought and helped a child develop awareness for a particular way of thinking and interpreting their own ideas. This is in contrast to Piagets view, who believed that the use of relevant lyric poem follows the development of a concept. Bee and Boyd, 2007) Sir Jim Rose is in agreement with Vygotsky and depict his findings in his final report. Good primary teaching involves far more than waiting for children to develop by pursuance their every whim. It deliberately deepens and widens childrens understanding by firing their imagination and interest and paving the way to higher achievement through scaffolding learning in a community of learners. (Rose Review, 2009 pg. 56) School A are clearly meeting the expectations of the current government by helping children of all abilities to develop their language skills in a variety of ways in order to progress their learning.The children in Group X seem to be very sociable. Having observed them in the playground I have found that they interact well with each other however tend to distance themselves from other children in their peer group. This could be due to the limited amount of time they spend in the classroom and therefore the stronger bonds they have unsound with each other. Due to some of the behavioural problems these children possess, conflict with other children can sometimes lead to violence. The school manage these problems well and ensure that parents and the schools behaviour support wo rker are involved in firmness these issues.School A are clearly trying to help their pupils to Make a Positive Contribution (ECM, 2002) by encouraging them to develop positive relationships and not discriminate or bully. Many Children in attendance at School A are from devoid backgrounds, the number of children eligible for free school meals are in a higher place the national average. It is clear that the school are striving to make this a non-issue in foothold of the childrens achievement however it is widely acknowledged that children from poor backgrounds can be disadvantaged due to a lack of resources, space, overcrowding and poor diet (Curtis and OHagan 2003 pg. 7) Abraham Maslow spoke of deficiency needs, these being the need for esteem, friendship and love, security, and physical needs (Maslow, 1954). I have observed during my time spent in the school that it is clear that the children feel a sense of belonging and safety, have forged solid friendships and are physically well and able to learn, in short the school are meeting the core needs of its pupils, as outlined by Maslow. The Cambridge Review found that there is a pervasive anxiety about the pressure on pupils at school, and this concern often overshadow and conceal the fact that poverty is the single biggest threat to childrens lives.In this same report it is discussed that children like those at School A lack the massively compensating advantages of financial wealth, emotional concurrence and a home life which is linguistically, intellectually, culturally and spiritually rich (Curtis, 2009, p. 6) The school is located in an impoverished area and the school are doing all they can in order to provide their children with a constant environment, which they may not experience at home. School As philosophy on achievement, attainment and childrens well-being is outlined in its prospectus (See Appendix A) and is clearly implemented in the teaching and learning.They have a child centred curriculum , which is broad balanced and differentiated to meet the needs of all children including those with special educational needs. The children clearly progress throughout their time at School A with attainment targets regularly being met and exceeded. In short the school meet all of their own targets, whilst encompassing the central themes of ECM. I believe that the short time I have spent in School A, has already helped me to buzz off to forge my own teaching philosophy. The school has the best interest of all children at its core.Even though ECM is no longer current legislation its themes are still at the heart of what makes a good teacher and a good school and School A encompasses these whole heartedly. For my future professional development, I believe that I will endeavour to encompass all of the points increase by ECM as I believe these things are the key to becoming not just an adequate but an outstanding teacher. Vygotsky and Piaget both present theories which are not just u seful but essential for the modern education professional to be everything they need to be. In conclusion, School A is an outstanding school.They are practicing the key points raised in recent legislation and reports and are demonstrating the theories of Vygotsky, Piaget and a variety of other theorists. The childrens intellectual and emotional well being is at the heart of its ethos and this is reflected in the everyday teaching at the school. References Curtis, P. (2009) The Cambridge primary reviews key findings, TheGuardian, 16 October, p. 6 Department for Education and Skills (2002) Every Child Matters Presented to Parliament by the Chief escritoire to the Treasury byCommand of Her Majesty, September 2003, Cm 5860, capital of the United Kingdom Stationery Office. Alexander, R. (ed) (2010) Children, Their World, Their Education Final Reportand Recommendations of the Cambridge Primary Review. LondonRoutledge Rose, Sir J. (2006) self-sufficient Review of the Teaching of earlyis h Readingfinal report. Online Nottingham, DfES Publications. Available fromhttp//www. education. gov. uk/publications/standard/publicationdetail/page1/DFES-0201-2006 Accessed 7th October 2012. Montessori, M. (1948) The Absorbant Mind. In Chattin-McNichols, J. (ed. The Absorbant Mind. untested York Henry Holt and Company Pound, L. (2005) How Children Learn. London Step Forward PublishingLimited Clough,P. and Corbett, J. (2000) Theories of Inclusive education a Student Guide. London Paul Chapman Publishing Boyd, D. and Bee, H. (2007) The Developing Child. 11th edition. BostonPearson Education, Inc Curtis, A. and OHagan, M. (2003) Care and Education in Early Childhood. London RoutledgeFalmer Maslow, A. (1970) Motivation and Personality. 3rd edition. New York Harper &Row Ofsted (2008) School A Appendix 1