1. University of Huddersfield School of Education & Professional Development The role of the form tutor

2. School of Education & Professional Development Expectations  Leader  Information source  Administrator  Surrogate ESW  Link with other teachers/agencies

3. School of Education & Professional Development Surrogate parent  Dispenses praise & discipline (also on behalf of others)  Requires loyalty and respect  Has a sense of humour  Personal physician  Arbitrator  Friend (?)

4. School of Education & Professional Development Throughout  Register  Letters home/parental contact  Collecting money  Social - trips and excursions; dances and discos, cinema and such-like  PHSE  ‘Collective worship’ - thought for the day  Reports

5. School of Education & Professional Development Primary  Parent  Friend  Nursemaid  Confidante  Supporter  Fount of all knowledge  Trusted counsellor

6. School of Education & Professional Development Year 7  Induction (starts in Year 6 or 5)  Rules and Regulations  Reading ages/NFER tests  Literacy  Numeracy  Teething troubles  New parents evening  Christmas party  End of term treat

7. School of Education & Professional Development Key Stage 3  Year 8  Literacy  Numeracy  Christmas games/video  End of term treat  Year 9  SATS  Options  Christmas video: PG or cartoon?  Socials

8. School of Education & Professional Development Key Stage 4  Year 10  GCSE Coursework  Work Experience  Christmas Disco  End of term trip….  Year 11  GCSE Coursework  GCSE Revision  Careers interviews  Alton Towers (inevitably)  Leaving ‘prom’ or ball  The long goodbye!

9. School of Education & Professional Development Peer groups “A peer group is not only a sounding box for ideas, with simultaneous conversations on different subjects, but also a testing ground to see what it feels like to hold certain attitudes. Naturally, the sense of belonging gives the attitudes an emotional edge, for these are not carefully finished opinion…” (Schachter The interaction of cognitive and physiological determinants of educational state. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology New York 1964)

10. School of Education & Professional Development Peer groups “As part of the exploration of conflicting truths in the world the peer group is very important. Like adults, children learn as much from anecdotes and overheard remarks as from direct argument.” (Katz & Lazersfeld Personal influence, the part played by people in the flow of mass communications. Glencoe Free Press 1955)

11. School of Education & Professional Development (Form) group dynamics PREDICTABILITY “Meeting others for the first time we try to make them seem predictable in such a way that we can guide our own behaviour appropriately.” (Cognitive uncertainty theory) JUDGEMENT “We observe other peoples behaviour, attribute motives and intentions to them, and assess them” (Casual attribution theory) SHARING “We like others to the extent that we share important attitudes and beliefs” (Similarity attraction theory) BELONGING “We desire more than an individual relationship, wanting to be part of a recognisable group identity.” (Intergroup identity theory) MUTUAL ADMIRATION “We like those who seem to admire, like or respect us” (Gain - loss theory) Cullingford, C. : The Nature of Learning Cassell 1990

12. School of Education & Professional Development Summary  PREDICTABILITY = SAFETY; CERTAINTY; COMFORT ZONE  JUDGEMENT = ASSESSMENT; LOYALTY; BIAS  SHARING = BONDING; SOCIAL; FRIENDSHIP  BELONGING = GROUP IDENTITY; BE PART OF  MUTUAL ADMIRATION = STATUS; ACCEPTANCE; ADMIRATION; RESPECT

13. School of Education & Professional Development

14. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs  Survival - ‘look after me, please’  Security - predictability, routine, comfort zone  Social - loyalty, friends, group identity  Status - leadership, support mechanism, place in group, notoriety  Self-actualisation - mutual admiration (within and across groups), respect

15. School of Education & Professional Development Task  Brainstorm as many form teacher roles as possible;  Add links to other colleagues and outside agencies  Discuss the importance of the form teachers’ role.  Discuss your possible answers to the standard interview question “what do you consider to be the most important role of the form tutor?”