A 'Safe & Sensitive' institute that excels in academics too

Nagpur: Centre Point Schools (CPS) is now a multi-branch entity which has become a brand in itself. Will almost three decades of existence, its Katol Road campus was the first to lead this growth story. Nestled in abundant green cover, CPS Katol Road offers the perfect mix of excellence in academics, sports and cultural activities.
Most recently, CPS has been awarded a ‘Safe and Sensitive Schools’ (SASS) certificate, the first for any school in Central India.This new concept of SASS is now the most sought after accreditation as it vastly improves student-teacher interaction, students’ morale, infrastructure at school etc. Already, students and teachers are expressing happiness over this development.
Delnaz Kapoor, a teacher said, “I found it difficult to make students concentrate in the last period as they feel exhausted and saturated with different classes and activities. The SASS programme helped me incorporate energizers between classroom teaching that revitalized the students, increasing their listening and concentration skills. It taught me to use tools like adjacent praise, appropriate appreciation and incentives to make students willing and enthusiastic learners rather than being passive recipients of knowledge.”
Her colleague Manimegalai Sivanand said, “SASS helped me implement and exercise ‘Golden Rules’ which have turned out to be a good tool in verbal and non-verbal communication and self discipline. For example, when some students are inattentive, I don’t scold them or check them but simply say ‘We Listen’. The Quality circle time is an enjoyable and enriching experience where students discuss their problems and come up with ‘workable’ solutions. For instance, a QCT was conducted on stress management, a major issue for senior secondary students. The active participation of the students helped me understand them and modify my teaching methodology accordingly.”
Physical safety of students is an integral part of the new SASS programme. Vijaya Bagaddeo, a teacher, said “Safe and well-supervised breaks in school serve as a necessity from the rigours of academic challenges in the classroom. We monitor kids during breaks with CCTV cameras in strategic junctions in school, like the lunch arbour, skating rink, canteen, etc. PTIs and the student council members on duty in these open areas help ensure that children don’t physically hurt fellow students or teachers. There is a regular check on littering and wastage of food too. “No touch” policy is followed with fellow students and teachers. Teachers on duty on every floor are vigilant and discourage students from being impolite. The little ones of Std I, II and III are in the personal care of their class teachers.”
Students say CPS offers them much more than any other school. Harsiddhi Thakaral, a Std XII student, said, “It is not just an educational institution but a big family. The school has excellent student-teacher relationship and extremely supportive staff. CPS lays emphasis on extra-curricular, sports and cultural activities along with social work and environmental awareness programmes & produces multifaceted adults who are ready for life.”
Aikansh Jain, a Std XII student said, “Student sensitivity programmes like the anti-bullying programmes, with student squads in every batch, have been started in Centre Point School, Katol Road. The school has grown increasingly cautious about the social and psychological development of students through ‘quality circle time’ and ‘bubble time’ for all students up to Std XII.”
Parents too have noticed changes in their children’s behaviour in the last one year, ever since SASS kicked in. Dr KVR Satish, a parent said, “My daughter Shreya felt an increasing difference of opinion with family members. A class ‘quality circle time’ on ‘Generation Gap’ helped her see things from our perspective. She realized that the parents’ decision is for the betterment of her future. It has made her think positively & interact freely.” Another parent Aasawari Chauthaiwale said a ‘safe’ school and college is the first parameter for parents while choosing an institution. “Physical safety and monitoring of the child inside campus is the first criterion without doubt. Second would be academic performance of school, then emotional development of my child,” she said.
(Inputs by Rushika Banerji)
‘SASS shaped our whole school behaviour policy’
We Indians are emotional and feel every emotion very deeply. This is our greatest strength. However, we seldom express these emotions freely and honestly. In my experience as an educationist in Western countries, I realized we fail to provide an emotionally safe environment for students and teachers to voice their thoughts without a sense of threat or embarrassment. This in turn can affect their behaviour. We do not attempt to strike at the root cause of this behaviour, focusing more on changing behaviour outwardly.
This understanding led us to 'The Teacher Foundation' (TTF). Centre Point School, Katol Road, underwent an intensive training by TTF that lasted 18 months in a project called the 'Safe and Sensitive Schools' (SASS) programme. We were enabled by TTF to create an emotional curriculum designed keeping in mind the specific needs of the school. The candid communication system of Circle Time developed by Jenny Mosley from the UK forms the backbone of this project.
The benefits of SASS are enjoyed by not just the students but also teachers, parents and the support staff. Fairness, respect and empathy in our interactions are clearly visible. Teachers identify and articulate the positive qualities of every student. Correcting negatives is done in gentle yet firm ways. Teachers gather candid feedback from their students which they then use to change their teaching practice. Teachers communicate with parents in a manner that is positive and constructive.
Support staff feel empowered to share their thoughts and give inputs which in turn make them a more 'invested' lot. Suggestions boxes are placed all over the campus to give voice to the opinions of teachers, students and parents.
Democracy is key to the governance of school, hence most decisions pertaining to the school are taken by students and staff in conjunction with the management. Under SASS, the infrastructure of the school underwent a facelift, which included taking care of the unmonitored spaces and assigning duties to teachers during lunchtime and recess time. Awareness was created among students to maintain hygiene and cleanliness of school spaces.
The culmination of the SASS project is the 'whole school behaviour policy' which contains clear guidelines for staff, students and parents alike. Six Golden Rules form the bedrock of this document. The school has five committees headed by teachers — Golden Rules committee, Rewards and Sanctions committee, Listening Systems committee, Self-esteem and Morale committee and the Health and Wellness committee. They work to maintain the overall discipline and ethos of the school and its various stakeholders.
I am very proud to announce that Centre Point School, Katol Road, has been certified by TTF and Jenny Mosley Consultancies, UK, as a 'Safe and Sensitive School', making us the second school in the country to receive this very prestigious certification.
(The writer, Radhika Rajwade, is director of CPS Group of Schools)