Twins and secondary school

IN a few weeks' time, my daughters will start secondary school.

They are definitely in different classes and there's a chance they won't be in the same groups for subjects where pupils are streamed.

I like it that way.

At the introductory parents' evening, my girls' new teachers made encouraging noises about recognising that every child is an individual.

Did you know that according to experts, twins -- and triplets, quads and any "higher multiples" you care to mention for that matter -- are deserving of special consideration in the classroom?

And I don't mean looking out for them sitting each other's exams or taking their sibling's place for a telling off. Such apocryphal stories of twins playing tricks on teachers or pulling the wool over classmates' eyes have no resemblance to reality, according to one headteacher I spoke to for a feature for Sec Ed magazine.

Christopher Hilton, then headteacher at Kingsmead Technology College in Hednesford, Staffordshire had some excellent tips for teachers facing what they would no doubt be tempted to call "double trouble."

And he should know, that year, his school had some 12 sets of twins. "Having so many sets of twins has had a positive effect on the college," said Mr Hilton. "It hasn't attracted undue attention but we did get a visit from the media when we were joined by our first set of triplets."

All staff at the school were determined to treat the pupils as individuals and have taken measures to make sure each sibling receives appropriate attention, rather than lumping them together as twins. Mr Hilton explained: "Individual mentoring, working with parents, and being placed in different sets appropriate to their ability, means we are confident that all children are treated as individuals." But he acknowledged the extra obstacles multiple birth children may find themselves up against in their school lives.

"There are several issues that have an impact on their education,'' said Hilton. "These include mistaken identity; comparison with their sibling when they have different skills or academic ability; and wanting to create their own identity." He admitted it could be difficult to tell identical twins apart - but obviously if they are in different forms or groups then the problem is removed. Twins are placed in separate form groups but on occasions can appear in the same set group because of similar ability levels. Another great cliche surrounding twins is the intense academic competition between them. Mr Hilton acknowledges such competition can exist but he does not find to be any greater than within any family. There is competition between siblings academically and socially within any context, he said.

At Kingsmead, staff were very understanding of the needs of multiple birth children and their parents or carers but there was no specific "multiples policy". This is something that has been called for by some parents who fear their children are not given the right amount of understanding. Their call has been backed by the Twins and Multiple Births Association (Tamba).

So what is all the fuss about?

What factors should teachers have at the forefront of their mind when they welcome multiple birth children into their class? And what's so different about twins when so many other pupils have older or younger siblings in the same school?

A 2004 survey by US researchers of 117 pairs of identical twins gives a clue. It showed that most prefer different learning styles -- while most of their peers, parents and teachers assumed they learned in the same way. It is that assumption, among others, that Tamba is working hard to dispel. Ask any parent of twins or more and they will be quick to tell you about all the "insights" even the most passing of acquaintances have made about their children. They expect more of their teachers.

Helen Higgins, a mum of 13-year-old daughters from Shrewsbury, Shropshire, says: "From when my girls were tiny, I've had people telling me Lauren is the 'clever' one while 'Hannah is the quiet one'. It really does upset me to think people are comparing my daughters on initial and sometimes the briefest of impressions. It's very important to our family that they are both related to at school on their own merits rather than measured against what their sister can or can't do."

According to Diane Galloway, a secondary school teacher from Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire and an honorary consultant to Tamba, there were special circumstances throughout the whole of the secondary school years. She said "When twins first arrive, they might still be very dependent on each other in various ways. They may not show it, they might not look anxious or anything, but they may be less confident in their relationships with other children or with adults. Or the one who's a little bit less able might think they're much less able, because they compare themselves with their twin rather than the whole year group.

"They may still be seeing the world through the relationship with their twin, rather than directly. If a teacher has taught one pair of twins last year it's tempting to think, 'Oh yes, I've done twins, this is going to be easy even though we all know all children are different.'"

There is also a significant difference between primary and secondary school, said Mrs Galloway. "Once they move from primary to secondary there's, perhaps, 10 teachers they have in one week, a lot more than at primary school, so each teacher will only see them for two or three hours, and it's going to take a lot longer to get to know the children,'' she says. "Of course, when you teach in a secondary school you get a new lot of pupils each September. That means if they're identical in appearance, it's going to take a lot longer for the teachers to get to know who's who and until you can identify them and put a name to a face, you can't begin to learn about their personality and their strengths and weaknesses as far as learning is concerned, until you're not mixing them up anymore. In that sense, they are going to have a disadvantage as it's going to be longer until you're sure you know who's who."

Nowadays as attitudes to twins have changed, by the time children enter secondary school, their "sameness" is nowhere near as tricky as it used to be. You may have met twins called Molly and Dolly or Johnny and Ronnie in days gone by - all very confusing - but now thankfully, it is an outmoded trend.

"Most parents do try and make it easy for teachers to distinguish between twins now. Often they are not identical, but if they are fairly similar, you used to think of twins typically having similar sounding names," said Mrs Galloway.

"Now whether they're identical or not, they will have different hairstyles or whatever, so even if they're in uniform it is possible to tell who's who and there's no excuse for getting them mixed up."

It's not just in the classroom that problems can arise. Parents' evenings can be a logistical nightmare.

"If parents have got to go around 10 teachers, that means that parents of twins have got to go around 20," explained Mrs Galloway.

"It can be almost impossible unless you've got two parents there, one going around for each child, or a single parent plus a friend.

"It's awful if the teacher just gives an average of what the two children do, rather than focusing on each of them. 'They're doing fine' for example. And, if the children are there, because in lots of schools they go to the parents evening, it's awful for the child to sit there and hear how well their brother or sister is doing, especially if they're not doing so well."

Of course, anyone with more than one child may well face similar challenges - but for families with twins or more, it is their regularity that becomes the problem.

Helen Higgins adds: "I'm not asking for special treatment but a bit more understanding would be good. We've had appointments at parents' evening just five minutes apart for Lauren and Hannah - and have to face the raised eyebrows of teachers we've kept waiting. I'm sorry for the inconvenience of not being able to physically split myself in half."

Tamba publishes a range of publications that can help teachers with any questions about multiple birth children. But the charity's efforts to raise awareness among teachers at the very start of their careers about the unique needs of multiple birth children have been met with a somewhat lack lustre response.

Some years ago, the charity pioneered a CD and PowerPoint presentation and sent this off to around 20 teaching courses. Mrs Galloway said: "The idea was that lecturers could use it with their students, but it didn't take off.

"We hoped to trial the presentation in one of the colleges but we only had one response even though what we sent out was free. Either the courses were so busy they couldn't fit anything else in, or it's not seen as a high priority. I think you can certainly assume that most teachers will not have had any training relating to twins or multiples."

Now Tamba prefers to spread its message of greater understanding through a series of teachers' roadshows, articles in its regular magazine and a range of publications.

Five simple tips for secondary school teachers with twins, triplets or more in their class or year:

1 Don't compare siblings

2 Get to know each sibling as an individual

3 Don't assume they have the same attitudes and aptitudes

4 Give out separate letters

5 Don't refer to them as "the twins"

• This is an edited version of a feature originally written for Sec Ed magazine and I have included it here as part of YoungMummy's Multiples Mayhem carnival.
• Why not head over to her brilliant blog and enter a post too? Go on, you know you want to.

Comments

[Harriet]

As we begin to think about primary schools for L, and with S and A following only one year behind her (school dates are different up here), I'm already beginning to twitch about the whole together/apart question... nice to know it doesn't get any easier... not!

Thank you for this, fascinating as ever!

[Tattie Weasle]

My poor husband was so unfairly compared to his twin sister. He was dyslexic and she wasn't. You can imagine what it was like for him - his parents still think of him as slow and stupid even though he is a director in the City!

[Linda]

Hi Harriet,

Easier said than done, but don't twitch! There's a long and involved story (recounted in the dark and distant archives here somewhere!) about how, when and why my daughters were in different classes then the same one, bottom line, I worried too much at the start so if I had my time again, I wouldn't!

Hi TW! that is so interesting, there has been a lot of "awareness raising" about the way twins can be compared against each other and "pigeon holed." It must be so frustrating. Thanks for sharing your experience as I am on the radio round these parts this afternoon and I think it could be an interesting example to quote!

[teawithonesugarplease]

I was put into a separate group from my identical sister at secondary school and we hardly ever had any lessons together apart from registration and a few core subjects. Which I think was a good idea - we did get called the twins a lot by teachers, kids etc. but I think it could be we had unusual names that did rhyme! My twin boys are only 15 months but I have already planned their education and looked ahead for schools with a positive twin policy. We live in an area where there are a lot of twins so I am hopeful they will get a good start as separate beings (helps they look totally different). I am even considering having them attend pre-school on different days just so they can get along without each other and gain a bit of independence to mix with others.

[Linda]

Hi twns,
Sounds like you have had a good experience and that you are well sorted for the future, like you we live in an area where there are lots of twins and I think our school is pretty clued up. The only time our daughters get referred to as "the twins" is by their grandmother. I know it grates a tiny bit but we figured there are worse things...hope that makes sense! x

[Laura]

As someone who is about to start training to be a secondary school teacher, this article was an interesting article for me to read. Thank you for sharing, it's certainly given me lots to think about as I embark on my career.

[Mari]

Gosh, I am way off Secondary school, in fact my twins won't go to nursery until next September but I have already thought about if I want them in the same class or not and TAMBA recently wrote that maybe it wasn't such a bad thing after all.
Luckily I still have a year to decide :)