Leadership Focus, NAHT May/June 2013

LEADERSHIP FO CUS

The bi-monthly magazine of the association for all school leaders May/June 2013 • £5

Issue #59

Gove feels the heat at Conference p6 The new Leadership Compact p8 Aspire scheme launched p10

We are stronger together Schools are finding more ways to work in partnership 1

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EDITORIAL WE N A T I O N A L P R E S I D E N T

W

elcome to your new-look Leadership Focus. Not only is BERNADETTE HUNTER there a different feel to your magazine, the NAHT has a new logo and strapline too. ‘For leaders, for learners’ reflects our commitment to supporting NAHT members and helping you to get the best possible outcome for every single learner in your schools. The look may have changed, but it’s still the same narrow range of data-driven measures that lead to young people great quality advice and help that you have always had. being driven through the sheep pen of continuous testing and Change is an integral part of our working lives and although that do not equip them with the wide range of skills and qualities there’s not much we can do to control it, we can manage the needed to be successful and confident citizens of the future. way we respond to it. It is easy to be defensive but we should NAHT will be there to help you to deal positively with all the try to see unprecedented change as an opportunity. We are the initiatives that will be coming your way in the months ahead. professionals and we know what is right for our schools, children Our Instead (see page 8) and Aspire (page 10) programmes and staff. If we don’t speak out positively about the change we demonstrate that we are an ambitious community of learners. want to see, who will?

The same thing goes for our curriculum and research proposals, Let’s make this the year of the learner and renew our focus reading volunteers scheme and our roadshows – it’s all about on what really matters for children and young people. We need ‘leaders for learners, stronger together’. to start a conversation in our schools, with parents, pupils and • Please also look out for the enclosed leaflet on School Readiness, in our communities, about what educational outcomes we value produced in association with Family Action (see page 24). most. Otherwise, we are in danger of reducing learning to a

WELCOME

POSITIVE CHANGES

Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation: 27,957 (July 2011-June 2012)

ASSOCIATION / EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES NAHT 1 Heath Square, Boltro Road, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH16 1BL www.naht.org.uk Tel: 01444 472 472 Editorial board: Russell Hobby, Bernadette Hunter, Gail Larkin, Steve Iredale, Stephen Watkins, Lesley Gannon, Magnus Gorham, Paul Whiteman and Clare Cochrane @nahtnews

@LFmagNAHT

Leadership Focus is published by Redactive Publishing Limited on behalf of the NAHT 17 Britton Street, London EC1M 5TP www.redactive.co.uk Tel: 020 7880 6200 Email: naht@redactive.co.uk

EDITORIAL TEAM Managing editor: Steve Smethurst Sub editor: Carly Chynoweth Redesign: Mark Parry Senior picture editor: Claire Echavarry Production manager: Jane Easterman Cover illustration: Francesco Bongiorni Columnist illustrations: Lyndon Hayes Printed by: Wyndeham Heron

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ISSN: 1472–6181 © Copyright 2013 NAHT All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be copied or reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publishers. While every care has been taken in the compilation of this publication, neither the publisher nor the NAHT can accept responsibility for any inaccuracies or changes since compilation, or for consequential loss arising from such changes or inaccuracies, or for any other loss, direct or consequential, arising in connection with information in this publication. Acceptance of advertisements does not imply recommendation by the publishers.

The views herein are not necessarily those of the publisher, the editor or the NAHT.

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CONTENTS

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EF

EWS

Gove feels the heat The relationship between Michael Gove and school leaders was noticeably strained following the secretary of state’s appearance at Annual Conference in Birmingham.

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Try Instead, not Ofsted Ofsted inspectors could be replaced by a peer-led system in which head teachers examine each others’ schools under a new scheme proposed by the NAHT.

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Phonics screening test report The first interim report into the phonics screening check indicates that it lacks significant educational value.

Aspire pilot is launched Twenty primary schools from around the country are piloting an improvement project which will get them to ‘good’ in three years.

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No confidence in Government Delegates at the NAHT’s Annual Conference passed a no confidence motion in the Government.

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Sir Tim’s aspirations Sir Tim Brighouse received a warm welcome at the Annual Conference, where he told delegates that head teachers needed a moral compass and moral courage.

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NAHT legal advice Simon Thomas, senior solicitor at the NAHT warns of the changes that have resulted from the merger of the Teaching Agency and the National College.

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EV

EATURES

Equal opportunities Nicky Gillhespy, who has a business studies degree, started her career in investment banking. Today she is the SBM representative on the NAHT’s National Executive.

Stronger together Joy Persaud looks at the widening world of school collaboration. It can lead to better outcomes for pupils, but making it work can be something of a balancing act.

Routes into teaching Is a school-led approach to initial teacher training the best that you can have? Carly Chynoweth looks at the different options to see what they mean for schools and potential teachers.

Is that a mooc I see before me?

As the popularity of – and the hype surrounding – massive online open courses grows ever louder, Steve Smethurst assesses the likely impact of moocs on secondary education.

Juggling skills and learning Do teachers remember what it’s like to be a learner? Andrew Warren gave his staff homework to remind them.

IEWS

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Obituary School leaders mourn the loss of Sir David Hart, an advocate of leadership and defender of education.

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Rona Tutt’s column The DfE expects school leaders to advise on bureaucracy, but still it churns out more.

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Russell Hobby’s column Is there a better way to judge schools than the one we have now? Yes, and it has to come from the profession, writes the Association’s general secretary.

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Best of the blogs The latest insights from the NAHT website’s bloggers: Warwick Mansell, Rona Tutt, Susan Young and general secretary Russell Hobby.

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What’s new Books, apps and competitions, plus information and resources about the latest events and anniversaries.

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Susan Young’s column A school in Birmingham is sticking to its guns in the face of pressure to conform to the new National Strategies – and its success at maths is breathtaking.

LEADERSHIP FO CUS

SEND conference Change was on the agenda at the Association’s recent SEND conference, held in Nottingham, where Baroness Warnock led the speakers.

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NEWS FOCUS

NEWS IN EDUCATION • INSTEAD, NOT OFSTED • ASPIRE PILOT • NO CONFIDENCE • SIR TIM BRIGHOUSE • 2013/14 RESOLUTIONS

WE N E W S F R O M T H E W O R L D O F E D U C A T I O N

NAHT CONFERENCE

Gove feels the heat SECRETARY OF STATE FOR EDUCATION MICHAEL GOVE GETS TO HEAR THE VIEWS OF SCHOOL LEADERS…

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The relationship between Michael Gove and school leaders was noticably strained following the secretary of state’s appearance at Annual Conference in Birmingham.

His reception was the most hostile he has received in his time as education secretary.

Incoming NAHT president Bernadette Hunter introduced him by saying: “Those of us within education, both leaders and learners, have never had it so bad,” before likening him to a ‘fanatical personal trainer’

urging heads to go ‘faster and faster with no heed to the underlying damage.’

Mr Gove hit back at Ms Hunter in an opinion piece in The Times, published after his appearance at the conference. In the piece he said he was “particularly disappointed by the attitude of some of the professionals I’d hoped to cheer on.”

Mr Gove was put on the spot as delegates put a succession of questions to him, covering concerns over Ofsted, the National Curriculum and Sats.

PA / ALL OTHER CONFER ENCE PHOTOGRAPHY: TEMPEST

10/06/2013 12:52

Findings of the NAHT survey on pornography

Lessons needed on dangers of porn 88 per cent of parents believe sex education, including lessons about the dangers of pornography, should be compulsory in schools, according to an NAHT survey.

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‘Incredulous’ conference delegates question Mr Gove

51 per cent of respondents thought that sensitive topics such as pornography should be introduced when pupils were in their teens.

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However, 42 per cent of respondents thought that children as young as five needed guidance as soon as they were old enough to access the internet.

A new look for the NAHT

SMART STAT Save The Children reports that badly malnourised children are 20% more likely to mis-read simple sentences

The NAHT’s Annual Conference in Birmingham was dominated by the reception received by education secretary Michael Gove. Mr Gove took part in a question and answer session chaired by Gerard Kelly, the editor of the Times Educational Supplement.

Mr Kelly asked the education secretary if he thought he had sold his vision of education to the profession. “I don’t think we’ve sold it as well as Delegates voiced their we could,” said Mr Gove. opinions Steve Kirkpatrick, acting head teacher at at Annual Willow Tree primary school, in Salford, then told Conference.

Mr Gove that when a pupil failed to turn up to school to sit the tests his first thought “was not ‘what could I do to help the child,’ it was ‘Oh God, that’s 2 per cent off our results.’”

Mr Gove suggested that he would not be penalised if a child was ill and did not sit the test, but the audience was incredulous.

When Mr Gove, speaking about differences in opinion regarding Ofsted inspections, told the audience: “I admire your candour but we are going to have to part company,” a delegate responded: “Are you leaving, then?”

And there was laughter when Mr Gove said it was important to discover the sources of the stress that heads were facing. Mr Kelly told him: “They think you’re one of them.”

20%

Support, leadership and community are at the heart of the NAHT’s new brand strategy, which was unveiled at this year’s conference.

The association’s logo (see above) has been altered to better reflect these themes.

NAHT general secretary Russell Hobby said: “Our new strapline, ‘For leaders, for learners’, reflects not only the way pupils are at the centre of what we do but the way in which school leaders are willing to join together in a community to further their knowledge and be the best they can be. It also illustrates the direction in which the NAHT is moving.”

Leadership Focus magazine has also been redesigned with the new brand in mind.

FUNDING UPDATE “I’m going to try to protect money going in to schools,” Chancellor George Osborne said in the run-up to June’s Spending Review. Earlier, the Reform thinktank suggested that school budgets could be cut by 18 per cent without affecting standards.

The DfE and Ofsted will achieve more by being supportive than by constantly criticising school leaders, Bernadette Hunter told attendees at this year’s conference. “I challenge them to start choosing their words more carefully and to think about the impact that their continual criticism has on the profession,” she said in her inaugural speech as NAHT President.

Michael Gove, the secretary of state for education, and Sir Michael Wilshaw, the chief inspector of schools, both came under attack. “How dare the secretary of state suggest that head teachers work longer hours,” she said. “They are already one of the hardest working professions in the country.”

On the inspection regime, she said that school leaders know they are accountable to the public and the government and understand that they will be judged on how their schools have served young people, but they deserve to be treated fairly. “We need a stable inspection system that doesn’t move the bar every few months, doesn’t use adversarial and punitive language in its reports and does not strike fear and dread into every conversation,” she said. “Ofsted is no longer fit for purpose. It costs a fortune, demoralises schools and staff and does nothing to improve the quality of education.”

The president also paid tribute to Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani school student and activist who is now at a school in Birmingham after being attacked in her home country by the Taliban, which disagreed with her views on education for girls.

Hard-hitting president’s speech

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NEWS FOCUS

INSPECTION REGIME

Try Instead, not Ofsted Ofsted inspections could be replaced by a peerled system in which head teachers examine each others’ schools under a new scheme proposed by the NAHT. The ‘Instead’ inspection regime would raise standards and improve pupils’ education by giving school leaders the freedom to recognise and share best practice, the association has said.

Heads would be able to draw on their knowledge of school leadership to provide feedback to their professional colleagues in a move that would return innovation and responsibility to the classroom.

General secretary Russell Hobby said: “We believe in the power of constructive inspection, which gets behind the numbers and looks at both the academic performance and the wider ethos of a school, and which understands context and uses the expertise of highly skilled practitioners to help chart a way forward.

“We desperately need confidence and innovation in our education system to narrow the remaining gap.”

The general secretary called on all members of the profession to commit to the alternative to Ofsted, adding that experienced heads of

stable schools should see participating in Instead as a duty and an opportunity for professional development.

“Schools dance to Ofsted’s tune but don’t really learn from the experience – they are too busy defending themselves against it and then recovering,” he said.

“Through Instead, heads

and senior management will be offered a chance to take ownership of standards by inviting staff from other schools to challenge their judgments and plans.

We have every reason to believe peer review will be challenging and rigorous, as it requires professionals to spot problems others may miss.”

Leadership Compact: code of practice for employers

The NAHT has called on employers to pledge that they will treat school leaders fairly by entering into a new code of practice called the Leadership Compact.

The Compact would see heads promising to deliver best practice in return for the ability to hold employers to account if they do not live up to their side of the bargain. It is designed for both local authorities and academy chains, but is also relevant to government and Ofsted inspectors who enter schools.

Russell Hobby (right) said: “Every day school leaders work tirelessly to provide the best education for the children in their charge. As education and school structures go through dramatic changes, school leaders are standing up to take greater ownership of standards for the profession.

“We have a right to work in an environment which enables us to perform at our best and where we can continually improve. If employers provide this environment, there are no limits on what school leaders can achieve. Justice and transparency are not incompatible with success – they are its foundation. We will publicly endorse employers who join in this Compact and, if necessary, we will warn about those who repeatedly violate it.

“In the Compact, we aspire to a broad and balanced curriculum, equal opportunities for every child, good working environments for staff and an evidence-based approach to decision making.

Above all, we aim to improve our schools without harming those around us.”

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EDUCATION PHOTOS

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GO DIRECT TO SCHOOL More than 22,000 graduates have applied to become teachers via the School Direct programme, the DfE announced in May. See ‘Routes into teaching’ (page 32) for more.

Labour Party cannot escape Annual Conference criticism

End violence against women NAHT president Bernadette Hunter (above) has spoken in support of the End Violence Against Women coalition’s report, Deeds or words?

“There is no excuse for violence against women and girls and as school leaders we work tirelessly to reinforce this message,” she said. “Girls and women must speak out about such violence.

“They should be taught from an early age that they can say no, that they should report any and all incidents and that reports they make will be taken seriously.

“Respect is part of the ethos of every school, but we would like to see the Government provide more advice and training to help staff deal with these issues.

It is a particular shame that the DfE’s violence against women and girls advisory group was disbanded.

“School leaders are happy to do their part and to make their voices clear in support of girls and young women.

Let us stand together and bring an end to violence against women and girls.”

E To view the report, visit: bit.ly/187rc5y

SMART STAT

Labour has left head teachers feeling ‘totally let down’, an NAHT National Executive member told shadow schools minister Kevin Brennan (right) at this year’s conference in Birmingham.

“Where on earth is Labour?” Kenny Frederick, head teacher at George Green’s school in London, asked the MP as part of a panel debate.

“You’ve abandoned us, and we feel totally let down,” she said. “Where’s Stephen Twigg and where’s the alternative? You really need to get your act together.”

Mr Brennan told delegates that he ‘recognised completely’ their frustrations over the pace of change imposed by the current government, and its impact on schools, teachers, pupils and parents. He said: “I can assure you that Stephen Twigg is working extremely hard to oppose the Government,” he said. “We’ve made it clear that when we get into office we will re-establish the duty to co-operate, fair admissions and fair funding, and reverse changes completely not based on evidence, such as the ludicrous decision to decouple AS from A Levels.”

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Approved free school applications for 2014.

Currently, there are 81 in existence, with a further 109 due to open this September

EARLY YEARS A scheme will offer 1,000 bursaries for people looking to start an early years career. NAHT is calling for an accompanying increase in salary and status as befits a more skilled workforce.

Phonics screening test ‘lacks significant educational value’

The NAHT has called for the Government to listen to school leaders and to respond to criticism in Evaluation of the Phonics Screening Check, an interim report on the topic. General secretary Russell Hobby said: “This report clearly confirms that the phonics screening check lacks significant educational value. When the government’s own experts report that the test won’t raise standards, surely it is time to listen?

“The early and systematic use of phonics is vital and it is pleasing to see so many schools using it as part of a range of strategies. But the screening check is a different matter. Only a quarter of literacy coordinators felt the check provided useful information, and the majority of teachers who have now experienced it did not believe it would raise standards. This is a poorly conceived test which acts to undermine confidence in phonics.

“Not only does it provide less information than a school’s own diagnostics, not only does it penalise the more able readers, it also wastes time. We have seen nonsense words plastered on the walls of good primary schools to get children used to the concept of words that don’t make sense. What on earth are we being forced to teach children?

“We ask the government to take pride in the role it has played in raising the status of systematic phonics but to think again about the screening check before it reverses the gains made. An early diagnostic of reading ability is vital, but there are many alternatives.”

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NEWS FOCUS

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CRAWLING ALONG Only 2 per cent of schools questioned for an Amateur Swimming Association poll deliver the 22 hours of swimming lessons that the Government expects each year.

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT

Aspire pilot is launched Twenty primary schools from around the country are piloting an improvement project which will help them achieve a ‘good’ Ofsted rating in three years.

The NAHT’s Aspire project is designed to fill the gap between higher expectations and declining levels of support, offering schools access to advice, resources and support as they continue to improve the outcomes they provide for their pupils.

General secretary Russell Hobby said: “Every school wants to be good but many lack the support and networks to achieve their vision. The Aspire project is designed to fill the gap with a collaborative, sustainable model of school improvement.

Schools joining the project will work in small clusters to help and inspire each other, assisted by NAHT officials, their local authority and external project management.

“The NAHT Aspire project shows that no-one is more ambitious for the young people of our country than those who work in our schools. The profession holds the answers and has the resources; it is trust, collaboration and inspiration that will trigger the innovation we need.

“This phase, now going public, is a pilot project to prove the concept can work. Ultimately, we plan to expand the reach

of NAHT Aspire more broadly. The scale is already significant however: if this was an academy chain, it would be the seventh largest in the country.

The project has been part funded for three years by the DfE and, in another innovative move, is being delivered in partnership with EdisonLearning in close contact with the relevant local authorities. It will be independently evaluated by the Open University. Education secretary Michael Gove said: “I am pleased to commit my department’s support for it. I wish the project and those schools taking part in it every success as they seek to raise their performance to ‘good’ or better. I will be following this initiative with particular interest.”

NEWS IN BRIEF NAHT spreads word of the joys of reading

Watch for the NAHT’s regional roadshows

The NAHT is launching a joint project with the Education and Employers’ Taskforce, called For the Love of Reading. It will enable volunteers from different walks of life to come into schools and read with children, to help them to develop a love of books and an enjoyment of reading.

It is part of the association’s drive to be proactive and take back control as professionals in education.

The NAHT is running roadshows throughout June entitled ‘Preparing for the challenges ahead’.

They will focus on practical information about key issues and allow members the opportunity to voice their concerns. The sessions will be led by general secretary Russell Hobby. All delegates will receive model policies covering pay and appraisals, plus alternative inspection and school structures papers.

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Locations include Birmingham (18 June) and Tiverton (19 June).

E To book: bit.ly/15eJyhd

Gail is currently a member of the Association’s National Executive and former head of a junior school in Surrey.

Gail Larkin takes on NAHT vice-presidency

If you are affected by forced academisation

Following the end of his term as NAHT president, Steve Iredale has become the past president and Bernadette Hunter the president. Gail Larkin has stepped up to become the vice-president; she will begin her term as president in May 2014 at next year’s Annual Conference.

Lord Nash, the under secretary of state for education, has written to schools about his intentions to issue academy orders.

The NAHT is challenging the use of such powers. If you have been contacted, let the NAHT know straight away by calling 0300 30 30 333.

ALAMY

10/06/2013 12:53

JARGON BUSTER WE BYOD ‘Bring your

own device’ to school No confidence at all in the Government, say delegates NAHT’s Annual Conference heard several motions that criticised the government and demanded that politics be removed from education. All were passed overwhelmingly by delegates.

Proposing a motion of no confidence in the government, Tim Gallagher said it would “send the strongest message possible to this government that their education policies are failing children, their parents, the fabric of school community.”

Many government policies, he said, were ‘ill thought through, not based in empirical research, and lacking understanding’, and the domino effect of all of them was destructive and damaging. Curriculum assessment was, he said, ‘written on back of a fag packet’.

Sue Blackburn, proposing a motion condemning the way that successive governments had damaged children’s education through constant change and interference based on party political dogma, said: “At the last conference I asked Michael Gove his reasons for abolishing the new curriculum. He said it was all too rushed and he felt like he had a gun to his head.

Well, colleagues, I think we all know how that feels.”

Proposing a third motion, that too much power was given to one person to determine national policy on the basis of personal preference and ideologically driven assumptions, Graham Frost said Michael Gove had created a curriculum ‘of his favourite things’. This motion, too, was passed overwhelmingly, by 98 per cent of the assembled delegates.

E For a full list of Resolutions for 2013/2104, see page 17.

Despite all the press attention on the reception that Michael Gove received from delegates, it could have been worse.

When LF sought the views of three first-time delegates from the Thurrock branch in Essex, head teacher Anthony Peltier said he thought Mr Gove had got away lightly. “I didn’t think enough people stood up to challenge him,” he said.

The trio of school leaders then discussed the role of Ofsted, with two saying they felt it would be too risky for their careers to consider taking on any school that required improvement.

Deputy head Joanne Sawtell said: “You’re only as good as your last inspection,” while head teacher Dawn Copping commented: “I would love to do it as a professional and as a human being but it is a career-ruining risk.”

But would they attend conference again? “It’s been very interesting,” said Joanne. “We’d definitely encourage people to give it a go. We’ll bring all the Thurrock head teachers next time.”

First timers at conference

ON 1946 SIR Charles Darwin (not that one, the grandson) was head of the National Physical Laboratory where research into early computers was taking place. He wrote: “It is very possible that one machine would suffice to solve all the problems that are demanded of it from the whole country.”

Clearly, things haven’t evolved that way. Take this example from a student at Jersey’s Les Quennevais School for 11-16-year-olds, where BYOD is being introduced: “In science, I use my device to look up what certain words mean or formulas to work out velocity and so on. In French, I use an app called AppBox Pro. I use the camera to record videos for drama. In DiDA, photos are necessary, because they are given as evidence, so I use my device to take them and then also connect to the computer. I also use the Reminders and Notes apps to help me to remember homework and to organise me in school.”

The British Educational Suppliers Association’s (BESA) annual ‘Tablets and apps in schools’ survey of 632 UK schools (327 primary, 305 secondary), conducted in May 2013, shows an increase in schools considering BYOD schemes. Some 67 per cent of schools currently believe this method of product adoption is important, compared with just 52 per cent in 2012. So, what do you need to know about BYOD before you introduce it at your school? Steve Smith, director of learning at Capita IT Services and a former deputy head, has 10 pointers.

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Like it or not, it’s coming. Students will start to expect it.

The simplest way to introduce a BYOD environment is by offering ‘guest access’, as you would find at a hotel or conference centre.

You can allow students to access files and software through a web browser. This way you are able to control access centrally and not on the device. This removes the need for students to upload and download files.

Introduce printmanagement software – it will prevent students printing 1,000 full-colour copies of their coursework.

Limit your students to a range of devices you are comfortable with

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to avoid compatibility and security issues.

Think about introducing a purchase scheme so that poorer families are not excluded.

Communicate your plans to parents carefully. They may fear their children will sit at their desks and play Angry Birds all day.

Invest in your wireless and your wide area network or your local area network.

Look at compatability issues.

Will student devices work with your interactive whiteboards?

You can check out sample policies at byod.wiki.caiu.org/ policy+examples, while www.ictineducation.org has good tech content.

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NEWS FOCUS WHAT’S IT LIKE… WE Working on a barracks?

A head teacher explains NAHT CONFERENCE

Sir Tim’s aspirations Veteran educationalist Sir Tim Brighouse, the former chief education officer of Birmingham, received one of the warmest welcomes of the NAHT Annual Conference.

Standing at the podium, he joked that he had a long past but only a short future, before talking about his vision of education.

It was important for head teachers to have a moral compass – a set of values to help them make the right decisions. It was also important to have the moral courage to do something, he added, praising the NAHT’s Leadership Compact and Aspire programmes.

He told delegates: “I listened to your session with Mr Gove and my main

objection was you can read an Ofsted report and have no idea what the school has done to reach that assessment. That’s why the NAHT’s Aspire project is so important, you’re reviewing creatively.”

Sir Tim then moved on to discuss different ways of operating. There was the temptation to confirm without alteration what was there already, adjust at the margins, or totally transform.

“Michael Gove doesn’t confirm at all, nor do I think he adjusts. He is a total transformer. However, my view is that you adjust in the light of evidence, and provoke teachers to think for themselves.”

Conference unites over Children and Families Bill A promised right for parents to express a preference for a maintained or special school place for their children should be upheld in the Children and Families Bill, conference agreed.

Proposing the motion, LF columnist and former past president Rona Tutt said this had been in the SEND Green Paper and its update a year later, but, when the Bill appeared, the current presumption that children would be in mainstream education remained. This, and a motion urging the Secretary of State to enshrine in law a significant role for flexible educational provision, were both passed overwhelmingly.

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HILARY ALCOCK has worked at Buntingsdale Primary School and Nursery for 17 years. It’s an unusual school as it is situated on the housing estate of an Army barracks in Shropshire. Roughly 75 per cent of the school’s pupils are from service families. There are currently 65 full and part time pupils on roll. In 2012 the school was redesignated from a nursery and infant school only to an all through primary. As such, it is anticipated that the number on roll will rise to approximately 120 pupils by 2016.

Hilary explains the how her role differs from other heads: “We have a greater range of issues than you’d expect in a rural location. As we’re an infantry base, the population is mostly young parents who live far away from their extended families.

Typically, it’s the men who are serving, with mums left alone to look after children and manage households for long periods.

Furthermore, their partners are often on deployment for six months, most recently to Afghanistan. Serving members are also regularly away from home on training exercises.”

Hilary is a non-teaching head, which is unusual within Shropshire for such a small school. One of the reasons is that she has a lot of multi-agency work to do. She says: “We have very strong community links. We offer family and adult learning sessions to upskill our young population, so they can return to work more quickly and successfully. The school has very good community links and works closely with a range of professionals and organisations who support children and families.”

The school has a strong focus on global learning and has the full international school award. But, as Hilary notes, alongside this there is the pressure of raising standards in core subject areas. “Maintaining that balance is important. I need to make sure my vision and values are the right ones and that they are shared and invested in by others,” she says.

With her school currently rated as ‘requires improvement’

by Ofsted – resulting from complex staffing issues that have now been resolved, Hilary proposed a motion at the recent NAHT annual conference on inspection (see page 17). She says that her experience of inspections is varied – for example, inspectors seem to have limited knowledge of the impact service life can have on pupils, although they do now have take into account the needs of service children and the impact their backgrounds have on school data. Hilary is also a member of is the Service Children In State Schools National Executive and Advisory Committee. This group works to raise awareness, inform and influence decision making with respect to the specific needs of pupils from armed service families.

E Do you have an unusual role? email naht@redactive.co.uk

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Inspiring children’s creativity

0800 387 457

LFO.05.13.017.indd 17

www.communityplaythings.co.uk

29/05/2013 15:56

NEWS FOCUS COURSES AND EVENTS WE NAHT’s Exploring

academy status course PROFESSIONAL ADVICE

Support is available

By Simon Thomas Senior Solicitor, NAHT The National College for Teaching and Leadership(NCTL) has been responsible for disciplinary matters involving teachers in England since April 2013, but their new regime has led to several changes: • NCTL has no jurisdiction over professional incompetence, only misconduct; that is, unacceptable professional conduct; conduct which might bring the profession into disrepute; or conviction of a ‘relevant offence’.

• Employers must consider reporting cases of serious misconduct where they have ceased to employ the person (usually through dismissal, termination by mutual agreement or resignation).

• The NCTL can only impose a prohibition from teaching work in the maintained and independent sectors.

Although it is early days for the new regulatory regime, it appears that the threshold

for prohibition is lower than it was under the old regime.

Examples of conduct resulting in prohibition includes improper administration of Sats, bullying of staff and failure to deal appropriately with safeguarding issues.

Teachers have a right to a hearing before a prohibition is imposed and a right of appeal to the High Court.

NAHT has pursued one appeal on the basis that the decision to prohibit was unduly harsh. Rejection of the appeal by the judge suggested that the court will adopt a fairly restrictive approach in such cases.

Teachers who are subject to prohibition orders can apply to have the prohibition lifted, usually after two years.

GTC Wales exercises the same functions as the former GTC England. GTC Northern Ireland is yet to establish a disciplinary function.

Members subject to NCTL investigation should contact their regional officer or NAHT HQ on 0300 30 30 333.

Correction Head teacher Lesley Walter, who received an OBE for services to special educational needs in January, is at Philip Green Memorial School in Wimborne, and not Boveridge SEN School, as stated in the March/April edition of LF. We apologise for the error.

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What’s the aim of the course? To present the pros, cons and consequences of the move impartially.

What will I learn? The course covers key issues around constitution, governance and finance, as well as the implications for management. It will also direct you towards sources of information and support, should you wish to take things further. You will also be equipped to facilitate a discussion at your school so you can make an informed decision on academy status.

Who runs the course? Larraine Cooper, an active member of PTA organisations, a parent governor and a member of appeals panels for both disciplinary and admissions appeals. Her career started in banking; her professional qualifications include accountancy and monetary economics.

How long does it take? It runs from 9am to 3.30pm.

What does it cost? NAHT members: £225.00.

Non-members are charged an extra £25.

And where does it take place? For details of your nearest course, visit www.naht.org.uk/exploringacademystatus What does Larraine say about it? “It’s been running for two years and it’s straight-between-the-eyes information, which is practical and impartial. It’s been described as a ‘coalface’ approach, delivered with no vested interest. The usual audience is a mix of governors, head teachers and SBMs.” Give us a flavour of the course “There are four overarching sets of values to look for in a prospective partner: reputation and synergy between the schools governance, leadership and management styles of the two schools vision and values capability when it comes to leading change Unpick each one – do they have a reputation you want to be associated with? Are they financially and educationally sound? For example in one area, the only academy that schools can join has some inadequately performing schools.”

Can we hear from a head teacher?

This is what Richard Preece, executive head teacher at Torfield & Saxon Mount Federation, has to say: “A number of school leaders in our area are considering our options. We wanted to know the latest developments and information that might help shape our future planning, as well as finding out the background and wider context to the academies programme.

“Larraine stressed her impartiality and by the end of the programme delegates felt this had genuinely been the case.

I don’t think anyone would come away and make a decision based on this course – that would not be the point.

But the stages in the process, the pros and cons and the range of opportunities and challenges were discussed.

“I’d say the course is most suited to school leaders who want know about the academy process, but who perhaps want to look at particular aspects in depth and hear about the latest developments and upcoming changes.”

Where do I sign up? www.naht.org.uk/exploringacademystatus

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ASSOCIATION NEWS

Obituary WE D A V I D H A R T ( 1 9 4 0 - 2 0 1 3 ) with a law firm which acted for the association.

Among his appointments, Sir David had been on the education business leadership team of Business in the Community, on the board of governors of the British School in Paris, and had worked closely with the European Council of International Schools and the Council of British Independent Schools in the European Communities.

Sir David regularly represented the NAHT at meetings of the International Confederation of Principals. He was awarded an honorary Fellowship of the College of Preceptors in 1986 and made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 1990. He was also the review editor of The Head’s Legal Guide.

In 1988, he was awarded the OBE, and in 2006 he was knighted for services to education. It was typical of him that he accepted his knighthood on behalf of the NAHT and saw it as recognition of the vital role of head teachers as much as a testament to his personal achievements. At the time, Sir David said: “It’s a great honour for

HEAD TEACHERS MOURN THE LOSS OF A GALLANT ADVOCATE OF LEADERSHIP AND A DEFENDER OF EDUCATION

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ir David Hart, one of the most prominent and respected voices in education, has died. Sir David, who was general secretary of the NAHT from 1978 to 2005, died at a hospice close to his home in Cumbria on 13 March after losing his fight against cancer. He was 72.

Sir David was known throughout his 27 years with the NAHT as a fearless and tireless supporter of both teachers and pupils, believing passionately that a respected, galvanised profession was best placed to deliver a high quality education for children. In doing this, he helped shape the modern education scene and the role of head teacher.

Current general secretary, Russell Hobby, said Sir David had been an inspiration to all who met him. Mr Hobby said: “Working with successive National Executives, Sir David created the modern NAHT as a professional, effective voice for school leaders. He became the public face of school leadership and raised the standing of the profession. At the same time, he was a subtle behind-the-scenes campaigner, winning the trust and respect of officials and politicians.”

During his time as general secretary, Sir David worked with four prime ministers and 12 education secretaries. In an interview with The Independent newspaper shortly before his retirement, he said he had been closest to Kenneth Baker of the Tories and to Labour’s David Blunkett.

In a separate interview with the late Ted Wragg, professor of education at Exeter University, Sir David said his greatest disappointment as he approached retirement was having been unable to persuade the government away from its commitment to league tables as a measure of school achievement – an issue which still dogs the profession today. However, he was proud of raising the profile of headship, contributing to improved teaching standards and adding his weight to the argument for better pay and conditions for the profession.

Before joining the NAHT he trained as a solicitor, and it was this legal background that helped make him a formidable advocate and sharp opponent in debate. In fact, many of his NAHT colleagues first met him in his capacity as a legal advisor in his days

EE “David was a giant in his time and stood out strongly on the national stage for the profession” me but I would like to think it’s because the NAHT has been able to help school leaders. We have played a part in making sure that their role is recognised as being absolutely vital to the future of the education of this country – and to the future of the country itself.

I hope I have been able to play a part in developing the policy of this government on matters educational.”

Jack Hatch, NAHT treasurer, was a close colleague of Sir David’s for many years. Mr Hatch said: “David was a giant in his time and stood out strongly on the national stage for the profession. He became the voice of school leaders; a true advocate for us on all the issues of the moment in education. If something happened in schools or on the education agenda it would be David’s face that would appear on the screen, or his voice that came over the radio.

His comments were always picked up by the press and he became a master of that art form. We will all miss him terribly.”

Sir David leaves a wife, Frankie, and two sons, Jeremy and James, from his first marriage to Mary. Sir David had four grandchildren.

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07/06/2013 09:42

MEMBER BENEFITS

PARTNERS WE M E S S A G E F R O M A S C H O O L P A R T N E R Unlock pupils’ potential with the CAT4 test of reasoning abilities The Cognitive Abilities Test: Fourth Edition (CAT4) has been developed to support schools in identifying and understanding pupils’ developed abilities, likely academic potential and learning preferences. It does this by assessing a pupil’s reasoning ability through a series of verbal, non-verbal, quantitative and spatial reasoning tasks. Aimed at pupils between seven years and six months to 17+, CAT4 can be administered individually or in a group setting, either in paper format or digitally. The results can help aid personalised learning, targetsetting and monitoring progress.

Four reasons to consider CAT4: • A new suite of data rich reports; • New separate spatial ability test; • Fully standardised on a 25,000 nationwide sample; and • In-depth group and individual pupil data with insightful narrative.

E For further information on CAT4, or advice on how GL Assessment can help meet your individual assessment needs, please call +44 (0) 845 602 1937, send an email to info@gl-assessment.co.uk or visit www.gl-assessment.co.uk/cat4

WE M E S S A G E F R O M A M E M B E R P A R T N E R Face-to-face financial advice is still available NAHT Personal Financial Services is a partnership between NAHT and Skipton Financial Services Limited (SFS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Skipton Building Society that offers expert financial advice to our members. With recent changes following the introduction of the Retail Distribution Review in January of this year, many leading high street banks and building societies have had to limit or withdraw their face to face advice service.

SFS is one of only a handful of advisory services still offering face-toface expert advice. Many people may have been left in the dark about their investments, following recent changes, unaware of how they are performing or what steps to take to ensure that their money is invested effectively.

We offer a no-obligation review of your existing investments to help you get back on the right track in achieving your financial goals.

E For more information about how NAHT Personal Financial Services can help, call today on 0800 012 1248, quoting ‘LF1’, email sfsnaht@skipton.co.uk or visit our website at www.skiptonfs-naht.co.uk SFS offers restricted advice. Many of the products available are not like building society or bank deposit accounts, as the capital value and any income can rise and fall and your capital is at risk. The tax treatment of any investments depends on your individual circumstances and may be subject to change in the future.

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WE NAHT

Partner contacts The NAHT is committed to negotiating a wide range of high-quality, value-added benefits and services for its members.

If you have any comments on the services provided by our affinity partners, please email John Randall, the NAHT’s head of marketing and communications, at john.randall@naht.org.uk

SERVICES FOR SCHOOLS ETEACH Online staff recruitment 0845 226 1906 www.eteach.com Email: support@eteach.com TEMPEST SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHY 0800 328 1041 (quote ‘NAHT’) www.tempest-schoolphotography.co.uk GL ASSESSMENT Pupil wellbeing assessment 0845 602 1937 www.gl-assessment.co.uk GL PERFORMANCE Kirkland Rowell Surveys 0191 270 8270 www.kirkland-rowell.com THE EDUCATION BROKER Staff-absence insurance 0845 600 5762 www.theeducationbroker.co.uk

SERVICES FOR MEMBERS ROCK Travel insurance 0844 482 3390 www.nahttravelinsurance.co.uk AVIVA Home, contents and motor insurance 0800 046 6389 www.fromyourassociation.co.uk/NAHT CS HEALTHCARE Private medical insurance 0800 917 4325 www.cshealthcare.co.uk (please use promotional code 147) LFC GRAYBROOK Professional indemnity and public liability cover 01245 321 185 www.lfcgraybrook.co.uk/naht-members Email: enquiry@lfcgraybrook.co.uk MBNA Credit card services 0800 028 2440 www.mbna.co.uk SKIPTON FINANCIAL SERVICES Independent financial advice 0800 012 1248 www.skiptonfs-naht.co.uk Email: sfsnaht@skipton.co.uk

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10/06/2013 14:59

POLICY RESOLUTIONS FOR 2013-14

NAHT’s Annual Conference The serious business of conference is to set the agenda for the next 12 months. Here are the resolutions that will guide NAHT’s policy…

Governance Conference declares no confidence in many of this government’s education policies which are not in the best interests of children. In particular we oppose: • the forced academisation of schools, with huge costs and no empirical evidence of success; • curriculum, assessment and examination policies that lack understanding and meaningful consultation; and • a policy for special educational needs that is anti-inclusive and has a negative impact on children.

Conference tasks the National Executive to ensure that the government is left in no doubt that the NAHT represents the serious concerns of the profession; that government be lobbied to undertake real consultation before change and that wherever possible the association gathers the widest possible alliances to challenge any legislation which seriously damages many children’s interests.

Furthermore, Conference instructs National Executive to seek appropriate partners to work towards selecting a model curriculum from which to build an appropriate assessment and qualifications system.

Proposer: Tim Gallagher Seconder: Kenny Frederick West Midlands Region/ Secondary Committee This Conference condemns the way successive governments have damaged the education of our children through constant change and interference based upon party political dogma and their own experience of education. Political consensus is a significant feature of the highest performing education systems in other countries. We call upon our Executive to play a leading role in promoting consensus over educational

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POLICY RESOLUTIONS FOR 2013-14

policy based on authoritative research and best practice from within the UK and beyond.

Proposer: Sue Blackburn Seconder: Mike Millman West Midlands Region Too much power is currently given to one person to determine national policy on the basis of personal preference and ideologically-driven assumptions.

Frequent changes of direction result in erratic progress towards achieving a world-class education system.

Insufficient attention is currently afforded to the collective wisdom of practitioners, academic researchers and teachers’ associations to inform national policy. We object to dogmatic misinformation being given by politicians to support policy decisions based on personal assumption, rather than being well-grounded in the impartial analysis of research findings (for example, the repeated assertions by the secretary of state that ‘academies are proven to be driving up standards’).

Conference calls for the establishment of an apolitical, independent education body which will listen to politicians, practitioners and academic researchers in equal measure to determine national educational policy.

Proposer: Graham Frost Seconder: Alan Mottishead Cumbria Branch

head teachers when their schools fall below floor targets or are put into an Ofsted category.

We call upon the NAHT to oppose the use of capability as a disciplinary or even dismissal procedure and, rather, to provide guidance on handling capability and how to deliver the expectation of support from local authorities.

Proposer: Mike Curtis Seconder: Eugene Symonds South Central Region Conference believes that school leaders should be properly valued by their employers in terms of both their salary and their conditions of employment.

Conference instructs National Executive to ensure both national pay and conditions reflect the importance of school leaders to the education of our children.

Proposer: John Killeen Seconder: Sally Bates National Executive

Improvement, accountability and inspection This Association supports schools in the delivery of a broad, balanced curriculum which is relevant to the needs of pupils and which produces adults with the wide range of skills necessary to make this country competitive in the world. The current

Pay, terms and conditions of service Conference adopts the NAHT Leadership Compact, including the Code of Practice for Employers.

Conference further instructs Executive to use the Code of Practice for Employers to hold all those who employ school leaders to account through constructive dialogue.

Conference also asks Executive to promote the Leadership Compact as a sign of a profession taking back ownership of standards and to consider the appropriate ways to integrate it into our services.

Proposer: Kenny Frederick Seconder: David Mewes National Executive We deplore the bullying tactics of the government and some employers who too often use capability as a threat to

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testing and inspection system militates against this. As a first step towards recognising the benefit of offering pupils a wide ranging curriculum, including academic, artistic, spiritual, cultural and sporting opportunities, Conference instructs its Executive to negotiate with government and Ofsted to ensure that these areas of work, that are being successfully offered by many schools, are properly reflected and commented upon in Ofsted reports, which at present focus upon a narrow

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is best achieved through support and encouragement, rather than bullying and public humiliation.

Proposer: Rona Tutt Seconder: Rod Woodhouse Hertfordshire Branch

Have your say: Delegates got the chance to air their views on all aspects of school leadership.

and partial view of the quality of education offered.

Proposer: Hilary Alcock Seconder: John Teago West Midlands Region It is totally unacceptable that complaints about Ofsted inspections are overseen

by Ofsted and investigated by the provider itself. This discourages members from filing complaints, gives a false impression of the scale of the problem and results in a lack of

confidence from the teaching profession.

We instruct NAHT to campaign vigorously for a fully independent Ofsted Complaints Commission to be set up as soon as possible.

Proposer: Eugene Symonds Seconder: Mike Curtis South Central Region Conference calls upon the Secretary of State to recognise that an overreliance on selective data has run its course and that school improvement

The latest version of the Ofsted framework for inspection is not fit for purpose based as it is on a fundamentally flawed understanding of real school improvement; favouring a “hit and run” model with no accountability and which causes undue stress and pressure on all leaders regardless of the outcome. Conference instructs National Executive to campaign for a more appropriate model of national accountability to be introduced and for a new framework to be written based on that model.

Proposer: Iain Gilmour Seconder: Eugene Symonds Portsmouth Branch and South Central Region

School structures, governance and privatisation Conference instructs National Executive to oppose the use of brokers to enforce the secretary of state’s messianic mission to convert all state schools to academies whether they wish to or not; as it is wholly unacceptable, a misuse of public money and an affront to local democratic governance.

Conference calls on National Executive to track the activities of these brokers to ensure that they follow due process and procedures which are transparent and that they are held accountable for their actions.

Proposer: Tony Roberts Seconder: Les Turner Lancashire Branch This conference recognises that the majority of local authorities have continued to provide valued support and challenge to their schools in times of stringent funding cuts.

Conference instructs National Executive to take all possible steps to oppose the government’s apparent vision of demolishing local authorities and leaving unaccountable academy chains in their place.

Proposer: Nick Price Seconder: Kevin Butlin Staffordshire Branch

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POLICY RESOLUTIONS FOR 2013-14

The education of our children should not line the pockets of company shareholders. Conference instructs National Executive to oppose the privatisation of the national education service and the growing move towards, and government’s endorsement of, profit making schools.

Proposer: Tony Roberts Seconder: Les Turner Lancashire Branch

Assessment and curriculum Following the unnecessary introduction of the flawed grammar, punctuation and spelling test (Gaps, Spag, Technical English), Conference instructs National Executive to continue the dialogue with the government and DfE to ensure it remains a ‘stand-alone’ test and does not impact on the teacher assessment of writing, English overall or floor standards for 2014 and beyond.

Proposer: Tony Draper Seconder: Amanda Hulme AAG/National Executive The government has failed to deliver on its promise of a curriculum which suits the needs of individual schools.

Conference instructs the National Executive to pursue the right of those in the profession to have the freedom to determine the content of the curriculum.

It should be relevant and of interest to the children, take into account educational research on how all children learn and be forward-looking so that it is appropriate for the 21st century.

Proposer: Jane Gilmour Seconder: Linda Hoyle Barnsley Branch

Rona Tutt: The LF columnist proposed one motion on SEND and seconded another.

that the regulator role in the Welsh examination system be removed from government and vested in an independent body. Conference instructs National Executive to support members’ view that this is effected as quickly as possible.

Proposer: Mark Biltcliffe Seconder: Richard Edwards NAHT Cymru The current system of externally marked testing and the use of data at KS2 remains flawed. It places pupils in a pressurised situation. It includes SEN pupils, placing some schools and pupils at a disadvantage.

Conference also notes that the government is no longer concerned solely with the number of children reaching level 4 at KS2. Now the measure is to be a GOOD level 4.

Given that the only realistic, reliable and professional way to judge such a degree of granularity is through teacher assessment, Conference instructs National Executive to take all necessary steps to press for the extension of teacher assessment at the end of KS2, thereby facilitating the government’s aim.

Proposer: Amanda Hulme Seconder: Adrian Coghill AAG and Bradford Branch

Children and behaviour NAHT Cymru has welcomed the introduction of the new Literacy and Numeracy Frameworks in Wales.

Conference instructs National Executive to explore all avenues to impress on the Welsh Government that the potential of the frameworks will be lost unless the ongoing Curriculum and Assessment Review ensures a significant reduction in the multitude of curriculum demands currently made of primary schools.

Proposer: Richard Edwards Seconder: Mark Biltcliffe NAHT Cymru

Conference instructs National Executive to investigate the wide disparity of provision across the country in terms of support in dealing with children who exhibit aggressive and/or violent behaviour.

Conference calls on National Executive to work with governments and other appropriate stakeholders to produce good practice models and research on the management of challenging behaviour.

Proposer: Christine Coates Seconder: Adrienne Palmer East Riding Branch

The recently published 14-19 Qualifications Review recommended

Following the recent report that childhood now ends at the age of 12,

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Conference instructs National Executive to work with the government and parents’ groups to ensure that the time spent as a child is valued in its own right and, furthermore, to highlight the detrimental effect that exposure to adult themes before the watershed has on our children.

Proposer: Amanda Hulme Seconder: June Roberts Bolton Branch

Early Years Conference is dismayed and concerned that, in the recently released Independent Review of the Common Funding Scheme, yet again, nursery principals in Northern Ireland have been excluded from principal release time.

Conference instructs National Executive to continue to pursue all possible actions that will help bring an end to the inequitable treatment of Northern Ireland nursery principals.

Proposer: Sharon Beattie Seconder: Susan Campbell NAHT Northern Ireland

Special educational needs and disability Conference urges the Secretary of State to ensure that the wording in the SEND Green Paper, that parents would have ‘identical right’ to express a preference for a mainstream or special school place, is retained by the Children and Families Bill.

Proposer: Rona Tutt Seconder: Paul Williams SEND Committee Conference urges the Secretary of State to seize the opportunity created by the overhaul of the SEN Framework, to enshrine in law a significant role for part-time, short-term and dual roll placements, in order to deliver a flexible continuum of provision.

Proposer: Paul Williams Seconder: Rona Tutt SEND Committee

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OPINION

VIEWS IN EDUCATION • RONA TUTT • RUSSELL HOBBY • BEST OF THE BLOGS

WE V I E W F R O M A P A S T P R E S I D E N T

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uccessive governments have said that they are keen to reduce the bureaucratic RONA TUTT burden on schools. Yet they all seem reluctant to think about the underlying causes, so little headway has been made.

The previous government created the Implementation Review Group and when I mentioned to one of the head teachers in the group that the THE DFE EXPECTS SCHOOL LEADERS overload seemed to be as heavy as ever, he asked: had I not seen all the TO ADVISE ON BUREAUCRACY, BUT documents they stopped before they STILL IT CHURNS OUT MORE saw the light of day?

Naturally, a new government has to ‘necessary bureaucracy’ are only necessary in a climate of neverhave a different name for doing the same thing, so the coalition ending change, accountability that has run riot and excessive has established the Bureaucracy Reference Group (BRG). micromanagement, not to mention the whole ludicrous The group, which meets every half term, includes primary, paraphernalia of tables, targets, tests and RAISEonline. secondary and special school head teachers, teachers, business The DfE web page entitled ‘Cutting burdens and managers and governors. But as the meetings are confidential, bureaucracy’ (bit.ly/yzvyfa), begins encouragingly by quoting it is hard to find out how effective they are. what it wants to achieve: “This Government is determined to reduce bureaucracy so that schools can get on with teaching ‘Utterly unnecessary’ and learning. We want to put an end to the reams of paperwork Governments also seem to assume that what was there and unnecessary burdens piled on teachers and schools. We’re before must stay, even if it needs to be trimmed. So this year’s going to place greater trust in professionals to give teachers version of the early years foundation stage profile may be more freedom to decide how to teach.” an improvement on the impossibly inflated original, and the So, when you have a moment to spare from downloading Schools Financial Value Standard may be slimmer than the documentation, reading the contents and perhaps seeing the totally-over-the-top FMSiS, but there has been no attempt to odd pupil, parent, or member of staff from time to time, I am think about whether they need to exist at all in their current sure you will gain much from trawling through the website’s forms. In addition, the constant changes spawn further 16 pages of information, which it lists as being for academies, bureaucracy. Last year we had the introduction of the phonics free schools (including university technical colleges and studio screening check, which tells teachers nothing about whether schools), maintained schools (including maintained special or not their pupils can read, something they know anyway schools), sixth-form colleges. FE colleges with 16-19 provision, from being with their class of six year olds all day every day. pupil-referral units, independent schools (not state-funded), This year, it is the utterly unnecessary spelling, punctuation non-maintained special schools – and in case anyone has been and grammar test. omitted – all interested parties. There is also a DfE web page The BRG has defined both necessary and unnecessary named ‘Red-tape challenge’. I may leave that for another time. bureaucracy. The latter includes duplication and unnecessary detail; processes that delay or inhibit policy; processes that detract from the core purpose; excessive micro-management; Rona Tutt unnecessary demands to produce evidence; and any activity is a retired head teacher and a that adds work without a proportionate benefit. past president There is much to agree with here, but its examples of of the NAHT

VIEWPOINT •

ONE STEP FORWARD

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OPINION

EE “Take time to review the Leadership Compact.

The vision for schools is ambitious and inspiring”

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s an association of leaders, it is our duty to propose credible alternatives and RUSSELL HOBBY not merely to criticise. As I said during Conference, unless the profession takes ownership of standards, we will not only suffer, but deserve, political interference.

This is not always easy; it involves some difficult choices and sacrifices.

Yet, if we want the freedom to develop our schools as we think proper, this is IS THERE A BETTER WAY TO JUDGE an essential strategy. It does not preSCHOOLS? YES, AND IT NEEDS TO vent hard criticism of flawed policy, COME FROM THE PROFESSION but it does require thoughtful analysis rather than instinctive opposition. have to come up with an alternative or we are vulnerable to This is why I am proud to see the NAHT launching creative accusations levelled at us. So how about this... initiatives. You will have heard of Aspire, our school improveWhat if the profession itself laid claim to an ambitious goal, ment project taking 30 schools from requires improvement to one that trumps the Government’s own expectations so that it good (see page 8). This is a truly innovative form of protection sets the bar for years to come? This would be a goal based on and also shows that every leader wants a good school. either progress or attainment. The critical factor is not the end Conference also adopted the Leadership Compact – a code figure or final goal, but the annual rate of improvement. I do of practice for employers matched by a set of expectations for not believe that anyone wants to stop improving their school, school leaders. This will build constructive relationships based but they need a sustainable path, based on steady gains over the on mutually high standards. It is vital that, as well as asking for years. In return for this commitment, which should be entirely fair treatment, NAHT is seen to define expectations for leadvoluntary, the profession could ask for the space they need: ers. I hope you will take the time to review the Compact: the while we’re on the path, back off. vision for school leaders is ambitious and inspiring.

We need a debate on this. There are many unanswered quesWe have also announced our plans to demonstrate a profestions: what is a reasonable annual rate of improvement? What sion-led peer-inspection model, cheekily titled ‘Instead’, to is a good level of progress or attainment? How do you capture show there are alternatives to the current regime. I am a firm bethe non-academic achievements in a school? How do you hanliever in inspection, but we need a far more constructive system. dle the variations in small cohorts, or SEND and mobility?

I don’t imagine this will replace Ofsted soon, but it is of value in It is easy to dismiss this out of our remit but consider the its own right and builds a proof of concept. alternative: constantly and unpredictably changing floor stanThese are just the higher-profile announcements. You will dards, harsh interventions, easy accusations and a deteriorating also hear about plans to get high-quality, practical research into dialogue. Ambition and standards need to belong to the profession; the hands of practitioners and a scheme to get volunteers into respect and autonomy will follow. I invite you to join in this schools to promote a love of reading. Some people question debate, please email me at generalsecretary@naht.org.uk whether a trade union should be doing these things. My feeling is that these projects return us to the original heart of trade unionism, providing a form of protection fit for the 21st century.

Russell Hobby However, the most critical area to develop a credible alternais NAHT general secretary tive is in the arena of targets and floor standards. We cannot – and do not – object to high standards, but if we don’t like the arbitrary increases and narrow focus of the current regime we

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VIEWPOINT •

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VIEWS IN EDUCATION • CURRICULUM REFORM • SEND CONFERENCES • NAHT’S RELATIONSHIP WITH MICHAEL GOVE

BEST OF THE

BLOGS Gove disassociates himself from curriculum reform Warwick Mansell Michael Gove seems to be trying to step away from his own national curriculum reforms, writes Warwick Mansell. This does not surprise the former TES journalist, given the ‘volume, detail and provenance’ of the criticisms the reforms faced during the consultation period.

“Whether this sense of detachment will yet manifest itself in any more u-turns on the curriculum... is a central question for schools,” he writes.

E www.naht.org.uk/welcome/newsand-media/blogs/warwick-mansell

An update on SEND conferences, forums and other events Rona Tutt Next year’s Special Schools, Specialist and Alternative Provision conference will be even bigger than this year’s event, promises Rona Tutt in her blog.

“We are planning to find a larger venue, so that no-one is left on a waiting list and everyone can be accommodated in the hotel where the conference is being held,” she writes. “In order to avoid being so close to half-term, the timing we are aiming for is lunchtime on Thursday 20 March to lunchtime on Friday 21 March.”

This conference will be preceded

HAVE YOUR SAY An open letter to Sir Michael Wilshaw Dear Sir Michael, I write to express my anger and frustration at the ‘requires improvement’ outcome of Simms Cross Primary School’s Section 5 inspection in February.

In July 2012 the school celebrated its best KS2 results for many years, with 78 per cent of pupils gaining a level 4 in English and maths and 85 per cent making two levels of progress in these subjects.

During our most recent inspection there was much to celebrate. Teaching was judged to be good with some outstanding teaching observed, behaviour and safety was good, and leadership and management, including governance, was also good, as was the progress of our children. The only aspect ‘requiring improvement’ was for the school to have three years of validated data showing an improving trend and children achieving to the same levels of those nationally.

The lead inspector recognised that this is a good school and tried to see if there was a way of changing the judgement, but could not.

It appears that ‘good’ is in fact not good enough. For the school to receive the judgement of ‘requires improvement’ will be detrimental to progress. It will affect the morale of our dedicated, hard-working staff, while parents and the local media will see us a failing school once again when, in fact, the opposite is true. Most importantly the pupils who are so proud of their school will be devastated.

The framework must have greater flexibility to recognise individual school circumstance and context. Without this many schools that have shown significant improvement will receive the same judgement.

Lesley Feakes, head teacher, Simms Cross Primary, Widnes

by the third annual conference of the National Forum for Neuroscience in Special Education, to be held in London in February. Its suggested title is ‘Scared and sad: the emotional wellbeing of children with SEND’, she writes.

She also draws attention to the government’s decision to award the Autism Education Trust a grant to extend its work in 2013-2015 via initiatives such as the creation of four more training hubs.

E www.naht.org.uk/welcome/newsand-media/blogs/rona-tutt-specialeducational-needs

Reflecting on a highly successful conference Russell Hobby This year’s annual conference was a feisty affair that generated plenty of media attention, not to mention an article written by the secretary of state in response to his appearance.

In his blog, the general secretary describes what he called a ‘difficult exchange’ with Michael Gove at the event, adding that the crowd was angry and he ‘nearly dropped his glass’ when Mr Gove ‘seemed unaware of the impact of sickness during Sats week.’

However, disagreement does not mean disrespect, he argues.

“We have enough respect for others to realise that just because we disagree with someone does not mean their motives are bad, so we will try to correct any mistaken views gently, continuing to work with government to improve policy,” he writes.

“As others have pointed out, in a sector riven with ideology, the NAHT has always made constructive points, welcomed positive change and suggested alternatives.”

E www.naht.org.uk/welcome/newsand-media/blogs/russell-hobbygeneral-secretary

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CHARITY PARTNER

Family Action and the NAHT are running a year-long campaign to improve students’ readiness to learn.

Ben Wicks explains

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Ready, steady, learn IT IS ALL TO OO COMMON N for pupils to arrive at school tired and hungry, not having had enough sleep or eaten breakfast.

Once at their desks, they are unable to settle down and learn.

Many then return to homes where there is little in the way of communication, routine, or input from their parents. It is no shock to discover this can have a detrimental effect on their ability to learn. Ensuring that children are ready to learn when they arrive in the classroom is the focus of a partnership between the NAHT and Family Action, the association’s chosen charity for the 2013/14 presidential year. The partnership was launched at this year’s annual conference by incoming president Bernadette Hunter and the charity’s chief executive, David Holmes.

Research shows that the children most likely to face this situation come from low-income and disadvantaged families. In 2011, the Sutton Trust found that they can be up to a year behind in their development. Research also shows that while many parents in low income and disadvantaged families have high aspirations for their children, some are hindered by their lack of know-how, their own negative experience of school, or the barriers they encounter as members of new migrant communities.

The good news is that proactive partnerships between schools and parents from low income and vulnerable families can significantly improve children’s learning. This is why NAHT and Family Action’s year-long campaign, Ready to Learn Everyday, aims to address school readiness. A series of leaflets designed to promote parental engagement with children’s learning will be enclosed in Leadership Focus. Each will focus on a specific topic looking at how parents can support their children in collaboration with the school.

The first, launched at the annual conference and enclosed in this issue of Leadership Focus, looks at an introduction to school readiness. This includes working with children to prepare them for the school day and liaising with

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the school regarding concerns about any wellbeing issues. It also highlights the importance of establishing and maintaining a routine at home which can then make it easier for children to meet the demands of the classroom.

Talking and listening, to be issued in September, will focus on communicating with children, and its importance for literacy and relationships. It will give parents advice on how best to engage with their children after school by listening to what they have to say and encouraging them to share their experiences. Talking and listening can help build strong familial bonds, so parents should be encouraged to do this as much as possible.

A third leaflet, Helping, will be issued in January. It will focus on the importance of assisting children with homework, reading and other tasks set by schools. It will also encourage parents to get their children to help them around the house.

The final leaflet, entitled Change, will be issued towards the end of the school year as many children will be getting ready to move into another class, or in some cases, to a new school. The leaflet will give parents advice on how they can help their children deal with these changes.

All the leaflets feature practical action points that parents can implement to support their child. They should prove invaluable in engaging families as well as supporting teachers in their relationships with pupils and their families.

An assembly pack, raising pupil awareness of the importance of school readiness and explaining the many types of families in today’s society, will be also available to teachers for the 2013/14 academic year.

In addition to promoting school readiness to parents, schools are also being encouraged to raise awareness of the issue of young carers and to raise funds for Family Action services. The Dress Down & Ready 2 Learn initiative will use a week-long programme of assemblies, teaching children the importance of school readiness, culminating in a dress-down day to raise money for the charity. The assembly resources and more details about the partnership will be available on the NAHT and Family Action websites shortly.

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Family Action services offer vital support to families and schools where children and young people are carers for adults or siblings in their families. If this caring responsibility goes unidentified by schools and other agencies the impact on a young person’s educational outcomes can be significant. www.family-action.org.uk

Ben Wicks is the senior media and campaigns officer at Family Action

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PROFILE

Nicky Gillhespy: 70% of primary school business managers in Sutton are members of the NAHT

Equal opportunities Armed with a degree in business studies, Nicky Gillhespy started her career in investment banking. She is now the SBM representative on the NAHT’s National Executive. She tells LF about her aims

BECAUSE GOVERNMENT POLICY is to separate business from the academic aspects of leading a school, the role of school business manager (SBM) is becoming increasingly common in schools. It is also reputed to be one of the very few occupations in the public sector where numbers are actually increasing.

What’s more, as local authorities (LAs) cut services and staff, and schools continue to convert to academy status, the workload of SBMs looks certain to grow and diversify.

It was against this backdrop that the NAHT decided to create a post on the National Executive for an SBM, since the role is also the fastest-growing area of membership. The winner of the election was Nicky Gillhespy, who works at Cheam Fields Primary School in the London Borough of Sutton. She was one of the first SBMs

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EE “It is only fair that any school business manager who is a member of the senior leadership team should be paid at the same rate of pay as other members” to join the NAHT and soon had to call on it for help.

She tells LF: “I’d been a member for a year or so when we had a pay issue in Sutton.

The NAHT was extremely supportive. My governing body was willing to overrule the LA and, with NAHT legal department support, we went up against it. In the end, the LA backed down. Now, in Sutton, 70% of primary school business managers are members of the NAHT. I believe it’s because we saw that it’s a union that is willing to stand up and fight for us.”

She says that she didn’t expect to be elected to the National Executive. “I did check that I didn’t only get votes from people in Sutton,” she jokes. “I’m just a normal person. I’m certainly not a militant ‘uniony’ type. My view is that in education, joining a union is for your own protection. Anyone not a member of any union would be very naïve,” she says.

Nicky’s aim on the National Executive is to raise the profile of SBMs. “There will be school leaders on the executive who don’t have an SBM on their senior leadership team (SLT), so I would like to get across that you don’t need to be a qualified teacher to be a leader in a school.”

It’s a serious issue, she says, as even in her local branch there are head teachers who are opposed to SBMs being in ‘their’ union. “We won’t change opinions overnight,” she says. No one is saying we’re more important than head teachers, but we pay our subs, we’re all equal members. That decision has been made at a high level – and if you don’t agree, then it’s not the union for you.”

She pauses for a second, then adds: “Oh, that sounds a bit militant, doesn’t it?” She insists that she isn’t – although she would certainly like to see a fairer pay structure. “If you look at various SBM forums and blogs, two issues come up repeatedly.

One is the increased workload and responsibility that academy status brings and the other is the issue of true recognition and acceptance of SBMs as integral members of the school’s SLT. Both of these points are then linked to the issue of pay.

“I believe that it is only fair that any SBM who is a member of their school’s SLT should be paid at the same rate of pay as

other members. That is, in line with leadership scale salaries.”

In community schools, many LAs still evaluate SBM job descriptions using the local government scheme and many refuse to pay school staff above a certain point. In some cases this is approximately £8,000 per year less than the lowest scale point on the leadership scale.

There are also cases of converted academy schools where the SBM has received no scale point or pay rise despite taking on the additional work and responsibility associated with becoming an academy. “If SBMs are to be fully accepted professionally as leaders of the school the pay issue has to be addressed,” she says.

Nicky hopes that having a voice on the NAHT’s National Executive will help in this fight. She is also a trustee for NASBM (the National Association of School Business Management), which works closely with the NAHT. She says that there is a great deal of affinity between SBMs and head teachers: “Like a head teacher, we’re only one of our kind in the school. You could easily get a little bit lonely in the role and having the support from outside organisations and other SBMs is absolutely crucial, just as it is for head teachers.

“Our expertise is in saving money and making the school run as a business. It’s unfair to expect the heads to do that, it’s not their expertise. You can’t be all things to all people. No one can do every job, you’ll spread yourself too thin and you won’t do it to the best of your ability.

“And despite all the issues we face, there has never been a more interesting time for SBMs. There are many challenges ahead but once all head teachers, governing bodies, LAs and the government realise the benefits of employing suitably qualified and capable SBMs – and rewarding them financially for their work – I believe the profession will be established as one of the most beneficial to a school’s business, enabling the rest of the SLT to concentrate on management of the academic side.”

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COVER FEATURE

Stronger together Joy Persaud looks at the world of school collaboration. It can lead to better outcomes for pupils, but it is something of a balancing act

THERE’S A LOT to be said for working in partnerships. Collaborating with other schools can offer head teachers a huge range of benefits, from financial savings to a wider variety of opportunities for pupils, but the approach has its drawbacks too, with workload, governance and parental confusion just some of the potential issues school leaders need to be aware of.

Either way, this is not a subject that anyone can afford to ignore. Schools are increasingly taking advantage of the number of options available (see panel, p31) to join forces in all sorts of different ways, from co-location or an informal partnership through to the creation of a limited company. Some have joint committees and joint governing body meetings, others are federations that operate under one governing body, while some even include non-school partners.

Anthony Austin, NAHT branch secretary, Bristol, says that most

schools have experienced some form of collaborative working or working in partnership with other schools, agencies or organisations. He tells LF: “Increasingly, these partnerships are being formed with the explicit aim of accelerating school improvement.

These forms of school improvement partnership can be in the form of hard federations.” Up until now, most partnerships have

EE “Most schools have experienced some form of collaborative working or working in partnership with other schools, agencies or organisations” 28

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Stronger together: head teachers are embracing school collaboration

tended to be fairly loose, short-term arrangements, he adds.

“These short-term arrangements are flexible and schools can drop in and out of them according to their specific needs,” he says. “No autonomy is sacrificed and schools can continue with their priorities while drawing upon strength of their collaborative partners.”

Schools that want to collaborate have a number of paths open to them, but they also need to consider the protocols associated with them. For example, in the case of a proposed federation or collaboration, it is up to existing governing bodies to decide whether and how they want to change their school’s structure, according to the DfE. With federations, stakeholders including parents, staff and the local authority must be consulted on details such as the schools involved, timeframe, the size of the governing body, and staff and

management changes. On the other hand, the regulations on collaboration allow schools to organise the details as far as possible, which, says Anthony, allows plenty of freedom. Two or more governing bodies can arrange to carry out any of their functions jointly and can delegate any of their functions to a joint committee.

Communication between all involved parties is critical to the success of any type of collaboration, says Robert Campbell, the principal of Impington Village College, Cambridgeshire.

The college became an academy in February 2012 and now has links with several partnerships to work on areas such as behaviour, curriculum and progression.

“You should use a range of media with plenty of face-to-face meetings – something it is easy to forget in the digital age,” he says.

He also makes the point that collaboration need not be seen as threat, or something that is only relevant when things aren’t working. “Sometimes you do it when it’s going well and it’s the next jump to promote growth in an educational community,” he says.

Exactly what will be included in each arrangement will be driven by local need but Anthony’s research suggests that, whatever the detail, heads should prepare for a significant workload. He found that there is a steep learning curve for academies as they learn how to deal with service providers that were previously managed by the local authority. “Many academies, except those in chains, buy back LA services as they are coherent, suited to their needs, and involve personnel they know,” he says.

Support and challenge In academy chains any joining school will be asked to change their IT and administrative systems to that of the majority – something that can divert a head teacher into a managerial rather than a leadership role during a time of transition, he warns. The formal change in organisational structure E

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COVER FEATURE WE North hampton Primary Academy Trust Northampton Primary Academy Trust (NPAT) was formed in 2012 when Abington Vale joined with Ecton Brook, Headlands, Lings and Weston Favell schools. The idea of forming a multi-academy trust was mooted by the head teachers involved when they looked into how they could create a formal group of academies while retaining the freedom to work together and share resources.

The schools – an outstanding primary, an improving primary, a large split-site primary, a Church of England primary and a foundation school – joined the trust with the common aim of getting ‘the best possible education in the best possible schools’.

Mark Currell, head teacher of Abington Vale, says: “Having looked very carefully at what academy status and the creation of a formal multi-academy trust would mean for our schools, and having consulted widely, we decided to go for it. A year later the NPAT was born. We pooled our conversion funding and used it to buy in external legal support and to pay for an education consultant to help us through the process. We also worked closely with the local authority, the diocese and the DfE.” They also accessed the Primary Chains Grant, which provides £25,000 to groups of three or more primary schools converting to academies as a chain, to help establish the new partnership.

Now, the schools’ business managers work together to obtain the best deals for shared services. Literacy and numeracy leads have met to discuss how the subjects are prioritised and they have jointly bought in external support for these subjects.

“Each school maintains its own governing body. They key difference is that there is a support network around them and they can draw upon the experience of the other governing bodies. One of the best elements of collaboration is the ability to purchase shared services. This has led to savings for the schools and wider opportunities that perhaps would not have been afforded individually,” he says.

Mark says that the key to a successful process is spending time on developing a shared vision and values document. “You should ask: why are you collaborating? Why is this relationship going to help the children at your school?

“Each school leader brings their strengths to our relationship. We support each other in some areas and we challenge in others. There is a constant drive for bettering our provision. School leaders – not just head teachers – are given opportunities to lead on aspects that they excel in, for example data analysis or pastoral support. The role of the school business managers and office staff is absolutely key too. They will have to find out about certain financial and legal matters and their support is vital.”

Mark says it has been a positive experience. “It’s not a case of a group of mates being chummy together. We still talk with other schools and participate in cluster, town- and county-wide events. We still love what we do and feel even more empowered to do what is right for our schools. We haven’t missed out on anything by opting not to go with a larger sponsor. We haven’t solved everything yet, but we are working together to get there. There is not one leader, but many leaders.”

W involved in chains, and in hard federations, means that school leaders will also need to address Tupe issues.

Those involved in the formation of Northampton Primary Academy Trust (see right) enlisted local solicitors to keep matters on an official, accountable footing. “Our relationship is one of support and challenge,” says Mark Currell, head teacher of one of the multi-academy trust’s constituent schools, Abington Vale.

“It is designed to offer what the LA was able to do [but which it] now finds increasingly difficult … because of the financial cuts in these areas,” he says. Using solicitors helped the schools to unpick years of previous relationships and contracts, he adds.

“Get good advice and legal support. There are things that have been in place for a very long time and will surprise you. The secret is to question everything, spend time discussing agreements and what comes out of the woodwork when you start to unpick what has been put in place,” he says.

Governing bodies may also be affected by collaboration; the degree will depend on the formality of the new arrangement.

“As partnership moves to a formal stage governors have to agree on a range of serious governance issues, principally around accountability in any inter-school arrangements,” says Anthony.

“If, for instance, a small subset of governors becomes an executive group managing the partnership, how do you ensure clarity in the decision-making process and the relationship of that group to individual governing bodies? Detailed agreement is needed in these circumstances.”

Focus on teaching and learning Collaboration has brought Mark, his staff and his pupils a number of advantages. “From a personal point of view I have

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the challenge and support of four passionate and excited head teachers,” he says. “We can draw upon the experience of all the members of staff across all the five schools. We can offer our children exciting and different activities that perhaps we couldn’t have afforded on our own. We can offer our learners the chance to join in with shared performances and events. We are able to share our passions for sport, art, music and drama and develop the learning experiences for everyone.

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WE Cressex Community School’s

Co-operative Learning Trust Cressex Community School in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, is part of a co-operative learning trust.

Its partners are a girls’ independent school (Wycombe Abbey), a high-achieving boys’ grammar school (Dr Challoner’s), the local authority, the Co-operative College and Buckinghamshire New University.

The school is situated in a deprived pocket of an otherwise wealthy county.

The trust was created in 2010 following disappointing results in 2009 which saw only 25 per cent of its 655 pupils achieve five A* to C GCSEs, including English and maths. Its results have since improved.

However, this is only part of the picture. “Collaboration allows the partners to share their strengths for the ultimate benefit of the students in the partner schools,” says head teacher David Hood.

“Sharing covers many areas: expertise and experience in leadership, including governance, management and pedagogy; practical resources and facilities; and, crucially, providing opportunities for students from different backgrounds to work and learn together.

“Becoming part of the Co-operative Schools movement was very attractive to us as its values – self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity – absolutely coincide with our own as a school.”

Cressex, a specialist business and enterprise school, has been able to offer the other schools in the trust its expertise in those areas, as well as in special needs and English as an additional language. Appropriately, the school’s motto is the African proverb, ‘it takes a whole village to bring up a child’ and the school’s experience suggests that there really is strength in numbers.

David says: “As for the future, we plan to develop our partnerships further and seize all opportunities that come our way that will enhance the educational experience and outcomes of our students.”

“If you want collaboration to work effectively then you must invest time to meet, discuss and debate. There are times when as a head teacher you are moved out of your comfort zone and the learning curve can feel as if it is vertical. So my advice is to make sure that you have brilliant people around you – amazing governors and, especially, an amazing school business manager.”

Mark urges all school leaders contemplating collaboration to keep teaching and learning at the heart of all of their decisions.

“Make it your priority for any changes and improvements. As head teacher, it sometimes feels that you are being sucked in to legal, contractual and academy conversion issues and that you will be spending long hours focusing upon the behindthe-scenes issues.

“It is vital that you remain focused upon the improvements to your school, the benefits to your students and how this new relationship will make the learning experience at your school better for your staff and pupils. It is a balancing act, but not an impossible one.”

GROUP SPECS Federations A federation has a single governing body for all the schools and partners within it. They may consist of either primary or secondary schools or, if an allthrough federation, both.

Collaborations and partnerships Collaborations are schools that join forces but maintain separate governing bodies. Partnerships are less formal arrangements that may involve other noneducational partners.

Mixed federations, collaborations and partnerships These involve schools that are part of a federation, as well as part of a wider collaboration or partnership. Leadership in such groupings may incorporate a variety of leadership models.

Trusts A trust school is a state-funded foundation school supported by a charitable trust made up of the school and partners such as businesses, universities or community groups.

Chains of schools These are groups of schools run by the same sponsor or trust as part of an overarching governance arrangement.

School companies Increasingly schools and academies are creating limited companies to help deliver local services together.

Co-location This is where a school or children’s centre shares its site with a school of a different type and where there is a strong link across governance, leadership and management.

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TEACHER TRAINING

Routes into teaching Is a school-led approach to initial teacher training, ‘the best model you can have’?

Carly Chynoweth looks at the different options

University

School-centred Teach First

Troops to Teachers School Direct

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FANCY TRA AINING YOU UR own teachers from scratch?

Now you can – in England, at least. School Direct, which was launched last year, is a school-based alternative to universityled undergraduate and postgraduate ITT. It offers schools the opportunity to recruit graduates, help design and deliver their training – often in partnership with a higher education institution – and then employ them as qualified teachers when they complete the year-long programme.

At its most basic level, School Direct is a replacement for the graduate teacher programme, but the reality is more nuanced, says Neil Dixon, head teacher at St Mary & St Paul’s CE Primary in Knowsley. He is part of a cluster-based model that will have 28 trainees working across a range of local schools.

This collective approach lets schools think not just about their individual needs but those of the area, he says.

School Direct will ensure that NQTs have a much greater understanding of day-to-day teaching, which is just one of the reasons why he is excited about the new model. “It gives us the chance to ensure that the trainees, and the new teachers

coming in to schools as NQTs, are trained by outstanding frontline practitioners and that they understand what schools are really like,” he says.

“They will have done much more time in schools than with the average PGCE as they have had that immersion in school life. The model we are running is also more localised and less generalised, which means that they are coming in with the skills that we specifically need.” This does not mean that they will be unable to teach in other schools, he adds; these skills gained come in addition to all the basic requirements of a qualified teacher, not instead of some of them.

Neil’s school is the lead in what he calls an ever-growing cluster. He has 10 strategic delivery partners, plus a broader alliance of another dozen or so schools which take trainees, as well as looser connections with many more. It sounds like it could be an administrative nightmare, but being a teaching school isn’t a burden, he says.

“Not at all. It’s a fantastic opportunity to be involved in lots of different issues. Teaching schools and School Direct go E

The situation in Wales

WE No appetite for

English freedoms The picture in Wales is rather different to England. The country has not adopted a school-led approach, instead continuing to use the more traditional method of postgraduate university course for the ‘vast majority’ of teacher training, says NAHT Cymru’s Anna Brychan.

“Nor do we have an appetite here for the freedoms that have been extended to academies and free schools to appoint teachers without QTS, because we are still fundamentally and happily wedded to the idea that teaching is a profession and that the routes into it should recognise that,” she adds.

“Having says that, there has been a great deal of debate about whether our current courses and structures are delivering what schools need.”

For example, some members are concerned that trainees may not be getting the help needed in classroom management, particularly now that

the rising number of teaching assistants means that they are likely to be responsible for other adults as well as children.

Changes in response to this Anna Brychan debate include raising the academic qualifications required to enter teacher training, and the Welsh government’s decision to commission a review of all teacher training. This review, led by Ralph Tabberer, a former director general of schools at what was then the Department for Children, Schools and Families, was due to report at the end of April.

“We expect it to look at ways of strengthening schools’ involvement in teacher training, in that the mentoring process will be more rigidly defined,” says Anna. This move, which should improve consistency, would be welcomed by schools and trainees

whose mentoring currently varies between ‘very, very good’ and ‘less successful’.

Other new initiatives in Wales include the arrival later this year of Teach First, the programme which began in London in 2002 and which aims to attract high-calibre graduates to jobs in challenging schools, and the Masters in Education Practice qualification launched last year.

The two-year programme is designed for NQTs, who undertake it alongside their induction and early professional development. About half of last year’s NQTs, roughly 400 people, enrolled.

Anna is positive about the logic underpinning the course, but sounds a note of caution: “It requires careful evaluation to make sure that the course genuinely helps their practice in schools and that it does not too much pressure on them at what is already a very intense time.”

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TEACHER TRAINING

W hand-in-hand. I enjoy the work. It’s almost one of those things where you are better off being fully involved and really going for it than doing it half-heartedly.”

The former approach means that he has built a strong cluster of other involved schools which are able to deliver sessions, host trainees and so on, whereas if he was less committed he might have ended up having to do much more it directly.

Being a teaching school offers heads a number of benefits, says Neil. One of the obvious ones is recruitment, because they will get far more opportunities to see trainees in action (or to talk to nearby colleagues who have) before hiring them.

Another, perhaps less obvious, is that it can help to retain existing staff as well. “We are a small primary school with only 200 children so in many ways there would be a limit to the number of roles we have in the school but because we are involved in all these other things we can offer all sorts of CPD opportunities for staff.”

For example, his deputy head, a maths teacher, has loved the opportunity to teach the current cohort of 14 School Direct trainees about his subject. “When he came back from it he was just buzzing,” says Neil. This was also good for the trainees, who got the opportunity to learn the theory from a teacher who they had already seen in practice, and for other heads who may be interested in hiring them when they qualify, because the experienced teacher has a good reputation.

However, despite Neil’s support for the model, it will not suit everyone – particularly if they are trying to go it alone rather than as part of a cluster. “Then you are just buying a PGCE place for one person and not getting the full benefits.

That’s why having schools working together is a much more logical approach.”

A cluster model also offers trainees more options, says Sir Christopher Stone, executive head teacher of the six-school Arthur Terry Learning Partnership in Birmingham and part of an alliance that will take on 66 trainees in September. For example, if a trainee’s placement is not working out, it can be changed much more easily than in the traditional model, where they are typically longer-lasting and less flexible, he says. “You can match trainees more appropriately and make sure that they have the range of stimulating experiences that will make them a much more rounded teacher,” he says.

Having special schools in his alliance also adds extra depth to their experiences – valuable to all teachers, given the importance of mainstreaming – as well as introducing them to an area that they may not otherwise have considered as a specialisation, he says. “When (teaching students) go into mainstream schools their heads are down, they work hard and they do not see what else there is. Often is it a very narrow experience. The chance to work in our exceptionally good special schools broadens their horizons and we can start to talk about career paths early on.” E

School Direct

WE ‘A stronger

chance of being kept on at school’ The feedback from university students who attended a recent School Direct presentation was “generally very positive”, says Nan Sherrard, a careers advisor with Graduate Prospects.

They liked the idea of diving straight into a school and were very positive about the training that they would get there. “And there is a feeling, although I do not know how well-founded it is, that because School Direct is straight into a school they will probably have a stronger chance of being kept on,” she says.

This perceived employability is very

important to graduates, but it also means the programme is seen as more competitive than getting on a traditional PGCE. However, some students were worried about the implications of Nan Sherrard completing a programme that conferred QTS but did not offer a postgraduate qualification (many, but not all, School Direct programmes award a PGCE).

“They were concerned about what it would mean if they did not get a PGCE and later wanted to teach abroad, for example” she says.

Some potential teachers may still be slightly overwhelmed by the variety of

options available to get into teaching, she adds. “Some people have worked their way through it and others were a bit bemused.”

The difference between salaried and unsalaried programmes was also a sticking point, with some new graduates thinking that they could apply for the School Direct salaried path despite not having the required three years’ work experience, while some with the experience did not realise that the option was open to them.

“They should really have different names,” says Nan.

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TEACHER TRAINING

W Elaine Colquhoun, the principal of Whitefield Schools and Centre in east London, is another School Direct supporter who has seen a great response from trainees interested in special needs teaching. She is immensely pleased by this given that undergraduate teacher training courses dedicated to the segment have disappeared. “We had about 100 applications for 10 places for September. It has been a landslide of interest, which has been replicated throughout other special schools as well. There is a huge interest in special needs.”

Chris’s advice to other heads is straightforward: “The main thing is that it’s about collaboration. There’s no way one school can set themselves up to do it on their own. To

make it work you have to believe in teamwork and partnership working. It’s not about control, it’s about working with other people and realising that the more you offer, the more you give away, the more other people rise to that challenge.

The strength of your collaborative group is what will stand the test of time.”

It is for this reason that, like Neil, he believes that the School Direct approach will not suit everyone; schools in more remote or isolated areas may simply not have the practical access to partners needed. With that caveat, however, he calls a school-led approach to teacher training: “the best model you can have.”

Higher education

WE Universities

remain important Michael Day, who describes himself as gamekeeper turned poacher, was involved in the development of School Direct while he was at the Teaching Agency, so it is unsurprising that the director of the University of Roehampton’s school of education supports the idea.

“Creating more of a commercial market and giving schools more of a say in how teacher training happens is a good idea,” he says.

Roehampton already has close connections with local schools; for example, it is involved in recruiting students to the university’s PGCE and undergraduate teaching courses.

Linking training and recruitment even more directly, as happens with School Direct, will give head teachers even more food for thought because they are considering candidates’ suitability not for the profession generally but with reference to their own school.

School Direct should also make universities more responsive to schools’ needs, adds Michael. In Roehampton’s case, that means offering mix and match portfolio of

36

options that allows schools to decide how provision will be split between them and the university.

At one end the university looks after it all, effectively offering a sponsored Michael Day PGCE; in the middle schools look after the classroom skills elements and Roehampton does subject and professional knowledge; and at the other extreme schools take on everything, with the university’s main role being that of quality assurance.

“It will be interesting to see how it pans out over the long term,” says Michael. He suspects that initial enthusiasm from schools for taking on a lot of the workload may wane after a couple of years, with partnerships being rebalanced accordingly.

With that in mind, head teachers should look for partner universities that are willing to take a flexible approach, he suggests.

But he does have some concerns.

“My worry about it is the next step moving on from that is moving all training in to schools, which I think would be a step too far. Universities

bring a whole range of value-added aspects that schools will find hard.”

For a start, universities have the infrastructure, experience and capacity to do it, whereas teachers – particularly good teachers – tend to be extremely busy already, meaning that giving them responsibility for training new entrants would be a significant extra burden.

“The other thing is that teacher training is not only about giving people really good classroom skills but a whole knowledge set that they need to be able to make really strong professional judgments.”

For example, understanding the theory underpinning education will help trainees to consider a variety of techniques and approaches and find the one that suits them, rather than simply imitating a classroom teacher.

“And recruiting teaching trainees is very demanding,” he adds. “Schools have said to us that they had no idea what the workload was.” While schools are used to recruiting qualified teachers, identifying potential in trainee candidates requires a different set of skills.

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29/05/2013 15:58

TECHNOLOGY

What’s that comingover the hill? Is it a mooc?

38

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IF EVER TH HERE was a love/hate relationship, it’s the one that exists between education and technology. There’s no doubt that they find each other attractive, but there are also areas of conflict. Technology is always promising to make life better for education. Unfortunately, education has grown a little cynical.

Technology’s latest peace offering is moocs (massive open online courses), which are attracting more than 100,000 students at a time. Currently, they are almost exclusively offered by a select group of US universities including Harvard, Stanford, Duke and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. However, other universities, and high schools, are getting in on the act, not least Edinburgh University in the UK. Moocs are online courses offered, at no cost, via a variety of websites, notably Coursera, edX, Udacity and Curriki (see box, page 41). The model is not too dissimilar from the offerings by

Chris Roseblade: pondering the big question: to mooc or not to mooc?

iTunes U, the Khan Academy and even the BBC, with which readers may be more familiar. Typically, mooc websites offer a library of video lectures supplemented by interactive information that can be used at any time on a tablet computer or laptop.

A UK offering, Futurelearn, led by the Open University, is set to launch later this year.

But moocs are not only relevant to higher education; they also look set to have a major effect on secondary education. This impact will be felt in several ways. Some school students will take the initiative and sign up for courses that interest them, perhaps lured by the opportunity to be taught by Harvard professors. It’s for this reason that moocs have been described as ‘tools for democratising higher education’.

Schools are also able to enter student cohorts to embellish the offerings they already provide or to fill a gap in provision. It could even fuel a boom in home-schooling as parents look for the best education for their children. Nor is it far removed from the model of flipped learning pioneered by Colorado teachers Aaron Sams and Jonathan Bergmann (LF, March/April 2013).

Dr Hamish Macleod told LF about the University of Edinburgh’s experience of running moocs in January. “The fact that more than 6,000 people from all over the world completed our course in equine nutrition is remarkable,” he says. “For secondary schools, there is an opportunity to encourage able and interested students to extend their learning by taking relevant moocs, especially if they offer a foundation for their own university study. Given that a 12-year-old pupil completed our astrobiology mooc, many of these courses should be well within reach of the average A-level student.”

Duncan King, director of digital learning at The Perse School in Cambridge, goes a step further by suggesting that a group of schools could offer an online A-level. “They could employ one teacher to offer direction and assess work,” he says.

“The contact time would likely be less than in a normal class.

Taught material could be delivered by video and discussion could be managed using Google Hangouts or Skype, with work submitted and marked via Google Docs. This could be written, voice or video feedback.

“As more such courses became available, students could sign up to those that have the best feedback submitted by former students.

“While this wouldn’t be a full mooc experience (less ‘massive’ and more teacher directed), it could create a tremendous opportunity for all learners to take meaningful additional qualifications away from the constraints of the timetable.” E

As the hype surrounding massive open online courses grows ever louder, Steve Smethurst assesses the likely impact of moocs on secondary education

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10/06/2013 11:20

TECHNOLOGY FEEL THE HYPE W Some universities are actively targeting school-age students. There are more than a dozen courses delivered by MIT’s open courseware website in subjects that range from astrophysics and audio electronics to Spanish, the latter via Curriki, for example. Another US college, Brown University, is running a free online engineering class with the aim of teaching high school students more about the subject in response to the lack of qualified engineers in the United States.

Another possible use was highlighted by the Guardian in May. It reported that a growing number of English schools are paying private tuition firms thousands of pounds for extra help with their pupils. Moocs could one day offer a cheaper alternative, although whether students in need of extra tuition would be able to embrace moocs in their current form is debatable.

All this serves to highlight that the model hasn’t reached maturity yet. Only a small number of courses are being offered – predominantly scientific or technical – and only a small minority of students stays the distance. What’s more, all they have to show for it in terms of qualifications is a certificate of completion, which would carry little weight with employers.

For professor Keith Devlin, a British mathematician at Stanford University, there is still a clear divide between school and higher education when it comes to moocs. “To take advantage of a mooc, you have to know how to learn and to be self-motivated.

People have talked about whether we can take them down into the school system, but that looks to me like a recipe for disaster.

“Moocs are Darwinian; it’s survival of the fittest. In a mooc, no-one knows if you disappear. If I’m teaching a class and someone drops out, I know about it. I wouldn’t know if 10 students dropped out in a mooc.

“Students need to be in total control of their own education.

They make of it what they will. Some get a huge amount out of them, but it’s all self-motivated and you have to know how to learn. That gives a huge advantage to the middle classes, because they tend to bring up children who know how to learn.

The access is illusory to some extent, because you have to be able to take advantage of it.”

Geoff Gould, e-learning executive at the United Learning Group of schools in the UK, agrees, and says that he has mixed feelings about moocs. “I might be at an inner-city secondary where parents and grandparents have no jobs and no aspirations to get a job or go to university. At other extreme, at Guildford High School for example, the approach is quite didactic. They just soak up absolutely everything. A mooc for them would possibly prepare them for higher education.”

There’s also the question of whether schools should offer moocs themselves. Why should it be limited to universities? It’s not hard to envisage Eton and Harrow going down this route too, particularly if they were able to charge for their content, but would a mainstream comprehensive have the necessary resources? Chris Roseblade, a deputy head at Merchant Taylors’

40

“This is the wild west, we’re just learning.

It’s only the start.”

Dr Ezekiel J Emmanuel, professor at University of Pennsylvania.

“The impact of Moocs is going to be massive and transformative.”

Jimmy Wales, the co-founder of Wikipedia.

“The internet is an incredibly important place to be if you’re in the knowledge dissemination business.”

Edward Rock, University of Pennsylvania open course initiatives advisor: “In 50 years, there will be only 10 institutions in the world delivering higher education.”

Sebastian Thrun, founder and chief executive of Udacity “The first person I ‘met’ in a mooc class discussion was a 12-year-old girl in Pakistan.

She finished the course, and I flamed out.”

Robert McGuire, editor, Mooc News and Reviews “I view this whole space as offering valuable tools to learners.”

Salman Khan, founder of the Khan Academy “An avalanche is coming.”

Sir Michael Barber, chief education advisor, Pearson

independent boys’ school in Middlesex, says that his school has considered offering a mooc, but he sounds a note of caution.

“The essential point, get your content onto the internet, seems not to have moved forward significantly for the past eight years.

It is still the same ball game.”

He tells LF: “The question is ‘what sort of young adult do we want to turn out?’ We are all familiar with teenagers who can text, converse in an internet chat room and listen to their iPod while doing their coursework and watching TV, but I am yet to see a single complex and intellectual question answered in a tweet.

“These people will find it more difficult to concentrate in a mooc environment than in a highly structured educational environment, because at least that has the virtue of keeping them on task. If someone is bored and looking out of the window, at least the teacher can see that they are bored and looking out of the window.”

Chris wonders whether the teaching profession can afford to

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10/06/2013 11:20

MOOC SITES WE Three of the best: some of the big names in online courses are the Khan Academy, Coursera and edX

CHRIS ROSEBLADE was appointed deputy head at Merchant Taylors’ School in Middlesex in 2002.

He has also taught in the maintained sector and international schools.

HAMISH MACLEOD is a senior lecturer in education, community and society at the University of Edinburgh. His interests include game-informed approaches to teaching.

sacrifice linear thinking, logical processing and commitment to a long process of immersive work without simultaneously risking homogenisation and dumbing down.

He also points to an academic article from 2010: Why minimal guidance during instruction does not work: an analysis of the failure of constructivist, discovery, problem-based, experiential, and inquiry-based teaching, by Kirschner et al.

“Is there any evidence that not teaching them stuff and letting them find out for themselves actually works?” Chris asks. “Have A-level standards rocketed? Has the quality of the intellectual degrees rocketed? Has the range of your French vocabulary, the depth of your mathematical reasoning, or even the simple number of books you have read increased?

“I wonder how much of that we can sacrifice purely on the altar of collaboration and discussion. Our use of technologies needs to be judicious and appropriate rather than us responding simply because it is in the newspaper headlines at the moment.”

He also points to more practical problems for schools that want to video their own lessons, in that classrooms are not lecture theatres. “I know that in our classrooms the decor sometimes leaves a little to be desired,,” he says.

“Don’t forget too that the camera is absolutely cruel and by the time you have got it set up, somebody from outside the door will shout loudly to someone at the other end of the corridor.

The mantra in TV is that it takes four hours’ work to produce four minutes of footage. If you’re doing it yourself, you need to take all that into account.

“In comparison with universities we have very small audiovisual departments, the physical infrastructure is usually getting

ropier year by year and we haven’t been able to afford to have as many IT techies as we’d like.”

Despite all this, he is prepared to embrace the mooc, albeit with some caveats: “We are all going to encounter this brave new world where everything is online and interactive. This is desirable, but we need to be careful, judicious and thoughtful about where and how to apply this technology.”

Footnote: Coursera has announced that it is expanding into teacher education. It will offer moocs with titles such as “Surviving your rookie year of teaching” and more theoretical material such as a unit on early-childhood development from the University of Virginia.

MOOC RESOURCES E BBC www.bbc.co.uk/learning E Coursera www.coursera.org E Curriki www.curriki.org E edX www.edx.org E Futurelearn futurelearn.com E iTunes U www.apple.com/uk/education/itunes-u E Khan Academy www.khanacademy.org E MIT ocw.mit.edu/high-school/courses E Opencast Matterhorn opencast.org/matterhorn E Udacity www.udacity.com

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STAFF TRAINING

A child is not a vase to be filled, but a fire to be lit Rabelais

Juggling skills and learning

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IMAGE: GETTY

10/06/2013 10:50

WE The rules were straightforward Each member of staff had six weeks in which to learn to juggle.

1⁄ 2⁄ 3⁄ 4⁄ 5⁄

Successful juggling had to include at least 10 throws and catches.

On a given date, all staff had to show me what they could do.

Each member of staff had to know what it felt like to be a learner.

Andrew Warren: was the head teacher at Mill Hill primary in Stoke

As a reward, successful jugglers got half a day’s flexi-leave in the run up to Christmas.

Do teachers remember what it’s like to be a learner? Andrew Warren suspected not, so he gave his staff a homework assignment It’s not that long since I walked into the staffroom at the start of the new academic year and calmly explained to the people in it that I wanted them all to learn how to juggle by half term. No exceptions. No excuses.

I was not in the habit of acting in either an autocratic or eccentric manner, but a small thought had been nagging away at me during the summer holidays. This small thought had formed itself into a question, namely: how do you change a teacher’s mentality from seeing children as ‘vases to be filled’ to seeing them as ‘fires to be lit’, as in the quotation from Rabelais?

For some time I had felt frustrated with staffroom chatter which gave voice to thoughts such as ‘they didn’t get it’ and ‘I told them but they still didn’t understand’. At the heart of these comments was the perception that if we do our part, then children should ‘get it’. It seemed to me that more consideration was being given to the learning process than to the learning emotions. In short, the feelings of the learner were being largely ignored. This seemed to be a serious omission so I decided to do something about it, Over the next few days the THE RESPONSE juggling challenge became a and walked into the staff room with a bag of juggling balls.

It was not easy to convince the staff that I was deadly common topic of conversation. serious and expected everyone to take part. However, this Many excuses started to emerge and several staff shared how issue was resolved the next day when I shared my plans with family members had responded to the challenge, while others the children. In an assembly I told them all that I had set simply made their feelings plain. Each time I kept relating special ‘homework’ for the staff. their adult feelings back to how children can feel in the I also informed the children that when the teachers classroom when we try to simply ‘fill their vases’. were collecting their homework, they had my One member of staff confessed that her husband had just permission to ask, respectfully of course, how the laughed at her and said: “You can’t even catch, how does he teachers were managing with the homework set by expect you to be able to juggle? No chance!” My response was Mr Warren. There were a few stifled groans around the hall largely unsympathetic: “How does this help you to understand as these words registered with the staff, but the plan had been a child whose parent tells you that their child will never be set in motion. good at maths, because they were no good at maths?”

Another member of staff told me she wanted to give up.

“Fine,” I said, “as long as you give the children in your class permission to give up when they meet their first obstacles with the tasks you set them.”

And still another teacher told me that she could juggle E

THE RULES

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10/06/2013 10:50

STAFF TRAINING

EE “What do you say to children who just miss out on a level 4? Have they wasted their time?”

W but not when I was watching. I asked her to reflect on what happens when she asks questions to the whole class group and some children seem more reluctant to contribute than others. Not everyone likes to perform in public, though that does not mean that they are any less engaged in the learning.

Each time, I asked staff to relate their experiences to their own teaching practice and to begin to understand more about how the children felt as learners in their classrooms. I wanted to help staff feel some of the same emotions as the children.

As the term continued the tension began to grow. The children were well aware of the closing deadline and took several opportunities to ask their class teachers how they were getting on. No child wanted to be in a class where their teacher had failed to meet the challenge.

Finally, J-day – the juggling deadline day – arrived, and the usual lively banter which greeted all staff gatherings was noticeably absent. Instead, the room was filled with nervousness, normally attributed to a visit from our Ofsted friends. What had I done?

One by one staff showed off their new-found juggling skills.

A high percentage had met the challenge; they managed to throw and catch three juggling balls in succession 10 times. It was a fantastic achievement and celebrations were loud.

What of those who did not manage 10 consecutive catches?

Quite a number managed seven, eight or even nine catches.

Naturally they were disappointed to have missed out and asked whether they had earned half a day flexi-leave. My response was an uncompromising negative. Some of them felt that this was grossly unfair as they had made a huge effort just to get that far.

One of them even commented that it was a waste of time and they wished they had not done this. Again, my response was unwavering: “What do you say to children who just miss out on a level 4? Have they wasted their time? Is learning only about hitting a goal at a particular time, or is it more about being on a journey where the journey is more important than the destination?”

THE DEADLINE

A few weeks later there was an excited knock at my door and a member of staff burst through the door exclaiming, “I can do it, I can do it!” Over half term she had finally mastered juggling. She even proved it and I could see that she was in fact a confident juggler. I was full of praise for her.

As she made to leave my office she asked the question I had been waiting for, “Now that I can juggle, does this mean that I can have half a day flexi-leave like the others?” I don’t think she

A LATE ENTRY

44

was expecting me to say no. As I saw the disappointment in her eyes, again I asked, “If a child just misses out on a level, a test or exam do we say to the child that they have wasted their time?

Surely we encourage them and praise them for their efforts. The same is true here. Learning should surely be for learning’s sake.

It should not just be motivated by a test score but should go on, even after the test. We don’t just stop – the journey continues.”

I recall that my answer was not gratefully received.

In a small way, and at first in small steps, I began to notice that a revolution was taking place in school, and it was not staff rebelling against my possibly unreasonable request.

This was different. Bit by bit, they began to speak about the children’s learning in totally new language. No longer were they using the language from the past, such as: “They didn’t get it.” Instead, a new understanding of the importance of engaging the feelings of the learner began to emerge.

Teachers came to realise from personal experience that new learning is an emotional challenge as well as an intellectual and motor challenge. It is not about a fixed point in time but about a journey; when we reduce learning to jumping over hurdles or squeezing through goal posts we do our children a serious disservice.

A recent report concludes: “Judging real outcomes for every child and the steps schools are taking to deliver them is complex and not easily reducible to a league table or test.” [First Steps: A new approach for our schools, CBI, November 2012]. It is not just the government that needs to hear this message.

THE RESULT

The juggling balls started a dialogue which changed the way we viewed children’s learning. The changes were evident to all, not least Ofsted, which judged in our next inspection that the curriculum provision was outstanding because it was fun and successfully motivated and enthused children to increase their confidence as learners.

A FOOTNOTE

Andrew Warren is director of the Britannia Teaching School Alliance

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COMPETITION

WIN A RADIO STATION WORTH THOUSANDS WITH SCHOOL LIFE BROADCASTING! The challenges faced by school leaders are many and varied. To lead a successful school requires vision and a great team. These attributes lie at the heart of great radio and are also the attributes this competition requires pupils to possess in order to win an incredible prize for their school.

Our challenge is simple – we want to hear what short radio features UK schools can produce based around the theme of leadership. We’re interested in a school’s creativity and ideas. Naturally, we understand that schools don’t have the radio station in place (yet!) so you needn’t worry that the recording is rough and ready – that is not what is being judged. Teachers can download a simple, free audio editing software (http:// audacity.sourceforge.net/), grab any recording device, be it video or audio (phone / mp3 player / existing school equipment) and put together a short, interesting and informative radio / video feature for us to absorb. Features should be anything up to 10 minutes in duration in order to have a chance of winning this unbelievable prize that will truly revolutionise a school.

For more information, including sample ideas to get you thinking, please visit our website or contact sean@schoollifebroadcasting.com / 01236 435 208 / 07917 444 193

Recycle your magazine and seven days later it could come back as your newspaper.

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SEND CONFERENCE

Fay Schopen reports from the Association’s flagship SEND conference, held in Nottingham recently, where change was on the agenda

Change is coming THE BIGGEST CHANGES to provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in 30 years were the focus of attention for delegates at the NAHT’s flagship SEND conference in Nottingham at the end of February.

Before the conference, Russell Hobby, general secretary of the NAHT, said it was a crucial time for those in the sector. Changes to SEND provision are contained in the Children and Families Bill, which is currently making its way through parliament.

“New legislation means that SEND faces huge change. Reform of the funding arrangement for special needs is also causing turmoil. These will bring new challenges and opportunities for teachers, school leaders and pupils,” he said.

The event was the NAHT’s first stand-alone conference since 2007. It will be the first of many, promised head teacher Steve Iredale. “This is a very difficult time for all schools but there is a real sense of a turn of the tide,” he said. “It’s high time that the profession regained control.”

WE Hot topics from

around the conference Children and Families Bill The proposed changes to SEND provision in schools, contained in the draft Children and Families Bill, have left schools in urgent need of guidance, said Lorraine Petersen, the chief executive of professional association Nasen.

Speaking to delegates on the first day of the conference, Lorraine raised concerns for schools around funding reform, local authority frameworks, curriculum reform and staff training. Funding was particularly problematic, she said, due to the lack of coherent messages coming from the government.

“We have to be very clear what money is coming in and how we spend it,” she said. “Without accountability some of the money for our most vulnerable young people will get lost. The pot is not as big as it once was, and it’s got to go further.”

Lorraine’s concerns were echoed by Paul Williams, chair of the NAHT’s SEND committee. There was a massive range of initiatives and development around SEND, he said, but structure

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PHOTOGRAPHY: FABIO DE PAOLA/UNP

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Schools leaders: have been left in urgent need of guidance

and coherence were lacking. “Schools need to understand the direction things are going in,” he said. Debates around academies and free schools added to a significantly complex shift in SEND policy, he said.

Speaking at the end of the conference, crossbench peer Baroness Warnock said the bill did not go far enough, and that it also raised concerns that the proposals would founder due to a lack of resources. However, Stephen Kingdom from the DfE told the conference that the bill was set to be implemented in September 2014. The changes to SEND in the Bill were part of wider educational reforms aimed at raising standards and outcomes for all, he said, adding that they would mean better outcomes for children, thanks to a ‘less stressful’ system, with families given ‘choice and control’. E

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SEND CONFERENCE

LAST WORD WE SEND pioneer

Baroness Warnock W Many delegates were optimistic about the Bill. Matthew Dodd, acting principal officer for special education at the Council for Disabled Children, said that the Bill was at a very early stage. “We have a year to give feedback and significantly improve what’s on offer,” he said.

Ofsted inspection tips Speaking at the conference, Russell Hobby warned delegates to ‘beware inflexible Ofsted definitions of progress for SEND pupils’, urging staff to instead ‘take control of inspection process’.

And to help school staff do just that, Charlie Henry, principal officer for SEND at Ofsted, held a workshop giving delegates hints and tips on dealing with the inspection process. Here are his words of wisdom: Good practice around assessment means Careful analysis of progress and development; Accurate evaluation of the quality of provision for pupils, both academic and pastoral; Staff being able to identify common learning difficulties; and Assessments that are accessible for children and young people, their parents, and their families.

Ofsted expects Accurate information on pupil attainment and progress; Identification of pupils doing less well than expected; Regular and accurate monitoring of these pupils; Effective support arrangements to be in place, with regular

reviews; A broad and balanced curriculum; and Successful strategies for working with parents to be in place,

particularly hard to reach parents.

Charlie also noted the importance of high aspiration, quoting the 2010 Ofsted SEND review, which states that “high aspirations and a focus on enabling children and young people to be as independent as possible led most reliably to the best achievement.”

In order to actively encourage high achievement, schools need to achieve a balance between aspiration and realistic progress, Charlie said. He also warned that school staff needed to be savvy when it comes to data. Many schools gather data, but lack the understanding of what it meant. Data is only as good as its accuracy and use, he said.

Baroness Warnock, the architect of the modern system of special needs education in England, closed the conference. In a well-received speech, she said she was optimistic that a new era of co-operation was being ushered in when it came to teaching children with special educational needs. “A generation ago we tried to introduce a spirit of co-operation ... it gradually withered away, and so I am happy it is back today,” she said.

Baroness Warnock praised head teachers, urging them to be conscious of the role they play in special schools, saying they ‘should blow [their] own trumpet loudly and clearly into the ear of ministers.”

that raise aspiration and achievement for children and young people. The school is judged ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted.

Advantages of conversion These include freedom from local authority control, being able to set the length of school terms and school days, the ability to change teacher and support staff pay and conditions, and the right to change the curriculum.

Hints and tips from David Choose an experienced business manager. A can-do approach

is vital; Maintain a close and collaborative relationship with the

local authority; Network to gain and give support. Fosse Way is part of a net-

Academy Special Schools

work of 23 local schools that work together to improve the quality of education for pupils and provide training opportunities for teachers and staff; and Shop around for services such as legal services and accountancy – don’t take the first contract on offer.

David Gregory, the head teacher of Fosse Way School in Radstock, near Bath, took delegates through his journey of converting his school to an academy. The school, which caters to pupils aged 3-19 years, converted in September 2011. David said a big draw was freedom; he noted that the academy status allows the school to be more autonomous and to focus on initiatives

E Next year’s conference will be held 20-21 March with a theme of ‘Implementing the changes; improving outcomes’.

To register your interest, email events@naht.org.uk or call 01444 472 405. For more courses and conferences, visit: www.naht.org/welcome/naht-events

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IMAGE: GETTY

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WHAT’S NEW WE T H E L A T E S T B O O K S A N D T E A C H I N G R E S O U R C E S

Thinking Allowed on Schooling

by Mick Waters. Crown House Publishing, £14.99 Mick Waters wants things to change and the former director of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, now a professor at the University of Wolverhampton, sets out how this could happen.

The book opens with an examination of the complicated interaction between society’s hopes and expectations for its young people and its understanding of the role that schooling should play in realising them.

From there, Waters goes on to address topics ranging from equality and social mobility to school

leadership and international comparisons. He doesn’t pull his punches along the way, with politicians; the idea that education should be ‘more like the public sector’; and the Ofsted inspection regime all coming in for close scrutiny.

The book is not simply an exercise in criticism; Waters follows his diagnoses with suggestions as to how things could be improved. For example, he proposes that all school inspectors be required to teach full time for half a term every year, arguing that this would lead to ‘a more human approach, with a little more humility’. His chapter on unleashing aspiration contains an interesting interlude on how asking teenagers to give their teacher a hard time can benefit both their learning and their teacher’s practice.

Thinking Allowed on Schooling is both readable and thought-provoking.

Beating Bureaucracy in SEN

By Jean Gross, Routledge, £29.99 This latest edition offers helpful, practical strategies that will help schools to meet the many challenges placed on them by Government policy and Ofsted. Jean Gross’s book uses a variety of studies to show how to increase pupil progress by putting responsibility for supporting children with most additional needs back where it belongs – with class and subject teachers.

Quote ACEDU13 when ordering from www.routledge.com for a 20 per cent discount.

RESOURCES Anyone for tennis?

Starting with books

Summertime means Wimbledon. This year’s competition (24 June to 7 July), is a great opportunity to enthuse children about sport, and also to learn about things like how to grow grass that’s exactly right for the game and why the players wear white. Learn more for primary and secondary students at bit.ly/O8zBHO

Discover the magic of fairytales in June with National Bookstart Week.

BookTrust is encouraging children to get involved by joining their local library. www.bookstart.org.uk

Refugee week This a UK-wide programme of arts, cultural and educational activities that

celebrates the contribution of refugees to the UK and promotes better understanding of why people seek sanctuary. www.refugeeweek.org.uk

instruction in all aspects of job search and recruitment – and it is presented by industry professionals. www.rideofyourlife.co.uk

Making a splash Ride of your life A film that aims to prepare students for the workplace will be released on 1 July.

Ride of your life includes advice, guidance and

Oxfam offers a range of downloadable teaching resources designed to tie in to its annual Water Week, which runs from 1-5 July. bit.ly/13qbA7C

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WE T E L L U S A B O U T Y O U R S C H O O L We ’d love to share your stories with LF re a d e rs . Ema il Su s a n E educationhack@gmail.com

FINALLY… A

chance mention of Grove School in Birmingham led me to bookmark its website for later investigation. But, with no memory of why it was recommended, and few clues in its (rather jolly) website, it was time to check out Ofsted. What was it about that report which made my jaw drop? Was it that Year Six pupils pass GCSE maths every year? Was it that 60 per cent of pupils are entitled to free school meals, or that English is a second language for 78 per cent?

How Grove School has stayed under the radar is a mystery.

Head teacher Pamela Matty joined Grove – a newly-amalgamated infant and junior – in 1997. She says: “We started with a challenging look at what we were teaching and how we were teaching it, along with assessing our underlying principles and beliefs. We asked: what do we want problem solving and investigation to look like; how do we create a problem-solving, investigative culture? How do you connect with families’ lives and encourage them in a positive, active way so they understand how children are taught and so they become active partners in that process?”

SUSAN YOUNG

A SENSE OF AWE AND WONDER

Stick to your guns Grove ‘scaffolds’ for the future by creating learning opportunities from the earliest years. Pamela says: “You might have a beautifully decorated box and pull out a small ball. Then you’d put it back again, and pull a large one. What’s happened? It got bigger. You might pull a number one out, and then a number 10. What’s happened? It’s got 10 times bigger. You create a sense of awe and wonder over maths and an early ‘input and output’ machine. You have worked through the skill of developing a concept, so creating early algebra through the primary curriculum.

Whole-school approaches are important.”

Despite pressure to conform to the new National Strategies, Grove stuck to its plans.

“It helps when you have evidence to show this the method works,” she says, referring to last year’s success of 19 Year 6s passing GCSE maths. She says: “Maths is my passion, and they are an inspirational group when I have the opportunity. Their priority is to connect aspects of maths and to explore what I would describe as ‘the language and beauty

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of maths’: it’s just phenomenal. We are an inner-city school with very high levels of free school meals, deprivation is a factor and I am looking to create some special memories for the children. My hope is that an employer looking at the CV of ex-Grove children who gained a GCSE at 10 or 11 thinks ‘that child’s got something special about them’.”

An HMI who followed Grove mathematicians through secondary school reported: “We followed several cohorts and found 88 per cent wanted to pursue a degree course with a significant maths element, with a high proportion doing A level.”

Maths isn’t the school’s only underpinning language: with so many pupils whose English is an additional language, a great deal of energy is devoted to improving skills, often from scratch. “Our philosophy for the teaching of maths and English is that they are both new languages, and that creating a language-rich environment allows children to explore and develop confidence, developing new concepts their way,” says Pamela.

Grove constantly develops what it does, with recent major investment in the grounds of its two sites. It has transformed a Victorian playground into a water play and sensory development area, creating a 200-seat amphitheatre, an eco-garden, sporting facilities and a play area with zip wires. “Our long-term plan is that 50 per cent of the KS1 curriculum will be delivered outside. We believe this is important for the children’s mental and physical health, and it is undoubtedly having an effect on their development. The children wanted an extended play time in the morning and we found the impact was dramatic. They have really strong ownership of the play space and come in re-energised with a really positive attitude and attuned to each other.”

She adds: “And we’ve probably got the only beach in Birmingham.”

ILLUSTRATION: ADAM HOWLING

10/06/2013 09:49

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