Education Executive June 2012

JUNE 2012 / ISSUE 81

EDUCATION EXECUTIVE JUNE 2012 / ISSUE 81

EDUCATION EXECUTIVE supporting business and financial excellence in schools and colleges

FAIRTRADE n

A FAIRER DEAL FOR ALL

SEN

How to become a Fairtrade School

n BAD MANAGEMENT

MEETING THEIR NEEDS

How changes to SEN funding will impact schools

10 HABITS OF A BAD MANAGER What not to do when managing your team

EdExec partners

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editor’s letter

EDUCATION EXECUTIVE

JUNE 2012

www.edexec.co.uk

Education Executive is the first business management magazine written exclusively for school business managers and bursars, bringing you the latest issues affecting your role, from finance to premises, procurement to HR. EdExec delivers the lowdown on all the hottest topics in education management right here, every month.

EDITOR julia dennison julia.dennison@intelligentmedia.co.uk ASSISTANT EDITOR carrie service carrie.service@intelligentmedia.co.uk REPORTER george carey george.carey@intelligentmedia.co.uk PUBLISHER vicki baloch vicki.baloch@intelligentmedia.co.uk SENIOR SALES EXECUTIVE neil pauksztello neil.pauksztello@intelligentmedia.co.uk SALES EXECUTIVE jonathan love jonathan.love@intelligentmedia.co.uk DESIGNER sarah chivers sarah.chivers@intelligentmedia.co.uk PRODUCTION AND DESIGN peter hope-parry peter.hope-parry@intelligentmedia.co.uk CIRCULATIONS natalia johnston natalia.johnston@intelligentmedia.co.uk

Have your say

A

s I write this, the weather has actually taken a turn for the best, with temperatures reaching 28 degrees.

Undoubtedly, by the time you read this, it will be raining buckets again, but hey, that’s good for the hosepipe ban. With summer, comes our first-ever reader event, EdExec Live, which takes place on 22 June. I hope I will have the opportunity to meet many of you there.

Trying to be as close as possible to our readers, I like to use this comment section to respond to reader feedback and queries as much as possible. First of all, we had a few of you complain about the small text size of this here magazine, and you may notice that we’ve listened to you and increased the font starting with this issue.

I also had some people respond to an article we ran in the April issue called ‘Holding to account’, which featured an interview with Karam Bhogel, the finance director of London’s Stockley Academy, who believes all bursars should hold accountancy qualifications. I knew we’d get a good response to this one and sure enough, Marc Seymour of Pent Valley Technology College in Kent wrote in to say he was taken aback by the article. He is not qualified and has been working in state and private schools alike for 15 years, and finance for 30-plus years producing year-end accounts for Companies House and the Charity Commission. “I provide an excellent service to my school and feel that just having that ‘qualification’ would not help my situation,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, reader Bill Williams responded to a news story on data security in the same issue, which spoke of the trend of schools moving to the cloud. There is, of course, a great deal of talk about the cloud. He had this to say: “Before pushing data backup to an online provider, it would be wise to understand where they will hold your data and what level of security they will provide. Reputation and stability of your provider is another important consideration.”

If you want to feedback on any articles, please do get in touch on editor@edexec.co.uk. We always welcome your thoughts.

Education Executive is published by intelligent media solutions suite 223, business design centre 52 upper street, london, N1 0QH tel 020 7288 6833 fax 020 7288 6834 email info@intelligentmedia.co.uk web www.intelligentmedia.co.uk Follow Education Executive on Twitter at Twitter.com/edexec Printed in the UK by Buxton Press www.buxtonpress.co.uk

EDITOR

Contents 36

rocure

lan

make your school’s budget go further

32 INTERVIEW

A Saint of a school All Saints Catholic School in Dagenham talks teaching school status

36 CASE STUDY

Every little helps Assistant VP Nicky White of Bradford Academy makes the most of the pupil premium

management

tune up your management skills

sector

40 TOP TIPS

the lowdown on the business management world

06 SECTOR NEWS

Pupil premium rewards and why schools are falling into disrepair

10 ADVICE

How to become a Fairtrade School Why become Fairtrade? The Academy of St Francis of Assisi tells its story of why it decided to become a Fairtrade School

10 habits of a bad manager What not to do when managing a team of staff

42 LEGAL

Appraise it up A look at changes to teacher appraisals from September

44 WORK/LIFE

Break time Put your feet up and take your break right here

14 DIARY

Experience the difference Headteacher Valerie Carrier of St Georges Bickley C of E Primary School on the value of experiential learning

16 ANALYSIS

Change making a difference How changes to SEN funding will affect schools

ICT matters

the latest technological innovations in schools today

46 ICT NEWS

The latest updates and developments in school technology

48 CASE STUDY

schools in focus

what’s happening at a primary or secondary school near you

18 PRIMARY UPDATE

Primary school bursar charged with fraud

20 ANALYSIS

Working together The pros and cons of primary academy federations

24 SECONDARY UPDATE

Why school spending on exams has doubled

26 CASE STUDY

Enterprising opportunities Entrepreneur students at Upminster’s Hall Mead School get their Apprentice hats on

Men in Black’ The Blackburn Rovers Education Trust stays one step ahead of the ICT curve with 3D and Xbox Kinect

50 CASE STUDY

A piece of the Pi Cambridge’s Chesterton College gets involved with the Raspberry Pi project to improve its computer programming offering

54 ADVICE

All bells and whistles One school works hard to make its ICT better than what kids get at home

58 CASE STUDY

ICT doesn’t have to be dull What schools need to do to gear up for a new generation of IT gurus

62 HELP DESK

Techno Geek

Turning gaming into learning in the classroom

28 INDEPENDENT UPDATE

Academies to pay back £15m by next month

30 ASBESTOS

A problem of academic proportions What happens when asbestos becomes your problem?

Look out for news, products and competitions from our sponsors

06

sector Sector news is brought to you by

Free banking for schools supported by local specialist relationship managers Lloyds TSB Commercial - well educated banking

SBM WATCH ACADEMIES NEED BURSARS NOW MORE THAN EVER

STORY OF THE MONTH SCHOOLS IN DESPERATE NEED OF REPAIR Thirty-nine per cent of schools are falling into disrepair despite the fact that £2bn has been ring-fenced for renovation projects, a poll has found. Nearly as many (38%) said that their school was very overcrowded and 25 said that it was a health and safety hazard. One school claimed to be squeezing over 1,200 students into a school built for 600. Complaints included windows with broken glass, leaky ceilings and undrinkable tap water.

The survey, conducted by the Key on behalf of the Observer, questioned 667 headteachers and school business managers about the condition of their school.

The coalition government launched a scheme to replace the Building Schools for the Future Programme – which was scrapped when they came into power – known as the Priority School Building Programme.

Last month Education Secretary Michael Gove revealed that 261 schools would be refurbished or rebuilt under the programme. The Department for Education has written to schools that applied to let them know whether their application was successful and work will start immediately, with the first new school opening in 2014.

To the 326 schools that applied but did not receive funding, Gove says he will “ensure that, subject to funds available in the next spending review period, those schools which need renovation will have their needs addressed as quickly as possible.”

Eighty-five per cent of academies think the financial freedoms associated with their new independence will pressure them to spend money more wisely and therefore need financial expertise more than ever, a survey has revealed.

The role of business manager/ bursar has changed in 76% of the 132 academies questioned in the survey conducted by Capita SIMS and over two-thirds said that there had been an increase in the level of financial management after separating from the local authority.

Paul Metcalfe, academy sector manager, at Capita SIMS, commented: “Converting to an academy necessitates a number of adjustments, with one of the biggest changes being the increased level of financial management.

“The legal requirements of becoming an academy make the financial accounting for an academy much more complex than that of a maintained school and it seems that this is translating into the school business manager, in particular, feeling greater responsibility for the school’s financial performance.”

They said...

The current system is out-dated and not fit for purpose. Thousands of families have had to battle for months, even years, with different agencies to get the specialist care their children need. It is unacceptable they are forced to go from pillar to post – facing agonising delays and bureaucracy to get support, therapy and equipment. These reforms will put parents in charge. We trust parents to do the right thing for their own child because they know what is best.

Children’s Minister Sarah Teather commenting on the news that parents will control SEN budgets

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08

sector NEWS

INBRIEF

PICTURE STORY

SCHOOLS TO DECIDE TEACHER SALARIES

Education Secretary Michael Gove submitted evidence to the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) last month to enable schools to decide their teachers’ salaries. Earlier in the month, a major survey of teachers found widespread support for a link between teachers’ pay and their performance, with three-quarters of teachers believing that annual salary increases should be linked to performance. Pupils taught by good teachers score nearly half a GCSE point more per subject than pupils taught by poor teachers.

The impact is even more significant for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, according to the Sutton Trust. For poor pupils, the difference between a very good teacher and a bad teacher may be a whole year’s education.

CASH REWARDS FOR GOOD USE OF PUPIL PREMIUM Channel 4 Time Team’s Phil Harding and Tony Robinson with pupils from Northwood Prep in Hertfordshire. The TV show visited the school to undertake an archaeological dig on its playing field, under which lay the foundations of a Tudor palace

What we learned this month

More than 87,000 racist incidents have been recorded in Britain’s schools between 2007 and 2011. Data gathered from 90 local education authorities by the BBC via a Freedom of Information request found the highest number of racist bullying, including name-calling and physical abuse, was recorded in Birmingham at 5,752, followed by 4,690 in Leeds. The lowest number was in Carmarthenshire, with just five.

STATS & FACTS

40%

Percentage of academies with plans for more finance staff

20%

Percentage that have secured an accountant to manage finances

50%

Half plan to up-skill existing staff over the next two years to deal with the new responsibilities.

www.lloydstsb.com/schoolsbanking | 0800 681 6078 june 2012

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The Government is to launch an initiative to reward schools for utilising their pupil premium to benefit underprivileged pupils. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has announced that the 50 schools that find the most effective ways of using the money given to them for children who are on free school meals will be rewarded with 10,000 cash. He hopes the money will be used to give schools an extra boost and give underprivileged children the head-start they deserve. Critics of the scheme have said that the pupil premium is instantly absorbed by gaps in school budgets.

DIARY 22 June EDEXEC LIVE Business Design Centre, London EdExecLive.co.uk 27 June School inspection reform: Raising expectations and improving the performance of schools Central London InsideGovernment.co.uk 28 June Capita’s Data Management for School Improvement – Half-day briefing Manchester CapitaConferences.co.uk

10

sector FAIRTRADE

All is fair in love of learning There are 500 Fairtrade schools in the UK with a further 800 working towards the status. EDUCATION EXECUTIVE looks into what goes into becoming a Fairtrade school and the benefits it brings with it WHAT IS FAIRTRADE? If all trade was fair we wouldn’t need an alternative.

But two billion people – one third of humanity – work hard for a living but still struggle to survive on less than $2 a day The rules and practices of international trade are biased in favour of rich countries and powerful companies, often to the cost of poor producers and the environment. Many farmers and workers in developing countries struggle to provide for their families. Often the price they get paid for their crop does not cover the cost of production. This can cause real suffering in the short term and makes it impossible for farmers to plan from one harvest to the next.

Fairtrade is about changing the way trade works to put justice and sustainable development at the heart of global trade and is making a real difference to farmers and workers around the world. Fairtrade proves that trade can work for people and planet.

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sector FAIRTRADE

HOW DOES IT WORK? Fairtrade producers receive a fair and stable price, enough to cover what they have put into production.

In addition to the basic price, farmers and workers have the opportunity to improve their lives through an additional premium – to invest in tomorrow. They can use this money any way they like to improve their own organisations, or invest in their community.

Farmers and workers decide democratically what these projects should be. They also have to work to protect their environment and often spend their premium on projects such as recycling, cleaning up and developing better farming practices. When you see the Fairtrade Mark you can be sure that the producers who grew these products have received the Fairtrade price and premium.

WHAT IS A FAIRTRADE SCHOOL? A Fairtrade School is one that has taken Fairtrade to the heart of its ethos: using Fairtrade products; learning about Fairtrade and the difference it makes to producers; and taking action for Fairtrade in the school and local community. To become a Fairtrade School, schools have to meet five goals: 1. Set up a Fairtrade steering group 2. Adopt a Fairtrade policy 3. Commit to Fairtrade products 4. Learn about Fairtrade 5. Take action for Fairtrade.

Also, the most successful Fairtrade Schools are often led by the students.

Working towards becoming a Fairtrade School can be beneficial in more ways than one (see box out for how to apply). It’s helpful for teachers as it offers different ways to enhance the curriculum, resources and real-life examples to bring to life lots of concepts, such as interdependence and sustainable consumption. It has also been known to develop organisational and campaigning skills in pupils and lets them be part of something that is

happening all over the world. The school itself benefits from local and national recognition, and fits well with other awards.

HOW DOES THE FAIRTRADE SCHOOLS AWARD BENEFIT FARMERS? Every Fairtrade product sold represents real benefits to Fairtrade producers. And by raising awareness of Fairtrade and why it is necessary, especially in the wider community, schools can help deliver more benefit to producers. And they feel the support of people the other side of the world.

STEP BACK TO SCHOOL WITH THE FAIRTRADE COTTON CHALLENGE This summer, the Fairtrade Schools team is asking existing Fairtrade Schools, and those that are completely new to Fairtrade, to take on a new challenge.

Cotton farmers are some of the poorest in the world. Many least developed countries are dependent on cotton for rural livelihoods and export revenue. In Burkina Faso cotton accounts for 60% of export earnings and supports the livelihoods of two million people. Selling their cotton on Fairtrade terms is one of the few opportunities available to them to be able to work their way out of poverty. Eight-two per cent of UK schools have a school uniform. This provides the perfect opportunity for farmers in the global south to benefit from the sale of Fairtrade cotton uniforms. And it means schools can extend their work, especially those who have been involved with Fairtrade for some time and are looking for a new challenge.

BECOME A FAIRTRADE SCHOOL To become a Fairtrade School, create a record at www.fairtrade.org.uk/ schools. Everything you need to know is in a step by step guide that can be downloaded at www. fairtrade.org.uk/schools/ support_resources/default. aspx.

The use of Fairtrade complements our academy’s environmental specialism, sustainability policies and Christian ethos, and so Fairtrade will always be an integral part of our academy life and community www.edexec.co.uk

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12

sector FAIRTRADE

FAIRTRADE AT THE CHALK FACE The Academy of St Francis of Assisi (ASFA) became a Fairtrade School last month. The whole school has since got involved with Fairtrade, with the students and teachers taking part in the Fairtrade steering committee, the policy of which reads: “As a local school with a global outreach, we are adopting and embracing the use of Fairtrade in order to make our world a better place. Therefore, ASFA is committed to supporting, promoting and using Fairtrade wherever possible.

“We believe that people should be given a fair price for their work and we also believe that we have a responsibility to stand up for the rights of those who are being treated unfairly by global trade rules. We want to be part of something that will help people and will make the world a fairer place.

“Our academy has an enviable reputation for fairness and treating everybody with respect – we want to develop these qualities even further. The use of Fairtrade complements our academy’s environmental specialism, sustainability policies and Christian ethos, and so Fairtrade will always be an integral part of our academy life and community.”

FAIRTRADE IN THE CURRICULUM The academy has featured Fairtrade throughout its teaching and learning and across a range of subjects, including English, in which students worked to produce a group presentation that will persuade the audience to buy Fairtrade chocolate rather than their usual brand. In maths, Year 8 pupils played ‘The Trading Game’ to consider how trade works and the injustices that occur as a result.

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FAIRTRADE EVENTS The steering committee held a number of events to raise the profile of Fairtrade in their community: DESIGN A FAIRTRADE UNIFORM The Fairtrade Foundation is running a competition for schools to design a Fairtrade cotton uniform for their pupils. The competition asks students to draw on all their creativity, and understanding of the need for Fairtrade cotton, to design a uniform, and describe how they would market it. The prize for this is a visit from a Fairtrade producer in the autumn term. The competition closes on 26 October 2012 and more information can be found at www.fairtrade.org.uk/ schools/competitions.

Fairtrade Stall Launch One of the main events during the school’s Fairtrade Fortnight (27 February – 11 March) celebrations was a Fairtrade stall. Open every break and lunchtime, staff and students had the opportunity to buy a range of Fairtrade products, including chocolate, Geobars and lip balm. The stall was a success, with the chocolate selling out in the first couple of days Fairtrade Bunting World record Year 7 and 8 students produced flags promoting Fairtrade during their RE and ‘opening minds’ lessons. These were then sent off as part of the world record attempt for the world’s longest piece of Fairtrade cotton bunting. The Academy sent off over 200 flags by the end of Fairtrade Fortnight and the students were very proud when they heard that the world record had been broken.

Newsham Park Festival The students produced Fairtrade goodie bags as a way of introducing Fairtrade to people for free at the Newsham Park Festival. The bags included information about Fairtrade, a Geobar, raisin snack pack, pen or rubber, balloon and a tea or coffee sample. Fifty bags in total were given out to families who were also told about Fairtrade. The bags were a great success and went very quickly.

They also brought people along to the stall in the marquee so they could find out more and browse the items on sale.

14

sector EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

DIARY

Experience the difference VALERIE CARRIER, HEADTEACHER OF ST GEORGES BICKLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL, SPEAKS OF THE BENEFIT OF EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING, ESPECIALLY AT YEAR SIX

H

ere at St Georges Primary School, curriculum enhancement has always been an important part of school life, from reception, when children join us, to Year Six, when they leave for secondary school. We aim to help them develop knowledge, skills and understanding, while enabling them to enjoy learning, become independent thinkers and confident individuals. Experiential learning is a crucial part of helping children to reach their full potential at St Georges and has become an integral part of our teaching.

As part of this ethos, we believe it is important to ensure children are given the opportunity to develop beyond an academic education and are able to take part in activities to help them move beyond the classroom environment and enhance their mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing.

Curriculum enhancement comes in many forms at St Georges School, from extracurricular activities to school visitors and residential trips. It is an important part of school life throughout theschool but the value of curriculum enhancement is never more visible than in Year Six. Year Six is a very important year for the children and, while it is important to push them academically, we see it as part of our role at St Georges, especially in the summer term, to help the pupils become ready for the experience of secondary school. One of the most important aspects of Year Six

education is enhancing the children’s confidence to prepare them for the new challenges that secondary school will bring.

We attempt to do this in a variety of ways.

By taking the children out of the classroom we allow them to develop in their own way and explore their own style of learning.

Towards the end of Year Six it is crucial to ensure the children are able to develop their own ways of learning to prepare them for secondary school. One of the most beneficial experiences in this respect is the annual Year Six trip to the Grosvenor Hall activity centre in Kent.

The residential visit removes the children from the comfort of the classroom environment, preparing them for unfamiliar surroundings and allows them to experience new activities and styles of learning.

The Grosvenor Hall centre offers the children the opportunity to take part in confidence-building outdoor activities, including climbing walls, abseiling and using zip wires. It provides experiential learning activities, including a maze and media studios to help the children develop the skills required to learn on their own.

Experiential learning provides kids with an opportunity to explore risk-taking in a secure environment. They are able to draw their own lessons from these experiences, which better enables them to learn in a classroom environment and apply those lessons to real life situations. It gives children confidence and allows them to tackle problems in new ways helping them to prepare for the challenges beyond the classroom. Teachers and policy makers must now endeavor to realise the benefits of experiential learning and move towards building it into the core of their educational ethos as we have attempted to do at St Georges.

Experiential learning provides young people with an opportunity to explore risk-taking within a secure environment june 2012

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16

sector SEN

Catering to your needs As the consultation for the green paper on special educational needs comes to a close, CARRIE SERVICE takes a look at how changes will affect the way funding for SEN is managed in schools

U

nder the current system, there are three levels of special educational needs: school action – where a child may need one-to-one support in lessons; school action plus – when a child will need one-to-one help in lessons and possibly some outside help in the form of a child psychologist; and lastly, statements. Statemented children are issued with a report by the local authorities listing what additional support they will require to improve. These children with the most severe needs may entitle the school to additional funding in order to procure services.

WANT NOT NEED In 2010, Ofsted accused schools of unnecessarily labelling too many children as having SEN. They argued that if teaching standards were up to scratch many of these children would not be categorised as having special needs and some schools were using it as a scapegoat for their poor standards of teaching. As schools may receive additional funding for each statemented child, questions were also raised about whether or not this was an incentive for schools to categorise children as SEN. However, Ofsted did say that schools were more often over-identifying children as having SEN under the ‘school action’ category, where schools are expected to provide support using existing resources and don’t receive any extra cash.

The green paper proposed introducing the option of personalised funding for SEN pupils by 2014, which will see parents becoming responsible for their child’s provision with the support of a key worker within the school who will recommend services to parents. Statements, school action + school action plus will be scrapped in favour of combined edcucation + healthcare plans. A national banded funding framework could also be created, which would provide clarity for parents and include descriptions of the different provisions available.

SPECIAL SKILLS In response to feedback from SEN children saying that they felt frustrated with the lack of knowledge non-specialist staff in schools have, the Government has embarked on an initiative to improve the expertise and awareness of the school workforce by launching a scholarship fund for support staff. Schools can now apply for up to £2,000 to provide SEN training for teaching assistants and other support staff. Rather than having a number of specialist teachers, staff across the board could be equipped to cater to special needs.

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schools in focus

BRADFORD

PRIMARY UPDATE

LICHFIELD

What’s going on in the world of primary school and nursery management

GOUCESTERSHIRE WHITLEY

Canopy links school with local community

LONDON

Half of UK primary children take part in Jubilee Kite Day

COOPERS EDGE PRIMARY, Gloucestershire

Working with a local architect, governors at Gloucestershire’s Coopers Edge Primary oversaw the entire development and design of a new school building this year with a covered courtyard as its central feature.

The school leaders wanted a space that would “inspire and enable people, while energising the community and enhancing their quality of life”. They were clear the courtyard’s roof was to look like it was ‘floating’ and not block the flow of walking traffic below. They did not want any masts touching the ground, eliminating the students’ temptation to climb the structure and removing obstructions to wheel chair users.

Having met with neighbouring Fabric Architecture for the initial design consultation, the governors settled on a canopy as a solution.

They felt fabric would allow them to achieve a bright internal space that was still comparable to the more solid roofs seen in many other British new-build schools.

The canopy covered courtyard will not only benefit the school, but the community too.

Nicknamed ‘the village square’, it provides a space for local people to hold fundraisers, activities and neighbourhood meetings.

Half of British primary schoolchildren were expected to get involved in Jubilee Kite Day on 1 June.

Specialist educational kite organisation, Dorset-based Kites For Schools has seen demand soar for its Jubilee kite kits and expected hundreds of thousands of British schoolchildren to get involved on the day, celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

The event came about as schools sought something that gave children a way of commemorating the Queen’s coronation celebrations.

Founder Karen Gamble said: “This event is one of those very special things that make everyone involved feel good.”

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STATS & FACTS

63%

Two-thirds of primary academies surveyed by Ipsos MORI and Browne Jacobson have changed their curriculum since converting, compared to just over one-third of secondary school academies

20

schools in focus NEWS

Freight firm sends special water delivery to local primary school in bid to promote healthier living

news INBRIEF

ST JOSEPH CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL, Lichfield

SBM CHARGED WITH FRAUD

Children at a primary school in Lichfield have had their thirsts quenched by a local freight company, which delivered over 350 water bottles to the school in April, to help promote a healthier lifestyle and in time for a local half marathon.

Promoting a ‘Drink More at Work’ campaign, Espace Europe supplied the school with orange water bottles to keep the children hydrated in class. The firm is also a cosponsor of St Joseph’s running vests, produced to help raise funds for the half marathon.

MD Helen Crooks commented: “We are delighted that we’re able to promote the healthy living message to all the pupils at St Joseph Primary School and to assist the parents teachers and friends association in their fundraising effort... We have a few spare bottles that we’re going to send to our clients, but we don’t expect the same level of excitement.”

According to WaterForWork.co.uk, hydrated children are more alert, can concentrate for longer, perform better physically and learn better.

Just a two per cent drop in hydration causes a 20% reduction in children’s performance in physical, mental and cognitive activities.

An ex-bursar near Reading has been accused of stealing more than 2,600 from the primary school where she worked by making unauthorised payments to herself.

According to the Reading Chronicle, a jury at Reading Crown Court heard that Suzanne Mills, who had been working at Christ The King Catholic Primary School in Whitely since 2001, submitted unauthorised payments of 1,645.05 in October 2008 and 1,049 in May 2009. The prosecution said the first payment was made after the school’s finance committee agreed to pay the bursar for extra hours worked over the summer. When she submitted a claim to headteacher John Cosgrove, he alleged that she wrote to the payroll asking them to double her salary for the month. The second payment was allegedly made when she wrongly included her name on a list of staff eligible for a backdated pay rise. She told the police she had a “difficult” relationship with Cosgrove. Mills denies the two charges of fraud and the trial continues.

DOWNHILLS GOES ON STRIKE From left to right: Helen Crooks, Espace MD; Sinead Smith, headteacher; Tony Shally, commercial director; and Andrea Crooks, corporate services – with a group of pupils

PICTURE STORY

Teachers at Downhills Primary School in Haringey, North London went on strike last month over the Government’s plans to force them into academy status. The school was put into special measures in 2002 and the DfE says it has not shown enough improvement to remain under local authority control. The school has claimed making it an academy is illegal. Christine Blower, general secretary, National Union of Teachers, said: “Forcing academy status on schools has nothing whatsoever to do with standards but everything to do with the breakup of our education system. The free schools and academies programme is neither wanted nor needed. Michael Gove is simply playing fast and loose with tax payers’ money.”

DIARY 3 July Early years foundation stage: preparing for September Westminster Westminster-briefing.com

SEND IN YOUR STORIES Pupils from Bradford primary schools take part in a ballroom dancing competition at local Tong High School. The college’s ‘Primary Partnerships’ initiative invites pupils from 18 nearby primary schools to take part in a range of events and projects that aim to broaden their experiences

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We are always looking for local school news. If you have a story to share, email editor@edexec.co.uk

22

schools in focus ACADEMIES

Welcome to the federation june 2012

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schools in focus ACADEMIES

With secondary schools winning the race to academy status, primary schools demonstrate a slow shift in the same direction by forming alliances with other schools. PARDY DHILLON reports

U

nder sections 24, 25 and 26 of the Education Act 2002, maintained schools are able to collaborate under a single governing body as a method to share resources, improve leadership and widen participation across schools.

Since being implemented in 2002, federation schools have been on the increase across secondary schools, whereas, traditionally, primary schools have tended to require more support from local education authorities. With primary schools containing far fewer numbers of students and receiving much less funding than secondary schools, it is often difficult to afford staff members and resources, which is why some primary schools have realised banding together in alliances – both formal and informal – could be the way forward. Schools across the UK have successfully implemented ways to form an alliance with neighbouring schools, including Low Road and Windmill Primary School Federation in Leeds and Gipsy Hill Federation in London.

As the face of schools is dramatically changing annually, school leaders and managers are seeking opportunities to improve and develop existing strategies in their school. This often means forming a federation with others schools. It is to be noted that the success and impact of

academies is yet to be reviewed, as these changes have only recently been implemented. In the meantime, there lie many unanswered questions, such as: What are the benefits of forming an alliance with a school? What services do you share? Where do you look for a school to partner with?

And how do you communicate with schools that are not on your doorstep?

TYPES OF ACADEMIES Becoming an academy means detaching a school from the local education authority and delegating authority to its leaders.

However, schools are able to adapt and adjust how this is done. For example, schools can opt to form a centralised body of leaders who manage the school system. A secondary option is to link with schools in the local area and have one headteacher who is responsible for all the schools. Often the case with this is a ‘good’ school is joined with a ‘satisfactory’ or below school to develop and progress student attainment.

Others may choose to work alongside the local education authority and unite with other schools for financial benefits, such as purchasing school equipment collectively and sharing best practice. Free schools, on the other hand, adopt an even more independent approach and can be initiated by anyone, i.e. parent, teacher etc.

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24

schools in focus ACADEMIES

As the shift to academy status increases across the UK’s secondary schools, many primary schools are being drawn into converting by forming a federation school.

With a majority of secondary schools already implementing and exercising academy status, primary schools appear to show a slow upshift in this conversion. Ray Barker, the director from the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA), states that primary schools express a sense of unease in making this change. He goes on to say that “primary schools require the support of the local education authority and have not yet been swept in”. However, in assessing the current educational climate, he predicts that primary schools will soon show a shift as academy status becomes the norm.

THE BENEFITS OF AN ALLIANCE Some benefits to primary schools of forming an alliance with other schools include: n COMPETITION: Increased competition among schools is resulting in schools battling with student intake. Thus, joining with another primary school can further funding in pupil intake and improved management of leadership. n Mentoring: In investing and seeking mentoring from local secondary schools instead of LEAs, primary schools are able to restructure the schools more accurately and efficiently. n Procurement: From an educational perspective, schools are able to purchase resources and equipment at a lower cost by buying in bulk to distribute across the federation schools. By joining a federation, schools are able to allocate funds towards meaningful projects and personnel, without worry of the 10-12% reduction that LEAs normally deduct.

HOW IT CAN BE ACHIEVED When becoming a federation school, business leaders and managers are encouraged to

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improve the quality of staff training in order to equip staff with the correct skills to succeed in an academy. This is demonstrated in the introduction of teaching schools.

According to the TDA, “teaching schools will identify, develop and coordinate expertise in other schools for the benefit of all pupils across a network of schools – they will play a key part in driving school improvement”. It appears that teachers will be required to expand and extend upon their current roles as teachers and adopt a business-orientated mindset.

LOCATING FEDERATION SCHOOLS Commonly, academy federations link with schools that are based in the local area. Some exceptions include the Harris Federation, which comprises 13 academies across south London, and First Federation in Devon. It is often difficult to operate with distant schools/ academies, however, with the use of technology like video conferencing, schools are able to schedule meetings and make decisions efficiently.

West Minster Primary School has formed an alliance with Rose Street Primary School as part of the Sheerness West Federation and prides itself in having the flexibility to provide further support to pupils to raise attainment levels. Executive headteacher Alan Bayford says there have been many positives to forming a federation. “The benefits outweigh the challenges in joining a federation,” he says.

One of the biggest benefits he enjoys is having the flexibility to employ specialist teachers for subjects like sport and music. “One of the joys in doing so is that teachers’ PPA time is even more pure and they don’t have to take responsibility,” Bayford adds. He goes on to say that teachers have the flexibility to cross-moderate across two sets of staff and can observe each other to share best practice.

He makes the anaology of clients distinguishing between a Ford and a Vauxhall: “they appear to be different, but mechanically they are the same”.

No man is an island and so comes the revolution of the federation Bayford admits to facing one challenge in managing a federation: “I’m always in the wrong place at the wrong time. Staff always think that if I’m not there, I am at the other school and, controversially, become jealous.”

On reflection, he says this could be overcome by “combining three schools instead of two, which lessens these views of teachers”.

It is to be noted that West Minster Primary school maintains support from its LEA, which is common across primary schools. However, Bayford states that a wholly independent federation would be better. “I would suggest what you really need is support or governing body who see great benefits for students and parents,” he says.

OPERATION COMPLETE OR INCOMPLETE? Barker argues the success of academy schools has not yet been determined as the sudden shift into academy status has only recently been introduced. In asking whether academies have been successful or not, he commented: “Nobody knows yet. It will be interesting to see the outcome and we are yet to find out. What will happen is that there will be more money distributed towards academies and less towards LEAs, therefore primary schools that rely on LEAs will be the minority and will eventually be pulled into it. As [the] movement grows it will become unsustainable not to become an academy.”

Who should attend?

Those in a financial or business role in schools, specifically bursars and business managers. Headteachers and deputies with a role in the business management, ICT or financial planning of their school.

Aspiring SBM’s looking to further and improve their knowledge and skills and aid their next role in school business management.

Frida y 22 Ju ne 2012

HOW & WHEN? Friday 22 June Business Design Centre, Islington, London 9am-5pm Event will be held at the Business Design Centre, Islington, London. The nearest tube is Angel, serviced by the northern line. This is very close to Euston, Kings Cross, Marylebone and many other main line stations – which means the journey from as far afield as Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham or Leeds is very accessible on the day.

HOW TO SIGN UP Fill in this form and fax it back to us 0207 979 0089

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Come and spend a day with us; we could save your school money, further your CPD and even offer advice on how to generate revenue EDEXEC LIVE – WHY SIGN UP? We are very aware of just how busy your role is, so why give up a day in school to attend our event? What’s in it for you? What’s in it for your school?

The day will help you be more productive in your role, save your school money and even make your school money! The question should be: can you afford to miss it?

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role is further supported by our partnerships on the day with leading providers of training and qualifications such as NAHT, ASCL and National College, and specialist advice in areas such as HR, law and financial management - specific to business and financial management in schools The day is unique as it offers delegates the opportunity to select specific seminar and clinic topics, ensuring your day is filled with information and learning, that will be directly relevant to you and your school’s current requirements.

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schools in focus NEWS

SECONDARY UPDATE

BRADFORD LIVERPOOL

What’s going on in the world of secondary schools and further education

BERKSHIRE

BRIGHTON

Spending on exams more than doubles There has been a steady year-on-year increase in schools’ nominal expenditure on examination fees since 2002, an Ofqual report reveals, with spend rising from £154m in 2002/03 to £328m in 2010/11.

Examination fee expenditure is the second largest running cost in secondary schools after learning resources.

Ofqual is undertaking work to understand these increases in expenditure. The report outlines four possible drivers of increased expenditure on examinations: • an increase in the level of the fees charged for qualifications • an increase in the number of qualifications being taken • an increase in the number of additional fees, such as late fees or unit resit fees that are incurred • or a shift in demand for qualifications towards those that have higher fees.

A Department for Education spokesman commented: “Our reforms to league tables mean that while GCSEs will continue to count, low-quality qualifications that don’t help young people into further study or jobs will be stripped out. We are concerned about the scale of school spending on exams – this is money that could otherwise be spent on teaching.”

Students in Brighton and Hove compete to design greener schools Students from Brighton and Hove battled it out to come up with the best plan to make their school greener space,as part of a competition launched surrounding the first-ever Eco Technology Show 2012, taking place 15-16 June at the AMEX Stadium in Brighton.

Pupils were challenged to come up with ways to reduce their schools’ impact on the environment in the area of water, waste, energy and transport. Once an area was decided, the school groups came up with a project idea, then drew, coloured-in and annotated their design. The winning entry will be exhibited at the show.

Robyn Steer, creative arts coordinator at Albion in the Community, creators the competition, in partnership with the Eco

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Technology Show, said the project was set up to engage young people in an “eco-discussion” and give them the opportunity to actively explore what their school does that is ‘green’.“The project lets Brighton and Hove’s young people audit their school’s existing eco-projects and take creative control in designing how their school could be even greener,” she added. Though all the schools involved so far are eco-schools, Steer believes the project enables them to look that bit further – “with no budget set, the project really encourages blue-sky thinking,” she adds.

Show director Nicola Gunstone said: “Environmental awareness and sustainable behaviour is becoming increasingly important within schools, to help the younger generation better understand the issues facing our planet.”

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schools in focus NEWS

Leading a 60-pupil primary school with 10 Academy builds staff is a much different job than running a traditional-style 2,000-pupil secondary school with 200 staff and building in just 11 weeks a budget of £8m. This is reflected in senior leaders’ pay and in this context it’s not surprising to see a wide range.

LANGLEY ACADEMY, Berkshire

ASCL general secretary Brian Lightman defending the gap in teacher pay that received criticism after statistics were released recently by the Department for Education

Liverpool Hope: first university to achieve Workplace Wellbeing Charter LIVERPOOL HOPE UNIVERSITY

Liverpool Hope has shown its commitment to its staff by becoming the first university to obtain the Workplace Wellbeing Charter after collaborating with workplace training and consultancy organisation Health@Work to promote healthier lifestyles among employees.

The charter serves as a health-focused version of Investors in People. It aims to combat poor physical health and depression by addressing seven areas of employees’ lifestyles: alcohol and substance misuse; leadership; sickness and absence management; smoking; mental health and stress; healthy eating and physical activity.

Frances Molloy, chief executive of Health@Work, commented: “The charter shows a commitment to improving the health of staff, which, in turn, has a knock-on effect on students, so everyone benefits. It’s a great achievement for an institute of higher education.”

Liverpool Hope University’s dean of students, Dr Penny Haughan added that gaining the charter was a great way to encourage staff at the university to make lifestyle changes that are already recommended to students: “Staff have been able to consider beneficial but achievable goals and have shown a tenacity in making these changes. The university is proud of the effort that has gone into achieving this recognition.”

PICTURE STORY

Students from Tong High School were successful in this year’s Bradford Rock Challenge competition, an anti-drug and crime-prevention initiative. Sixty students took part in the eight-minute performance titled ‘Lost Souls’, featuring vampires and creatures of the underworld and produced entirely by a crew of students and staff

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Langley Academy in Berkshire has built a new classroom facility to accommodate its rapidly expanding sixth form intake in less than three months.

Facilities manager Janine Tuck commented: “We are a very busy academy and minimal disruption to our site is important for all our students and staff.”

The newly constructed facility comprises three individual classrooms, which have been designed with the flexibility of being converted into one large assembly room. This is achieved with specially designed fold-away partitions, which provide a 48db sound proof rating.

The inside to the facility has a full suspended ceiling grid throughout which is complemented by a high standard of internal finishes and the latest state of the art IT equipment. The facility externally features a visually pleasing finish of real brick and render, complimented with a 22.5 degree traditional tiled Dutch barn roof that matches the existing school building – all delivered on budget.

Wernick Buildings built the new classroom facility after a tendering procurement process.

SEND IN YOUR STORIES We are always looking for local school news. If you have a story to share, email editor@edexec.co.uk

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schools in focus CASE STUDY

With jobs harder to come by, students crave the practical when it comes to readying for the working world.

JULIA DENNISON visits head of business studies and ICT, KEVIN LUCAS at Hall Mead School in Upminster to hear about its GCSE’s students’ Apprentice-style project june 2012

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schools in focus CASE STUDY

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hen I visit Kevin Lucas at Upminster’s Hall Mead School, exam results are coming in and I count myself lucky to get a minute of his time. In between forms to sign, he speaks to me about the challenges of teaching ICT and business studies in the current economic climate – when budgets add to the stress of delivering a high quality curriculum. In order to ensure educational standards remain high, teachers throughout the country, Lucas included, have had to think creatively about resources.

TECHNOLOGY BY TRADE With a background in computer science, Lucas started teaching ICT at the school six years ago, and soon expanded his remit to include business studies.

With technology becoming integral to the workplace, the line between ICT and business studies is becoming increasingly blurred of late, particularly with Michael Gove’s plans for changing technology in the curriculum. “The real crossover is how ICT is used in business, because basically businesses cannot function without it,” says Lucas, who, with a degree in computer science, finds the changes to ICT in schools encouraging. “There is a shortage of people going into the [computer programming] industry [in Britain], and there needs to be more.” The technology and language school has been running computer programming and graphics for the last three years and will be running GCSE computing for the first time next year, which Lucas will head-up.

While there is still a need for office skills, schools should choose what they teach carefully, he says: “Lots of schools, unfortunately, just teach Microsoft office, and that’s a problem. We’ve adapted. A few years ago we used to teach PowerPoint. I don’t teach PowerPoint anymore; we haven’t done so for a few years because they do it in primary school – so there’s no point. They come in and know it.” But, he adds, there is still a place for spreadsheets because of their continued utilisation in the workplace.

According to the Royal Society Report released to coincide with Gove’s announcements about the curriculum changes, two-thirds of ICT teachers are not classed as qualified. Lucas finds this shocking and believes that to teach ICT and business skills to the best of their ability, schools need the right resources and the right teachers, with good knowledge of computing and a flexible approach to what is a changing academic discipline.

BUSINESS STUDIES IN PRACTICE Often grouped into one school department, business studies and ICT are potentially resourceheavy subjects. Between new technologies hitting the market at a rapid pace and students craving practical business experience in the working world, budgeting for a well-rounded curriculum in the department can be a challenge.

In a bid to change things up, the school has been running regular enterprise days, which allow students to experience practice interview sessions in preparation for job and university interviews. As part of this, Hall Mead reached out to professionals

The winning team: Lloyds TSB’s Steve Wynn with Ben Lineham, Cassie Finch, Olivia Brindle and Andrew Tuohy of student stationery company, Essentials

As long as they turn a profit again next year, we’ll keep doing it

in the wider community for assistance, to run interviews and give the kids careers advice.

The school’s bank manager, Steve Wynn, who was involved in the enterprise days, suggested taking his involvement one step further by Lloyds TSB sponsoring a student enterprise project.

The project lasted a month, when around 50 students from Year 10 competed in groups of four to create their own company, using an initial investment of £15 per person from the bank. The school ensured the students were mixed up, since, as Lucas points out in the real world “you generally don’t work with your friends”. After presenting an outline business plan and growth objectives of how the enterprise would operate and generate revenue growth, the teams had all month to maximise their shareholders return on the investment.

Businesses ranged from a car-washing service to a jewellery design company. The winning team, called ‘Essentials’, created a greeting card and stationery firm. They generated a healthy profit of nearly £200 by selling their goods to teachers and pupils from a stall in the school playground during lunchtimes. They also hired a table at their school fete to enable them to sell to parents.

All but two groups turned a profit and as an incentive, the pupils got to keep half of the money generated, with the other half going to the Hall Mead Friends Association for future initiatives.

With over £1,000 saved from the profit-making exercise, Lucas plans to run it again. “It was self-funding, so the money is there for us to do it again,” he says. The only thing he would do differently would be to shorten it into a two- or three-week period, as he felt like a month was a bit too much time away from the rest of the curriculum.

“As long as they turn a profit again next year, we’ll keep doing it,” he adds. Fundraising projects like this one, Lucas hopes, may also contribute towards school development plans, like a new performing arts centre and more ICT equipment. The pressure is on for the rising Year 10 business studies students, then.

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schools in focus INDEPENDENT NEWS

INDEPENDENT UPDATE What’s going on in the world of independent schools

Pitsford opens new £2.5m junior school Pitsford School, a small coeducational all-through independent school outside of Northampton, has finished the £2.5m construction of its new junior school and pupils have settled in well since moving in at the end of February.

The building has under-floor heating, self-closing windows and interactive whiteboards.

The Kits (pre-school class) and Squirrels (reception class) have two classrooms that integrate with the outdoors under the school’s ethos of ‘learning through play, indoors and outdoors’ as well as an undercover outdoor play area.

The new building also includes a music room; art room, complete with kitchen; gym and library.

NORTHAMPTON

CANTERBURY

Overpaid academies to pay back £15m by July Academies that have been overpaid by the Government will be forced to repay £15m by July this year.

According to information released through the Freedom of Education Act, 128 academies will be forced to pay back around £117,000 each because of a government blunder.

The move means that schools will lose a large chunk of their funding for the next academic year, which could result in redundancies.

The issue was highlighted by accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young, which are involved in managing the finances of some academy schools. Allan Hickie, a partner in the firm told the TES: “A number of academies will now have significantly less money than they anticipated, and many will already have allocated this funding. Schools have to work to long time frames when

planning investment in areas like IT.” The mistakes are being blamed on a complicated method of allocating government funding to academies.

Earlier this year it was revealed that academies were receiving funding for pupils that didn’t exist. Instead of academies being allocated funding in relation to the amount of pupils registered at the school, funding was instead calculated using projected figures, meaning that academies were receiving funding for pupils that didn’t exist.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “A small proportion of academies – mostly older sponsored academies – receive funding based on pupil estimates, not actual pupil numbers. In cases where actual pupil numbers don’t match estimates, we claw back excess funding – based on the terms in funding agreements.”

PICTURE STORY

Senior school girl joins hands with a boy from the junior school

SEND IN YOUR STORIES We are always looking for local school news. If you have a story to share, email editor@edexec.co.uk

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Youngsters aged five to 15 are being invited to take part in three weeks of Olympicthemed games as part of the popular annual SummerFest at St Edmund’s School in Canterbury (23 July – 10 August)

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schools in focus ASBESTOS

Asbestos is an ongoing problem in schools, and something that has become an increasing source of anxiety for many, particularly academies.

CARRIE SERVICE takes a look at the situation in hand, and how schools can take control of it

A national scandal A report from the All-Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health this year revealed that 75% of Britain’s schools contain asbestos in their infrastructure – a shocking figure that demonstrates just how serious the issue is in the UK. Over 140 teachers have died from mesothelioma (the cancer caused by asbestos) in the past ten years alone.

WHERE IS ASBESTOS FOUND? Up until the early 1970s asbestos was used in the construction of nearly every school. There are several types of asbestos-containing materials, which range from relatively low-risk items, such as hard plastics used in toilet cisterns and floor tiles, to higher-risk materials, including door and window surrounds, walls, and ceilings made of asbestos insulating board. Asbestos cloth was also used as fire barriers in ceilings, and as lagging on pipes.

A HUGE RESPONSIBILITY Many schools are now converting to academy status, giving them greater freedom from the local authorities – and with greater freedom comes greater responsibility. Local authorities are no longer expected to manage asbestos in academies, so it is now down to the schools themselves to ensure they are compliant.

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Richard Thomson, from engineering company Thomson’s, which specialises in asbestos management, has 35 years of experience with the problem. He does not believe the Government is giving adequate support to schools, and as a result many are finding themselves out of their depth: “Asbestos is a silent killer and the risk to children is seven times that of an adult,” he reflects. “I’m not sure the education system in general is taking this risk seriously.” However, he does believe that, if tackled properly, it needn’t be something of which schools live in fear. “It’s a serious risk, yes, but it can be simply managed,” he says. “If only people would listen and find out what’s involved the risk can be reduced to practically zero. At the moment there is anxiety about [it] and there doesn’t need to be.” Thomson suggests that academies might actually be at an advantage now because they are “masters of their own destiny”, as he puts it. “They can be proactive about getting the situation in order, and it’s largely out of order throughout schools – there’s no question.”

GETTING YOUR SCHOOL IN ORDER So where do you start? Firstly, carry out a survey to find out whether your school’s infrastructure contains asbestos, and if so, to

schools in focus ASBESTOS

what extent. It is then recommended that the senior members of the school receive training to raise awareness of the substance. This can be done in half-a-day, explains Thomson, so it is not particularly disruptive. Once the whereabouts and extent of the asbestos has been established, it can be managed efficiently.

There are software programmes available that allow the whereabouts of asbestos to be recorded and to make a record of any maintenance work that is carried out in the school. They also allow you to print out documents for contractors to sign, confirming they are taking all necessary precautions.

Companies also run schemes offering on-site assessments of a school’s asbestos procedures and documentation. Thomson hopes this will encourage schools to get the ball rolling: “This initiative will get people thinking, and a good place to start is the academy schools.”

It’s a serious risk, yes, but it can be simply managed THE DUTYHOLDER Every school containing asbestos should assign a dutyholder to be responsible for the management of any asbestos present. This person is not required to organise removal of the asbestos (in fact, this is rarely recommended as it would do more harm than good in most cases), instead, according to regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006, they are required to: • take reasonable steps to find out if there are materials containing asbestos on site, and if so, its amount, where it is and what condition it is in • presume materials contain asbestos unless there is strong evidence that they do not • make, and keep up-to-date, a record of the location and condition of the asbestos containing materials – or materials that are presumed to contain asbestos • assess the risk of anyone being exposed to fibres from the materials identified • prepare a plan that sets out in detail how the risks from these materials will be managed • take the necessary steps to put the plan into action • periodically review and monitor the plan and the arrangements to act on it so that the plan remains relevant and up-to-date • and provide information on the location and condition of the materials to anyone who is liable to work on or disturb them.

For more info on asbestos management and a checklist for schools, see hse.gov.uk/ asbestos. This has information about changes to some of the finer details of asbestos management that came into play in April. 

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INTERVIEW

All Saints Catholic School and Technology College in Dagenham has recently been selected as a National Teaching School.

CARRIE SERVICE speaks to deputy head NIGEL GARDNER about the benefits for All Saints, and how the school is becoming more business savvy

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hen I meet Nigel Gardner, deputy head of All Saints Catholic School and Technology College in Dagenham, the school is still in the midst of its induction to becoming a National Teaching School. Being awarded teaching school status by the National College for School Leadership means the school will now lead training and professional development for teaching and support staff. This will include running PGCE and GTP training courses for new teachers and also CPD (continual professional development) for qualified teachers. The idea of the programme is to allow outstanding schools like All Saints the autonomy and freedom to lead a group of schools, working alongside partners (including at least one university) to share and promote best practice. The National College will designate 500 teaching schools by 2014 (the figure currently stands at around 200).

All Saints will work with other schools in a sort of ‘training group’; brokering services and working as a consultancy of sorts. “We are actually starting to sell that consultancy,” Gardner tells me. “We are currently working with other schools, 25 or so miles away, who have affectively hired our two facilitators to go along and deliver INSET sessions for 14 of their staff.” This has meant the school now needs to adapt and start thinking a little bit more like a business, which is where Gardner has proved to be very useful.

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INTERVIEW

DOWN TO BUSINESS Gardner has a background in business studies and feels well-equipped for taking All Saints on its new journey to becoming a National Teaching School. “We do a lot more marketing than we’ve ever done before. We’re a lot more business savvy in terms of looking at our costing structures,” he tells me. “Because I’ve got a business studies background I tend to think on that kind of level anyway,” he adds. But he’s also conscious of the fact that there is a lot of work to be done in preparation: “We do need to develop a charging policy for the services we provide; we’re aware of that.”

Many schools, having been awarded teaching school status, decide to register as a company. Each teaching school applicant is required to present a business plan to the National College, so going the whole hog and registering as a company seems to be a logical step for most. All Saints didn’t set out with the intention of building a business from the project, recalls Gardner: “When we put our offer over, it wasn’t with a company in mind, but it sort of sinks over quite nicely.” The teaching school system is built up of much of the same components as a business, Gardner explains: “You’ve got your managing director, who’d be your teaching schools director, then you’d have your initial teacher training director, your continual professional development director, your school-to-school support director and your talent management leadership and succession planning manager. So you actually create a proper business organisation chart anyway.” Gardner advises doing a bit of research and looking into how other schools have approached the project and perhaps take a similar tack if you like what they have achieved.

We do a lot more marketing than we’ve ever done before; we’re a lot more business savvy UNHEALTHY COMPETITION All Saints is not an academy and therefore still relies on the local authority to provide some services. Becoming a National Teaching School may change how All Saints and the LA work together, but this is a relationship that Gardner is keen to maintain. Teaching Schools do not have any link with the council when it comes to the services they provide for other schools – this is run completely separately and does not involve any input from the LA. National College feedback has suggested that the transition, in terms of the relationship between teaching schools and the local authority, has not always been as smooth as was hoped, but this is something that Gardner believes will be ironed out with time. “It’s still early days, people are still finding their feet,” he says with confidence. He believes the key to maintaining a good relationship with the local authority when becoming a teaching school is to work alongside them, rather than in competition with them: “Barking and Dagenham is a relatively small local education authority, with relatively few schools, so it’s really important for us to work closely, just like we work with the diocese. We need to work closely so that we are not duplicating stuff; we’re actually providing a streamlined service. There’s no point in us doing something that the local authority do and trying to sell it to schools in Barking and Dagenham if they’re already buying into an LA service.” Gardner believes the school has to act like a business in one sense, but also be conscious that not all competition is healthy, especially if you know you cannot realistically compete: “Competition is great, but it can be counterproductive. It would be far better for us to use the skills of people collaboratively rather than try to undercut each other.”

HOW TO APPLY To apply to become a Teaching School you must first attend an ‘expression of interest briefing’ run by the National College. This will

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provide you and other potential applicants with further information about the application process and more details about the role of a teaching school. The prospectus and guidance on applying for the next round of applicants will be available from 18 June and the expression of interest briefing is to be held on 5 July in Nottingham (the college recommends registering your interest first as spaces are limited). As teaching schools are expected to set an example to others, you will have to meet certain criteria to be eligible. You must: • be judged as an ‘outstanding’ school • show consistently high levels of pupil performance or continued improvement over the last three years, and be “above current floor standards” • have outstanding leaders who can make “significant and high quality contribution to the training of teachers” and “provide highly effective professional development for teaching and/or leadership”. You must also have the capacity to provide “significant and successful support to under-performing schools within a school-to-school partnership, federation or chain” • provide evidence detailing how it has improved, supported by “self-evaluation, coaching, mentoring, quality assurance and engagement in practitioner-led research, with strong links to higher education”.

All Saints is still in its infancy of becoming a Teaching School, so it will be interesting to catch up a few months down the line and see how they are getting on. If you are interested in applying for teaching school status, which is free to schools, more details can be found on the National College’s website. The next round of applicants will open on 29 June and will close at midnight on 21 September.

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CASE STUDY

Every little helps The increase in the pupil premium will be welcomed by schools. But with it comes scrutiny on how it’s spent.

NICKY WHITE, assistant vice principal at Bradford Academy, uses it to improve literacy

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hen we first opened the doors of Bradford Academy in September 2007, we were faced with more challenges than most. The Year 7 to 11 students arrived with many challenges: about a quarter of them spoke English as an additional language. The proportion of students with special educational needs and/or disabilities was above average and consequently the percentage of students with statements was more than twice the national average. Fifteen per cent had a reading score below Level 3.

Being an academy, our funding came directly from the DCSF and included a proportion to spend on supporting the least able.

Over the past five years, Bradford Academy has transformed into a flourishing school with a 97% pass rate at A2 level. Our first Ofsted report in 2009 judged us to be thriving under a dynamic and resolute leadership team and in a comparatively short period of time we have seen the proportion of students gaining five or more GCSE passes at grades A* to C rising markedly.

However, unsurprisingly, the report highlighted a need to boost the literacy skills of a significant proportion of the students through enhanced provision.

When I first started teaching at Bradford Academy five years ago I recognised the high number of students with extremely low reading ages who desperately needed literacy intervention. Many were below national curriculum level two but a staggering 30% were below level one. It is difficult to be certain how these students arrived at school with such low standards; it is often a mixture of gaps in their critical early reading skills, high rates of

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CASE STUDY

absenteeism, frequent changes of school, or all of these.

We started by using best practice models but it soon became clear that the level of many of our students meant that they had virtually no understanding of phonics. We therefore decided to employ a high-level teaching assistant (HLTA) three times a week to work with our Year 7 Level Two and Three readers on synthetic phonics using the Ruth Miskin Literacy programme. The students developed their understanding of how to use phonics to read. We saw the students improve an average of two places in a year.

However, despite the programme being effective with the Year 7 learners, the lack of age-appropriate resources led to a decline in motivation when they entered Year 8.

So I started looking for a literacy intervention programme suitable to reengage our Year 8 and 9 students who were working well below national expectations. The children found the story books babyish and were embarrassed to be seen reading them. They clearly needed a variety of introductory reading activities with plenty of repetition so that learning becomes embedded.

I also recognised the fact that our secondary level subject teachers were highly skilled at teaching their own curriculum area but had never been trained to teach early reading. We provided CPD to all staff on strategies and techniques to use with emerging readers and writers but recognised that any reading intervention scheme adopted would need to have strong teacher support material.

We looked around a few publishers but decided that Rising Stars offered the closest fit to what we wanted in terms of existing materials but also in their willingness to work collaboratively to produce something new and exciting to fit the needs of these older students; although I have to admit that at the time I don’t think any of us knew exactly what we wanted!

The work started and we scoped out our requirement for a reading scheme with phonics at the heart so our students could learn to blend, segment, skim and scan, to regularly rehearse these skills until they become effortless.

These students need the same thing over and over again in as many different formats as possible. Rehearsal and repetition is at the core of their learning.

We live in an era where technology is the new currency for learning and studies have shown that ebooks inspire reading. However, we found that while ebooks are useful our students still craved ownership of a physical printed book to take home like their peers.

It was agreed that we wanted a reading scheme like a soap opera; something where the students could engage with the same characters across the range of books but at their own level.

Looking back, another important part of the process to develop an appropriate reading scheme was to include the students and listen to them and their specific needs. When we asked them about the type of stories they like they all

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mentioned television programmes including Waterloo Road and Coronation Street. They could relate to the characters and were engaged in the story line as it grew. We knew at this point what we wanted in terms of the stories and Dockside was formed; a block of flats in a town on the outskirts of a city where the core characters have their own personalities and issues, things that our students could relate to and engage with.

We started to develop a series of plausible stories that started at Level 1. The first few lessons needed to therefore work systematically through the teaching of phoneme/ grapheme correspondences before the books at Stage 1 could begin to provide decodable texts using what the children knew and to ensure success.

Over the months at each stage of development Rising Stars would feed us the latest draft material and our students and HLTAs and nasen (National Association of Special Educational Needs) would provide feedback and if necessary, suggestions for change. More recently we presented our work and Dockside to the Schools Network, receiving positive feedback.

We worked as a team to revise the literacy intervention scheme ensuring that the books were the right length to keep them engaged and by trialling them with students we soon saw that they were just right to engage them and encourage them to read independently and with built in success.

Dockside was a breath of fresh air for the students so we will need to ensure that the momentum currently built up continues.

PP funding also encompasses any student who has been eligible for free school meals (FSM) at any time in the last six years regardless of whether or not they currently claim this benefit.

Although the funding is initially given to the local authorities, schools will have the freedom to spend the premium, in a way they think will best support the raising of attainment for these most vulnerable pupils.

As an academy, funding is included in our LAGSEG but we still need to demonstrate how we have spent it and the impact the expenditure has had on our learners.

Freedom around how to spend PP comes with terms. Schools will have to publish details of their PP allocation, their plans of how to spend it and the impact it has had on educational attainment.

In terms of justifying our investment of the PP to Ofsted we assess our students every half term and have already seen them grow in confidence and to date they have all made significant progress in terms of their reading age. Some have made 18 months progress and the vast majority have made more than six months progress.

My passion is to ensure that no child will leave Bradford Academy unable to read and write. We want to take non-readers to a level of functional literacy so that they can participate in and benefit from the wider curriculum and flourish as adult learners.

From 1 April, the PP increased to ÂŁ600 per deprived student from Reception to Year 11. I believe that our work on literacy is exactly what this funding stream was designed to support. Our students may not have had a good start in life but many have hidden skills and areas of excellence that if recognised, developed, respected and nurtured can transport them from a life of poverty to one of fulfilment and lucrative independence from state support. So how are you spending your PP to ensure you get the best for your most vulnerable students?

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TOP TIPS

TEN HABITS OF A BAD MANAGER In a bid to help schools become what he calls ‘high-performance organisations’, ANDRÉ DE WAAL, a professor in strategic management, reveals some of management’s worst practices that all school business managers should avoid If you’re looking to run a ‘high-performance organisation’, or HPO, it’s imperative to be able to recognise the signs of bad management. If non-HPO managers are not checked and dealt with, an organisation will never be able to become excellent.

Here are 10 habits that HPO managers would never put up with.

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BAD MANAGERS CLEAN UP THE MESS OF THEIR PREDECESSORS – EVEN WHEN THERE IS NO MESS When appointed in a new position, the bad manager claims that the predecessor has made such a big mess of the department that it will take at least one year, if not more, to get everything in order, and of course the bad manager cannot possibly work yet on achieving the departmental targets this year… maybe next year too.

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BAD MANAGERS ARE ALWAYS BUSY, BUSY, BUSY They are involved in many, many projects; in fact, they’re so busy that there isn’t enough time to work on regular tasks.

And because these projects are vital for the success of the organisation (or so they say), bad managers cannot possibly be expected to work on their departmental targets. They will get to that when their other projects are finished… which they never are.

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BAD MANAGERS KNOW HOW TO PLAY THE GOALS GAME They know that departmental goals should be loose, with lots of slack, which means the targets will be very easy to achieve. Bad managers will never get optimal results from their departments; but that doesn’t matter to them, bad managers would rather have low performance than run the risk of punishment for falling short of targets.

BAD MANAGERS ONLY MANAGE FROM A DISTANCE Bad managers love to use performance indicators because they make it possible to practice hands-off management. This makes it easy for bad managers to avoid the day-to-day department activities altogether. And of course, if anything goes wrong, they can dodge accountability.

TOP TIPS

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BAD MANAGERS ALWAYS BLAME SOMEBODY ELSE Bad managers have a host of excuses at their disposal when they don’t achieve departmental targets: the economy was going down, it has rained too much, it hasn’t rained enough, whatever — but that is the reason everything was going against the department and therefore it was just impossible to achieve the targets.

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Bad managers know that expansive, wordy, and complex plans always impress top management because it gives the impression that they are on top of their game and have thought of everything. They also know that you can bury all kinds of assumptions and preconditions in these verbose plans, which function as safeguards when top management starts complaining that goals have not been achieved (“Well, you knew that could happen, we put it on page 237, section 3, line 5 …”). An additional advantage is that employees will not read nor understand these.

BAD MANAGERS ONLY COMMUNICATE IN ONE WAY Bad managers are all capable of holding an open forum for employees to voice concerns, questions, and suggestions. This sounds like the mark of a good manager, right? However, the bad manager only feigns interest in employee feedback, and won’t actually act on what he or she hears. Instead, bad managers stick to their own plans. If people complain, the bad manager will use open forums against the participants, claiming that any incompetency is the fault of everyone.

8 BAD MANAGERS ARE REAL MACHIAVELLIANS They have Machiavelli’s The Prince on their nightstand and turn to it often for advice on how to practice effective “divide and conquer” strategies in the organisation: manipulating colleagues, employees, and bosses. As a result, the targeted members in the organisation become preoccupied with guarding their backs instead of focusing on growing the department.

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BAD MANAGERS MAKE LENGTHY, IMPRESSIVE PLANS

BAD MANAGERS ONLY HAVE EYES FOR SENIOR LEADERS Bad managers know who butters their bread: the head. Therefore, bad managers work diligently on satisfying them, even if this works to the detriment of the organisation’s long-term interests.

BAD MANAGERS HAVE AN EXIT STRATEGY EVERY THREE YEARS When the organisation is on the verge of holding a bad manager accountable for his or her (in)actions, the bad manager moves on to another organization.The bad manager had plotted his or her exit strategy for a long time, and always has a fall-back organisation to flee to.

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It goes without saying that these 10 habits don’t exist in HPOs. But as most organisations are not HPO yet, it is good for you to be able to recognise the signs of bad management, this way you can deal with these ‘bad managers’ quickly…which is, after all, also a characteristic of an HPO manager.

André de Waal is associate professor of strategic management at the Maastricht School of Management and academic director of the HPO Center (hpocenter.com)

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TEACHER APPRAISALS

must be reasonable in all the circumstances and focus on improving performance in order for any subsequent dismissal to be considered fair. Before dismissing an employee on the grounds of poor performance or capability, an employer should carry out a proper investigation or appraisal and seek to identify the problem. The employee should be given warning of the consequences of failing to improve. Where there is found to be a lack of necessary skills, the employer should provide appropriate advice, training and close supervision to enable the employee to reach the required standard before a decision is taken to dismiss. The employee should be invited to a formal capability hearing before any warning is issued or dismissal considered.

Failing to go through such a procedure is likely to result in any subsequent dismissal being deemed unfair.

Appraise it up New teacher appraisal and capability procedures are to be introduced with effect from September so governing bodies and local authorities will be free to introduce their own policies, so long as they comply with the new regulations. Employment lawyer GEMMA BROWN of TPP Law takes a look

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ew teacher appraisal and capability procedures are to be introduced with effect from September.

The current regulations are to be revoked and replaced by the much leaner Education (School Teachers’ Appraisal) (England) Regulations 2012. These apply to teachers who are employed for one term or more and not undergoing an induction period nor subject to capability procedures. These regulations do not govern teachers in academies, free schools or other independent schools.

Schools may introduce an optional model policy from 1 September that will replace the current capability procedure issued in July 2000 and previous guidance on performance management. Governing bodies and local authorities will be free to introduce their own policies so long as they comply with the new regulations.

WHY? The white paper ‘The Importance of Teaching’ set out plans to shorten and simplify current teacher performance management regulations, and remove the duplication between performance and capability procedures. The current arrangements are detailed and prescriptive and allow schools very little scope for agreeing policies that meet their needs.

The new regulations are more consistent with the general position based on case law and the ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures.

Generally speaking, a capability procedure

WHAT’S NEW Teachers’ performance will be assessed against relevant standards set out in ‘Teachers’ Standards’ published in July 2011.

The Department for Education has issued a new model policy on teacher appraisal and capability outlining model procedures. There are two sections to the policy: Part A covers teachers’ appraisals and Part B sets out the model capability procedure.

Most of the provisions in the current regulations will be removed including the three-hour limit on classroom observation per year. Governing bodies and local authorities will be free to make their own decision about the amount of observation required.

The informal stage in the model capability procedures has been removed. The suggested length of the monitoring and review period following the first written warning has been reduced from 20 weeks to between four and 10 weeks for straightforward cases. Importantly, the policy does confirm that the timetable will depend on the circumstances of the individual case.

CHECKLIST • Establish an annual appraisal policy • Appoint an external adviser to advise and support the appraisal of the head teacher • Set objectives for each teacher • Ensure that the performance of each teacher is appraised annually • Prepare a written report of each appraisal • Ensure a fair procedure is followed in the event of capability concerns.

IN SUMMARY The new regulations provide schools with much more flexibility in implementing appraisal and capability procedures. This brings them in-line with the general procedure outside maintained schools.

Schools must still ensure they are following a fair process when implementing a capability procedure as the normal rules of unfair dismissal will continue to apply.

WORK/LIFE

Break Time ?

Secret life of a business manager

SOLAR POWER

A fundraising drive to see solar panels installed in schools across Reading has been so successful, thanks to the help of local schools and their bursars, it is now due to be rolled out across the country.

Solar Schools, run by eco-organisation 10:10 and supported by the Reading Post, has urged pupils, parents and staff to sell tiles on virtual solar panels to raise cash for the green technology, GetReading.co.uk reports.

Several schools in the borough took part in the scheme, including EP Collier in York Road, which raised more than £11,000 in nine weeks and has now had panels installed on its roof.

School bursar Mary Shorland, who led the fundraising drive, said: “Solar Schools has unlocked the potential within our school community and identified that for many local businesses they were just waiting to be asked for help. This increased engagement has the potential to have a long-term benefit for our school.”

The scheme has now opened up applications for its nationwide launch in September in a bid to help hundreds more schools harness the power of the sun to reduce their carbon footprint.

NUMBER CRUNCHING Everyone deserves five minutes break, and business managers are no exception. So pour yourself a coffee, get a biscuit from the tin and have a go at this little puzzle. It is sure to keep your little grey cells ticking over and help while away your break time.

Do you have an interesting hobby or activity? Are you involved with any clubs at your school? We would love to hear from you. Write to editor@edexec.co.uk with the subject line “secret life” and 200 words on your hobby, why you enjoy it and why you would recommend it to other business managers. If you have a photo of yourself, that would be even better. Every entry written by an SBM and featured wins a 10 M&S voucher, so why not share your secret life with us?

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AROUND THE CLASSES With all those classes going on around you every day, we think you should be well placed to answer these little teasers

HISTORY What type of sweet did Mars and Murrie develop in 1941?

GEOGRAPHY In America, what became the 49th state to enter the union in 1959?

SCIENCE What is the most common blood type in humans?

MUSIC Who is credited with the invention of scat singing?

PE How many players are there in a volleyball team?

ENGLISH A Woman of Substance, published in 1979, was a best-selling debut novel for which wellknown writer?

ANSWERS History – M&Ms; Science – O; PE – six; Geography – Alaska; Music – Louis Armstrong; English – Barbara Taylor Bradford

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