There's so much more to education than exam results

One of the good things about having a newsletter is that I can pretty much write about whatever I feel like; one of the bad things about having a newsletter is having to actually decide what to ramble on about each week.

For today, I did consider writing about what has probably been our biggest education story this week – the latest developments around Glasgow City Council’s plans to cut hundreds of teachers. It started with parents and teachers condemning the council over the “calculated and deceptive” tactics that were used to “force through” the cuts, developed into parents’ “worst fears” being realised as the risks of the cuts were made clear, and culminated in confirmation that the Glasgow City Parents Group is going to push ahead with legal action against the council over the whole debacle.

But then I decided I wanted to write something a bit more cheerful – something that celebrated some of the great things happening in schools in Scotland. Don’t get me wrong, the teacher cuts story is hugely important (and there will be lots more reporting to come) but I really do think it’s important to remember that, for all the obvious problems affecting schools, they still do an absolutely incredible job.

Fortunately, last night something happened that fits the bill perfectly.

A few months ago I visited a local library for a story and got talking to one of the teachers at Lenzie Academy. A few days later, I received an email asking if I would be interested in coming along to the school’s ‘Celebration of Character’ to present some awards.

To be honest, I’ve never really been a fan of school award ceremonies that reward pupils for high performance in particular subjects.

And just to be clear, this is a very long-standing view.

Back when I was in high school I regularly won those sorts of awards, and it always made me uncomfortable. The way I saw it, I hadn’t done anything particularly impressive or note-worthy, I’d just been lucky that the exam system suits people like me so well.

So if I had been invited to the sort of spectacle my mum tried (and failed) to get me to attend as a teenager I might have thought twice about it. Luckily for me, the event at Lenzie Academy was very different.

First of all, it had been arranged by pupils on the Lenzie Academy Community Engagement (LACE) group. There were plenty of teachers about, of course, but the audience only heard from them right at the end of the event – up to that point, all hosting and performance duties were carried out by the young people themselves.

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But the bigger difference was that this particular ceremony wasn’t taking place to praise someone for getting full marks in their physics exam, or to recognise the latest achievements of the school’s star athlete.

Instead, I found myself handing out certificates for things food hygiene, Dynamic Youth Awards, several levels of Saltire Awards and even a bit of DofE.

Every single teenager who came up on the stage was being recognised for the individual achievement of personal development. Loads of them had also completed an extraordinary number of volunteering hours as part of the programmes they had completed.

It was a lovely night, and I felt privileged to be able to take part in it.

Events like this also serve as a reminder that there is so much more to education than exam results, and that the people working in schools are, above all, motivated by a deep desire to help people.

I think we should always try to keep that in mind.