FEBRUARY 2012 / ISSUE 77
FEBRUARY 2012 / ISSUE 77
EDUCATION EXECUTIVE
EDUCATION EXECUTIVE supporting business and financial excellence in schools and colleges
MUSIC n BEHAIVIOUR n MANAGEMENT SKILLS
MUSIC TO YOUR EARS Kitting out your school for the first national plan for music education
BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY WWW.EDEXEC.CO.UK
What SBMs can do to improve pupils’ behaviour
BECOME A BETTER MANAGER Advice on how even the best can get better
EdExec partners
editor’s letter
EDUCATION EXECUTIVE
FEBRUARY 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 jonathan hills jonathan.hills@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 SALES EXECUTIVE george carey george.carey@intelligentmedia.co.uk DIGITAL MANAGER dan price dan.price@intelligentmedia.co.uk DESIGNER sarah chivers sarah.chivers@intelligentmedia.co.uk PRODUCTION AND CIRCULATIONS natalia johnston natalia.johnston@intelligentmedia.co.uk
Here he/she comes to save the day!
M
eeting with Shirley Gascoyne at last month’s BETT Show (from which I am still recovering) was a real eye opener. Calling herself a ‘cluster business manager’, she works across a number of schools as a business management adviser (see p12). We’ve seen this set-up before, of course, and it looks a lot like the National College’s primary partnership model, except she’s doing it on her own. While she still holds contracts with each of the schools, she’s a hair’s breadth away from what could essentially be called a school business management consultant. I suddenly could envision a whole new business model – teams of business managers descending into schools like superheroes, swooping in to save the day and then moving on to the next one that needs their help. Shirley would qualify this idea with a big warning: schools MUST have at least someone working full-time on administration. But with so much demand on school business managers, it could be a way of outsourcing some of the role – for example if HR is your forte, you could get an accountant in to help with the finances. However, the key seems to lie in having the consultant spend as little time as possible at the school – with time better best spent strategizing, not sorting out little Johnny’s trousers. Like this idea? Hate it? I want to hear your thoughts at editor@ edexec.co.uk. In the meantime, have a good February.
EDITOR CORRECTIONS
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
An article in last month’s Education Executive, titled ‘Lease smart’ (p36-38), incorrectly stated that “supplier offered finance will rarely be compliant or best value”. This was an inaccurate generalisation and the kind of unbalanced editorial we try to avoid. We would like to apologise for this. Barry Bailie, product manager for RM Education Finance, responded as follows: “RM Education has a significant and well-earned reputation for integrity, openness and value in working with its customers. RM Rentals is an integral part of that product offering. Our remit, to ensure that we always support our sales activity towards our customers, potentially gives us a greater chance of achieving best value than an independent financier as the first consideration is customer satisfaction from the product sale not profit on the lease. As the originator of our education specific documentation we can work closely with schools, colleges, academies and universities to ensure full compliance and customer satisfaction.” An article in the December issue, titled ‘Absent minded’ (p8-10), stated that attendance rates at The Harefield Academy rose from 90% to 93%, the former figure is in fact less than 88%.
Contents 08
rocure
lan
make your school’s budget go further
26 CASE STUDY
The passionate Pilgrim Lincoln-based hospital school, The Pilgrim School branches out
30 CURRICULUM WATCH
Music to your ears Kit out your school for the first ever national plan for music education
management sector
the lowdown on the business management world
06 SECTOR NEWS
The latest school business management news
08 ADVICE
Behavioural therapy What SBMs can do to meet the government’s advice on improving pupil behaviour
12 INTERVIEW
A woman of many talents Shirley Gascoyne is in demand as a leading cluster business manager
tune up your management skills
34 CPD
How to manage The necessary skills you need to improve as a manager
36 WORK/LIFE
Break time Put your feet up and take your break right here
ICT matters
the latest technological innovations in schools today
38 ICT NEWS
schools in focus
what’s happening at a primary or secondary school near you
14 PRIMARY UPDATE
Primary school news and views
16 ANALYSIS
Passing muster How nurseries and primary schools can hope to achieve an Ofsted outstanding rating
18 SECONDARY UPDATE
Secondary school news and views
20 HR
Free agents? A guide to the new agency worker regulations
24 INDEPENDENT UPDATE
Independent school news and views
For the latest news and views check out
www.edexec.co.uk
The latest updates and developments in school technology
40 CASE STUDY
Feather in your cap Neil Bradford, deputy head of Featherstone High School, extends services to hard-to-reach parents
42 CASE STUDY
Thin on the ground The Camden School for Girls cuts costs with thin client technology
46 EVENT REVIEW
BETT show 2012 The trends, the innovations, and the down-right unbelievable: the best of BETT 2012
52 TOP 10 TIPS
Mobile security A checklist to help keep mobile devices and their users safe and secure
54 HELP DESK
Techno Geek Top 10 trends at BETT show 2012
Look out for news, products and competitions from our sponsors
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sector Sector news is brought to you by Free banking for schools supported by local specialist relationship managers Lloyds TSB Commercial - well educated banking
FUNDING WATCH SCIENCE GRANTS The Royal Society is offering grants of up to £3,000 to support science projects in primary and secondary schools aimed at getting children out of the classroom and giving them hands-on experience of scientific experiments through the opportunity to work alongside professional scientists and engineers. Projects completed so far include a dedicated space centre at Abersychan School in Wales; a murdermystery-based forensic science project at Bexley Grammar School and an exploration into renewable and alternative energy at Baring Primary School. The next round will close on 24 February. To apply, visit royalsociety.org/education/partnership.
INBRIEF HEADS GIVEN MORE POWER TO SACK POOR TEACHERS School leaders have been given the power to sack underperforming teachers within a term from September. Changes from the Department for Education include simplifying appraisal regulations and removing the three-hour inspection limit for observing a teacher in the classroom. The move has been met with negative responses from teaching unions, who have called the changes draconian, “hugely demoralising” and say they could create a bullying environment.
STORY OF THE MONTH SCHOOL LEADERS LACK ADEQUATE SUPPORT There is a widespread lack of clarity and uncertainty among school leaders, according to a recent survey. The Key’s survey of 1,500 school leaders was aimed at assessing the challenges currently faced by school leaders including the impact of reduced budgets and local authority provision; financial implications for schools that choose to remain under local authority control; current government educational policy on social mobility; extending the school day; links between maintained and independent schools; and educational knowledge of governing bodies. Almost 90% of respondents had seen a decrease in support provided by the local authorities, including a reduction in training, or increase in the cost of training, making it less attainable. Due to this lack of support, schools have seen a vast increase in workload for administrative staff and reduced opportunities for continued professional development within the school. A lack of clarity about the implications of converting to academy status was also evident in the results, with 35% of school leaders still unclear about whether or not it would be financially beneficial to convert. Results indicated that small schools and special schools felt most uncertain about the financial implications of becoming an academy. Nearly half of responders answered “yes” when asked if they thought schools that do not opt out of local authority control will find themselves at a financial disadvantage compared to those who do.
They said... School meals beat takeaways hands down on the quality of food they serve, but up until now they have struggled to compete on price. Getting children into the school canteen is vital – the benefits of healthy school meals are clear. These new powers are an important step in tackling childhood obesity and will mean schools can help hardpressed families Minister of Children and Families Sarah Teather on the launch of new government initiative whereby schools can offer cheaper meals to the children who need them most
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sector NEWS
PICTURE STORY
INNOVATE REVEALS FINDINGS FROM LUNCH BOX AMNESTY Innovate Services has announced the findings from its Lunch Box Amnesty study group into the nutritional content and food health and safety of students’ lunch boxes. One hundred and twenty students participated in the study, providing a sample of 70 packed lunches to nutritionally analyse, of which 49 were tested from a food safety perspective. Public health nutritionist Robert Hobson identified that only seven percent of the packed lunches recorded complied with the foodbased standards for school lunches. Professor Lisa Ackerley identified that of those tested, 41% were either borderline or unsatisfactory regarding the presences of potentially pathogenic micro-organisms. Derick Martin, CEO of Innovate said: “It is clear that producing a lunch box that includes the right nutrients, is not exposed to potentially harmful bacteria and offers variety at an affordable price is a difficult balance to achieve. We have launched an onsite packed lunch option, offering a freshly made, temperature-controlled lunch box for the equivalent price of the school’s ‘free school meal’.”
Twelve-year-old Anna-Marie Lewaicei (left) is the only daughter of Private Joseva Lewaicei, one of 2,000-plus Fijians who serve in the British Army and who was tragically killed in action in Iraq. Following discussions with the British Army Support Office in Fiji and the Army Welfare Office, it was felt that Anna Marie would benefit from being educated in the UK, so she was brought over from her home in Fiji to attend the private Royal Hospital School in Suffolk on a full bursary.
www.innovate-services.com
Packed lunches for analysis
STATS & FACTS
£1.4bn The amount of money to be invested in Welsh schools over the next seven years as part of the 21st Century Schools Capital Funding Programme
DIARY 9 February Marketing in Higher Education Central London 15-17 March Education Show NEC Birmingham 9-5 May Building Future Education (BFE) UK Business Design Centre, London
www.lloydstsb.com/schoolsbanking | 0800 681 6078 www.edexec.co.uk
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sector BEHAVIOUR
Code of conduct Improving pupil conduct has been highlighted as a top priority for the government, highlighted in the release of its check list from its behaviour adviser, Charlie Taylor. GRAHAM JARVIS finds out how school leaders can put these suggestions into practice
A
s part of its drive to improve pupil behaviour and learning in schools, the Government launched some behaviour checklists with the help its behaviour adviser, Charlie Taylor, in October 2011. The report that he produced is headlined, ‘Getting the simple things right’. So the question that needs to be asked is about how schools can adopt, adapt and improve on his recommendations in order to be able to manage the behaviour-related issues that each individual school faces. The Department for Education claims that a checklist can “instill good behaviour in the classroom”, and it was developed by Taylor based on his experiences as a special school headteacher. He also cites surgeon Atul Gawande’s bestselling book The Checklist Manifesto whose inspiration came from the fact that airline pilots use checklists before, during and after completing a flight to ensure that basic procedures are followed. Yet Taylor felt that operating staff in schools weren’t following their own procedures, and so the idea of a checklist for them was manifested by him and embraced by the Government.
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sector BEHAVIOUR
BAD BEHAVIOUR, POOR TEACHING ‘Without good behaviour, teachers can’t teach and pupils can’t learn,’ Taylor writes, before adding that ‘there are schools in some of the toughest areas of the country who are getting discipline right.’ There are also a number of other schools that are struggling to manage and improve pupil behaviour. He found that the approaches used by each headteacher were similar, but what was lacking was consistency with regards to the application of their policies on behaviour. Taylor’s checklist isn’t set in stone, as each school has the ability to adapt its own. It covers areas such as policy about acceptable behaviour from students; leadership in terms of modelling the behaviour that is required from a school’s staff; building; staff performance; praising good pupil behaviour; celebrating the successes of each pupil; developing clear plans for individual schoolchildren that are likely to misbehave; putting in place suitable forms of support for those with behavioural difficulties; building constructive relationships with parents; class management; teaching resources and how they are allocated.
CHECKLISTS: “A GOOD IDEA” Kevin Wilson, headteacher of All Saints School and Technology College in Dagenham, London thinks having a checklist is a good idea and that it would help him improve pupil behaviour, “primarily because it is a fairly simple and straightforward template”. The checklist, in his view, provides some positive strategies too, relating to issues that might seem obvious but that aren’t apparent to everyone. This opinion is supported by Ray Barker, director at the British Education Suppliers Association (BESA), who suggests that any kind of structured approach to managing behaviour is beneficial, as long as there is no interference from the Government or other external authorities. As each school is different, he says it’s important for the checklists to be adaptable to meet their own needs. He also thinks schools should design their own checklists based on their own capabilities, as well as identify good and bad behaviour. “Schools will deal with these on their own grounds,” he explains, before adding that schools are also being pushed by OFSTED to deal with these issues.
DO THEY REDUCE AUTHORITY? Not everyone is in accord with the Government’s approach. Spiked magazine called the checklists a time bomb. It also highlights the fact that they cover the behaviour of teachers, and it welcomes some of the new provisions for dealing with pupil allegations of teachers causing abuse against those for whom they have a duty of care. The writer, Alka Seghal Cuthbert, nevertheless thinks that the coalition government has missed the point. This is because “any technique can only really work if the teacher is regarded as a legitimate, authoritative figure in the first place”. However, if such authority is lacking, externally created initiatives like the checklists will fail and she argues that they could even make matters worse. The article goes on to argue that behaviour policies can actually work against the teachers’ authority. This is because of a viewpoint that makes
february 2012
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any judgement by a teacher illegitimate unless it follows guidelines and procedures. While Cuthbert talks about the imposition of such schemes as the checklist, Wilson points out that school business managers and their headteachers can adapt Taylor’s list to meet their own needs. He finds this hugely beneficial. “We teach a Year 10 or 11 over lunch each day, thus reducing the numbers and subsequent pastoral problems that occur during a busy lunchtime,” he says, before adding that it allows his pupils and students to go home early – which they like very much. Wilson also believes that changing the school day would benefit some pupils – but this doesn’t apply to all of them. Some students find it hard to
Without good behaviour, teachers can’t teach and pupils can’t learn concentrate on their studies for a longer period of time. There is also the added problem of creating a longer working day for a school’s teachers, which might only serve to alienate them. Staff like teachers might see an extended day as an imposition, and they may wish to be paid more for it. He therefore would have to consider his resources and where best to allocate them. Unlike Whitehall Infants and Wood End Park School, Wilson and Barker haven’t used the checklist in their own schools (Barker is a governor of a
primary school). “The school management team deals with its own issues in its own specific way, and there are various strategies that can be used,” explains Wilson, who thinks it’s a matter of designing the rules and regulations that define the boundaries of acceptable, good and bad behaviour.
WHERE RESPONSIBILITY LIES It’s then up to the school business manager to implement them as part of the school business development plan. This could include improving the cleanliness of school toilets, as it has been noticed by Barker and others that this can have an impact on pupil behaviour outside the classroom. Furthermore, learning management, electronic registration and behaviour tracking technologies can be used during teaching periods to monitor each pupil’s comportment. These allow a means of recording how well each individual school child is behaving in order to either reward them, help them with whatever issue they face, or it can help staff to appropriately chastise them. So schools could adapt Taylor’s checklist to detail how technology and the school environment can be used to improve behaviour, and to enable staff to take action. This is why Wilson, albeit that it’s not currently implemented in his school, agrees that the “checklist would be extremely useful for obtaining consistency across staff if Taylor’s text was used as a core guidance document”. Yet, with regards to adapting it, much will depend on the aims of each school. Some may wish to offer homework or computer clubs, but others might elect to use their resources elsewhere. Taylor’s checklist should therefore be seen more as a framework than an imposition by the Government.
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12
sector INTERVIEW
A little goes a long way After starting out as an accountant, professional school business manager SHIRLEY GASCOYNE worked at a large secondary comprehensive before deciding to change direction, overseeing primary schools instead. She has taken on more schools since and now acts as a champion for cluster business managers everywhere. She tells JULIA DENNISON why less is more
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ottinghamshire-based Shirley Gascoyne is a school business manager with a long-standing career, and one which, although it hasn’t always been easy, has left her rewarded and fulfilled enough to act as a champion of the profession. She is using this experience – good, bad and otherwise – to drastically change the look and feel of the role for future generations and has learned that the way school business managers are having to work now, may not be the best way. Gascoyne started out working in practice for a chartered accountant. Her first role in education came at a secondary school in Nottinghamshire, initially as finance manager with 600 pupils on roll, progressing to school business manager following its amalgamation with the school next door, which increased the pupils on roll to nearly 1,650. She worked there for 14 years, progressively taking on more and more roles, including overseeing a move into a new build, all while pursuing her post-graduate school business management certification from the then National Bursars’ Association. “I ended up, in theory, with staff line management responsibility for 96 people, which is physically impossible, and with a budget of over £10m to manage,” she remembers of her position at the school. This proved to her that a single school business manager was no longer sufficient – large secondary schools like the one she was working at needed a business management team. Of course, there hasn’t always been the need for such a team, which explains its slow uptake – Gascoyne insists the role of school business manager has evolved drastically in the last five years alone, with more and more budgetary, administrative, buildings, health and safety and site responsibilities shifting from the local authority to the school. Disillusioned with the 50-hour-plus weeks that came with her role, Gascoyne decided to step down in 2008. A headteacher at one of the secondary school’s feeder primaries, who had benefited from Gascoyne’s support in the past, soon asked her to work for her. Always one for a new challenge, Gascoyne agreed to two days a week at this new school. Further to this, due to her auditing
february 2012
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sector
INTERVIEW
WOMAN ON TOP SHIRLEY GASCOYNE
background, the local authority with which she had close links asked her to provide cover for FMSIS assessment, which filled the remaining three days in her week. She loved this role for the LA, which lasted a year and brought her into over 50 schools, assessing their financial management. This gave her an insight into business management in primary schools. “In some small schools, the office manager provides the role that the business manager is providing in most secondary schools, with the help of the local authority,” she recalls. A year in this role led to jobs in two more primary schools, helping to strengthen their business management offering. She now supports four primary schools. Although taking on more schools means Gascoyne gets less time working at each, she sees this as a good thing. She believes the less time a cluster business manager spends at each primary school the better, as it means they only have enough time to oversee bigger picture strategies. “The office manager manages everything at school level, I just oversee and support them,” she explains. “I am very lucky to work with some incredibly committed office managers. I help them put systems in place; I work with the heads in setting the budgets and completing budget reforecasting. This in turn reduces the schools’ spending on local authority support.” Once budgets are set, Gascoyne ensures that everything runs to plan, providing monthly budget monitoring and presenting regularly to governor meetings. “I make sure I check my emails regularly on my iPad at home,” she adds. “This enables me to respond to any day to day issues as they arise.”
CHALLENGES IN THE FUTURE “It took a long time to set up, but I think what I’m doing would make a fantastic model for someone to take forward and improve in the future,” she says of her cluster SBM role. She has contracts with the schools she works with, but is considering whether it would be better for all involved if she was self-employed. She has encouraged school business manager colleagues to also work across a cluster of schools. She sees their time being taken up with day to day issues and worries, which doesn’t give them time to work strategically. Gascoyne had to learn to distance herself from day to day procedures and concentrate on the management and leadership tasks supporting the headteacher. Working in a main office, picking up day to day tasks was frustrating for her, as she felt unable to concentrate on one thing at a time and knew she wasn’t providing good value for money. “You sometimes feel like a jack of all trades, master of none,” she admits. Although she does enjoy running lunchtime chess clubs and, when I meet her, is attending BETT to check out the personal finance software available for teaching primary-aged children, she believes you could too easily spend much of your time providing an administrative role. Initially, technology was a problem for Gascoyne: accessing servers on each site and locating spare computers to work on. She now has her own local authority-supported laptop that she takes to each school. Much of what she does, she can do remotely, using free technology like Google Mail and Dropbox, which have revolutionised the way she communicates and stores files securely. “If there’s a document that’s been sent out to all schools to be completed and submitted, I can use the same template for all four schools and adapt it,” she explains. “It saves a lot of time. Four different people in four different schools on four different days [looking at the document] can sometimes feel like Groundhog Day.” She does not think this duplication of work can continue in federations or academies, where the non-teaching tasks in schools will be managed more like in a business. In future, she is hoping to work with academies too. “From my point of view, I think the academy model is a great idea, but then again I would [think that], coming from a financial background,” she says. “Their financial reporting is different, more like a charitable trust.” Two of the schools Gascoyne is working with are amalgamating soon and she is sure that during the process academy status will be considered. Although academies may look at ways to save money, and most small primary schools cannot afford their own business manager, not having any professional business management support could be a mistake, says Gascoyne. “More and more heads are agreeing that having a business manager gives them more time and support – and this is where the role will evolve,” she says. “The heads end up doing many day to day tasks that they shouldn’t have to do. Primary heads need someone to take responsibility for the financial, administrative and site issues in their schools. If not via a cluster business manager, perhaps bought in as a service.”
You sometimes feel like a jack of all trades, master of none
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schools in focus
PRIMARY UPDATE
SHEFFIELD
What’s going on in the world of primary school and nursery management
GRANT WATCH
LONDON
Things are starting to look up for Downhills Primary School DOWNHILLS PRIMARY SCHOOL London
Education Secretary Michael Gove on a visit to a secondary school (Photo: Regional Cabinet on Flickr)
FREE MATERIALS FOR CHINESE NEW YEAR Ch-Arted.co.uk is offering Key Stage 2 pupils the chance to learn about and participate in the Chinese New Year with a free downloadable cartoon (pictured) and activity fact sheet. The download, celebrating the year of the dragon, was created by the website’s founders, North East-based arts venue, The Customs House.
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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A primary school judged underperforming has asked for a second chance before it is turned into an academy under a new government scheme. Education Secretary Michael Gove has called for an Ofsted inspection of Downhills Primary School in Tottenham, North London, after school leaders said converting to academy status before an inspection would be “premature”. Ofsted gave Downhills notice to improve in January 2010 when inspectors judged that it was performing worse than expected. The school was pressured into becoming an academy as part of a the government’s intentions to turn 200 underperforming primary schools in England into academies, sponsored by private company funding, trusts, charities or religious organisations. However, according to results published in December, 61% of Downhills’s 11-year-old pupils reached “floor standard” levels in English and maths, just above the minimum standard of 60%. Downhills’s lawyers have said forcing the school to become independent of its local authority without a proper consultation would be illegal and threatened the education secretary with
legal action if he did not respond to their request for an inspection. A Department for Education spokesperson commented: “Given the importance placed on a further Ofsted inspection by the governors at Downhills, the secretary of state has asked Ofsted to undertake an inspection. This will provide an independent assessment of the school’s position. “We can’t just stand by and do nothing when schools are sub-standard year after year. Academies are proven to work. They have turned around dozens of struggling inner-city secondary schools across London and are improving their results at twice the national average rate.” In a statement, the Downhills governors said: they were pleased that the secretary of state has agreed to wait until the school has an inspection by Ofsted before taking any further action with regard to the school’s governance and structure. They added: “The governing body is grateful for the support it has received during this stressful time and wishes to continue its work on raising the quality of learning and teaching for all its pupils and staff, and we welcome the secretary of state’s plans for an expedited Ofsted inspection.”
schools in focus PRIMARY NEWS
London wants bigger class sizes A London council is requesting a change to the law that limits infant class sizes in schools. Sutton Council chief executive Niall Bolger has written to all other councils in the capital to request their participation in a campaign to convince the government to change a law that puts a maximum limit of 30 pupils on class sizes for four to seven-year-olds. Bolger believes the number could be increased to 32 without having a detrimental effect on educational standards. He says the rise is necessary “in order to enable councils to meet their statutory obligations to educate all their young citizens within their financial envelope”. The council exec believes the law came into effect at a time when there was an abundance of spaces, but that now all London boroughs faced an “unprecedented demand” for additional primary school places and the law should be updated.
“There is a dreadful shortage of primary school places and we can’t ignore the situation, especially when our schools, which are some of the best in the country, are attracting so many families,” he said. General secretary of the National Association of Headteachers told the Guardian that he didn’t foresee the increase would be a problem for teaching and learning: “There’s evidence emerging to show that class size doesn’t have the impact that we thought it did when we campaigned for it under Labour, compared with sheer high quality teaching or children spending more time in lessons.” The government responded by saying that “no parent would want their child taught in a huge class” and that the solution could lie in the shape of models like free schools and the £4bn it is investing into needy primary schools over the next four years.
Pupils win £1,000 for film equipment PHILLIMORE COMMUNITY PRIMARY SCHOOL Sheffield
Pupils at Phillimore Community Primary School in Sheffield have been given £1,000 to spend on hi-tech film equipment as the final winners of local newspaper, The Star ’s Christmas appeal. Its 470 pupils can film their own news reports using a portable studio donated as part of the appeal by Sheffield charity Help a Child Have a Chance. The studio will include a laptop, video camera, blue and green screens and microphones. The 12 Days of Christmas appeal offered needy children across the Sheffield region the
chance to receive a share of the £10,000 prize money. “We’re trying to build up our children’s enthusiasm for writing, and the recording equipment will really give our children the chance to make professional-looking news reports, and share them around the school on our plasma TV screens,” headteacher Angela Wild told The Star. She said the school would struggle to afford the equipment without the charity’s help. “It’s expensive equipment, and budgets are a little bit tight,” she said. “We would have had to, at the very least, waited a while before being able to pay for it.”
NURSERY NEWS
Early years providers given more freedom Ofsted is consulting on changes to the way it registers and inspects early years providers, following the recent review of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), a revision of which the Government intends to publish in September. The proposals are aimed at giving a greater focus on childrens’ personal, social and emotional development, while giving those looking after children more freedom to manage their own services. In a bid to allow providers more flexibility in managing their own service, Ofsted intends to stop routinely issuing restrictions or conditions on registrations, such as the number of children they may care for. To change the number of children they can look after, providers will need to consult the EYFS. Ofsted also proposes to change the way it investigates concerns. In most cases where it receives information that raises concerns, rather than simply investigating the issue, inspectors will carry out a full inspection and publish the report on Ofsted’s website. The timing of these inspections will depend on the nature and seriousness of the concern. The changes are open for consultation until 6 April.
news INBRIEF
PRIMARY HEAD MADE DAME
The headteacher of the primary Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overy in Southwark, south London, has been made a dame for her 40 years of service in education. Dame Sylvia Morris, 60, who retired before Christmas, was delighted with the award. “I thought I was doing an ordinary job but I am really thrilled that people have recognised the work that I have done,” she commented. Dame Sylvia saw St Saviour and St Mary Overy go from failure to success in just five years. She said the 300-year-old school was a “shambles” when she started working there in 1994, but she stepped in to quickly turn it around to receive an outstanding rating from Ofsted.
STATS & FACTS
84%
of preschool teachers are concerned children are becoming overweight, according to a recent survey by Haven Fun & Fitness
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schools in focus EARLY YEARS
Centre of attention
With the closure of 47 children’s centres last year, and funding cuts threatening even more closures, CARRIE SERVICE gets tips on how to survive an Ofsted inspection february 2012
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schools in focus EARLY YEARS
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hildren’s centres are often the focal point of a community. They provide families with a variety of services, including healthcare, early education, childcare and parenting advice. Some centres have support groups for mothers going through postnatal depression, language courses for those for whom English is not their first language, and domestic violence outreach support. They even offer skills training for parents who are out of work, to help them get back into employment. So the possibility of a local children’s centre closing could be disastrous for some families. With government cuts seeing the closure of 47 centres last year, what can be done to help our remaining centres meet Ofsted standards and safeguard them from closure?
BUILDING BLOCKS Understanding why inspections take place, and the framework inspectors use as a foundation for their assessment, is the first step to success in your preparation. There are five key areas that an Ofsted inspector will evaluate during their visit: n Whether or not your centre knows the community and the sorts of services, activities and courses families living there need n offers those services or gives families advice and support on how they can use them n does all it can to help families use those services they need most, especially the families that might find it hard to do so n makes sure that no groups of the community have been overlooked n has partnerships with health partners, Jobcentre Plus, childcare providers and any other key services that join-up the support families need. Ofsted has made a proposal to modify some aspects of its inspection framework, which should hopefully give centre managers increased freedom in managing their facilities, and are aimed at being more centred on assessing the development of the child during their time at the centre. A spokesperson says: “There will be fewer judgements and grades with greater attention to the progress children make in their learning and development.” With the changes to be implemented later this year, there is even more pressure on managers to get their centres up to standard. The preparation required for an inspection is pretty extensive and includes making sure the relevant people are present, alerting centre staff and families about the inspection and letting them know that an inspector could be viewing some of the children’s activities in just three days (which could become no notice if the changes are agreed). There is a significant amount of paperwork to be completed too, and even more documentation to be prepared for review. But you’ll be pleased to know, you are not alone, and there is help out there.
A HELPING HAND Fiona Ellis, MD of Aspire, a consultancy aimed at guiding children’s centres through their preparation for an Ofsted visit, used to be a children’s centre manager herself, so has plenty of experience to share. Aware of the anxiety caused by Ofsted inspections, she decided to join forces with another ex-centre leader, Sue Sandford, to
pass on some of her valuable knowledge. “We had recognised that there was a crucial need for centre managers to receive more support and advice with performance management,” she says, including helping managers with the completion of the self-evaluation form (a 17-page document), and the collection of national and local data for comparative analysis. The pair also recognise that with funding cuts threatening many centres with closure, passing the Ofsted inspection with flying colours is crucial, and children’s centres are “under more pressure now than ever before”. However, Ellis encourages managers to also use it as an opportunity to identify what they are doing right and to continue to develop in these areas. “This is also a time of opportunity to really concentrate on what centres can deliver most effectively and concentrate on those areas.” Ellis and Sandford encourage their clients to build good relationships with the key people involved in the centre. “Future planning is essential; showing you know your local community and what their needs are is vital, as this varies from centre to centre. Be sure to involve parents and partners in the process,” she adds. “Staff confidence is key to a successful inspection.” Speaking to
Centres shouldn’t be afraid to present their information in a brief, succinct format – remember inspectors are human the people that matter, including parents and staff, will not only keep you on top of what the community expects and needs but will boost your team’s confidence by making them feel you are all in this together.
INFORMATION OVERLOAD One of the common stumbling points for centre managers is gathering the right amount of documentation for inspectors to see before a visit, says Ellis. “Getting the balance of required information together can be difficult, some centres tend to overwhelm inspectors with too much paperwork and some not enough.” When deciding what information inspectors need, be selective and to the point. “Most centres tend to struggle with collecting relevant data to substantiate outcomes and some concentrate on listing what they do instead of focusing on the difference it makes to families. Centres shouldn’t be afraid to present their information in a brief, succinct format – remember inspectors are human!” The key to a successful Ofsted inspection is to have faith in your abilities and what you are achieving as a centre, says Ellis. “Don’t panic! Be confident about the good work your centre is doing and show that any areas of weakness are known and are work in progress.” The new Ofsted inspection framework is up for consultation until 6 April 2012 and a questionnaire can be downloaded from its website.
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schools in focus SECONDARY NEWS
LANCASHIRE
SECONDARY UPDATE What’s going on in the world of secondary schools and further education
LEEDS
SEVENOAKS WILTSHIRE DEVON
A building college in Leeds receives apprenticeship funding LEEDS COLLEGE OF BUILDING
Leeds College of Building is one of only six colleges in the UK to receive government funding for 19,000 new higher apprenticeships. Business Secretary Vince Cable announced that £18.7m from the Higher Apprenticeship Fund (HAF) would be used to pay for degree-equivalent apprenticeships in sectors including advanced engineering, construction and financial services. The Government plans to invest £17m of that funding into 19 partnerships between training providers and employers, with the additional £1.7m invested in two new ‘trailblazer’ projects in industries such as science, manufacturing and engineering. Deputy principal of Leeds College of Building, Derek Whitehead (pictured) said the college was honoured to be approved as a lead partner in the scheme. “It will help support both employers and learners within the construction industry to access work-based learning at a higher level and will be a viable alternative to fulltime university study,” he said. The HAF available at the 7,500-student college will consist of a Level 5 NVQ in Sustainable Built Environment and an HND in Construction and the Built Environment with the option to select Construction, Civil Engineering or Building Services as a specialist subject. Cable said investing in skills is central to the Government’s drive to boost business and productivity and make the UK more competitive. “By radically expanding the number of degree level apprenticeships for young people, we will put practical learning on a level footing with academic study,” he said. “This is an essential step that will help rebalance our economy and build a society in which opportunity and reward are fairly and productively distributed.”
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Military academy opens in Devon college BICTON COLLEGE Devon
A residential military academy is to open at Devon’s Bicton College in September. It will be the first of its kind in a publicly funded further education college. The academy’s programme has been designed in consultation with Commando Training Centre Royal Marines, Lympstone, and has been closely monitored by a number of departments within the Ministry of Defence. It will host a 25-week residential preparation course to help provide young learners interested in a career in the Armed Forces with the skills, environment and resources, including accommodation. The academy will act as an introduction to the rigours of military life, where teaching and ex-military staff will use a variety of training approaches in order to develop students’ self-esteem, independence, maturity, respect and leadership qualities.
Bicton College principal and chief executive, David Henley (pictured below left) believes this project will not only benefit the college and the Armed Forces, but society at large. “Students will benefit from Bicton’s unique and supportive learning environment coupled with the benefit of gaining military insights and disciplines,” he said. A spokesperson from the MOD added: “This is an interesting initiative over which we will be keeping a watchful eye. We wish Bicton College and the learners, the very best of luck with this exciting opportunity, one from which we hope the Armed Forces will benefit.”
schools in focus SECONDARY NEWS
PICTURE STORY
Lancashire’s Edge Hill University’s new £13m student hub has opened as a sustainable, one-stop-shop for all student needs, housing a number of the university’s student services, retail and dining areas in one place for the first time. A refrigeration solution, installed by HamiltonClark, uses modern technologies to minimise energy consumption, including using heat recovery from hot tap water, intuitive control systems and operator web interfaces.
Sports college builds free gym and dance centre AVON VALLEY SPORTS COLLEGE Wiltshire
A new state-of-the-art gym and dance facility has opened at Avon Valley Sports College in Durrington, Wiltshire. The new facilities, valued at an estimated cost of £400,000, are set to play a key role in enhancing ‘active learning’ across all schools within the region. “It is also hoped that these excellent new facilities will help boost the general health and wellbeing of fee-paying local residents living within a 10-mile radius of the school – an estimated 20,000 people,” says headteacher Mark Avoth. The new gym features 33 machines and a new building is currently being redeveloped to house the dance studio. This coupled with a new sports hall, multi-use games area for netball and five-a-side football and a courtyard cafe for refreshments, is set to make Avon Valley College one of the best sporting facilities in the region. The facility was free to build for the school, as revenue generated from members of the public joining the gym is shared between the college and construction partner Competition Line, owner of the gym and fitness brand Lifestyle, as appointed by Technogym.
Council uses loophole in rules to set up ‘new’ grammar school Kent County Council is considering opening the first new single-sex grammar school in 50 years following changes to government regulations that may make it possible to do so. The move follows a petition from parents in the Sevenoaks area seeking a local grammar school for their children. The new government regulations introduced last year by Education Secretary Michael Gove allow for existing grammar schools to expand, but do not allow for the establishment of entirely new grammar schools. However, the council is hoping to have found a loophole in the legal change by opening an annex of an existing grammar school in the area instead. Cllr Mike Whiting admitted that it would “effectively be a new grammar school”. This move comes after the council received pressure from parents whose children have to travel over 15 miles to Tunbridge Wells to attend a grammar school, since Sevenoaks is the only part of Kent without one. The council hopes that the new annex will accommodate 120 extra grammar school pupils and reduce the travelling time for the 1,100 pupils affected by the distance. The issue is to be discussed in full at a council meeting next month, in the meantime, Whiting is speaking to headteachers of existing schools who might be interested in setting up such an annex.
STATS & FACTS Secondary school pupils are
less likely than
those in primary school o be
registered for free school meals when eligible 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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/ february 2012
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schools in focus HR
New regulations governing agency workers, including contract and supply teachers, came into force last year. School managers need to understand the new regulations and the impact they will have on recruitment. Education consultant DARRYL MYDAT explains
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Supply and demand
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here’s something of a revolution taking place in the field of supply and temporary teachers. New agency workers regulations (AWR), which came into force at the start of October, now guarantee temporary agency workers the same basic rights, after 12 weeks in the same assignment, as those on permanent contracts of employment in a comparable role. Equal treatment after this initial qualifying period will cover pay and working conditions, including overtime, breaks, rest periods and public holidays. Concern has been expressed that, while regulations exist to protect teachers after the 12 week threshold, some employers may dispense with the staff after 11 weeks, only to replace them with new temporary staff. We see this as unlikely but indicative of the confusion and concern surrounding areas covered by the new regulations. To be clear, after the initial 12-week qualifying period, agency supply teachers will be entitled to the same terms and conditions, including working time and annual leave, as directly recruited staff. Agency supply teachers should also receive payment for statutory annual leave when they take it. They would not, however, be entitled to pay for additional leave to which their directly recruited colleagues are not entitled. A lot also rests on the identity of the actual ‘hirer’, something that differs according to which type of school the teacher is being seconded to. DfE guidance says that, for academies and free schools for example, the hirer will be the proprietor of the school, usually the academy trust. Agency supply teachers will be able to move between academies where the same academy trust is the hirer without the qualifying period being, unless it is to a substantively different role. But, if an agency supply teacher moves from an academy to a maintained school or to an academy operated by a different trust or any other school, for that matter, then their 12-week qualifying period would begin again. The same rule of thumb applies elsewhere. With foundation schools, voluntary-aided schools and foundation special schools, the hirer is deemed to be the school’s governing body; in community schools, voluntary controlled schools, community special schools and maintained nursery schools, it may be either the local authority or the governing body. An agency teacher can move between schools within the same local authority without having to stop the clock on their employment but, if an agency supply teacher moves to a school where a different local authority or a different governing body is the hirer, then their qualification for equal status reverts to the start. Similarly, with independent schools, if agency teachers move from one independent
school to another, and the second school is under different ownership, then the qualifying period begins anew. There are also separate criteria affected by the nature of the teacher’s work. If a school asks an agency to provide a cover supervisor or a teaching assistant, and the person engaged to do the work is a qualified teacher, they would be expected to carry out the role of a cover supervisor or a teaching assistant and be paid as cover supervisor or teaching assistant. If, however, the person is asked to do specified work as part of this role then after the 12-week period, they must be paid as a qualified teacher if they are a qualified teacher. Not only will the AWR affect the relationship between a school and its teachers, it will likely change the relationship between a school and its recruitment consultants. The introduction of the AWR is going to require a certain amount of transparency from recruitment agencies on teacher’s pay that they’ve not always been required to give. One result of this is that a number of the larger recruitment and teacher supply agencies are finding that their margins are becoming clearer to schools. As a result, it is being noticed that, earlier in the year, a number of larger recruiters, having advised teachers that they may need to take a reduction of around £20 per day in pay because of ‘lack of work’ were in fact increasing their fees to schools by around 2.25%, thereby increasing their margin to over £100 per day. We believe that schools should now demand that their recruiters reveal both their pay rates and their margins so that the school can decide for themselves where the best quality and value comes from. The sole use of agency charge rates as a buying factor is a big influencing factor in reducing teacher pay. With schools employing agency teachers beyond the 12-week qualifying period likely having to pay an extra £25-£30 a day to bring them up to the comparable permanent rate, it is important for schools and recruiters to work more closely together. The combination of agency practices and the AWR could begin to affect the quality of supply teachers. Quality will continue to fall if recruiters paying good rates to attract the experienced teachers are priced out of the market both by AWR and larger recruiters, which could result in the supply teaching body being made up of NQTs and unqualified people. Let’s not let that happen.
Darryl Mydat is MD of TLTP Education
An agency teacher can move between schools within the same LA without stopping their employment but if an agency supply teacher moves to a school where a different LA is the hirer, their equal status reverts to the start
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schools in focus INDEPENDENT NEWS
LIVERPOOL
INDEPENDENT UPDATE What’s going on in the world of independent schools
Charity says bring back 1970s private school grants A charity is calling for a return of the 1970s grant scheme that allowed poorer pupils to attend private schools for free. Sir Peter Lampl of the Sutton Trust said that since the axing of the grants, now only people who can attend private schools are those who can afford the fees of thousands of pounds. The charity have undertaken a seven-year pilot scheme at a school in Liverpool to convince the Government that places at independent schools should be available based on merit, not on income. The Open Access scheme, carried out at Belvedere School, allowed bright children with parents who had a combined income of less than £15,000 to attend the school for free. Other pupils paid fees on a sliding scale depending on their parents’ income. The result was “a great success”, according to the trust, and Sir Peter told the BBC: “Academic standards at the school went up and it was a happy school. No one really cared whether your father was a barrister or a bar tender.” The school produced not only its best ever GCSE results during the pilot, they were also the best in Liverpool – with 99% of students achieving at least five good GCSEs. Other prestigious independent schools have said they are willing to take part in the scheme if the government can subsidise it. “We are talking about some very famous schools: Manchester Grammar, King Edward’s School, Birmingham and City of London who say ‘We would love to be able to take 100% of our pupils on merit,” Sir Peter revealed. The trust is involved in many projects to improve education opportunities for less privileged children, including a summer school scheme, allowing pupils to attend top independent schools over the summer holidays.
SEND IN YOUR STORIES We are always looking for local school news. If you have a story to share, email editor@edexec.co.uk
february 2012
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Free schools ‘don’t work’, researchers claim The free school programme does not do enough to boost places in good schools, new research is claiming. A study by Bristol’s Centre for Market and Public Organisation suggests that opening more than one free school in an area is not financially viable. While free schools offer an option for dissatisfied parents to open up a new school, the education system will not necessarily benefit for it, say researchers. “There are very significant set-up costs, both in time and energy from the founders, but also in the straightforward sense of acquiring premises,” reads the report. “It seems inconceivable that any local area with one free school and plenty of spare school capacity would be offered the resources for many others,” it
added. “So as a performance discipline device, this is a one-shot game, not a process of continuing pressure on low performing schools, which is what is needed.” A spokesperson for the Department for Education told the BBC: “Free schools have the autonomy to make decisions that are right for local children. Evidence from around the world is clear that giving teachers and heads more freedom in the classroom helps to raise the quality of education. “Our reforms will drive up standards right across the board, bringing the best graduates into the classroom, giving new powers for teachers to keep order and developing a world-class curriculum.” The estimated total capital costs for the first 24 free schools that opened in September last year range from £110m to £130m. The upper estimate of £130m equates to 2.6% of the department’s capital budget for 2011-12, which is £5.1bn.
Academy emergency funding reaches £10.7m The Young People’s Learning Agency has been forced to shell out millions of pounds in emergency funding over the last 18 months, new research has found. A total of £10.7m has been given to struggling academy schools in the last 18 months to save them from financial difficulty. According to information from finance provider Syscap, the Government has provided emergency funds to eight academies, including five new grants since September 2010. Chief executive of Syscap, Philip White commented on the findings: “Academies receive more direct funding than most schools, and many benefit from additional grants from sponsors, so the fact that such a large amount of emergency funding has already been granted to academies underlines just how tough schools are finding the new funding environment. “This situation is being mirrored in local authority run schools, with LEAs putting aside more money to deal with financial difficulties and contingencies such as staff redundancies than they did in the previous year.”
Education Secretary Michael Gove continues to defend the academy programme, calling its critics “enemies of promise”. As of last month, there were 1,529 academies compared with only 200 when the coalition came to power; 1,194 have been converted from schools, while 335 have been sponsored.
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The wayfarers The Pilgrim School is a hospital school in Lincolnshire that operates under a ‘hub and spoke’ model that puts the administration in one central office, while various teaching sites operate across the county. JULIA DENNISON visits school business manager HELEN GARRETT and head CHRIS SEYMOUR to find out more
H
ospital schools form an important part of the alternative provision in Britain’s education system and a much-needed solace for pupils who are unable, due to medical reasons, to attend a mainstream school. The Pilgrim School is one such school, but it operates a little differently from the others. Using a ‘hub and spoke’ model, it boasts a centralised administrative HQ, once at Pilgrim Hospital in Boston, Lincolnshire, but now at a new site in Lincoln, alongside teaching and learning facilities across the county. These provide a safe environment for children with debilitating conditions, whether illness, injury, mental health problems, or pregnancy, to learn. Pupils are taught at home as a last resort. The school works closely with the mainstream schools in Lincolnshire and pupils are admitted to the school following a request for the service. The vast majority of pupils are dually registered and the intention is to support a successful return to the home school or transition into post-16 learning or training.
A LONG-STANDING INSTITUTION As I visit Pilgrim School, it’s preparing to celebrate its 70th anniversary. The school has seen many transformations, from teaching children ill with TB on the
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hospital wards when it started, to teaching small groups of children in the community. As of last month, there were nearly 100 pupils on roll within the statutory school age, with the vast majority in Key Stages 3 and 4. The year normally starts with 60 children and the number builds as the year goes, with March/April forming the peak time until the Year 11s leave at the end of June. The length of time pupils stay with the school can vary significantly. Short-term participants include those recovering from an orthopaedic operation, which could see them at the school only a few weeks, whereas children with mental health conditions tend to stay for longer. These pupils make up the majority – around 60% – of the pupil population. This anniversary marks a busy time for the school, having just moved to its new administrative centre in Lincoln (eight years in the seeking and making), it is also being asked to vacate its long-time location at Pilgrim Hospital in Boston by the end of the academic year. This comes at a time when funding for alternative provision is changing and a formula for alternative providers like Pilgrim School yet to be agreed (it’s due to commence in the new financial year). As a result, the school is reliant on small sums of money from the local authority– amounting to a total annual budget of around £1m. This the first time the school has owned its own premises, as up until now, it has relied on renting space.
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CASE STUDY
I do fear for the young people who we are working with. I feel that things will possibly get worse before they get better Funding for the new space in Boston will come from the LA, however, like with the new headquarters, which benefited from a grant for its food technology room, school business manager, Helen Garrett will be keeping her eye out for any additional funding.
TEAM TALK Each starting pupil is examined on a case-by-case basis in order that their individual needs are met. In addition to the educational community and local schools, the school works closely with health and social care workers, particularly mental health workers, both to assess the pupil when they first enter the school and to encourage them to return to their home school when ready. This multi-agency approach, along with the school’s close relationship with parents where possible, sits nicely with the Department for Education’s new Team around the Child (TAC) initiative. Of course, the level of cooperation among the members of this tight-knit team can vary, depending on the commitment from parents and the home school, and Pilgrim employs reintegration support officers to work with pupils ready to return to their home school. The hospital school also offers virtual learning alongside its multiple sites, both for children who need to stay at home and those attending in person. “It’s like a blended learning package,” explains Garrett. This comprises a virtual learning network, on which the teachers can present an interactive live lesson over the internet to as many other locations and pupils that need it. As the school’s teachers have to travel a lot, email and mobile phones are crucial for communication. “We’ve got people out on the road operating autonomously and we’ve got to be able to communicate with them,” says Garrett. What Pilgrim School offers is unique and provides an invaluable service to those vulnerable children who are struggling in the education system. Chris Seymour, head of 17 years, seven of which were spent as chair of the National Association of Hospital and Home Teaching (NAHHT) and currently as chair of the National Association of Hospital School Leaders (NAHSL), has seen the school change dramatically during her time, and expects it will change even more in future. “The landscape is very turbulent,” she says of alternative providers. “Change is part of life and education – but I think it’s quite breath-taking at the moment and relentless. I do fear for the young people who we are working with. I feel that things will possibly get worse before they get better.” One problem she sees is schools taking children off roll to achieve better outcomes, something she puts down to the pressures on schools from government. “Top of the agenda is that headline figure – the school is successful because of the achievement and attainment of pupils and the kinds of youngsters we work with may not always contribute to that. Within our group, we need to keep the entitlement agenda alive.” Pilgrim School is looking to expand its services in future to take on more children with emotional problems – those who might in the past go to a pupil referral unit. With a strong leadership team, and new HQ to call its own, here’s hoping Pilgrim School will have another 70 years in its future.
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FINDING A WAY Headteacher Chris Seymour and school business manager Helen Garrett
FACT BOX SCHOOL The Pilgrim School STAFF 25 SITES Six (including new HQ) ANNUAL BUDGET Around £1m
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MUSIC
The first ever national plan for music education – ‘The importance of music’ – will enable every child to learn a musical instrument for at least a term by transforming the way music is delivered to schools. JONATHAN HILLS looks into how schools can improve their music offering to fit with the initiative
Music to your ears
I
n November, the Government published its guidelines for ‘The importance of music, a national plan for music education’, a scheme aimed at trying to increase the level and quality of musical education within the classroom. The document, signed by the secretary of state for culture, Ed Vaizey and education, Michael Gove, lays out the Government’s aims to introduce equality and ubiquity to musical education in state schools in England. ‘Our vision is to enable children from all backgrounds and every part of England to have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, to make music with others, to learn to sing, and to have the opportunity to progress to the next level of excellence,’ it reads, drawing upon a medley of musical references, from William Byrd to The Beatles, to encourage school leaders to build on Britain’s ‘heritage’ of ‘creating some of the greatest music the world has ever heard’. The scheme is to include additional funding from the DfE via the Arts Council to the tune of £500,000 per year, which is to be channelled into new music hubs that the Government hopes ‘will turn around the historical imbalance in funding for music services between areas with protection to guard against large losses in any one area’.
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The document ensures no school will suffer any significant drop in its musical funding, though it does not elaborate on the means by which existing schools with little musical teaching experience are to approach the scheme. Brian Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders offers advice to schools unacquainted with musical education: “We don’t know what the music syllabus is going to look like because we are in the middle of a national curriculum review. My advice to schools at the moment would be to listen to what the government says about freedom and autonomy and decide what they think is important for their school.”
ALL TOGETHER NOW Experts advise that one of the easiest and most economical means by which schools can teach children music is through communal learning – not only does this reduce the cost of musical instruments, but can prove an effective teaching method. “The majority of teaching needs to be, and is, carried out in a classroom/band environment,” says director of Normans musical suppliers, Andy McKeown. Adam Ewart, director of Karacha Music, adds: “We hear horror stories of unrelated musical instruments being taught to five children in the same 20-minute slot, this can’t work.”
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“Some schools are running very successful programmes teaching 15-20 pupils violin at the same time and this is something which is really working. Pick a couple of instruments, perhaps a violin, clarinet and guitar and run group lessons,” he says. Communal learning is also an integral part of music itself, encouraging young people to play collectively can help pupils contest and inspire each other – McKeown suggests incorporating some extracurricular activities as part of the musical curriculum. “Taking children to see a professional orchestra, for example, helps to reinforce the potential they can achieve through hard work and practice during their lessons.”
I don’t think the funding is sufficient. But rather than complaining I would encourage schools to accept whatever help is available, then use it as the first step in rejuvenating music in their school
YOU NEVER GIVE ME YOUR MONEY Funding for the ‘Importance of music’ is yet another issue that schools have yet to contend with. ‘The Department for Education will continue to fund music education at significant levels during difficult economic times: £77m/£65m/£60m will be available in the three years from April 2012,’ states the document. ‘The vast majority of this will be invested in hubs that will also supplement and draw-in local and national funding for music – from local authorities, cultural organisations, businesses, trusts, foundations and philanthropists,’ it adds. Clearly, schools may be required to engage with businesses, charities and their local community to fund the programme, as income from the DfE decreases year on year. “I don’t think the funding is sufficient,” says Ewart. “But rather than complaining I would encourage schools to accept whatever help is available, then use it as the first step in rejuvenating music in their school. “We’ve worked with a number of schools on fundraising projects and there is a whole host of other ways which a school [that] is committed can drive forward. I would happily sponsor a school to take a group of students to watch a performance by one of our great national orchestras. As a lapsed woodwind player I always find trips to live performances put me in the mood for dusting off my clarinet or sax, its unquestionably inspiring.” McKeown advises looking into securing support from local music services to help overcome financial issues. “As an introduction to music you may find that recorders, ukuleles or percussion instruments are a low-cost option but we have seen some schools start with whole-class wind bands, supported by their local music service,” he says. Lightman predicts that competition between music providers will heat up as the plan starts to take effect, something that schools could potentially build upon, though he warns schools that already have beneficial agreements against acting too rashly. “It’s going to become very competitive and I think there is a possibility that it is going to undermine some very good arrangements that are currently in place by bringing more competition into the market,” he says. “If it brings cost-effective opportunities for schools, that’s all very well, but it is essential that schools can actually afford to enable all young people to access tuition and support.”
HELP! Another challenge for schools that have little or no musical history is the recruitment of qualified and effective teaching staff to implement musical teaching effectively. “It’s a very competitive market,”says Lightman. “I think that they will need to tender for those services, it’s a big commitment for schools to manage this. “A lot of [external music teachers] are very temporary and mobile, they work a small numbers of hours, and then there are all the CRB checks and other things to do on top of the training, so it would be much better to do it through a proper service to procure a proper service,” he advises. He says schools should address the proper services when it comes to music teachers, though Ewart reminds schools that they can always utilise the expertise and generosity of their local community: “I have seen local schools bring in enthusiastic local musicians to run workshops and demonstrate their skills, this doesn’t need to cost anything and can be delivered alongside group lessons.” Schools will have to think innovatively if they are to take on the challenge of implementing universal musical teaching successfully. Clearly, there is help available if they seek it out, but with the market heating up, school leaders still need to remain diligent about acting too cavalier when it comes to hiring new support or speculating upon policy.
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Under new management
Sure, you’re a manager, but are you the best manager you could be? Leadership guru JO OWEN gives you management, as it should be february 2012
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LEADERSHIP
S
uccessful managers have three completely different sorts of skills. Very few managers are good in all three areas: technical skills, people skills and political skills. Technical skills are self-evident. We all start our careers by learning a craft skill: teaching, accounting, copy writing, trading. And many people enjoy a whole career being a craft specialist, but that is not what managing is about. Managing is not about doing it all yourself. The art of management is about making things happen through other people. And this is where it goes wrong for the craft specialist who gets promoted into management. Front line managers suffer the leader in the locker room problem: they are like the great footballer who is made manager. With this extra responsibility, the player manager now tries even harder to make all the tackles and passes and shouts at his team mates even more. And then he is fired. Because his job is not to make every tackle and score every goal: his job is to select the right team, train and coach them and decide the tactics. He does not need to play at all. Managing and doing are completely different: great players rarely make great coaches. To become effective managers we need to learn a whole raft of people skills, without sinking into the nether world of abseiling, raft building and psychological schlock that crawls around planet business. We have to be managers, not psychiatrists. Some managers think they know all about motivation – as one told me: “Motivation? Oh yeah, I did that at business school. Maslow. No problem.” He did not think he had a problem: his team members thought otherwise. We need a quick way of cutting through all the psycho babble of psychometric tests, profiling and theory. At risk of massive over-simplification, research conducted for How to Manage found that there was one question which would predict whether a manager was seen to be motivational, decisive, effective and generally a great all round human being: “My boss cares for me and my career” (Agree/disagree on a five point scale). The bosses who did not care were rated poorly on most other criteria: Who wants to work for a boss that does not care about us? A boss who cared had a chance of being rated well on everything else. So if there is a magic secret to dealing with people it is very simple: show that you care. Caring does not mean courting popularity. Popularity leads to weakness: you always land up accepting excuses, making allowances and granting favours. You are as popular as your last gift. Caring properly means taking time to understand the needs, abilities and ambitions of each team member: be prepared to have difficult but constructive conversations early. It is better to be respected than to be liked, because respect lasts. So far, so obvious. Essentially, the effective manager is someone with high IQ (intelligence) and high EQ (emotional intelligence). Now look around your
own organisation. There are probably quite a few smart and nice people with high IQ and EQ who languish harmlessly in the backwaters. Meanwhile, people who are not so smart and not so nice levitate mysteriously to the top. Clearly, something is missing: it is not enough to have high IQ and high EQ. The ‘something missing’ is called PQ: political quotient. PQ is the art of making things happen through people you do not control. This is the game changer that has made life far more challenging for managers today than managers of just 20 years ago. Then managers made things happen through people they pretty much controlled. That is not too hard. But in the flat and outsourced organisations of today, no manager has control over the people he or she needs: customers, suppliers, and colleagues in other departments. To make matters more interesting, your real competition is not in the market place. Your real competition is sitting at a hot desk near you. Your colleagues are also your deadliest rivals: at least your market place competitor will not steal your share of this year’s bonus pot, budget or management support and time. PQ is the opposite of Machiavellian stabbing people in the back to advance your own career. It is about making things happen for the benefit of the organisation. That means that managers have to learn the subtle arts of influence, not control. We have to learn how to build alliances and strike deals. We have to learn when to stand and fight, and when to concede gracefully. We have to make our own luck and find the right assignments. We have to know how to turn crises into opportunities and how to use uncertainty and ambiguity to our advantage. PQ is the management as we know it, not as it should be. But because politics is seen as a slightly grubby subject, academics hold their noses and pass onto nobler subjects. This is a mistake: managers cannot succeed without learning PQ. The good news about all these skills is that they can be learned. You do not have to be a born genius to lead: management smarts are very different from Einstein smarts. Dealing with people can be learned, and the art of positive politics must be learned. In truth, no manager gets ticks in all the boxes: we all have weaknesses which our HR colleagues diplomatically call “development opportunities”. But no manager succeeds by developing their weaknesses, just as no sportsman succeeds by focusing on their weaknesses. You would not ask a weightlifter to work on their synchronised swimming skills for the Olympics, nor should you ask a manager to work on their weaknesses. Ultimately, management is a team sport: work around weaknesses by hiring a great team around you. Finally, there is one secret all successful managers have: they enjoy what they do. We only excel at what we enjoy. So whatever you do, enjoy it.
Jo Owen is the author of How to Manage
www.edexec.co.uk
/ february 2012
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WORK / LIFE
Break Time ?
Secret life of a business manager
NUMBER CRUNCHING Everyone deserves five business managers are no
launched a new breakfast club, which has seen
exception. So pour
children munching on healthy meals of toast,
yourself a coffee, get a
cereals, crumpets and bagels to prepare them
biscuit from the tin and
for the day ahead – all down to the school
have a go at this little
bursar, Helen Burge, who organised the club.
puzzle. It is sure to keep
Various activities are also on offer, ranging from
your little grey cells ticking
crafts and books to more lively things in the
over and help while away
school’s sports hall. Burge told the Weston
your break time.
Mercury: “We have served up on average 20 breakfasts a day so far so the uptake has been
8
minutes break, and
Banwell Primary School in Somerset has
4 2 8 1
6 5
3
7
3 9
6
5
3 7
really encouraging. It starts at around 8.15am so it is perfect for any parent who has to leave the house early.”
1
9 3
8
4 8
2
6 9
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 is the name of the British political regime established by Cromwell?
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
SCIENCE Who first argued that the world was not flat?
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 £20 M&S voucher, so why not share your secret life with us?
february 2012
\ www.edexec.co.uk
PE What is the official national sport of Bulgaria?
GEOGRAPHY Which is the largest fresh water lake in the world? MUSIC Which composer wrote The Water Music? ENGLISH Which famous novel’s title is the English translation of the Hebrew word ‘Beelzebub’?
ANSWERS History – The Commonwealth; Science – Aristotle; PE – Weightlifting; Geography – Superior; Music – Handel; English – Lord of the Flies
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