Whilst Term 4 is filled with many rites of passage, milestone moments and celebrations there is still much learning to be done. To ensure we are providing our girls with the best possible foundation to consolidate their learning this year and preparedness for the new learning to come in 2023, it is essential that the girls arrive at Barbreck prior to Form Period at 8.20am. 

Our School Gates opens at 8.00am, providing the girls ample time to put their bags away, organise their resources, set up their desks, check in with friends and ease into their day. Having this time, prior to Form Period gives the girls the opportunity to feel prepared, settled, and relaxed – which will ultimately lead to better learning. 

Form Period at the commencement of the school day provides the girls essential information for their day ahead, including changes to the daily program, notices and instructions that are important for the girls. Our teachers have found that students who arrive late exhibit signs of stress or anxiety and are often playing catch up with news, notices, and instructions throughout the morning.  

Learning Gains  

Our Junior School staff know that children learn best in the early part of the day. Which is why we structure the timetable to have the core areas of literacy and numeracy taught in the first few lessons, so students make the greatest gains with their learning.  

Our lessons are also structured in such a way that the first part of the lesson is the explicit teaching of new content and skills. The rest of the lesson then focuses on using the knowledge and skills collaboratively, and then independently. Missing the first part of the lesson has a double impact on learning – it affects not only learning but learning in a core subject like English or Mathematics. 

Unlocking the Mystery 

The impact on learning when students arrive after 8.30am is significant. While teachers will try their best, it is difficult when halfway through a lesson a student arrives late. The teacher needs to continue their teaching and not interrupt the lesson plan or the learning of the class in attendance. Late students try their best to catch up, and teachers will try to help them when they can, but it is not the same as experiencing the whole lesson.  

I think a good analogy would be like trying to follow a mystery movie when you have missed the first 15 minutes – you are constantly trying to connect the given information without knowing what created the mystery. It usually ends in frustration and the feeling that you missed vital clues. Children find the same when missing part of a lesson. Arriving late each day for Lesson 1 by 10 to 15 minutes means a student has missed 20% to 25% of the explicit teaching of knowledge and skills in core subject areas. This in turn creates gaps in learning.  

While the occasional late start has no long-term impact, continual late days have significant impact on student achievement and progress, particularly in the core areas of literacy and numeracy.  

As always, our girls are their happiest and learn best when home and School work in partnership. I look forward to working alongside you all this term and celebrating the wonderful achievements of your daughters.

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES