Outwood Family Catch Up Series...Lara Southall

As part of our new feature, we are talking with members of the Outwood Family and finding out how life has changed for them since the school closures announcement.

This time we catch up with Lara Southall, Associate Director of English at the Outwood Family.

Read on to see how Lara day to day life has been changed due to the social distancing measures taken by the Government.

[Outwood.com] Hi Lara, thanks for taking the time to chat with us. We appreciate you’re busy, so let’s get to it! Things have been turned upside down recently, for reasons we are all too aware of. So, for you what has been the most difficult aspect of the lockdown period for you and your work?

“By far the interaction with all my students has caused me the most upset as they are the sole reason I came into teaching! That feeling of interacting with them everyday and seeing their emotions and knowing I have helped them in some small way is priceless. 

“Obviously, I miss my fantastic colleagues in all my schools but through daily  meetings we are still in contact.”

That is something we have heard a lot. People are finding it difficult coming to terms with the lesser interaction levels they have with students. So what is a typical day for you now?

“A typical day now involves both my Outwood work and teaching my own 15-year-old too. It starts with checking emails and my google classroom to see if any of my students have contacted me regarding any issues they might have had. I make my welfare calls from 10am onwards as this allows for parents to have a lie in! 

“I aim to make 6 or 7 calls a day and each conversation is very satisfying as parents have been very grateful for this contact and to share any concerns or  generally just chat about what is going on! 

“I have at least two meetings a day with my English teams, whole school briefings and SLT meetings. At the moment, I am heavily involved with the ranking for our Y11’s now we know they will not be able to sit their GCSE’s this Summer and it is vital this is completed to the best of my ability as all of  our students have worked so hard since Y7 and they deserve the best possible outcome after this surreal time. 

“There are hours of work involved in this as every colleague of mine wants the best for their students and this is my main focus for the next few weeks. 

“Every Friday I meet with the English director team for a few hours to discuss each of our secondary academies and to share any issues which may have arisen during the week. 

“I am currently planning a scheme of work for Y7/8 on African and American Literature which is a passion of mine and it is very exciting to work on. I am also in daily contact with my HoD’s to discuss any issues and at the moment we are working hard on our staffing for English from September 2020. 

“This constant communication is key to ensuring we are all working together and supporting each other, especially at this strange time.”

A very active work diary then! It is great that so much is happening and the African and American Literature work sounds interesting and something the students will enjoy. What has surprised you most since these measures were introduced?

“How much I love my job and that my students are the ones who keep me going everyday! 

“I always knew teaching was my passion but since lockdown began it has really exposed how working with our young people is the reason I love what I do and I miss it!”

That is amazing to hear and a big positive to take from this situation. What has been your most satisfying moment so far during this lockdown?

“Being able to plan exciting new resources and have the time to really understand the cognitive processes to learning. 

“I have been able to devote more time to my own personal research on why boys underachieve and have begun to put together my next steps for when lockdown is over.”

Another positive takeaway from this period. So once restrictions are lifted, do you think you will adapt the approach you take to your work in light of the work practices you’ve had to adopt during this time?

“Honestly, I don't think my approach will change as I am already a very enthusiastic teacher but,  if anything, the lockdown has made me realise the importance of teachers and the enormous impact we can have on our young people.”

Well that’s a positive way to end this chat. Thank you for your time, Lara.