It’s the last morning of the Lent term, March 2020 and I’m sitting with the boarders at breakfast. With the pandemic about to hit Scotland, we jokingly say to the form 8s that this may be their last ever Cargilfield breakfast. I honestly did not believe this would be true but a year on we still haven’t seen them or had a chance to say goodbye.

The summer term arrived, the weather was lovely and the grounds were all ready but no children came into school. Staff meeting was done on something called Microsoft teams, something we would all become so familiar with over the next year. The realisation that we would not see children or staff in the building was sad and not what a school should be like. Most of the time the only staff here were myself, the housemaster and the headmaster and his family. This is because we all live here, even all the gap students had gone home. Most of them we never saw again as they were all from abroad. I did have a job to do during this time, I was working with the key worker children who came into school everyday. For them this was not an easy thing to do. All their friends were in the comfort of their own homes, but they were at school, on school computers, eating packed lunches and having to get up early to get into school for 8.30! 

August arrived and I like most people were hoping that school would be normal again, whatever normal now is! However it wasn’t. We had to keep children in bubbles, two of the boys dorms became classrooms, no school uniform just games kit, no changing rooms (can’t say I’m missing going in there!) sinks around the school were springing up everywhere and the reminder to keep washing our hands, but at least the children were back in school and for a time we had all the boarders back too. Even the boarding house was a very different place, with showers at 5pm, games kit being washed every night and the girls even had the TV in the dorm to watch Bake Off. I never thought I would allow that! 

I also never thought that after the Christmas holidays the children would be back to online learning. It was a sad sight to see the school quiet again with the prospect of another term with no children in the school. The saying it’s the people that make a place not the building is so true and has never been more apparent than in the last year.

Thankfully, the children returned for the last week of term, and how lovely it was to see them all. Let’s hope we never have to do online learning again and summer term can be a bit more like the norm.

It’s the last morning of the Lent term, March 2020 and I’m sitting with the boarders at breakfast. With the pandemic about to hit Scotland, we jokingly say to the form 8s that this may be their last ever Cargilfield breakfast. I honestly did not believe this would be true but a year on we still haven’t seen them or had a chance to say goodbye.

The summer term arrived, the weather was lovely and the grounds were all ready but no children came into school. Staff meeting was done on something called Microsoft teams, something we would all become so familiar with over the next year. The realisation that we would not see children or staff in the building was sad and not what a school should be like. Most of the time the only staff here were myself, the housemaster and the headmaster and his family. This is because we all live here, even all the gap students had gone home. Most of them we never saw again as they were all from abroad. I did have a job to do during this time, I was working with the key worker children who came into school everyday. For them this was not an easy thing to do. All their friends were in the comfort of their own homes, but they were at school, on school computers, eating packed lunches and having to get up early to get into school for 8.30! 

August arrived and I like most people were hoping that school would be normal again, whatever normal now is! However it wasn’t. We had to keep children in bubbles, two of the boys dorms became classrooms, no school uniform just games kit, no changing rooms (can’t say I’m missing going in there!) sinks around the school were springing up everywhere and the reminder to keep washing our hands, but at least the children were back in school and for a time we had all the boarders back too. Even the boarding house was a very different place, with showers at 5pm, games kit being washed every night and the girls even had the TV in the dorm to watch Bake Off. I never thought I would allow that! 

I also never thought that after the Christmas holidays the children would be back to online learning. It was a sad sight to see the school quiet again with the prospect of another term with no children in the school. The saying it’s the people that make a place not the building is so true and has never been more apparent than in the last year.

Thankfully, the children returned for the last week of term, and how lovely it was to see them all. Let’s hope we never have to do online learning again and summer term can be a bit more like the norm.

There is no doubting it; the past few months have been hard. The bad weather and the lack of daylight seem to have made this lockdown more difficult than the last. One of the most difficult aspects of lockdown has been the lack of distinction between Home and School. Our children seem to spend hours in their rooms working, revising and now even socialising. School books and stationary seem to cover every surface …..and floor. Home doesn’t feel a place to relax in or switch off from your busy day at school. Fortunately the children at Cargilfield have had a full programme of live lessons. However, what they have really missed out on are all the other aspects that a Prep School provides; sport every day, clubs in the evening, boarding weekends, being with your peer group and having fun, even the odd falling out and arguments with friends which provide the resilience that children need to cope later on. These are the things along side the academics that allow the children to grow.

As a parent of teenagers, the blurred lines between home and school over these last few months  have definitely lead to frustration and more arguments. Even though many of my friends thought I was mad sending my children to Boarding School, one of the big things I learnt early on was that actually Home for them became even more special. My relationship with them became better and there were definitely fewer arguments as home became a place to relax in and somewhere where they wanted to be in the holidays. 

So, as the light at the end of that tunnel to normality becomes a bit brighter, we can be ever more hopeful that children here at Cargilfield can get back to doing what Prep Schools do best- long, fun filled days of activities, performing in plays, competing in matches, singing in choirs, creating and debating. There might even be time for a bit of work in between! And then maybe  “home” can really be Home.

There is no doubting it; the past few months have been hard. The bad weather and the lack of daylight seem to have made this lockdown more difficult than the last. One of the most difficult aspects of lockdown has been the lack of distinction between Home and School. Our children seem to spend hours in their rooms working, revising and now even socialising. School books and stationary seem to cover every surface …..and floor. Home doesn’t feel a place to relax in or switch off from your busy day at school. Fortunately the children at Cargilfield have had a full programme of live lessons. However, what they have really missed out on are all the other aspects that a Prep School provides; sport every day, clubs in the evening, boarding weekends, being with your peer group and having fun, even the odd falling out and arguments with friends which provide the resilience that children need to cope later on. These are the things along side the academics that allow the children to grow.

As a parent of teenagers, the blurred lines between home and school over these last few months  have definitely lead to frustration and more arguments. Even though many of my friends thought I was mad sending my children to Boarding School, one of the big things I learnt early on was that actually Home for them became even more special. My relationship with them became better and there were definitely fewer arguments as home became a place to relax in and somewhere where they wanted to be in the holidays. 

So, as the light at the end of that tunnel to normality becomes a bit brighter, we can be ever more hopeful that children here at Cargilfield can get back to doing what Prep Schools do best- long, fun filled days of activities, performing in plays, competing in matches, singing in choirs, creating and debating. There might even be time for a bit of work in between! And then maybe  “home” can really be Home.

To the untrained eye, you may have thought you have walked in to a building site, but in actual fact this is controlled chaos and we feel is the recipe for creation, personal development and team building skills, whilst at the same time, wherever possible, fostering a link with other subjects. That could be poetry, drama, geography, science, maths and of course all wrapped up in the history of art. Children venture in here to explore new materials and techniques which they can then apply to their own personal ideas along with set and themed projects.  In doing so, they are introduced to various artists and designers who will help inform their own work and become a bench mark where by they can raise the quality of their creations.

Art History has inspiration!

Here is an example of the theme horse and rider alongside peg man that children have worked on, and were directly inspired by the Scottish sculptor David Mach, in using mixed media which included corks and coloured drawing pins incorporating everyday items. 

The work of Antony Gormely, the creator of the Angel of the North, has inspired our department in many ways from years three to eight. Here, children have taken casts of their hands, feet and faces along with cardboard construction techniques to make a Scuba diver and Orca whale.

Social Injustice touched on War throughout the 20^th Century, looking at the work of war artist and creating a war frieze inspired  by Picasso's Guernica. Here, Years 4,5,6 and 8 came together to form a group project using body moulding, ceramics and cardboard construction along with the dry brush technique to create a war frieze. Underneath the art work a C.D player plays on repeat, Nigel Kennedy's Sospiri.

Students' work involves all aspects of Fine Art, working individually and as part of a team to explore and experiment with a wide range of materials, often being influenced by Art History but also visits from senior schools including Strathallan, Merchiston Castle and Fettes College.

Pupils get the opportunity to work from their imagination but also from direct observational studies. 

Children at Cargilfield are encouraged to aspire and front up to Art History, learning directly but also giving back and moving on.

The art room encourages all students to take part and to have fun.  There can be no mistakes here only happy accidents!

To the untrained eye, you may have thought you have walked in to a building site, but in actual fact this is controlled chaos and we feel is the recipe for creation, personal development and team building skills, whilst at the same time, wherever possible, fostering a link with other subjects. That could be poetry, drama, geography, science, maths and of course all wrapped up in the history of art. Children venture in here to explore new materials and techniques which they can then apply to their own personal ideas along with set and themed projects.  In doing so, they are introduced to various artists and designers who will help inform their own work and become a bench mark where by they can raise the quality of their creations.

Art History has inspiration!

Here is an example of the theme horse and rider alongside peg man that children have worked on, and were directly inspired by the Scottish sculptor David Mach, in using mixed media which included corks and coloured drawing pins incorporating everyday items. 

The work of Antony Gormely, the creator of the Angel of the North, has inspired our department in many ways from years three to eight. Here, children have taken casts of their hands, feet and faces along with cardboard construction techniques to make a Scuba diver and Orca whale.

Social Injustice touched on War throughout the 20^th Century, looking at the work of war artist and creating a war frieze inspired  by Picasso's Guernica. Here, Years 4,5,6 and 8 came together to form a group project using body moulding, ceramics and cardboard construction along with the dry brush technique to create a war frieze. Underneath the art work a C.D player plays on repeat, Nigel Kennedy's Sospiri.

Students' work involves all aspects of Fine Art, working individually and as part of a team to explore and experiment with a wide range of materials, often being influenced by Art History but also visits from senior schools including Strathallan, Merchiston Castle and Fettes College.

Pupils get the opportunity to work from their imagination but also from direct observational studies. 

Children at Cargilfield are encouraged to aspire and front up to Art History, learning directly but also giving back and moving on.

The art room encourages all students to take part and to have fun.  There can be no mistakes here only happy accidents!

Solution Focused

I say these words “solution focused” a lot in my every day life as a teacher. Being solution focused is something that has been challenging over the past year. However, it is paramount to moving forward. 

Solution focused practice concentrates on helping children move towards the future that they want and to learn what can be done differently by using their existing skills, strategies and ideas, rather than focusing on the problem.

The solution-focused approach seems to be one that children and young people find easy to access, non-stigmatising and useful. In my teaching career I have found using scaling questions invite the child to talk about what is going well and the many exceptions and instances they may have forgotten to notice, as well as small signs of progress. Sometimes constructing a tangible scale across the floor so that the child can physically move along it is useful as it becomes much more visual. For children I like to keep the top end of the scale, the child’s best hopes, as a cluster of sparkling possibilities, and the bottom of the scale as simply ‘the opposite’. This gives many more opportunities for small signs of progress to be noticed rather than tying progress down too tightly. Scales remain flexible, which is important.

Children and young people are responsive to and therefore able to engage in this way of talking. Children do not generally respond well to conversations in which ‘problem talk’ is dominant. It can be uncomfortable, restrictive or just uninteresting to them, especially if an adult is identifying the problems. However, talking about strengths and resources, about the future and about small successes is a different way of talking that also, as Therese Steiner says, connects with how children think and see the world: ‘After all, the solution-focused approach fits very well with the way children think about and view the world. I have never met a child who liked to talk about problems. When you observe small children, how they solve little everyday problems goes along the predictable pattern of trial and error. They always look ahead, and they almost never sit down and analyse the difficulties in order to come up with a solution. The longer I thought about these characteristics, the more it became clear to me that being solution focused paralleled a child’s way of being in the world.’

This quote is something that is instilled in my every day teaching at Cargilfield, creating a positive and fun, yet thoughtful environment for children to thrive in and ultimately shapes our future…whatever that may be!

Solution Focused

I say these words “solution focused” a lot in my every day life as a teacher. Being solution focused is something that has been challenging over the past year. However, it is paramount to moving forward. 

Solution focused practice concentrates on helping children move towards the future that they want and to learn what can be done differently by using their existing skills, strategies and ideas, rather than focusing on the problem.

The solution-focused approach seems to be one that children and young people find easy to access, non-stigmatising and useful. In my teaching career I have found using scaling questions invite the child to talk about what is going well and the many exceptions and instances they may have forgotten to notice, as well as small signs of progress. Sometimes constructing a tangible scale across the floor so that the child can physically move along it is useful as it becomes much more visual. For children I like to keep the top end of the scale, the child’s best hopes, as a cluster of sparkling possibilities, and the bottom of the scale as simply ‘the opposite’. This gives many more opportunities for small signs of progress to be noticed rather than tying progress down too tightly. Scales remain flexible, which is important.

Children and young people are responsive to and therefore able to engage in this way of talking. Children do not generally respond well to conversations in which ‘problem talk’ is dominant. It can be uncomfortable, restrictive or just uninteresting to them, especially if an adult is identifying the problems. However, talking about strengths and resources, about the future and about small successes is a different way of talking that also, as Therese Steiner says, connects with how children think and see the world: ‘After all, the solution-focused approach fits very well with the way children think about and view the world. I have never met a child who liked to talk about problems. When you observe small children, how they solve little everyday problems goes along the predictable pattern of trial and error. They always look ahead, and they almost never sit down and analyse the difficulties in order to come up with a solution. The longer I thought about these characteristics, the more it became clear to me that being solution focused paralleled a child’s way of being in the world.’

This quote is something that is instilled in my every day teaching at Cargilfield, creating a positive and fun, yet thoughtful environment for children to thrive in and ultimately shapes our future…whatever that may be!

Music isn’t just for children …

I have to say I have been totally humbled by the commitment to music lessons shown by our parents during this difficult year. It is hard to think back to the rather glum conversations we had when the idea of remote learning first came up. I remember sitting with the peripatetic music teachers in the staff room over our morning coffee last March and trying to get our heads round how it might work; there were so many obstacles it seemed, not least of which was the difficulty of fitting music lessons into family life with everyone working from home, especially in families with multiple children learning multiple instruments, as is the case for many of you. Music, after all, is noisy!

As it turns out, more has been possible than we ever expected. Almost all children have continued with their individual lessons on a weekly basis and thanks to a willingness to be flexible and try new things on the part of parents, children and teachers, we have found solutions to all sorts of problems, including timetabling, accompaniments (a special mention here goes to those children who have had the dedication to copy their accompaniment onto Noteflight so they could play along with the computer!) and of course performances. The weekly online mini concerts have been an absolute joy for me and I know for many others in our wider community.  Of course it isn’t the same as live music, but it does have the advantage of enabling us to share the children’s wonderful efforts with a much wider audience including family members living further away. I know my own mother very much looks forward to her weekly dose of Cargilfield music-making – a definite tonic, especially through these winter weeks!

So thank you to all our parents for the patience, encouragement and goodwill you have shown in challenging times to ensure that your children are still able to progress and learn skills which will be with them for life.  Some of you are motivated by being musicians yourselves, others tell me that you regret not learning or are a ‘lapsed’ musician and still others tell me that you are ‘not musical’ – a claim I always take with a pinch of salt, as in so many cases it is just not having the right opportunities that stops someone from taking up music as a hobby. We aren’t all going to be virtuoso players, however hard we try, but I firmly believe that everyone is capable of music for their own enjoyment if they just find the right thing for them. 

My hope is that the process of being closer to your children’s musical education during remote learning may have inspired some of you to make music a more active part of your life too. I remember, when training as a teacher, a lecturer drilling into us the idea that, if we want children to be enthusiastic readers, we need them to see that reading is not just something we plague children with, but something that adults do for leisure and information. Plenty of role-modelling of reading by family and other grown-ups is absolutely key to their development as independent readers themselves; having a parent who is a bookworm is an advantage!  I would argue exactly the same is true of music. Making music a valued part of your own life – something you turn to for relaxation, social interaction and enjoyment – shows children that they are learning for a reason. Otherwise we are, in effect, giving them the message that music is for children and adults are just too busy; music is a childish pursuit which you grow out of when more important things take over in your life.

Actively valuing music comes in many guises. It may, of course, be as a listener – I remember a turning point for one child, who had started the double bass, was when his dad dug out his semi-forgotten LP jazz collection up in the attic and started sharing and discussing his favourite music with his son. Another family comes to mind who have been committed supporters of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra for years, giving their children the opportunity to attend at least the first half of concerts with them from a young age. Or if you have never had the opportunity to learn, or regret giving up, perhaps now is your chance? Nothing could be more powerful as an example to your children as making a commitment to 10 minutes practice a day yourself, and why live with the regret of not playing – it definitely is never too late! 

 Having recently taken up a new instrument as an adult, I will readily admit, it’s a challenge. Yes, it’s easy to feel too busy, and yes, one inevitably wants to be able to play pieces that are far too hard at once – but how nice it is to be doing something about ‘I wish I could play the lute’. My husband, meanwhile, having taken inspiration from the Cargilfield mini concerts, had his first Clarsach lesson last week and is proudly able to play his first tune with two hands. My only word of caution here, is that it can become a bit addictive; I find once I get in the zone it is very hard to put down and attend the household chores! 

Last year we had some wonderful online mini concerts given by former Cargundians. Maybe we could aim for a parents’ concert next?

Music isn’t just for children …

I have to say I have been totally humbled by the commitment to music lessons shown by our parents during this difficult year. It is hard to think back to the rather glum conversations we had when the idea of remote learning first came up. I remember sitting with the peripatetic music teachers in the staff room over our morning coffee last March and trying to get our heads round how it might work; there were so many obstacles it seemed, not least of which was the difficulty of fitting music lessons into family life with everyone working from home, especially in families with multiple children learning multiple instruments, as is the case for many of you. Music, after all, is noisy!

As it turns out, more has been possible than we ever expected. Almost all children have continued with their individual lessons on a weekly basis and thanks to a willingness to be flexible and try new things on the part of parents, children and teachers, we have found solutions to all sorts of problems, including timetabling, accompaniments (a special mention here goes to those children who have had the dedication to copy their accompaniment onto Noteflight so they could play along with the computer!) and of course performances. The weekly online mini concerts have been an absolute joy for me and I know for many others in our wider community.  Of course it isn’t the same as live music, but it does have the advantage of enabling us to share the children’s wonderful efforts with a much wider audience including family members living further away. I know my own mother very much looks forward to her weekly dose of Cargilfield music-making – a definite tonic, especially through these winter weeks!

So thank you to all our parents for the patience, encouragement and goodwill you have shown in challenging times to ensure that your children are still able to progress and learn skills which will be with them for life.  Some of you are motivated by being musicians yourselves, others tell me that you regret not learning or are a ‘lapsed’ musician and still others tell me that you are ‘not musical’ – a claim I always take with a pinch of salt, as in so many cases it is just not having the right opportunities that stops someone from taking up music as a hobby. We aren’t all going to be virtuoso players, however hard we try, but I firmly believe that everyone is capable of music for their own enjoyment if they just find the right thing for them. 

My hope is that the process of being closer to your children’s musical education during remote learning may have inspired some of you to make music a more active part of your life too. I remember, when training as a teacher, a lecturer drilling into us the idea that, if we want children to be enthusiastic readers, we need them to see that reading is not just something we plague children with, but something that adults do for leisure and information. Plenty of role-modelling of reading by family and other grown-ups is absolutely key to their development as independent readers themselves; having a parent who is a bookworm is an advantage!  I would argue exactly the same is true of music. Making music a valued part of your own life – something you turn to for relaxation, social interaction and enjoyment – shows children that they are learning for a reason. Otherwise we are, in effect, giving them the message that music is for children and adults are just too busy; music is a childish pursuit which you grow out of when more important things take over in your life.

Actively valuing music comes in many guises. It may, of course, be as a listener – I remember a turning point for one child, who had started the double bass, was when his dad dug out his semi-forgotten LP jazz collection up in the attic and started sharing and discussing his favourite music with his son. Another family comes to mind who have been committed supporters of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra for years, giving their children the opportunity to attend at least the first half of concerts with them from a young age. Or if you have never had the opportunity to learn, or regret giving up, perhaps now is your chance? Nothing could be more powerful as an example to your children as making a commitment to 10 minutes practice a day yourself, and why live with the regret of not playing – it definitely is never too late! 

 Having recently taken up a new instrument as an adult, I will readily admit, it’s a challenge. Yes, it’s easy to feel too busy, and yes, one inevitably wants to be able to play pieces that are far too hard at once – but how nice it is to be doing something about ‘I wish I could play the lute’. My husband, meanwhile, having taken inspiration from the Cargilfield mini concerts, had his first Clarsach lesson last week and is proudly able to play his first tune with two hands. My only word of caution here, is that it can become a bit addictive; I find once I get in the zone it is very hard to put down and attend the household chores! 

Last year we had some wonderful online mini concerts given by former Cargundians. Maybe we could aim for a parents’ concert next?