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The 15 most inspiring teachers in films

In life, there are good teachers and bad ones. The same goes for the movies. After all, there’s no comparison between Robert Donat’s exquisite Mr Chips and Paul Gleason’s boorish Mr Vernon, the principal, and Saturday detention setter, in the Breakfast Club.

But who is the most inspirational teacher you've seen on the big screen, and which teachers from the movies would you actually like your children to be taught by? Here’s the School Gate top 15.

1) Charles (Mr Chips) Chipping in Goodbye Mr Chips
The original, and the best. Robert Donat’s Oscar-winning performance (he beat Clark Gable for Gone With The Wind) portrays a teacher who learns so much through teaching generations of boys. As the years pass, they become his family.

2) Glenn Holland (Richard Dreyfuss) in Mr Holland’s Opus.
Somehow even thirty years of band practice doesn’t detract from the truly special teacher Mr Holland turns out to be. We still get a tear in our eye during this one.
Watch his first band practice.

3) Mark Thackeray (Sidney Poitier) in To Sir with Love
This teacher makes a different not just in the classroom but to his pupils’ personal lives too. A brilliant performance by Sidney Poitier.
Watch this emotional clip, as Sir is serenaded (by Lulu, no less).

4) Remus Lupin (David Thewlis) in Harry Potter
Yes, he does turn out to be a werewolf, which is not always the biggest plus point when it comes to the classroom, but this defence of the dark arts teacher is brave and brilliant.
Watch this Lupin tribute.

5) Annie Sullivan (Anne Bancroft) in The Miracle Worker
Sometimes tough love works.
Watch the final scene when Helen speaks and understands. It's remarkable.

6) Louanne Johnson (Michelle Pfeiffer) in Dangerous Minds
This English teacher takes on a tough inner-city school and proves a huge success.
Watch a clip.

7) Dewey Finn (Jack Black) in School of Rock
He may not actually be a proper teacher, but the kids wouldn't complain. And lessons would be so much fun.
Watch a clip.

8) John Keating (Robin Williams) in Dead Poet’s Society
Yes, Robin Williams can be incredibly annoying, but in this Oscar-nominated performance as an out of the ordinary English teacher, he’s also incredibly inspiring – except to the school’s staff, who sack him!
Watch a clip.

9) Jaime Escalante (Edward James Olmos) in Stand and Deliver
Now this is teaching. Jaime Escalante aims high and gets his apparently hopeless bunch of students to understand maths for the first time.
Watch the "What's calculus?" clip.

10) Richard Dadier (Glenn Ford) in the Blackboard Jungle
The magnificent Glenn Ford plays yet another English teacher. This one finds his ideals challenged when he joins a rough school. Eventually he earns the respect of the juvenile delinquents he's supposed to be teaching. A great film with excellent performances (including a young Sidney Poitier).
Watch a clip of Ford meeting Poitier

11) Rosemary Cross (Olivia Williams) in Rushmore
Williams is a delightful first-grade teacher, and an insightful friend too. It's easy to see why anyone would have a crush on her...
Watch an uncomfortable dinner date.

12) Yoda (Frank Oz) in the Star Wars films.
The greatest teacher of all time? Possibly. Decide you if is he.
Watch a clip of some Yoda fight scenes.

13) John Kimble (Arnold Schwarzenneger) in Kindergarten Kop
You're right, this shouldn't work, but somehow Arnie's performance as an undercover cop working in a pre-school does. Perhaps it's the kids and the way Arnie interacts with them, while showing his softer, comedic side.
Watch a clip from the film.

14) Professor Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard) in Good Will Hunting
Lambeau goes beyond the call of duty to help Will (Matt Damon) discover his fantastic mathematic ability.
Watch a clip.

15) Paul Verrall (William Holden) in Born Yesterday
The magnificent Holden is the journalist brought into tutor dumb blonde Judy Holliday. They get on so well, that Holliday turns out not to be quite so dumb after all.
Watch a clip.

Read our post on the 15 worst teachers in films

And read School Gate on

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Ten top tips for a happy transition to secondary school

There’s a huge difference between primary and secondary school. And the summer before starting Year 7 is exactly when nerves begin kicking in.

In a quest to help, we at School Gate have enlisted Beverlie. She's a mother of four, three of whom are now at (different) secondary schools, and here to give us her top ten helpful hints. In fact, she says she wishes someone had done this for her….

What you should know:

1) It may all be new for your child, but it isn’t for the school
Your child's new school will have had years of experience and systems in place to help smooth the process. After all, it's in their best interests not to have a bunch of little ones lost and weeping in the corridors! They may not know your child, but there's not a lot they haven't encountered.

2) Don’t share your anxiety with your child
Children will absolutely pick up on any fears you may have – even if they don’t actually share those fears themselves. Try to remain calm and positive, and chances are they will too.

3) Make sure your child visits their future school during term time
All the schools my children have attended had open days and tours. They really helped, particularly for the children to have a sense of familiarity once they start.

4) Travel to and from school during the summer holidays
Make sure you use the mode of transport they will be using if possible (obviously not if it’s a school bus). Point out landmarks to help the child familiarise themselves with the journey and apply for travel cards in plenty of time.
Extra tip: Go through strategies for when the journey does not go quite according to plan. If a child misses their stop, chances are they will be so panic stricken that they won’t be able to think clearly!  But if they have it in their head that all they have to do is cross the road and hop on the same number bus going the other way, they will be more able to take it in their stride.   

5) Be prepared for childish behaviour
Growing up can be scary and a new school overwhelming. Try and be sympathetic and keep them feeling safe and secure with familiar boundaries such as bedtime etc

6) Know whom to speak to regarding pastoral care at school
And don’t be afraid to make contact should there be a problem. 

7) Be organised
Most schools give out a list of equipment your child will need for school. I'm not the most organised of people, but finally took my own advice and got everything my child needed within the first week of the school holidays. Only someone who has left this kind of thing hanging over them until the last days of the holiday will understand what a joy it was to not have that last minute panic.  Label everything, pack the school bag, hang up the uniform…and forget about it all until they start school

8) Find out about school meals
Your child may have to choose a school dinner rather than packed lunches for the first time. Ask about the cost of these if paying daily. There is nothing worse than choosing something and then being embarrassed by it costing more than you expected! 

9) Mobile phone advice
Most children now have mobile phones and they can use these to contact you. (The Police advise that children should not be given the most up to date phones as this makes them prime targets for mugging).  Reassure your child that you’ll be there for them over the first few days, but remind them of school rules regarding phones – many confiscate them if they’re seen during lesson time.
A couple of my children initially called every break time to say that…it was break time!  I guess they just wanted to hear my voice. Within a week or so they were settled and confident and I didn’t hear from them again.

10) Try and meet people beforehand
At one of my children’s secondary schools a class list with names and addresses on it was circulated and we had weekly get-togethers for any children who were around. These were very low-key, but you could see new friendships blossoming and it really helped the children on the first day to see lots of familiar faces. 

Above all, have confidence in your child’s abilities!  My third child has just completed his first year at secondary school.  He went from a tiny independent school of 20 children per year group in what was little more than a large house, to an enormous university-like complex with over 300 children per year group. He is quite little in stature and not terribly independent and I was initially concerned that he would struggle with the sheer size of the place.  But these were very much my concerns, because he has sailed through this first year. I have loved watching him become more confident and independent and hope that my input has in some small way helped him on his way.

Read School Gate for our:

Explanation of secondary schools in the UK,

Tips on how to get into the secondary school of your choice,

Top eight tips for going back to school,

Explanation of all the post-GCSE exams and the soft A levels that universities don't want you to take....

Why the Sarika Watkins-Singh case doesn't necessarily mean what you think it does

Teenager Sarika Watkins today won her claim of discrimination against her school. She had refused to take off her Kara bangle - a symbol of her Sikh religion, saying it was far more than mere jewellery.

Since being sent home from her school in Wales last year, the 14-year-old has managed to set up a very high profile and professional campaign with wide support and a petition to the Prime Minister. Today she said she was overwhelmed by the judgement, adding, quite beautifully, that she is a "proud Welsh and Punjabi Sikh girl."

The Kara is a noticeable religious Sikh symbol, the single most common of the "five K's". Cricketer Monty Panesar has also been pictured wearing the slim steel band, which is often described as a reminder to "do good" and an integral part of the Sikh faith.

Judge Stephen Silber said that Sarika was unlawfully (albeit indirectly) discriminated against by Aberdare Girls' School. It had claimed that it was fair to exclude the teenager for refusing to take the bangle off, because of a general prohibition against jewellery. Interesting, Sarika had agreed to remove her Kara for safety reasons, such as in wood, metalwork and gym classes, but wanted to keep it on for the rest of the time.

Now people are saying that the judgement will impact on schools across the land. However, this may well not be the case.

As Stephen Grosz, head of public law and human rights at lawyers Bindmans, explains, Sikhism, like Judaism, is protected under law for being a race as well as a religion. In 1983, the House of Lords decided that that a school had acted unlawfully by refusing to accept a Sikh boy who wore a turban. The judgement said that Sikhs were a racial group and because of that, were capable of being discriminated against. This judgement was obviously raised by Sarika's legal team, and made her case one that she was always quite likely to win under race relations legislation.

The Kara is a religious obligation for a Sikh, not an adornment of choice - as you could argue for a crucifix or chastity ring. What Sarika had to show was that the school's general rule disadvantaged her (the only Sikh among 600 pupils), as the member of a particular racial group, because she couldn't comply with it.

In other words, this judgement does not seem to suggest that there will now be a free for all - that children of all religions will be allowed to wear a cross, hijab or other religious symbol. Nor does it suggest that school uniform rules which don't comply with people's religious aspirations will have to be replaced. Instead, it appears to be limited to a comparative disadvantage for racial groups. Sikhs and Jews may be allowed to wear their symbols, but others won't be! Is this why various other religious groups have been clamouring for changes to legislation of late?

The government currently leaves it up to individual schools when it comes to the wearing of religious symbols, and the DCFS appears to be quite happy as long as these don't affect learning and teaching. Recent human rights legislation has made it easier for people of other religions to bring cases regarding what they see as discimination, but none has so far been won. This does not appear to make those cases more likely to succeed.

Homework is too difficult - for parents.

Is your child's homework a struggle? If not for them, then for you? If so, you're not alone. A new report from the General Teaching Council for England suggests that although many parents would like to be involved in their child's learning, they don't think they have the right knowledge and skills to properly do so.

The new report, Engaging Parents in Their Children's Learning, raises a number of good points. Chief among them is that parents want more information from schools - about the curriculum, homework and their children. This is something I have also heard, over and over again, from so many parents. It's particularly true at secondary school, where, as this report suggests, parents have much less contact with teachers, but would appreciate more feedback.

Times have changed so much since many parents were at school, that teaching methods are often now completely different. This report says that parents feel that schools "expect" them to support their children's learning, and assume they know how to do so. What's interesting about this new research is that parents from all backgrounds are unhappy about this assumption. We (and yes, I include myself, as I have only just understood what a number bond is, after the whole of Year 1!) find it difficult to understand some of the work our children are given, even in primary school, and especially in maths and science. In secondary school, parents are finding it difficult to keep up in general.

Government guidelines on homework suggest an hour a week for years 1 and 2, 1 and a half hours for years 3 and 4, and 30 minutes a day for years 5 and 6. This increases to 45 minutes to 90 minutes per day in years 7 and 8, until it reaches a whopping one and a half to two and a half hours per day in years 10 and 11. One has to wonder what the point of these guidelines are if no one actually understands what the child is supposed to be doing (whether young children need homework at all is another moot point).

According to this report, many parents would like schools to run sessions helping them to understand the curriculum, modern teaching methods and how children learn. I completely agree with that one, and honestly hope that schools will start taking notice. It's always good to know that you're not alone, but even better is to know something is being done about it.

Read our tips on how to make your children do their homework and

why too much homework doesn't work.

Read School Gate on numberlines - explained!

And on why I love Numberjacks (how to introduce your young child to maths)

How you feel about end of year leaving gifts for teachers

The results are in. And when it comes to end of term gifts for the teacher, it seems that most School Gate-rs are not asked for specific amounts of money, and want to keep it that way!

In our end of year gifts survey, seventy percent of you reported that your school didn't ask for a specified amount to be given towards a present for your child's teacher. Thirteen percent were asked for £5, 11 percent for £10 (although 75 percent of those thought this was too much) and 3 percent for £15. One percent were asked for a very generous sounding £25, and they didn't even think this was over the top!

However, a whopping 80 percent of respondents thought it was inappropriate to be asked for anything, with strong opinions on fairness and choice (although some did say that they appreciated giving money as it was so simple). Many of us would clearly like to give an individual present. Whether that's what the teachers themselves want is another question....

(picture by Claudia Assad on flickr.com)

Accrington, Ebbsfleet or Thurrock University anyone?

The search for new university towns has begun, as John O’Leary, editor of the Times' Good University Guide, writes. But who should win?

“Today, the Higher Education Funding Council for England launched a search for 20 more deserving towns where a university centre might boost participation in higher education and benefit the local economy (experience has shown that some who currently miss out on university will take part-time courses if they are on the doorstep.)

Until recently, you really needed a cathedral if you wanted to attract a university: the 1960s vintage went to the likes of Canterbury, Norwich and York. And even the new wave of universities created in 2005 included Canterbury (again), Worcester, Chichester and Winchester.

But all that has changed since universities became the great hope for the knowledge economy, and widening participation in higher education moved up the Government’s agenda. Suddenly, High Wycombe and Ormskirk were on the list. Only last week, Wrexham joined them (the previously self-explanatory North-East Wales Institute of Higher Education has become Glyndwr University, after the 14th century Welsh hero.)

So where are we looking for our future university graduates? Amongst the towns where discussions have already taken place are Accrington, Basildon, Milton Keynes and Ebbsfleet – definitely no cathedrals there. The successful bidders will probably start off with campuses of existing universities, but could go their own way eventually. Blackpool, Cornwall, Ipswich and Southend have all taken this route recently.

What price the University of Thurrock by 2014? It’s on the list of wannabes."

The last seven universities:

Glyndwr University, Wrexham
Buckinghamshire New University, High Wycombe
Swansea Metropolitan University
University of Cumbria
Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh
York St John University
Edge Hill University, Ormskirk

The nine before that:

Bath Spa University
Canterbury Christ Church University
Chester University
University of Chichester
Liverpool Hope University
University of Northampton
Southampton Solent University
University of Winchester
University of Worcester

Are we making our children learn too much too young?

In a letter to today's Times, some leading authors and educationalists unite to accuse the government of putting our children's development at risk with their new pre-school education targets.

They are not the first to draw attention to the huge shifts in the under 5's agenda since 1997. With initiatives such as Sure Start and children's centres, the government has shown that it doesn't want any children to be (as they say in America) "left behind". Research clearly shows that the earlier you intervene to help disadvantaged children, the bigger difference it makes. One of the big motivations behind the changes (to be implemented in September) is to safeguard those who are the least advantaged. Surely that's a laudable aim?

Why then is scepticism growing? Perhaps it's because many see this particular kind of intervention as the wrong way to go about helping children from all backgrounds. British children begin formal education very early. True, the new targets are supposed to be a framework, offering guidance rather than being an actual curriculum. But with 69 goals and more than 500 developmental milestones, they do seem rather overwhelming.

The Open Eye campaign (from where today's letter originated) see things very differently from the government. They say that children should be allowed to play when young, improving their social skills and learning to talk and communicate properly (a real problem for many these days) before moving onto "proper" learning. They specifically argue that the disadvantaged won't be helped by introducing a more learning-based curriculum so early.

So much recent research, including a landmark Unicef report has shown that British children are unhappy and stressed. The answer doesn't seem to be implementing more targets and pressures for youngsters. Very few countries demand that their four-year-olds be able to write in sentences and use punctuation!

Carl Honore, author of the fascinating book Under Pressure: Rescuing Our Children from the Culture of Hyper-Parenting, tells me that the "joy of childhood" is being squeezed out. He thinks all this matters hugely - for the children and society as a whole. "We're producing children who can't think for themselves and only have the oven-ready answers they were given at school," he says. "Our children are becoming unhealthy, unhappy and exhausted." I wonder if we are witnessing the beginnings of a backlash - with demands for less testing all round and a more holistic approach to bringing up children.

Read School Gate on:

When should summer babies start school?

The importance of play for children

Why too much homework doesn't work

John Lennon's report described him as a failure: what don't you want to read about your child?

That end of year gift for parents - the school report - has arrived. But there's good reason not to be disappointed if it wasn't what you expected.

My parents, I do recall, once read that I was prone to "occasional talkative lapses" (thanks Mrs Townley). Meanwhile one mother was recently told that her son had "moments of madness in the laboratory," which surely begs for more information. Another sad parent says her daughter received the telling comment that "she wears school uniform to a high standard." None, surely, could be better (or perhaps worse) than the single word "Who?"

But just to prove that bad reports aren't the be all and end all, here are five celebrity classics.

1) "Certainly on the road to failure,"
John Lennon's primary school was completely wrong about him then.

2) "Inclined to fussiness."
This didn't exactly hold Lynn Truss back.

3) "Jilly has set herself an extremely low standard which she has failed to maintain".
A brilliant comment about author Jilly Cooper.

4) "Judi would be a very good pupil if she lived in this world."
Oscar winner Dame Judi Dench has done pretty well in that other, make-believe, world. 

5) "If I had to select an expedition to the South Pole he would be the first person I would choose. But I would make sure that he was not on the return journey!"
Former SDP leader Lord Owen was clearly not the most popular boy at his school - at least amongst the teachers.

(thanks to Catherine Hurley's books, Could Do Better and Could Do Even Better)

Ed Balls speaks on the SATs fiasco

Ed Balls has made a statement in the House of Commons regarding SATs (or national curriculum tests) and the recent problems. Obviously he feels no need to apologise for what has happened, and he also doesn't seem to think that the debacle is his responsibility. However, the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families does agree that he shares "the frustration and anger of teachers, children and parents about the delays in the release of this year’s test results." Good to hear that.

Most interestingly, Balls says that "It is important that we evaluate the case for change before making decisions. As I said to the Committee, the pilot runs to next July and is being externally evaluated. I have asked for an interim report in the autumn, and I will publish it to Parliament.

But, Mr Speaker, we must not return to the past situation where school accountability was weak, parents lacked good information about their child’s progress, and as a result many children fell behind in their education and development."

Here is the full statement. What do you think? Should Balls have called for a quicker enquiry and be seen to have taken more responsibility or has he done enough?

End of year events and working parent guilt

If it's Tuesday it must be the concert, or is it the school play? Has anyone else noticed that the end of the school year is a nightmare for working parents? If it's not the school play, it's the concert, open day or sports day. And there's an assumption that parents will just come on by with no trouble at all.

This is a real problem for working mums, especially those who work part-time. If you're a part-time worker, you're often already seen as not quite committed to the job. Once you start taking any extra time off, you really are creating difficulties (much tutting in the office, even as you take this time off as holiday - meaning less time, of course, to take as holiday when your children aren't actually at school).

But of course you want your children to be happy. You want to be there and show that you are committed. At our school, many of the parents who do get really involved are the ones that work - it's partly Mummy guilt, which kicks in early these days.

But, at various school gates I know of, there's still anger at the assumption that mums are always available, particularly at short notice. One mother told me yesterday that her class was told to bring in a present for the younger children they "buddy" with. They were told this at 3.30pm on a Thursday, with the present to be brought in the following day. She found this out after work at 6.30pm. Not too helpful.

We recently had a school open day. Whilst wandering around the school, I mentioned to one parent that I felt sorry for those who couldn't be there. She looked at me as if I was mad.

"You mean the children?" she replied.

"I mean the children and the parents," I said. "The parents want to be here, but sometimes it's just not possible."

One parent, Mary, has this to say. She works school hours, specifically so she can be there for her kids after school - so no accusing her of not caring about them please.

"Guilt is my problem. Trying to hold down a job and be taken seriously at work but it's so hard when we have the school schedule visits or meetings during the day. My son gets so upset when I can't come and often says I never do anything like school outings. I just couldn't. It would be a whole day off.

Last week I told him that I couldn't come to Sports Day, and he was so upset I thought I really must go. I asked my boss if I could have an hour off, he shrugged his shoulders, rolled his eyes, complained a bit and eventually said yes, if I worked through my lunch hour. This is a man who has two school-age children but he's okay because his wife doesn't have to work and he doesn't have to compromise his work life. Going to the sports day was worthwhile and my son was so pleased to see me, but the stress involved was really hard. And it doesn't stop."

Should schools take more notice of the fact that many mothers now work and aren't always available? Should some things be scheduled in the evening and can't schools (a plea I have heard constantly) let parents have as much notice as possible about events that are taking place?

Read a great piece about streamlining your life on today's Alpha Mummy