Thumbs up for attention at school

Staff at Burlington Junior School in Bridlington said the simple gesture was encouraging more pupils to take part in class and answer questions.

And to show them how it’s done they have put up signs on a notice board of hands with thumbs up.

But the school said the children could still put their arms up if they wanted to.

Headteacher Cheryle Adams said: “In any class there are always half a dozen children who will always put their hands up and some who never answer because they are coasting or don’t have that confidence. This is one of the many different approaches we use.

“It’s far less intrusive than having an arm put up in front of you and it’s made the class environment calmer and more inclusive, we feel.

“The quieter children are now far more encouraged to put their thumbs up than their arm because they are making less of a statement. We’ve put little signs up to remind them.”

The initiative was introduced at the start of term following a staff training day on “challenging learning”.

Mrs Adams added: “It’s something that is working for us at the moment and being positive for the children.”