Forgiveness, Friendship and an Unforgettable Trip…

Beginning in Autumn 2020, a research team from Stranmillis University College led by Jill Magennis and Dr Anita Gracie, have been participating in an international research project into ‘Forgiveness Education’.

Funded by the John Templeton Foundation, the project aims to assess the impact of the implementation of Forgiveness Education (FE) in educational settings within the three culturally distinct regions of Israel/Palestine, Taiwan and Northern Ireland. It is expected that the findings of the project will be shared towards the end of 2023.

In July this year, research and school partners from Northern Ireland were invited to the USA to attend and participate in the Forgiveness Education Conference at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. We asked Jill Magennis who led the team to US to report back on the event and the experiences of the school partners involved in the project.

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On 16th July 2022 a group of teachers and educational partners from schools throughout Northern Ireland, alongside myself (Jill Magennis) and Mark Shields from Stranmillis University College, set off to Madison, Wisconsin in the USA for the International Forgiveness Education Conference.

Forgiveness Education is a concept that has been developed over a period of 27 years by Dr Robert Enright, Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a licensed psychologist, and the founding board member of the International Forgiveness Institute.

Forgiveness Education acknowledges that to forgive a person who causes an unfair hurt is to see their inherent worth, to extend loving thoughts, feelings, and actions toward the person; and, to respond with the gifts of kindness, respect, and generosity (International Forgiveness Institute, 2022).

In a recent meta-analysis of 20 studies on Forgiveness Education, findings suggested that interventions, focused on learning about the forgiveness process, had helped children who experienced hurt from unjust actions. They benefitted by learning to forgive and deal with feelings of anger, leading to healthier relationships (Rapp, Wang Xu, & Enright, 2022).

The research team at Stranmillis (Jill Magennis, Dr Anita Gracie and Dr Barbara McDade, supported by Research Assistants Dr Anne Rowan, Dr Anne-Marie Millar, Dr Mark Ballentine, Dr Franka Winter, Dr Susan Logue and Catherine Boyle), along with 17 primary schools, their principals, teachers and pupils, have been engaged with a research project looking at the impact of the Forgiveness Education curriculum amongst teachers and children in Primary 7.

This international conference, hosted by our research partners in the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was the culmination of months of hard work and dedication.  This international research has also been taking place in Israel and Taiwan and during the conference we enjoyed listening to educators and researchers from the United States, Israel, Taiwan and the Philippines.

Philip Lavery, Vice-Principal, Mount St Michael’s Primary School, Randalstown, and Cormac McCabe, Vice-Principal, St Malachy’s Primary School, Castlewellan, represented the Northern Ireland team by sharing two insightful presentations from the work that has been happening in their schools. The videos, photographs and stories were a particular highlight. The conference was testament that despite coming from many different parts of the world, forgiveness has a common meaning across different contexts and cultures.

Some of our partners in both the Controlled and Maintained sectors reflect below on their experiences of the Forgiveness Education project.

Jennifer McCann, Principal of Newcastle Primary School, shares her thoughts on her involvement in the research project to date:

[W]hen I first read the email about Forgiveness Education, little did I know I would spend time in USA at an International Educational Conference on Agape Love and Forgiveness.  If truth be told, I had no idea what Forgiveness Education or Agape Love were! Fast forward 18 months from that initial email, training, several staff and pupil surveys, 14 lessons delivered to P7 and I found myself in the presence of some highly esteemed educators and practitioners from around the world, relaying their experiences of Forgiveness Education and Agape Love.  As well as Northern Ireland, Israel and Taiwan were represented.  It was very interesting to discover that Forgiveness Education remained the same despite the very different social, economic and educationally diverse platforms from which it was delivered. It was a privilege to meet Dr Robert Enright, the Founding Board Member of the International Forgiveness Institute who displayed such a passion and enthusiasm that he has devoted much of his working life to this subject. As with any conference its success is in main due to the people who attend.  I must pay tribute to my colleagues from schools across Northern Ireland and Stranmillis University College who helped make this an unforgettable experience; special friendships and memories were made!”

Fiona Kearney, Principal, St. John’s Primary School, Swatragh, reflects on what forgiveness means:

”[Forgiveness is] something we say and take for granted but do we stop to think about what it means when we forgive or are forgiven? A chance to reflect on our Forgiveness project at a work conference in Madison, Wisconsin…what’s not to like? Then you stop to think about why you have agreed to meet up with a bunch of strangers at Dublin Airport in the holidays. A nicer bunch you couldn’t wish to meet…before long we were like family or old friends. The conference was a challenge in the form of long days and intense listening but the range of thought provoking individuals and their experiences gave much food for personal and professional reflection. My highlight was Sylvester Jackson’s story. A tale of redemption from America’s prison system, gave insight to what is needed from the ghetto to government. The trip organisers are owed a debt of gratitude for their skills in balancing travel arrangements, as well as work, rest and play. This was a unique experience and I for one will not forget the opportunity to learn more about the true meaning of forgiveness and the chance to make new friends. Go raibh maith agaibh! Thank you!”

Fintan Murphy, Chief Executive, Catholic Schools’ Trustee Service reflecting on the conference, said it was:

an opportunity to hear from educators and academics from the USA, Israel, Taiwan and N. Ireland on their experience of the delivery of, and impact of, Forgiveness Education. What all held in common was an overwhelmingly positive experience of their engagement with the programme both in terms of a change within themselves, but also the change that it provoked within their students. From whatever perspective people approached forgiveness education there was a commonality of purpose evident at the Conference and that was the need to spread the word that this approach brings positive benefits to all who engage in the programme.”

Looking ahead, Fintan comments that “at a local level I await with anticipation the formal publication of the research which was undertaken by Stranmillis University College into the project and hope that the Forgiveness Education Programme, which has been used in schools in NI for 20 years, continues to flourish and spread among all our schools”. 

Jayne Millar, Head of Education Support, Controlled Schools’ Support Council offers some insights into her experiences and participation in the conference:

We have much to be proud of. The presentations delivered by both Cormac McCabe and Philip Lavery on their Year 7 pupils’ experiences in trialling the Guided Curriculum were truly inspirational.  The excellence, dedication and courage of our teaching profession were demonstrated clearly on the world stage”.

Jayne continues:

 “[T]he opportunity to meet and share experience of education innovations with practitioners from Israel, Taiwan and the Philippines, helped me to appreciate the many similarities in challenges within our education systems, as well as the uniqueness of Northern Ireland. What was perhaps of most interest to me was the question of impact.  The pioneering research of Dr Robert Enright reaches well beyond schools into families and communities.  The conference highlighted evidence of improvements in the emotional health and well-being of children, young people and adults as they learned to forgive”.

Jayne echoes Fintan’s words when she adds that “The research programme, led by SUC, has the potential to contribute to a number of important and inter-connected initiatives in schools.  Teaching children to cultivate the virtues of love and forgiveness may help them to deal positively with the injustices of life and is highly relevant to programmes widely supported and promoted by CSSC such as Shared Education, Anti-Bullying, Restorative Practice and Trauma Informed Approaches. For me it resonates with the work of CSSC in ethos development within controlled schools which prioritises a values based approach to the teaching and learning environment”. 

The trip was filled with happy memories of time spent in both Madison and Chicago. We enjoyed a tour of Wisconsin State Capital building, visiting Memorial Union at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an outdoor music concert hosted by the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra.

On our return journey we visited the University of Chicago Laboratory School originally set up by educational pioneer John Dewey. Here we learnt more about his approach of developing children’s confidence, curiosity and creativity through a tour within the lower school facilities.

We are indebted to our partner schools for giving up part of their summer holidays to represent both their schools and Northern Ireland at this international conference.

Stephen King, Principal of Newtownbutler Primary School (previously teacher in Currie Primary School), comments on the learning for the children in his class:

The beauty of the programme is that every child regardless of their academic ability was able to embrace the programme and fully contribute to the lessons and interact throughout. It provides opportunities for each child to reflect in their own way and removes the fearof them having to share their thoughts/ideas with their peers if they didnt want to. This gave children the freedom to write/create at ease and in my opinion allowed us to get the best from them”.

There were a wide range of schools included in the Northern Ireland sample, including some from disadvantaged areas.

One aspect we are interested to explore is how schools from different backgrounds benefitted from the Forgiveness Curriculum. A previous study by Gambaro, Enright, Baskin and Klatt (2008) found a forgiveness programme improved classroom behaviours and led to higher levels of achievements for young people aged 11-13 years.

Our 17 partner schools engaged in delivering 14 PDMU lesson on the theme of forgiveness from September 2021 to June 2022. We are thankful for how they did this with such high levels of enthusiasm and creativity. The time taken to prepare the lessons and their thoughtfulness in delivering the lessons have not been taken for granted. We are also very thankful for the hard work of the P7 pupils, without whom none of this would be possible.

During our school visits, as a team we particularly enjoyed seeing the array of wonderful work on wall displays and in the children’s journals as well as observing their ability to discuss the different PDMU concepts explored in this programme. The considerable time taken to complete the surveys throughout the project and also the interviews with teachers and children were very important aspects to explore ways forward and we await the findings with anticipation.

Dr Robert Enright opened the Madison conference with some words from Aristotle who taught us that “educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all”. This was echoed by Dr Robert Enright himself who continued, “through forgiveness we offer goodness of some kind: kindness, respect, generosity or love.

We greatly appreciated each of the schools for their pivotal role in helping to educate children’s hearts through the Forgiveness Education Curriculum.

Anita, Mark and myself are grateful for the new partnerships and friendships formed throughout this research project to date. This opportunity has allowed us to explore these ideas more fully together and we look forward for future collaborations and sharing the findings within the next 12-18 months. Watch this space…

Jill Magennis BEd (Hons), MEd, PGDip, SFHEA is a Senior Lecturer in Early Years Education.

References:

Gambaro M. E., Enright R. D., Baskin T. W. & Klatt, J. (2008) Can school-based forgiveness counseling improve conduct and academic achievement in academically at-risk adolescents? Journal of Research in Education, 18, 16-27.

International Forgiveness Institute (2022) What is Forgiveness? — International Forgiveness Institute. [ONLINE] Available at: https://internationalforgiveness.com/what-is-forgiveness-2/ [Accessed 31 October 2022].

Rapp, H., Wang Xu, J., & Enright, R.D. (2022) A meta-analysis of forgiveness education interventions’ effects on forgiveness and anger in children and adolescents. Child Development, 93, 1249-1269.

 

‘Professional Buddies’: the role of Home-School Community Liaison Coordinators and Parent Officers in tackling educational underachievement across Ireland

A new report from CREU which seeks to gain a clearer understanding of the role of Home-School Community Liaison Officers (HSCLs) across the Republic of Ireland in comparison with the similar Parent Officer role in Northern Ireland, was recently launched at the 2022 SCoTENS Annual Conference, which took place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dundalk on 20-21 October 2022.

‘The BUDDIES Study’ was one of two research projects funded by the Shared Island-SCoTENS Research Partnership, announced by the Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD in December 2021.

Led by CREU’s Assistant Director and Stranmillis University College’s Head of PGCE Early Years, Dr Glenda Walsh supported by Stranmillis colleagues Dr Jill Dunn, Dr Ken Gibson, Dr Karen Orr and Dr Franka Winter, the cross-border project was undertaken in collaboration with Dr Seaneen Sloan of University College Dublin and Clíohdna Martin of Dublin’s Marino Institute of Education.

The HSCL scheme in the South and Parent Officer role in the North aim to support families in areas of high deprivation whose children are at risk of educational disadvantage. The purpose of the study was to learn more about the ‘lived reality’ of these roles across the island, at pre-school, primary and post-primary levels.

Some of the main findings of the study were that:

  • In terms of the policy context, the role of the Parent Officer in the North is much less formalized than that of the HSCL Coordinator in the South, where the role is clearly defined with a long history and high profile at a national level. While both are targeted to benefit pupils and families from disadvantaged social groups, pre-school and rural schools are excluded from the HSCL scheme in the South, while school phase and geographical location are not distinguished by the funding streams in the North. However, in the North it is at the discretion of the Principal/Senior leader whether they invest in the role of Parent Officer or something else.
  • In terms of practice, the study found that being warm, sensitive, caring, approachable and empathetic, as well as genuine, trustworthy and a good communicator, were deemed essential characteristics for the HSCLs/Parent Officer to ensure success in their role – a ‘professional’ buddy. HSCLs/Parent Officers also engaged in similar activities, such as relaxed events to nurture healthy relationships between teachers and parents as well as between parents themselves, to more structured activities to familiarize parents with the school and upskilling them to support their children’s learning at home. The range of activities carried out in both jurisdictions across all settings was found to be in line with best practice in the literature.
  • In terms of the value of the role, the study highlighted that HSCLs/Parent Officers were seen as essential North and South to making family engagement a success. HSCLs/Parents Officers improved communication between schools and familie, reducing barriers to learning by ensuring ‘the best school experience possible’ for the children, while increasing attendance and enhancing academic outcomes.
  • In terms of tackling educational disadvantage, it was found that one of the main impacts of HSCLs/Parent Officers was in helping to break down barriers and changing mindsets to address parents’ own negative recollections of schooling. HSCLs/Parent Officers were considered “vitally, vitally important” by families for the support they provided as the direct link to the schools. The study also showed that those in the role also helped teachers to fully appreciate the challenges of disadvantage, enabling all children, irrespective of their background, the opportunity to reach their full educational potential.

The full report The BUDDIES Study – BUilding BriDges, DimInishing Educational DiSadvantage: Examining the Role of Home-School Community Liaison (HSCL) across the island of Ireland can be accessed here.

Better Futures for All – CREU goes to Stormont

As part of the University College’s Centenary celebrations, the Centre for Research in Educational Underachievement (CREU) held a symposium event at the Long Gallery in Stormont on Wednesday 23 November.

The event invited educators/practitioners, MLAs and guests to explore the question ‘How can civil society maximise educational opportunities for all and reduce educational underachievement?’.
Introduced by Principal Jonathan Heggarty MBE, the symposium began with some of the latest insights from CREU research, presented by Dr Noel Purdy, Dr Glenda Walsh and Dr Karen Orr.

This was followed by two panel discussions.

The first panel of education practitioners featured Joyce Logue (Longtower PS, Derry/L’Derry), Stephanie Gillespie (Shaftesbury Nursery School), Mary Montgomery (Belfast Boys’ Model School), Jackie Redpath (Greater Shankill Partnership), Máire Thompson (Hazelwood Integrated College) and Pilib Mistéil (Bunscoil an tSléibhe Dhuibh).

The second panel, chaired by Stranmillis Governor Peter Weil, featured Robbie Butler MLA (UUP), Connie Egan MLA (Alliance), Matthew O’Toole MLA (SDLP), Emma Little-Pengelly MLA (DUP) and Pat Sheehan MLA (Sinn Fein).

This  was the first major event organised by CREU outside of the College campus, and was attended by 80 delegates from partner and stakeholder organisations.

To find out more about the work of CREU, visit the website here: https://www.stran.ac.uk/research/creu/

How is Vocational Education and Training Assessed? CREU reviews European policy and practice in report

In Northern Ireland the debate around skills and rebalancing the economy has been the focus of policy over an extended period of time, leading to the publication of a series of significant policy papers by the Department of Employment and Learning (DEL) including Success Through Skills – Transforming Futures (2011) and Structured to Deliver Success (2015).  More recently in 2021 the Department for the Economy (DfE)’s 10x Economy vision reminds us of the importance of drawing upon our rich heritage of business innovation and entrepreneurialism to recover, rebuild and rebound the Northern Ireland economy as we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic and embark on an ambitious ‘decade of innovation’. This vision highlights the importance of Vocational Education and Training (VET) and the central role of Northern Ireland’s FE sector working in partnership with schools, employers and the HE sector in addressing a significant skills deficit in key areas.  Within this VET context, consideration of the relative merits of various assessment methods has been limited with a recognised need for greater consideration of policy developments beyond Northern Ireland.

A recent research report published by CREU (2022), The Assessment of Vocational Education and Training Qualifications: a review of European policy and practice, responds to that need and aims to assess policy developments in vocational education and training across the four jurisdictions of the UK, but also across Europe, to provide understanding and insight into assessment methodologies used for vocational qualifications and their perceived value.

The review addresses the following areas: different types of assessment and differences in how they are used in vocational qualifications (both levels and products); international best practice for assessment in vocational qualifications; views on the attractiveness and value of each assessment type; benefits or challenges of particular assessment types on progression and preparedness for higher education; views on the value or usefulness of different assessment types to determine occupational competence; and views on the usefulness of different assessment methods to meet employer need and provide confidence in vocational qualifications.

This review of research and policy highlights a range of key areas of debate: the role of BTECs in widening access; the tension between widening access and educational attainment in HE; the relative equivalence of BTECs and A-Levels; barriers to recruitment and retention of BTEC students in HE; the role of, and challenges for, universities in facilitating the entry and retention of students; comparative student performance in HE; the tensions between vocational and academic qualification pathways; and employment outcomes. The current educational landscape in England is also marked by the recent introduction of T Levels alongside A-Levels.

At assessment level the policy debate has addressed the relative merits of the BTEC assessment system; advocates defending the ‘older style’ BTEC system in terms of the reliability of internal assessment, progression and employability; critics viewing BTECs as over-valued, in need of re-evaluation, and requiring external assessment to both counter grade inflation, and ensure equivalence with A levels.

Comparisons are drawn from leading European VET models such as the dual-track VET approach found in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Denmark and the Basque Country, and other school-based models evident across the rest of the UK, Ireland and Finland.

While much can be learnt from our European neighbours, significant questions remain around the transferability of particular models which tend to reflect the particular national and/or local conditions in different regions or countries.  The review highlights both the complexity of the assessment and policy landscape locally, nationally and internationally, and also the need for much more extensive research in this often overlooked educational arena.

Read the full report here.

Stranmillis University College leads review of Irish government’s Early Childhood Care and Education Programme

Stranmillis University College’s Centre for Research in Educational Underachievement (CREU) has been appointed by the government in the Republic of Ireland to undertake an independent review of its Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. 

The ECCE programme offers up to two years of free pre-school education and, since it was first introduced in 2010, more than 800,000 children have benefitted from it.  

The core objectives of the programme are:  

  • to provide children with their first formal experience of early learning prior to commencing primary school; 
  • to promote better cognitive and socio-emotional outcomes for children; and  
  • to narrow the gap in attainment between more and less advantaged children. 

The review is being led by Head of Early Years at Stranmillis and Assistant Director at CREU, Dr Glenda Walsh, in collaboration with Dr Thérèse Farrell from Dublin City University.  

The project will assess whether the ECCE Programme is meeting its core objectives and will identify any changes or improvements that can be made, informing work to introduce a universal legal entitlement to pre-school in the Republic of Ireland. 

The appointment was made by the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman. 

Stranmillis project lead Dr Glenda Walsh said: 

I am absolutely delighted to be leading this significant research project where the end product is all about getting it right for our youngest children. The key stakeholders i.e. early years educators, parents and the young children themselves, will play a huge part in every aspect of this study, informing the way forward on what works already and what aspects of ECCE need to be developed.” 

Dr Noel Purdy, Director of CREU, said: 

“Stranmillis has a long history of teaching and research expertise in the Early Years, and I welcome this latest funding awarded by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to Dr Walsh and her team.  I wish them well as they embark on this important review of the ECCE programme.” 

The Review will be completed towards the end of 2023. 

The research team from l-r: Dr Franka Winter (SUC), Dr Karen Orr (SUC), Dr Glenda Walsh (SUC), Dr Thérèse Farrell (DCU) and Dr Karen Hanna (SUC).

A Kestrel for a Knave – lessons on educational disadvantage

After re-reading Barry Hines’ 1968 novel ‘Kestrel for a Knave‘ with his son, in this new blog post, CREU Director Dr Noel Purdy reflects on some of the lessons from this gritty classic for understanding educational disadvantage.

Recently I have been re-reading Barry Hines’ 1968 novel Kestrel for a Knave with my twelve-year-old son.  For those who aren’t familiar with it, it’s the story of Billy Casper, a young working-class boy from Barnsley who finds and trains a kestrel (Kes). Adapted into the film Kes directed by Ken Loach the following year, both the novel and the film have developed an international fan base that extends far beyond its setting in Yorkshire, with the novel featuring on many GCSE English literature specifications over the years, and clips from the film now appearing regularly on social media channels. The enduring appeal of the story can be seen in a heart-warming 2019 BBC documentary by comedian (and former English teacher) Greg Davies and by the recent unveiling of a statue of ‘Billy’ in Barnsley by Dai Bradley (who played him in the 1969 film) in memory of Barry Hines who died in 2016.

The story itself is dark, gritty, unforgiving in its portrayal of a troubled family in a working-class mining community where prospects are limited, aspirations low and discipline harsh by today’s standards.  It is a world of cold, curtainless houses, fish and chip shops, betting shops, coal mines and violence.  The portrayal of school is also overwhelmingly negative.  We see an uncompromising disciplinary regime enforced by corporal punishment and exercised without conscience by the soulless headmaster Mr Gryce (an innocent messenger boy is caned by Gryce and is physically sick as a result); where teachers are portrayed as largely humourless (after calling out the name ‘Fisher’ as part of the class roll call, Mr Crossley fails to appreciate Billy shouting out ‘German Bight’ which caused him to make a mistake on the roll book); and where physical and verbal bullying are rife, meted out by both pupils and teachers.  Billy is bullied by his older brother Jud as well as other boys in school and there is little that Billy’s struggling mother at home or teachers at school are able or willing to do to stop it.  In a flashback near the end of the novel, we learn that Billy’s father had left home, having discovered his wife having an affair with ‘Uncle Mick’, meaning that Billy is also teased by other boys for coming from a single parent household and for his mother subsequently having other partners.  Even the humour of the football match scene where Mr Sugden, resplendent in his Bobby Charlton Manchester United strip, plays and cheats his way to victory, is bookended with cruelty as Billy is humiliated by being forced at the outset to wear oversized shorts that pull up to his neck, and is afterwards forced into freezing cold showers by Sugden who positions other boys to block his escape.  And of course, the story concludes with Jud killing Kes, Billy’s pride and joy, as a thoughtless act of revenge for Billy failing to place a winning bet.  The book is a tough, disturbing read.

And yet, I couldn’t help but search for some glimmers of hope in an otherwise joyless world of economic deprivation and low aspiration.  Aside from the new passion for life that Billy discovers through training the kestrel hawk, the only other glimmer of light I found is in the character of Mr Farthing, the sole teacher who seems to take any genuine personal interest in Billy, who gives him the opportunity to speak in front of his peers about training his hawk, and who goes to watch Billy fly Kes one lunchtime.  What we see here is the essence of pastoral care in education through the importance of relationship, the giving of opportunity to talk about his love of falconry, and the resulting sense of pride and mutual respect that emerge.  When Billy speaks in front of his classmates, he captivates them with his knowledge and passion, and he is able to spell out specific vocabulary without fault (“jesses”, “swivel”, “leash”) that he has learned from devouring the book on falconry he stole from the local bookshop.  For me at least, this is my favourite scene of the whole novel and talks to themes of pupil engagement, curricular relevance and opportunities to achieve against the odds and even flourish.  Mr Farthing represents probably the only positive adult role model in Billy’s life.

In terms of future prospects, Billy has few options.  His elder brother Jud has already gone down the local mine, but at his interview with the Youth Employment Officer Billy makes it clear that “I wouldn’t be seen dead down t’pit”.  In response he is told that “I’ve interviewed some lads in my time, but I’ve never met one like you.  Half the time you’re like a cat on hot bricks, the other half you’re not even listening.” On the way out Billy is handed a pamphlet entitled ‘Leaving School’ whose cover page shows “a man in square glasses shaking hands across a desk with a strapping youth in blazer and flannels”, representing a typically middle-class home counties stereotype, a million miles from Billy’s world in Barnsley.

So what can we learn of any relevance to today from a 1960s novel set in a small Yorkshire mining community?  More than half a century later, it is clear that the current cost of living crisis, coming on the back of a global pandemic, threatens to plunge a new generation of children (including many children from working families) into severe economic hardship in the months ahead, exacerbating existing stark social inequalities and forcing many families to make difficult choices between heating and eating.  Hunger, cold and economic hardship are just as real today as they were in 1968, and are closely correlated to educational underachievement.

Second, there are clear moral warnings against the cruelty, brutality and injustice of this portrayal of 1960s schooling where lack of aspiration pervades both the classroom and the staffroom.  The headmaster, Gryce, dismisses the current generation of young people as having “no guts…no backbone…you’ve nothing to commend you whatsoever”.  But there is also a chink of light through the example of Mr Farthing whose interest in Billy as an individual affirms the importance of relationship in education, and the possibilities afforded by engaging learners in curricular activities that have relevance to them.  Mr Farthing reminds us of the power of teachers to harness aspiration and instill self-confidence, even in times of economic hardship.

Finally, pastorally too, the story is significant.  As Dai Bradley said recently at the unveiling of the statue of Billy and Kes in Barnsley in November 2021, this short novel about a boy and his kestrel is known right across the world, and, importantly, “a lot of young people look towards Billy for support when they’re having problems in their early life through bullying or problems at school”.  For many, Billy represents hope and resilience, despite everything.

Others will know much more than me about gritty Yorkshire mining towns, and perhaps more about falconry too, but perhaps I could encourage you to re-read and rediscover (as I have done) the educational and social challenges of a much-loved story.