We’re starting a Golden Time revolution!

Isn’t Golden Time Wonderful – If it’s done well!!!

I developed Golden Time for schools in the late eighties and I have seen it operating superbly in thousands of schools. It has the potential to revolutionise behaviour or, if done badly, to be chaotic and rundown – what I call ‘Rusty Time’. It worried me so much that in 2005 I wrote a book called ‘Better Behaviour Through Golden Time’ to help schools get it right. David Blunkett wrote the foreword “this book provides the practical guidance for school staff on how to achieve high standards of behaviour. I’ve seen the concept of Golden Time in operation in schools I’ve visited and been impressed by the difference it makes”.

I’m not sure though that some schools who use Golden Time have ever read the book – or even had any training – it’s just through word of mouth – which means it gets more diluted as time goes on. I often lunch with children when I run a ‘Working In School Day’ programme and I ask them ‘why do you have golden time?’ most look at me puzzled and say “because it’s Friday afternoon”. Aaargh!!! Couldn’t be a worse answer. However I can guarantee that in my ‘Golden Schools’ children will always say “because we kept the Golden Rules”. So, my lovely readers, ‘Revolutionise Your Golden Time’! There are a million ways to do it, but a blog isn’t the place to detail them.

But just to give you one idea – Kirkhill Primary School in Aberdeen, a well established Golden School whose head, Lorraine Napier (accredited and trained in my model) has, with her fabulous and engergetic deputy Shona, created an amazing centre of excellence which nurtures all who work and visit there. They invite people in from the community and grandparents to offer clubs in Golden Time. All parents have a copy of the Golden Rules. Here is a clip of the Golden Time Bellydancing Club whose main fans are THE BOYS!!! Look at the shaking and shimmying of those twinkling shawls. Observe the concentration! The engagement…the execution and the excellence. I just love watching this clip, it makes me laugh at the sheer joy of life and it’s unexpectedness. This is what golden time is all about.

Website Manager’s Notes

1.  Jenny Mosley runs successful and transformative positive behaviour for learning (including the Golden Rules and Golden Time), circle time and social skills, and lunchtimes and playtimes training –Click here to see all forthcoming public conferences that anyone can attend.

2. Many schools book Jenny Mosley for a training day, conference or a Working In School Day. Without shutting the school, Jenny holds staff meetings, observable circle times with pupils, works in the dining hall and playgrounds and feeds back everything to staff via meetings. For enquiries about Working in School Days, please phone 01225 767157 or email circletime@jennymosley.co.uk. (Many schools follow a WISD day with an INSET day so that they can fully work through the ideas with Jenny.)

3. For Golden Time resources, click HERE and for resources to support all Jenny’s training and the QCT model please go to our website shop  www.circle-time.co.uk/shop.