Leadershup Focus March 2016

LEADERSHIP F O C U S Fair funding campaign P.30 The magazine for NAHT members March/April 2016 • £5

Issue #73

Assessment update P.34 Parental voice in special needs P.38

Manifesto for change What are the big issues as Wales and Northern Ireland head for the polls?

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

I

am writing this having just attended a conference of energetic NAHT members in Cornwall. As my year TONY DRAPER as NAHT President nears its end I’ve travelled to all corners of the country and seen and heard from many members expressing their frustration at another year of excessive change.

The issues are well known and NAHT continues to campaign on your behalf, particularly on funding, teacher recruitment and assessment. outcomes for children is real, passionate and inexhaustible. As In this issue you’ll see a fresh update on our assessment such, I would urge members to share their thoughts with us on campaign (see page 34). We know the depth of feeling out our assessment pledge. Understanding your position will allow there on this score. The removal of levels could have been us to force policy makers to listen to our views. an opportunity to do so much good for parents, pupils and We’re seeing a significant change in public opinion on teachers. Instead, we have a mess. And, as usual, because we education at the moment. There’s a growing sense among care about the children we see every day, we will pick up the parents that the government is looking in the wrong direction pieces and sort it out. That’s what we do. Wouldn’t it be nice, and failing to find adequate solutions to the real issues. We though, if occasionally we weren’t solving the problems the know you will never give up on the mission to get the best government set for us and instead could redirect our energy outcomes for the children in your care and NAHT will be just knowing that the government was supporting us? as tenacious. We will always be constructive. We will always I’ve been to plenty of meetings at the DfE and while the try to get policy makers to see that there is a better way. And we dialogue is always constructive, I’d always rather be at an NAHT will always put children’s best interests before politics. branch meeting, where the commitment to getting the best

WELCOME

CHILDREN COME FIRST

Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation: 28,060 (July 2014-June 2015)

ASSOCIATION AND EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES NAHT 1 Heath Square, Boltro Road, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH16 1BL www.naht.org.uk Tel: 0300 30 30 333 Editorial board: Tony Draper, Lesley Gannon, Nicky Gillhespy, Magnus Gorham, Chris Harrison, Russell Hobby, Kim Johnson, Gail Larkin, Christine Milburn, Stephen Watkins and Paul Whiteman @nahtnews @LFmagNAHT

EDITORIAL TEAM Managing editor: Steve Smethurst Assistant editor: Rebecca Grant Designer: Adrian Taylor Senior picture editor: Claire Echavarry Production manager: Jane Easterman Cover image: James Taylor Columnist illustrations: Lyndon Hayes Printed by: Wyndeham Peterborough

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Advertisement sales: Joe Elliott-Walker Sales director: Jason Grant Leadership Focus is published on behalf of NAHT by Redactive Publishing Limited, 17 Britton Street, London EC1M 5TP www.redactive.co.uk Tel: 020 7880 6200 Email: naht@redactive.co.uk

ISSN: 1472–6181 © Copyright 2016 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 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 NAHT.

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CONTENTS

EN

EWS

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Councillors of the future Birmingham students have a lesson in both politics and drama as part of a local schools initiative

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Fairer funding NAHT is taking the lead in trying to secure a fairer funding formula that works for everyone

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Secondary performance tables Constant changes are resulting in ‘increasingly dubious’ data that does more harm than good Counselling services ‘a must’ Most English primary schools cannot provide adequate on-site mental health services for pupils, according to NAHT research Recruitment crisis in Wales NAHT Cymru says that two-thirds of local authorities have reported difficulties recruiting head teachers

10 2016’s New Year Honours list NAHT members are among those recognised for their outstanding contribution to education 11 Outdoor education This is the ‘year of adventure’ in Wales, says Louise Edwards of the Association of Heads of Outdoor Education Centres 12 New director for NAHT Edge Hampshire head teacher James Bowen will take over the leadership of NAHT Edge from 4 April 13 Obituary: Anthony Austin Anthony Austin, branch secretary for Bristol, was a long serving member and supporter of NAHT

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FEATURES

EV

IEWS

14 Putting members first A major review of NAHT communications will see improvements to the way the association connects with and supports members during 2016

18 NAHT partners There’s a buy-one, get-one-free offer from GL Assessment and affordable health insurance from CS Healthcare in this issue’s partners’ page

26 A vision for education As their countries head to the polls, NAHT Cymru and NAHT Northern Ireland have both set out their vision for education, as Caroline Roberts reports

19 Legal update NAHT senior solicitor Simon Thomas looks at employment and equalities law across England, Wales and Northern Ireland

30 Fairer funding: the challenge begins Everyone agrees school funding is beset with inequalities – the question now is ‘how to fix it?’ NAHT asked 17 experts for their opinion, as Susan Young reports 34 Measure for measure There is still a mismatch between assessment and accountability, with schools being asked to focus on what can be measured, rather that what is of value, says Nick Brook, interim director of policy and campaigns at NAHT 38 A voice for SEND parents TV vocal coach Carrie Grant has four children with special educational needs. She plans to tell delegates at this year’s SEND conference how they can better communicate with parents 42 Built to survive ‘Building resilience’ was the theme of this year’s Children’s Mental Health Week. It’s a skill that, if taught early, can help prevent mental health issues in later life. Carly Chynoweth reports

20 Best of the blogs Coasting schools, regional schools commissioners and mental health support are this issue’s hot topics 21 Rona Tutt’s column The NAHT past president remarks on local authorities’ uncertain future in education. Will a review of their role result in a happy ending?

23 Russell Hobby’s column Education policies are constantly changing, but heads shouldn’t feel pressured to ‘do it all’, says NAHT’s general secretary 50 Susan Young’s column Susan meets David Wallace, a former foreign exchange trader who is embedding careers education across Stratford-upon-Avon School

LEADERSHIP F O C U S

48 It’s time for action The Youth Sport Trust’s Phil Chamberlain on what the government’s latest sport strategy means for the future of physical education

24 NAHT courses and events The 2016 training programme offers plenty of new opportunities

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NEWS FOCUS

NEWS • SCHOOL MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES • EBACC ‘WORSE THAN PROGRESS 8’ • WALES: HEAD TEACHER RECRUITMENT CRISIS

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

LOCAL POLITICS

Councillors of the future BIRMINGHAM’S VOTERS WILL GO TO THE POLLS IN MAY, BUT THE CITY COUNCIL OF 2030 IS ALREADY IN PLACE, THANKS TO LOCAL SCHOOL CHILDREN

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There’s a widespread belief that young people are disengaged by politics – and local politics in particular – but in February this year 120 teenagers from 20 schools across Birmingham gathered at the Council Chamber to act as the City Council of 2030.

At the meeting, the students participated in a series of activities that challenged them to imagine reorganising the city, resetting its priorities, finding routes to political activism and writing persuasive speeches.

The initiative was set up by theatre company Stan’s Café

and was commissioned by Birmingham City Council.

Councillor Brigid Jones, cabinet member for children’s services, said: “I was impressed by the way Stan’s Cafe engaged students from different schools and backgrounds with debates around British values. I can’t wait to see their reimagined map of our city.”

Pictured (L-R) are Bethany Nicholls (Lordswood School), Sandeep Bansal (Ninestiles School), Amelia Malcolm (Lordswood School) and Maddy Underwood (The Arthur Terry School).

PHOTOGRAPH: DAVE WARREN

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Recruitment crisis

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School leader shortage A new report by Future Leaders addresses worries about head teacher recruitment and aims to meet the challenges the profession is facing: bit.ly/Heads-up

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More than 85 per cent of school leaders believe headship is a less attractive career choice than it was 10 years ago

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Now is the time to secure school funding reform Stay up to date with NAHT is taking a lead role in trying to secure a fairer national the latest association funding formula for schools. news on Twitter Ahead of a public consultation, due to take place in the spring, the association has published a pamphlet called Fair Funding – getting it right (pictured), which explores the issues surrounding creating a revised formula that works for all schools.

It features essays outlining the views of those on all sides of the debate, including head teachers, expert commentators and political advisors on education policy. Among the contributors is Neil Carmichael, tting it right: Fair funding – ge ding MP, chair of the Commons select committee, who a new national fun ols welcomed the proactive approach the NAHT has taken formula for scho education Viewpoints on ahead of the consultation.

“These reforms will require extensive consultation and, as the contributions to this pamphlet recognise, it’s important that any changes are ‘got right’, and disparities finally resolved,” he wrote.

NAHT general secretary Russell Hobby said that now is the right time for reform. “When it comes to school funding, 2016 is perhaps the best of times and the worst of times to be considering major reform to the formula.

It is the best of times because, when money is tight, you need to be absolutely sure it is going where it is most needed. This is not currently the case. It is also the worst of times because when money is tight, we have no buffer at all to ease the transition.

For one school to gain, another school must lose.”

He added that it is “the right thing to do – with caution, consultation and detailed planning.”

The pamphlet, which has been circulated to MPs, the DfE and the education select committee, is available to download at the link below:

@NAHTnews

Contributors

MP Neil Carmichael Russell Hobby Tim Phillips s Jonathan Simon Jonathan Clifton Kathryn James

Sally Bates ell Robert Campb Sarah Bagshaw Hugh Greenway

Mike Heiser James Westhead Sir Kevan Collins

Luke Sibieta MP Graham Stuart Kate Osamor MP Tony Draper

www.naht.org.uk/fair-funding

Fair funding feature, page 30

Changes harm secondary performance data NAHT has spoken out against secondary school performance tables, arguing that they ‘do more harm than good.’ General secretary Russell Hobby blamed constant changes to the system for making the government’s national statistics for secondary schools ‘increasingly dubious’.

He said: “Comparing one year with another, or one group of schools with another, is precarious at best when the very basis of measurement is different each time. The government must be careful what conclusions it draws.”

Mr Hobby added that the Progress 8 performance measure, which was formally introduced into secondary schools for the first time this year “will be overwhelmed by the Ebacc” before it has had a chance to prove its worth.

He also said that a stable examination system and stable performance measures were desperately needed to make data meaningful again. “We need this, above all, so that schools and teachers can focus on teaching to the best of their ability rather than coping with constant change.”

Assessment feature, page 34

Another survey revealed that 28 per cent of school leaders are planning to leave the profession in the next 10 years

Make pupil premium ‘automatic’ Introducing an automatic enrolment system for the pupil premium would help finally erase the link between disadvantage and educational underachievement, said NAHT general secretary Russell Hobby.

Mr Hobby’s comments came after former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg spoke at the launch of the Social Market Foundation’s commission on equality in education. In his speech, Mr Clegg said the pupil premium has made a ‘tangible difference’ in schools since its introduction in 2010.

In response, Mr Hobby said: “Now the pupil premium looks set to stay, let’s make sure all children eligible for it actually receive it. Currently, large numbers of families do not claim. Automatic registration, rather than forcing schools to chase parents to disclose their eligibility, could increase take up significantly, reduce bureaucracy and help cash-strapped families.

“The government says that there are over a million more children being taught in good or outstanding schools. This is down to the hard work of teachers and school leaders.

“For this improvement to continue, sufficient funding is essential.

Auto-registration is one simple way to make sure help gets to the children who need it most.”

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MENTAL HEALTH WE Counselling services

a ‘must’ at primaries PRIMARY FUTURES

Good career advice ‘vital’ Most English primary schools cannot provide adequate on-site mental health services for pupils, according to new research.

A survey, by NAHT and mental health charity Place2Be, discovered that almost two-thirds of schools do not have a counsellor on site. Of those that did, nearly 60 per cent provided counselling services for one day a week or less.

Of the schools that were unable to provide on-site counselling, most blamed the lack of resources available to them. More than three-quarters (77 per cent) of respondents claimed financial constraints prevented them from offering the services, while 46 per cent cited lack of physical space within the school and 61 per cent said it was due to a dearth of qualified professionals in their local area.

Responding to the findings, NAHT general secretary Russell Hobby said: “This new study should remind the government that while we have a better acknowledgement of the extent of mental illness amongst children and young people than ever before, the services that schools, families and children rely on are under great pressure. Rising demand, growing complexity and tight budgets may be getting in the way of helping the children who need it most.

“NAHT is campaigning on mental health because our members overwhelmingly called for this to be a key priority. Collaboration with colleagues in local special schools can add greatly to the capacity for support and managing transition to secondary education requires careful consideration.

“The work of Place2Be is also strongly recommended

by NAHT. Many of our members use their services in their schools. Their work demonstrates the crucial role that schools can play in supporting children’s mental health and building their resilience.” www.place2be.org.uk SEND feature, page 38

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Wellbeing feature, page 42

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NAHT has spoken out about the importance of effective careers guidance for young people.

“As the government says, access to high quality schoolbased careers guidance is very important for young people. There are many routes post-16 and students deserve frank advice about their merits,” said NAHT general secretary Russell Hobby.

His comments came as the government’s ‘apprentice tsar’, Nadhim Zahawi MP (pictured), launched a scheme to get apprentices to visit primary schools and talk to pupils about what they do.

It forms part of the Primary Futures project, which is run in partnership with NAHT. Speaking about the project, Mr Hobby said: “Our view is that careers inspiration needs to start young. That’s why we

created Primary Futures with the Education and Employers Taskforce, offering primary school children an exciting, age-appropriate ‘first-look’ at the world of work.

“We welcome the opportunity to work with the government to help them understand what young people really need from careers guidance and to guarantee they get it.”

And finally, page 50

Early years pilot announced Councils that are involved in the new early years pilot will benefit from extra government funding, it has been announced.

An extra £13m in funds will be share the eight councils trialling the expansion of free childcare to 30 hours per week.

NAHT welcomed the news. “Piloting the expansion will allow the government to ensure the increase in free childcare to 30 hours a week is deliverable across the country,” said NAHT general secretary Russell Hobby.

“Our members have consistently supported the government’s intention to extend the free childcare element. We know the benefits of providing structured, high-quality early years provision and the impact this has on a child’s development.”

PHOTOGRAPHY: ALAMY / REX

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E

TIME FOR STATUTORY PSHE? “Guaranteed PSHE space in the timetable would protect schools from external pressures to avoid or censor certain topics,” said NAHT general secretary Russell Hobby. “The government’s unwillingness to raise the status of PSHE just doesn’t make any sense.”

Bill calls for Ofsted reform

Lack of local authority support and stagnant pay hinder Welsh recruitment Welsh schools are facing a recruitment crisis similar to that in England, it has been revealed.

NAHT Cymru has published evidence, obtained via freedom of information requests, which confirms that the majority of Welsh schools are struggling to recruit and retain good head teachers.

Two thirds of local authorities reported difficulties recruiting head teachers.

In Caerphilly (pictured), for example, 71 per cent of schools had to re-advertise posts more than once to find a suitable candidate.

NAHT Cymru believes there are a number of factors that make the profession less appealing to potential school leaders.

These include: a lack of support from the local authority; a shift in role more towards managerial responsibilities and administration rather than teaching and learning, and stagnant pay.

Rob Williams, NAHT Cymru’s director of policy, said: “Being a school leader can be one of the most rewarding and fulfilling roles in education and something to which many should aspire. Supporting talented teachers, leading inspirational schools and taking the opportunity to have a positive impact on the future life chances of so many children and young people should be opportunities that attract the very best candidates.”

He added: “Until the school leader role is released from much of the current unnecessary bureaucracy and heads can focus more upon the core duty of making sure every pupil maximises their progress; until schools are provided with the right level of support that enables them to impact upon their challenges; and until there is proactive support for the wellbeing of school leaders and their role is seen as an integral part of our improving education system in Wales, we believe the current recruitment challenges will remain.”

Wales and Northern Ireland special, page 26

SPORT STRATEGY BRIGHT FUTURE FOR SPORT NAHT has deemed the government’s new sport strategy ‘a step in the right direction’.

General secretary Russell Hobby welcomed the strategy document, published late last year, and said the association was pleased to note it contained many of the recommendations made by its charity partner, the Youth Sport Trust.

Sporting Future: a new strategy for an active nation focuses on ‘redefining’ how sport should be delivered by focusing on five key outcomes: physical wellbeing, mental wellbeing, individual development, social and community

development and economic development.

“It is a good idea to link funding for sports activities to the social good that they bring, not just the number of participants,” Mr Hobby said.

“Sport gives children an opportunity to excel outside the classroom. It’s a vital part of the broad and balanced curriculum that is essential if we are to see students become happy, healthy and able adults in the future.”

www.youthsporttrust.org

NAHT has responded to news that a bill, calling for the reform of Ofsted, has been put forward to parliament.

The bill, submitted by Liberal Democrat MP John Pugh, aims to increase accountability of the school inspection system by giving schools and academies the right to challenge the timing and format of inspections and to appeal against outcomes.

Russell Hobby, NAHT’s general secretary, said: “In recent months Ofsted has reformed itself and improved quality, but mistakes are inevitable in any system. We welcome consideration of how the current review system could develop into a more rigorous, independent appeals process, as envisaged in this bill.

“Inspection plays a vital role in a balanced accountability system. The alternative to inspection is a data-driven, league table obsessed culture which helps no one. However, he added that “transparency and scrutiny is as healthy for Ofsted as it is for schools.”

Mr Hobby also praised the bill’s call for a more collaborative approach to inspections, something which is already offered through NAHT’s peer review process, Instead. See link below for more details:

Youth Sport Trust feature, page 48 bit.ly/SchoolReview

PHOTOGRAPH: ALAMY

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NEW YEAR HONOURS

NAHT members among those honoured in 2016 Leaders in education were among those whose achievements were recognised in the Queen’s 2016 New Year Honours list.

This year’s list of recipients included NAHT member Professor Barry Carpenter OBE (right), a disabilities expert, who has been awarded a CBE for his services to special educational needs.

The Worcester-based professor has worked in the special needs sector for 30 years. He was head teacher at three special schools, has published more than 100 academic articles and 10 books on the subject, and takes an active role on many advisory boards and review groups.

Following the news of his award, Prof Carpenter thanked his family for their support. He has two grownup daughters, one of whom has Down’s syndrome.

“It’s a great honour to receive this recognition. I know as a father how much attitudes towards caring for people with learning disabilities have changed hugely in the 30 years I’ve been working in the area, and overwhelmingly for the better,” said Prof Carpenter.

“Everybody in the sector works amazingly hard but there’s still a lot to do, particularly as the

10

demographic trends show there will be more and more people with disabilities who need help in the community.”

Rhona Barnfield was another education professional to receive a CBE this year. The executive head of The Howard Partnership Trust in Surrey, told local reporters she was ‘humbled’ by the awards.

Susan Jowett, chief executive of the Spencer Academies Trust in Nottingham, received a damehood in recognition of her 40-plus years working in the education sector.

Dame Susan said she felt “deeply moved” by the honour. “It is a privilege to be recognised for something I love and am passionate about,” she added.

One knighthood was

LEADERSHIP FOCUS l MARCH/APRIL 2016

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awarded for services to education, to Steve Lancashire. Sir Steve, as he is now known, is chief executive and founder of REAch2, one of the country’s largest academy trusts. He is also executive head of Hillyfield Academy in Walthamstow, east London.

Speaking about his award, Sir Steve paid tribute to his parents who “taught me to believe in myself and in the power of education to change lives and bring opportunity.

“I try to bring this belief and passion to the children in our trust,” he added.

Many other education professionals were recognised in this year’s list. Among them were Eugenie Adams, head of Baskerville Special and Residential School in Birmingham, and Helen Jones,

head of Beacon Hill School and Business and Enterprise College, Tyne and Wear. Both women received OBEs. NAHT member Dr Nicholas Capstick (left) also received an OBE. He is chief executive and founder of the White Horse Federation (WHF) multiacademy trust in Swindon.

Dr Capstick said he was flattered to receive the honour, but added that it would not have been possible without the support of his colleagues.

“Dr Capstick told the Swindon Advertiser: “This is a testament to the fact that if you surround yourself with great people they end up making you look better than maybe you really are. This is as much for my friends and the WHF family as it is for me and I am very grateful for the opportunities that I have been given by just being part of the organisation.”

MBEs were also awarded to a number of school leaders, including Barbara Kathleen Green, the principal of Beechlawn Special School in Northern Ireland.

Many more education professionals were recognised this year for their outstanding work in the sector.

For a full list of recipients, visit: bit.ly/EducHonours

PHOTOGRAPHY: UNP / SWINDON ADVERTISER

16/02/2016 13:15

OUTDOOR EDUCATION

2016: the ‘year of adventure’ in Wales The Welsh government has announced that 2016 is the ‘Year of Adventure’. Its aim is to showcase what Wales has to offer as a leading adventure destination, writes Louise Edwards.

The country is fortunate in that it has no shortage of rivers, lakes, canals, mountains, footpaths or cycle routes, not to mention awardwinning beaches, as well as an extensive range of water sports, coastal activities, historical and cultural sites.

For the government, the test of long-term successful participation in outdoor and adventurous activities will be adults – particularly 1625 year olds – participating outdoors as their leisure time choice.

The Year of Adventure focuses on children and young people as a priority, to ensure that it is actively engaging and enjoyable, delivered by inspirational leaders and motivators locally, regionally and nationally, in a timely manner with consideration for the environment.

Adventurer and TV

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY / ALAMY

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presenter Bear Grylls (pictured below) is an ambassador for the initiative.

He said: “When you take people outside and get them to have adventures, they learn skills such as positivity, courage, determination and resourcefulness.

“Taking part in activities is about empowering people and we see people’s confidence and pride grow. Spending time doing something different and challenging yourself can really show people what they are made of.

“I’ve had amazing experiences in Wales; the beautiful, rugged and wild terrain lends itself so well to so many activities and adventures. I’m delighted to be an ambassador. Wales is where the adventure starts in 2016.”

Where to go to find your Welsh adventure The Association for Heads of Outdoor Education Centres (AHOEC) is supportive of the Welsh government’s plans. It is committed to developing high quality in outdoor

learning, and providing inspirational experiences and challenging activities with a lifelong positive impact.

Its centres have been at the forefront of delivering innovative, real, and exciting outdoor learning and adventurous experiences to young people across the UK for more than 50 years.

This has been achieved by successfully promoting allround personal development through outdoor education and residential visits.

AHOEC centres offer excellent value for money.

All staff are dedicated to the needs of the visiting learners and staff, with a focus on providing an experience that is safe, enjoyable and – above all – an adventure.

To find out more about AHOEC and the centres it represents, please visit: www.ahoec.org

Louise Edwards is manager of Surrey Outdoor Learning and Development (SOLD)

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NAHT NEWS AND INFORMATION

MIDDLE LEADERS

New director to join NAHT Edge James Bowen (right) has been appointed as director of NAHT Edge and will take up his position on 4 April.

Currently the head teacher of a large, successful school in Hampshire, he has significant experience of developing middle leaders and is passionate about the role they play in school improvement.

Beginning his career in the finance sector, James made a life-changing decision in 2005 to become a teacher.

He was quickly fast-tracked into a number of leadership positions, including subject leader, SENCo, assistant head and deputy head. He joined NAHT as a deputy head member in 2008 and is vice president of NAHT’s Hampshire branch.

Speaking about his appointment, James said: “I am delighted to join NAHT Edge at such a crucial

time. Assessment, academisation, workload and wellbeing are at the forefront of members’ minds in both NAHT and NAHT Edge.

“I have first-hand experience of what it feels like to be in the thick of this, and what it means day-to-day for every level of leadership.

“The crucial thing, no matter the issue, is to keep our focus on what’s best for the children in our care.

When they do well, we know teaching is one of the most rewarding professions.

“I am committed to ensuring NAHT Edge’s voices help inform future policy. This is essential if we are to tackle the challenges facing us.”

While there is a downside to James taking up his director role (he’s no longer eligible for NAHT membership) there are some benefits.

“Not everyone leaving the profession has the chance to keep working with their former professional association,” said James.

“I get to work with people who have helped me develop in my previous roles and continue to help others to do so in theirs. With more than 97 per cent of members renewing their NAHT Edge membership, I know its services are hitting the mark.

I’m really looking forward to joining the team.”

Book offer for members The schools’ system is at a crossroads and a new book is intended to make teachers, school leaders, governors and policy makers think deeply about future directions.

NAHT members can get a 20 per cent discount on Self-Improving Schools: The journey to excellence, a collection of essays by some of the country’s leading education thinkers and practitioners, including NAHT general secretary Russell Hobby.

Simply enter the code NAHT20 when prompted before going to the checkout.

www.nahtedge.org.uk

bit.ly/Improving_schools

Leadership Focus article leads to a book deal Former head teacher James Hilton has attributed the publication of his book, Leading from the Edge, to an article in Leadership Focus. The article, on stress and school leaders was published in January 2014.

James tells LF: “From that article I have gone on to speak at NAHT education conferences in York and London in 2014, as well as delivering the opening keynote at the three-day NAHT Conference in Liverpool in May 2015 and at a conference for NAHT Cymru last November.

“One delegate approached me after my keynote in Wales to say that she had been going through a particularly difficult time

and that it was the article in Leadership Focus that had stopped her from resigning and kept in her in the profession. The article also helped me to secure a book deal.”

As well as James’ own story, his book is packed with strategies to help school leaders stay resilient as well as interviews with leaders in education on how they maintain their resilience over time.

• Leading From the Edge: a school leader’s guide to recognising and overcoming stress is published by Bloomsbury Education.

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Marathon effort to promote the Youth Sport Trust cause

Anthony Austin, 1947-2016

NAHT president Tony Draper and the association’s director of representation and advice Paul Whiteman (right) are taking on the 2016 London Marathon to raise funds for the Youth Sport Trust (YST). As their JustGiving page states, they are doing it “undeterred by age, fitness and the threat of unflattering sportswear”.

Paul told LF: “Having learned more about the YST, I have come to see how too many young people lead unhealthy lives or are not releasing their full potential because they have not discovered the joys of sport, or the sense of belonging and achievement that participation can bring.”

The YST is a charity devoted to building a brighter future for young people through sport – improving health and wellbeing, developing leadership skills and raising achievement. Over the past 20 years, it has transformed the lives of millions of young people in the UK across the world. www.justgiving.com/NAHT-TonyandPaul YST feature, page 48

All opinions gratefully received on assessment NAHT wishes to thank members who have already signed the Assessment Pledge. The pledge was created in response to the ongoing assessment crisis to gauge membership concerns over the current state of our national system.

Whether you agree, disagree or are uncertain, we welcome and need to hear all your views. To speak with your collective voice, we need to receive as many responses as possible.

So, if you have not already done so, please visit our assessment pledge page now to tell us what you think.

Assessment feature, page 48

Inspiring Leadership offers ‘buzz, energy and optimism’ The popular Inspiring Leadership conference returns to Birmingham’s ICC again this June. The three-day annual event, hosted jointly by NAHT, Education Development Trust and ASCL, aims to inspire, empower and energise school leaders.

Now in its third year, the 2016 conference promises to be bigger and better than last year, which was deemed a ‘runaway success’; feedback from the 1,500 delegates in attendance confirmed that the event programme exceeded their expectations.

The conference also provides plenty of opportunities for school leaders to network and trade ideas with their peers through a variety of workshops and masterclasses. In addition, they have the chance to browse the latest technology, products and services at the exhibition stands.

Speaking about why past events have become such a success, NAHT general secretary Russell Hobby explained: “The Inspiring Leadership conference has been taken over, if you like, by the profession.”

He added: “The atmosphere, the buzz, the sense of energy and optimism that was associated with the event was palpable and that is a really important part of what we have to offer.”

The 2016 Inspiring Leadership Conference takes place 15-17 June at the ICC, Birmingham. Visit the website below to book your place, or to find out more information. www.inspiringleadership.org

Anthony Austin, branch secretary for Bristol, died suddenly at his home in early January.

Anthony had been branch secretary for Bristol since the late 1990s and brought a unique blend of analytical skills, oratory and keen humour to the role.

Although perceived by many to be at his best when analysing policies, this would have been to ignore his highly effective and passionate support for individual members.

Anthony provided a very clear focus for NAHT in Bristol and was highly respected. He was a man of high moral standards, totally trustworthy and a passionate trade unionist. He gave unstintingly of his time and played a major role over the years in the development and success of NAHT. Anthony had many interests outside of NAHT, serving as president of the British Japanese Garden Association and was a keen contributor to community development.

Anthony will be sorely missed by all within NAHT and our condolences go to his beloved wife Lynn, daughter Laura and her family. It is particularly poignant that Anthony died shortly before his daughter gave birth to a grandson, but he leaves a legacy that will be remembered long after his passing.

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MEMBER COMMUNICATIONS

Putting members first

NAHT’s new magazine and dynamic suite of digital channels aim to deliver your respected voice and provide an essential forum and resource for education leaders

EE “Through thought-provoking features and specialist platforms, NAHT’s new magazine will be a must-read, providing credibility, authority and balance, while offering members ideas, motivation, opinion, information and collaboration” Stephen Watkins, NAHT national treasurer 14

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EE “The life members’ committee welcomes the progression towards a magazine that will be reflective of all NAHT interests, involvement and interaction.

The extended format of the new integrated magazine will enable all members to be better informed as they share personal and collegiate experience” Dr Desmond Hamilton, chair NAHT life members’ committee

NAHT IS MEMBER-LED AND WE ALWAYS LISTEN members and non-members will let you download podcasts, to your views. Your feedback and involvement are crucial to videos and blogs. Through the app you’ll be able to receive our success. You help us to shape and develop our services daily news alerts, at a time that suits you, focusing on topics for you as individuals, for the schools you work in and the and subjects or sectors you’re interested in. Over time, this will children you teach. remove the need for our Links e-newsletter series.

During 2015, we undertook a major review of our publishing Alongside the magazine and app we’re also developing our web and social media presence. More news on these new output, including this magazine, the website, e-newsletters and services will be announced as they’re rolled out as part of a all the other ways we communicate with you. We also took a phased, continuous improvement programme. fresh look at our presence and positioning across social and We want the magazine and app to reflect your daily E traditional media. As a result, we will be working throughout 2016 to improve how we connect with and support members, with the aim of developing better dialogue with you, so your voice can more easily inform what we do in future.

Our magazine is one of the first areas we will be changing and this edition of Leadership Focus is the last in its current guise.

During 2015: Our new magazine, launching • 67 per cent of Leadership Links late April, will be available to all readers viewed it via a mobile device members – NAHT, NAHT Edge • Visits to the NAHT website by mobile and Life – and will be published device increased by 10 per cent in print and also online via our • Visits to the NAHT edge website via first NAHT app (see right). mobile device increased by 5 per cent This exciting development in how we communicate with

WE Why an app?

PHOTOGRAPHY: ISTOCK

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MEMBER COMMUNICATIONS WE Keen to get to the heart of issues

Headlines Partnership Publishing W lives. ‘Members’ first’ is one Our new publishing partner is Headlines Partnership of our core values and you will be Publishing (HPP). Based in at the heart of everything we do.

Milton Keynes, HPP is part Across the magazine and digital of the Headlines Group and channels we will look to members specialises in objectiveand fellow professionals to have driven communication. their say, sharing best practice, Current clients range from inviting participation and healthy the National Federation debate on the issues of the day that of Property Professionals affect our sector, across all phases to Dulux, Nestle and NFU and locations.

Mutual. The editorial team is It is also important these headed by Nic Paton (right), communication platforms are an award-winning journalist, grounded in local activity and writer and editor. Nic has information, so we will be looking specialised in the education sector for a number of years, writing for to increase content from sectors, The Guardian, Independent and The Mail on Sunday. Nic is keen to get to regions, branches, schools and the heart of the issues that matter to members, so send him your ideas. leaders too – all vital elements of this new interactive approach. We want to develop a more frequent Nic.paton@headlines.uk.com and intensive conversation with members and provide credibility, authority and balance, with new ideas, motivation, opinion, information and collaboration. Together, the new magazine direction for the magazine and eventually our other channels.

A new editorial strategy board has been set up, made and app will provide an online umbrella for a range of existing up initially by members of National Executive and senior channels and be supported, promoted and extended by social staff. It will set the editorial strategy for 2016-19, including media activity, to build growing professional communities the visual approach, tone of voice, content direction, and around NAHT and the profession. identify key features for exploration across each year. This will help steer and shape the publishing blueprint Headlines Richer for reading Partnership Publishing and its staff will use to ensure Our new journal and app aren’t just about changing how creation and delivery of the magazine and app to agreed we look and reach you; we’re also changing what we write NAHT standards and guidance. about. Building on the information provided from previous “We want members to feel richer for reading our magazine readership and member surveys, members are setting a new

EE “NAHT’s new magazine will be a great opportunity for NAHT Edge members to get the most out of their membership. Packed with features, exchanging ideas, information and inspiration with colleagues at all levels of leadership, it will help them in their current roles and as they plan for a future in more senior positions” John Blake, NAHT Edge advisory council

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NEWS FOCUS

WE Embracing the digital age

with online channels

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and all our channels,” says NAHT president Tony Draper. “At our meeting in January we agreed that the primary purpose of the publication is to celebrate, share and advise, showcasing best practice, giving everyone information that they can take away and apply in their schools. We also want to stretch imaginations, so you can say ‘maybe this can help me with…’ or ‘we could use this to improve….’

The editorial strategy board will meet termly and has already had input into the April issue. As the journal is launching at annual conference, the focus will be ‘Leading the way’ and ‘Aspiration’, connecting to the theme of the event and the celebrations planned to acknowledge the conclusion of the NAHT Aspire pilot.

“There are some great examples of the profession taking the lead and we want people to tell their stories,” says Kim Johnson, NAHT vice president.

“Only by looking at what others are doing can we learn from each other and keep leading the way.

We’d really like to show you some alternatives you may not have come across before – regionally, nationally and internationally. That’s why we need members to really get involved.

“We’ve had great success with this approach in our Aspire programme and NAHT Instead, so why not with our member communications?”

NAHT’s website is eight years old and, other than a visual refresh three years ago, it has altered little.

However, today’s web visitors are very different to those of 2007. It’s not just members and potential members but government and politicians, media, researchers, potential employees, businesses, employers and more.

How people engage with us has also changed; visits to the NAHT website by mobile device were up 10 per cent in 2015 and by 5 per cent for NAHT Edge over the same period. Readers of our newsletters also prefer to view them on mobile devices with 67 per cent viewing Leadership Links either by phone or tablet each issue.

However, our website isn’t easy to read on mobiles – so we need to make it mobile responsive.

To help us develop our digital offer we’ve commissioned experts to help us understand what visitors do when they visit our site and their experiences. You’ll have the chance to be involved in this research during March and April, so we hope you’ll take part. The findings will inform how we build our app and our new corporate site.

Because our app will be a central hub through which NAHT’s online channels can be accessed easily, we need to know what you think, not just now but continuously.

We want it to grow with you, so look out for the surveys, and make sure you have your say.

The app will be available via major app marketplaces, free to members, at a charge for others, helping us extend awareness and our readership, increase support and aid member recruitment. It will also drive users direct to our websites. We’ll tell you more about where and how to download the app in June.

WE Top 10 web pages

in December 2015 Home page Assessment-framework materials Spending review Join now Pay advice Recruitment survey results Pay and conditions advice Assessment pledge Contact us Authorised-absence advice

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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 Double the benefits from primary years literary assessment Literacy in primary and early years is incredibly important as it forms the foundation of future education and access to the curriculum. To ensure no child gets left behind, schools need the ability to track pupil progress in literacy and to intervene to help those who may be struggling.

In an offer exclusive to NAHT members, if you buy one of WellComm or the York assessment of reading and comprehension (YARC), GL Assessment is offering an additional primary years literary assessment for free. You can choose one of the following assessments: Emotional literacy, the single word spelling test; British spelling test; Phonological assessment battery (primary); and British picture vocabulary scale.

The package offers you a wide range of assessments that cover the full spectrum of literacy assessment for primary pupils. More information on each can be found at www.gl-assessment.co.uk If you choose to purchase both WellComm and YARC, you will be entitled to two free additional assessments. The primary years literacy package offer is available until 31 March. For further enquiries call GL Assessment on 0845 602 1937 or email info@gl-assessment.co.uk

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 Affordable health insurance that covers all the bases With health insurance costing around £39.65 per month*, HealthBridge from CS Healthcare is an affordable health insurance solution that helps bridge the gap between private health cover and the NHS. HealthBridge provides quick access to surgical procedures, diagnostic investigations and tests. If you generate your own quote on the CS Healthcare website using code 847†, you’ll receive a free travel first aid kit. Plus, as an NAHT member, you’ll receive your first month’s HealthBridge cover for free on joining.

If you’re looking for a more comprehensive level of cover, your choice is a flexible policy that can be tailored to suit your needs. Starting with essential cover – the only part of your choice which is compulsory – it includes cover for in-patient/day-patient treatment, including specialised scans and necessary aftercare, you can then select further options to extend your plan to include diagnostic consultations, a range of therapy and recovery care, and heart and cancer treatment. As an NAHT member, when you join you will receive your first two months’ cover free by quoting code 147†.

For more details, visit the member benefit area at naht.org.uk or call 0800 917 9088. Full terms and conditions are available at CSHealthcare.co.uk * Price based on typical quote for a 40-year-old living in the south east † This offer is only available to UK-based NAHT members and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer and may be amended or withdrawn by CS Healthcare at any time. This offer is not available to policies arranged via a broker and is not available to existing members of CS Healthcare, including those who cancel and re-join.

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WE NAHT

partner contacts 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, contact marketing@naht.org.uk

SERVICES FOR SCHOOLS NAHT ASSURE HR, payroll, property, health and safety 0845 519 7001 Email: helpdesk@nahtassure.co.uk www.nahtassure.co.uk Online DBS checking 0845 519 7001 www.nahtassure.co.uk/online-dbs ETEACH Online staff recruitment 0845 226 1906 Email: info@eteach.com www.eteach.com GL ASSESSMENT Pupil 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 (use code 147) www.cshealthcare.co.uk GRAYBROOK INSURANCE BROKERS Professional indemnity and public liability cover 01245 321 185 Email: enquiry@graybrook.co.uk www.graybrook.co.uk/naht-members MBNA Credit card services 0800 028 2440 www.mbna.co.uk SKIPTON FINANCIAL SERVICES Financial planning 0800 012 1248 Email: sfsnaht@skipton.co.uk www.skiptonfs-naht.co.uk

LEADERSHIP FOCUS l MARCH/APRIL 2016

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NEWS FOCUS

LEGAL UPDATE

Equal rights and wrongs Although much of employment and equalities law across Northern Ireland (NI) and England and Wales (E&W) is the same, there are several substantive and procedural differences, particularly in equalities, writes NAHT senior solicitor Simon Thomas.

In E&W, equalities law is consolidated in the Equalities Act 2010 (EA), which does not apply in NI, where it is contained in several different pieces of legislation.

In the EA, ‘religion or belief’ is protected, but there is doubt about the extent to which ‘belief’ covers political opinions. However, religious belief and political opinion are protected in NI legislation.

Political opinion and the way sexual orientation conflicts with religious beliefs have been considered by the courts in both jurisdictions. The ‘Gay cake case’ was to come before the NI Appeal Court on 3 February but has been adjourned until May because the attorney general wishes to comment on whether the NI equality legislation is incompatible with the Human Rights Act (HRA) – either article nine (freedom of religion) and/or 10 (freedom of expression).

In the case, the Christian owners of a bakery refused a gay couple’s order for a cake decorated with the words ‘Support gay marriage’. The bakers argued that they were not discriminating on the grounds of sexual orientation because a heterosexual couple asking for a ’Support gay marriage’ cake would also have been refused. However, the judge ruled that the comparator was a heterosexual couple asking for a ‘Support heterosexual marriage’ cake and they discriminated on the grounds of sexual orientation.

Support for gay marriage was also a political opinion and there was discrimination on that ground too. The Northern Ireland Assembly had considered whether there should be a ‘conscience objection’ clause in the legislation which would have covered such instances, but rejected it.

All UK legislation must be interpreted in a manner compatible with the HRA, which provides that any limitations to the right to freedom of religion must be: • prescribed by law; • intended to achieve a legitimate objective; and • necessary in a democratic society.

The court said these requirements had been met and there was no incompatibility between the equalities legislation and

PHOTOGRAPH: PLAINPICTURE

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the defendants’ article nine rights and to decide otherwise would allow a person’s religious belief to dictate what the law is.

The UK Supreme Court (SC) had earlier decided unanimously that a hotel owner discriminated against a same sex couple by refusing them a double room. The judge commented: “To permit a person to discriminate on the ground that he did not believe that a persons of homosexual orientation should be treated equally with persons of heterosexual orientation would be to create a class of people who were exempt from discrimination legislation.”

It will be interesting to see what the NI Court of Appeal (which is also constrained by the SC decision) makes of it.

Uniforms, exclusions and admissions In NI, the religious and political belief laws do not apply to schools as service providers and there are exemptions in NI and E&W relating to schools in relation to employment of teachers.

In E&W, cases involving religion in schools have generally related to uniform, exclusions and admissions.

In R v Governors of Denbigh High School, the House of Lords decided the school’s refusal to allow a Muslim student to wear a hijab did not infringe her article nine rights. During its progress from the county court to the House of Lords (the predecessor of the SC) via the court of appeal, five judges favoured the student with four against. However, the three who counted were in the House of Lords where she lost by three votes to two.

The SC also had to consider the case of R v Governing Body of JFS. JFS was oversubscribed and admitted pupils according to its policy of giving priority to children recognised as Jewish by the Office of the Chief Rabbi, which did not recognise ‘M’ as Jewish because his mother was not converted in an Orthodox synagogue. M’s father claimed direct race discrimination on the grounds of his ethnic origin. He was successful, but it was not clear-cut with the nine-judge court split five to four.

So it is safe to say that issues of equality, where beliefs and protected characteristics clash will continue to be disputed and a fruitful area for lawyers.

If you need professional advice, call 0300 30 30 333

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BEST OF THE

BLOGS That’s not in the job description.

Or is it?

Susan Young “Confused about regional schools commissioners (RSCs)? You’re not alone,” writes Susan Young.

“Apparently, the role of the RSC is ‘unclear, even to key partners in the education sector’. Thank goodness for that: I thought it was just me who was missing a trick.”

The revelation came following a report by parliament’s select committee on education and Susan hopes that it may “jab the DfE into a bit of New Year tidying up of the confusion”.

She goes on to list a few of the findings in the report that she found of particular interest. ‘Lack of clarity’ seems to be an ongoing theme, she notes, particularly when it comes to defining the function of a RSC, and how that

For schools, the ‘coast’ is far from clear Warwick Mansell The debate on ‘coasting schools’ is set to rumble on well throughout 2016.

And with school leaders becoming more fearful about the prospect of forced academisation at the hands of the regional schools commissioners, Warwick Mansell delves into the debate to identify some of the key concerns.

A major issue, he writes, is that the definition of coasting is not specified in primary legislation.

“It seems the government has been challenged over the fact that the definition of a ‘coasting school’ is not going to be set out in the Education and Adoption Bill currently going through Parliament.

“Instead, it is being defined in regulations. If the definition were to be set out in the bill, it would be subject

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role fits in around other organisations such as Ofsted. There is also confusion about which body is responsible for the safeguarding of pupils in academies.

She adds: “There is a fascinating section on consistency of approach and standards, some of which reads like a comedy script. I particularly enjoyed this sentence: ‘Lord Nash confirmed it was the responsibility of the national schools commissioner to ensure that there was a consistency of standards across the RSCs, although this is absent from the role description.’

“This is turning into a saga rather than a blog, and there’s much more to cover. But it’s worth pointing out other concerns noted by the committee: that the RSCs and Ofsted should ensure that visits to schools are coordinated, clearly distinct and don’t create an unnecessary burden.”

www.naht.org.uk/susan-young

to Parliamentary debate. So, as things stand, future iterations of the definition will not be scrutinised in this way.”

He adds: “The lack of parliamentary scrutiny for changes to the coasting school formula in the future could become significant if the number of schools affected were to grow, as must be likely, from what looks like quite a low base as suggested by the current definition.”

Warwick also echoes a recent statement from NAHT, which argues that coasting schools should not be defined on data alone.

“Whether a school is ‘coasting’ or not simply cannot be ascertained through pupil performance data alone, since ‘coasting’ implies a lack of effort on the part of the school, which pupil test and exam numbers on their own cannot show,” he says.

VIEWS IN EDUCATION • WHAT DOES AN RSC ACTUALLY DO? • WHEN THE ‘COAST’ IS NOT CLEAR • CAMPAIGNING ON MENTAL HEALTH

NAHT campaigning ‘tirelessly’ on mental health Russell Hobby In his latest blog post, NAHT’s general secretary writes that there is “good and bad news where children’s mental health is concerned.”

He praises the fact that schools are now better placed to acknowledge the extent of mental illness among young people and therefore have a greater willingness to provide them with the support they need.

The negative side to this, he adds, is that budgets are being tightened and services are being slashed.

He writes: “It’s said that, on average, three children in every classroom have a diagnosable mental health issue.

“This is a much bigger problem than commonly acknowledged and a source of concern. It means it is not a ‘specialist’ issue but one that will affect every school on a regular basis.

“School leaders need a basic grounding in identification, intervention, sources of support and appropriate actions. Experience suggests that, done well, intervening early can help prevent problems in childhood growing into adulthood.

There is much that can be done.”

However, he adds, NAHT is campaigning tirelessly on this issue and he reminds members that the association is there to support schools through its training and partnerships.

“Schools are well-placed to offer support immediately when problems arise, particularly where family support might not be in place and to teach children the skills to cope with life’s problems, including knowing when to ask for help. But for this to be effective school staff must receive high-quality training and clear guidance.”

www.naht.org.uk/russell-hobby www.naht.org.uk/warwick-mansell

Mental health feature, page 42

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OPINION

VIEWS IN EDUCATION • RONA TUTT • RUSSELL HOBBY

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

O

ver the years, I have sometimes likened local authorities (LAs) to RONA TUTT special schools, in terms of both being unsure of their fate in the longer term.

So there is an irony that, at a time when special schools appear to be more comfortably embedded within the education system, LAs are facing their biggest threat yet.

IT’S SOMETIMES HARD TO KNOW A further irony is that the recent SEND reforms, now in their second WHETHER TO LAUGH OR CRY year, gave a new set of responsibilities AT GOVERNMENT POLICY to LAs through the Children and Families Act 2014. One major addition And even when this hurdle is overcome, there are circumstances is carrying out needs-assessments to see if a child or young in which LAs can still refuse to go ahead. person requires an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

Unfortunately, no-one seems to have worked out in advance A bone of contention that person-centred planning takes much longer than a You may recall that, at his speech to the Conservative Party statementing officer working their way through the paperwork Conference last October, David Cameron said he wanted to see without having to factor in time to meet families, let alone take an end to LAs running schools, with every school becoming an on their ‘views, wishes and aspirations’, as required by the Act. academy over the next five years. This was echoed by the Although nearly four years have been allowed for the transfer chancellor, who added that the education services grant, which of thousands of young learners with statements to EHCPs, this goes to academies and LAs, would be cut. has to be done at the same time as putting plans in place for But there’s no need to worry, as George Osborne will those entering the system for the first time. This requires a personally help us to make savings. This year, the government level of staffing that does not necessarily exist and some LAs will publish a set of specific actions school leaders can take to have cut corners by treating the transfer process as a ‘cut and help them save the money they don’t have. Perhaps someone paste’ job or have failed to help parents understand about should point out that when everything is already pared to the personal budgets in this context. bone, only the bone is left – the money to put teachers in front This leads me on to another time consuming responsibility, of classes – which could make it tricky. that of producing a ‘local offer’. The DfE decided that LAs Also this year, a review of LAs is due to be completed, when could present the information in any way they liked, provided we may learn what will happen to vital services, including they included everything about the support and services for those involving SEND, if LAs are left to wither on the vine. Will SEND in their area. While this has allowed them to exercise it be a free for all, with free schools, trusts and regional schools their creativity, the idea was that parents would be able to find commissioners all trying to make a pattern of the fragmented what they were looking for and even compare one LA’s offering pieces? It could make for an RSC production that resembles with another. Instead, it is like playing a game of hide and seek.

The Tempest rather than All’s Well That Ends Well!

And, as part of its personalisation agenda, the government is keen to encourage the use of personal budgets in an educational context, but LAs only have to prepare a personal budget ‘if Rona Tutt is a retired head asked’. The problem with this is that few of us are good at teacher and a knowing what we don’t know. Consequently, it will only be a past president of NAHT particularly well-informed parent who poses the question.

VIEWPOINT •

COMEDY OR TRAGEDY?

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OPINION

EE “Sometimes you have no choice but to comply – it’s the law – but other times there is more flexibility”

A

lready 2016 is shaping up to be another busy year in education.

RUSSELL HOBBY Change continues at a relentless pace. And not all of it is good.

In light of this I’d like to propose a new professional standard for school leadership entitled ‘ignoring things and saying no’. We need more of this, even though I know it runs counter to many inspirational guides NOT EVERY NEW POLICY IS BAD to leadership, which say leaders are BUT THERE IS NO NEED TO IMPORT expected to be deeply in tune with EVERY ZANY IDEA GOING, EITHER the outside world and relentless in their ambition.

Pledge, which highlights the main issues we think need to You may detect a note of flippancy here, and you wouldn’t be addressed. It states that NAHT wants a ‘stable, coherent, be wrong. But I have a serious point. Of course it is a leader’s valid and proportionate approach to assessment created in job to be aware of what’s going on externally and to think of dialogue with the profession and parents; a principled and the future; not every new policy is bad. But that doesn’t mean well-planned approach that could raise standards for all you have to then import every zany idea going or over-comply and support the appropriate use of testing.’ You can find the with every government announcement. Part of being a great pledge on NAHT’s website (www.naht.org.uk/pledge) and leader is having your own vision and a set of priorities about I encourage you to share your views. what your school and community need. Sometimes you have In the end, we want assessment that helps teachers to do no choice but to comply – it’s the law – but other times there their jobs, rather than diverting them away from spending is more flexibility than we might expect. time from the children in their class. All too often, reform and change misses out the people who should be the focus: the Top priorities children in our care.

Part of a leader’s job is to hold an umbrella over their school, This spring NAHT’s focus has been on children’s wellbeing, to shelter it from the raging storms of the outside world; and we took a leading role in Children’s Mental Health Week perhaps a filter would be a better analogy but it is less catchy. in February. We will continue to campaign throughout this You select what comes in and what doesn’t: “This is good, year with leading mental health charity Place2Be (see page let’s leap on it;” “This is compulsory but irrelevant, let’s do 42) and our partner charity Youth Sport Trust (see page 48). the bare minimum;” “This is harmful, let’s ignore it.”

Finally, I’m pleased to see the focus on Northern Ireland This can go too far. It is not a leader’s job to protect their and Wales in this issue. Elections for the Assemblies in staff at the expense of the students or to create an easy life.

Belfast and Cardiff happen this May and I hope education You absolutely do hold people accountable but you look at will be high up on the agenda in both nations. Our Wales and the evidence and you do it in your way, to your priorities Northern Ireland teams have produced their own manifestos, and in tune with your values. You are not a mere conduit leading the way as we did in England during the Westminster for someone else’s accountability. In a system where a lot is elections in 2015. wrong you can still build a school where a lot is done right.

The price is accepting some level of personal risk.

Assessment is an area where the profession needs to push Russell Hobby back on the changes the government has set out. We’ve is NAHT general secretary suggested that members should take a look at our Assessment

VIEWPOINT •

IT IS OKAY TO SAY NO

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CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

NAHT courses & events An at-a-glance guide to NAHT’s training courses and conferences, all designed to help your continuing professional development Recruitment and retention within the teaching profession NEW Schools in all phases of education are finding the recruitment and retention of teachers and leaders to be problematic. A recent survey of NAHT members found that 79 per cent who had advertised vacancies had reported problems recruiting for them. This oneday course will look at ways in which the profession can attract high-quality teachers and leaders, and retain them to provide outstanding learning opportunities for all pupils.

For more information and to book, please visit: bit.ly/recruit-retain 22 March & 26 April – London 23 March - Manchester 28 April - Birmingham Decoding mental health; promoting emotional wellbeing This course is led by internationally and nationally renowned speakers in the fields of SEND and neuroscience, Professor Barry Carpenter, CBE, OBE and NAHT past president Dr Rona Tutt, OBE. It provides an opportunity for participants to learn more about what is meant by mental health; why it is important to understand what neuroscientists are discovering; and what it tells us about how to help children and young people with mental health needs to engage with learning.

For more information and to book, please visit: bit.ly/decodingMH 26 May - Birmingham

Improving progress: avoiding coasting NEW Are you concerned about the possibility of being judged a ‘coasting’ school? Our new course will help you develop a clear understanding of your current provision through self-evaluation as well as the strategies you should undertake to improve your progress. Three dates are currently available for 2016.

For more information and to book, please visit: bit.ly/improve-progress 8 June – London 22 September – Manchester 19 October – Birmingham Appraisals and difficult conversations As a staff appraiser, you have additional responsibilities in supporting colleagues who may be experiencing difficulties and also in making recommendations for pay progression for all teachers on all pay ranges.

This interactive course provides the appraiser with an opportunity to practise the skills and gain confidence in handling difficult conversations effectively, objectively and unemotionally.

For more information and to book, please visit: bit.ly/appraisal-DC 17 June – London

For more information, visit www.naht.org.uk/trainingcourses

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CONFERENCES New and aspiring heads 20 May, Manchester This conference has been designed by successful head teachers to provide new head teachers, deputy and assistant heads and aspiring heads with a strong foundation to develop and deliver their vision, as well as prioritise daily demands.

For more information and to book please visit: bit.ly/new-heads

School business management 22 June, Birmingham

UPCOMING COURSES Embedding the SEND reforms NEW 23 March – London 6 May – London Exploring academy status 14 April – Leeds 12 May – Birmingham NAHT Assessment Framework: good practice in a world without levels – emerging practice and implementation NEW 22 April - Manchester Improving quality and standards in the Early Years NEW 7 June & 7 October – London Pupil Premium: making and costing the case 9 June – London The SENCo as a strategic leader NEW 10 June & 23 September – London The New Inspection Framework: understanding, preparing and managing 16 June - London For more information on these courses and to book a place, please visit bit.ly/NAHT-courses

This year sees NAHT launch its first school business management conference, which has been developed for all school leaders who are involved in the business side of their schools. There are several highprofile speakers, including education secretary The Rt Hon Nicky Morgan MP; regional schools commissioner Dominic Herrington; NAHT general secretary Russell Hobby; and NAHT policy adviser Valentine Mulholland. You will be able to choose from a range of workshops including the latest update about the national funding formula, demystifying the finance world for academies, attracting, recruiting and retaining top talent, and mindfulness: enhancing wellbeing.

For more information and to book please visit: bit.ly/SBM-conference

Developing great teaching 21 June, Cardiff 23 June, London NAHT and NAHT Edge, in partnership with Oxford University Press and Teacher Development Trust, are bringing together internationally renowned leading experts and school leaders to support effective professional learning for sustained school improvement. Developed to help share understanding of the recent review of effective professional development published by Teacher Development Trust in 2015, this conference gives head teachers, middle leaders and senior leaders a chance to engage with leading experts in this field, and consider what models and approaches lead to sustained school improvement.

For more information and to book, please go to: Cardiff bit.ly/DGT-Cardiff London bit.ly/DGT-London

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WALES & NORTHERN IRELAND

A vision for education MORE THAN 100 ELECTIONS WILL TAKE PLACE ACROSS the country this May. It will include ballots for the Welsh and Northern Ireland assemblies; the people of London, Liverpool, Bristol and Salford will elect new mayors; and residents in 90 English local authorities will elect their representatives. The elections in Wales and Northern Ireland, in particular, are an opportunity for NAHT to press forward its vision for education and each national association has published a document in which it sets out the challenges and its hopes for education.

Wales NAHT Cymru faces a particular challenge as education minister Huw Lewis is to stand down at the election. “It’s a shame as we will have to build a relationship with someone else, but that’s politics,” says association president Caroline Newman. “However, we have been promised that, whichever party is in power, the fundamental recommendations of last year’s Donaldson Report will be adhered to and will form the backbone of the education system in Wales. We just have to stand firm and ensure that promise is followed through.”

Caroline calls on members to engage with the association and express their views. “We need to hear the voices of heads, deputies and senior leaders. It’s a challenging time and the job is very pressured so it’s easy to withdraw into your school. But it’s vital that we come together and work on this as we have the opportunity to shape the future of Welsh education.”

Funding The current inconsistency in the funding of schools, and investment in the profession, needs to be addressed, says NAHT Cymru director of policy, Rob Williams. While there has to be an element in the national funding formula to allow

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for differing needs and contexts, there is no justification for the variations in the basic pupil-weighted funding across local authorities. Recent NAHT research found that the basic perpupil funding differed by £1,100 between the highest and lowest funded authorities.

Rob adds: “With the school improvement function of local authorities now being undertaken by consortia, there’s an extra layer of bureaucracy to complicate things. And there’s a big variation in the delegation of funding from local authorities to schools. The highest is 87 per cent so there’s a lot of funding being retained centrally.”

A national approach to funding that is clear and transparent would enable school leaders to better plan for the future, although changes would have to be phased in to allow schools to adjust. Plans to reorganise local government and reduce the number of local authorities would also provide a good opportunity to review the formula.

Pupil wellbeing Putting children and young people first should always be the core duty of everyone working with them, and NAHT Cymru is calling for an effective multi-agency approach when it comes to pupils’ special needs, health and wellbeing. The association believes that there needs to be better coordination of services and all agencies involved in supporting children should have a legal duty to work collaboratively. There should also be investment to enable those with the right expertise to train, advise and support education professionals with pupil welfare issues, and to ensure there’s a clear route by which school leaders can access expertise when necessary.

The new Additional Learning Needs bill, which will do away with statementing, simplify the appeals procedure and take children’s views into account where possible, is a step E

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What are the key challenges for NAHT in Wales and Northern Ireland?

Caroline Roberts speaks to key figures in each country

in the right direction.

However, says Rob, “The bill hasn’t been fleshed out properly and the potential for litigation is hugely increased so will lead to more appeals. The Welsh government is well intentioned but this, as with many initiatives, is poorly thought through and lacks funding.”

Curriculum and assessment NAHT Cymru’s vision for education in Wales pushes for a curriculum that is rich, varied and meets the needs of all pupils. Literacy and numeracy are obviously important but so are wider learning experiences, such as the expressive arts and physical activity, and schools need to be resourced to provide these. The emphasis should be firmly on assessment for learning, as the Donaldson Report recommends, rather than it being seen as a tool for externally required reporting.

With pioneer schools taking the lead in shaping the new curriculum and assessment system, there’s the potential for exciting developments, says Rob. However, there’s a lack of clarity about what pioneer schools are supposed to be doing, and a disconnect between how the profession sees the recommendations of the Donaldson Report and how the government has interpreted them.

“The government needs to trust the voice of the profession

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and ensure that any new approaches and initiatives are well resourced and carefully thought out, and that appropriate timescales are established for their implementation,” says Rob.

Inspection and accountability Wales is burdened by a data-reliant system that fails to consider a school’s context and the challenges that might present, says Rob. “The biggest problem we have with accountability at the moment is that the Welsh government doesn’t seem to get ‘value added’. There’s a lot of confusion between attainment and achievement. There has to be a progress measure.”

Another problem is that the current framework by which schools are categorised can sometimes act as an obstacle to spreading best practice. Part of the criteria for a practice to be judged as ‘sector leading’ is that other schools don’t do it, so if a school is doing something outstanding, there’s a disincentive to share it, he adds. Collaboration is key to raising standards so it’s vital the members don’t sit in isolation in their own schools.

NAHT Cymru would like to see a system of peer review – similar to the Instead pilot in England – with Estyn, E

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WALES & NORTHERN IRELAND

W the Welsh equivalent of Ofsted, taking on more of a quality control role. Some peer review models are being piloted within consortia of local authorities, and the association has had considerable input into the consultation about changes to the system that will be introduced from 2017.

Recent discussions with Estyn have proved encouraging, says Caroline Newman. “It’s given us heart that we can create a partnership with Estyn. They do have statutory obligations, but they very much want to be seen as a critical friend and move into providing more of a support service.

“They’re in the very privileged position of seeing good practice right across Wales so they can point schools to sources of support.”

Recruitment, retention and development As in other parts of the UK, there is a serious shortage of applicants for school leader roles in Wales and the situation isn’t helped by the fact that those on the top of the scale received no pay rise this year.

“It’s not about the money; it’s about the message that’s giving,” says Rob. Head teacher wellbeing is also a cause for concern. School leadership is becoming increasingly challenging and there should be more support mechanisms in place, he adds.

“School leaders are very good at spotting and supporting staff who are struggling, but not so good at doing it for themselves. Too much of the role now is nothing to do with teaching and learning, and smaller schools don’t have the option of employing a business manager.”

NAHT Cymru is now in the process of drawing up a training package tailored to the needs of members and able to be fitted around the busy lives of school leaders. There are also plans to make it accessible to those working in the more remote areas of the country.

Northern Ireland As elsewhere, there is a big drive for improvement in the country but at the same time, the amount of support available to schools is diminishing rapidly and this is a major concern, says NAHT Northern Ireland president Harry Greer.

“We want to ensure we can influence policy and are properly consulted on everything. There are more than 100 members of the legislative assembly [MLAs] and every school leader should be working through their board of governors to lobby their MLA.”

Funding NAHT Northern Ireland’s manifesto, Leading the Way: School leaders delivering for our children, makes a strong case for schools to have more autonomy. Central to this is the issue of funding. The association is calling for a comprehensive review of education funding and changes to the system to ensure it is fair and transparent. Currently, only around 40 per cent of education funding goes directly to schools. The manifesto calls for a ‘graduated, resourced autonomy’ with key funding decisions taken by those working directly with children.

Jonny Gray, principal of Arvalee School, says: “There’s one lump sum and that’s not going to change, so we need a better way to use that sum. We have a wide range of schools and school leaders with different strengths and levels of experience. A system of graduated resourced autonomy means that if you have governors’ support, the experience and the vision to manage more of your own budget then you should be allowed to do it.”

Pupil wellbeing Pupil wellbeing is high on the agenda with the manifesto calling for a truly child-centred system that builds a ‘circle of care’ around all students. However, this goes beyond the remit of schools. As in Wales, NAHT Northern Ireland has identified a need for agencies involved in child welfare, such as those providing healthcare and psychological services, to work more collaboratively. “Vulnerable children need timely interventions and there’s been a lack of support to enable schools to achieve this,” says Harry “Getting a child to see an educational psychologist can be a very slow process, and if a parent misses a child’s appointment with CAHMS that child drops off the list. That’s not solving the problem.” It’s hoped that the new bill passed this January will tie health authorities into working with schools in a much more coordinated way.

Curriculum and assessment Teachers are happy with the current curriculum in Northern Ireland as it is very much focused on skills and development.

“We believe it’s the right thing for children,” says Harry.

“The problem is it’s very hard to measure and assign levels

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to this type of curriculum, and moderation of assessment has been inconsistent in the past. But we don’t want Sats. First and foremost, it must be assessment for learning.” School leaders also need to have the autonomy and flexibility to tailor the curriculum and assessment to the needs of their learners, something that is particularly important for special schools.

Fortunately, the current minister agrees with NAHT that teacher judgement is the most important factor in assessing performance. And work is being done to develop a selfevaluative dashboard of measures that would give a more holistic picture of a child’s development.

Inspection and accountability As in Wales, the association feels that the inspection system needs to focus more on helping schools improve rather than handing down judgements, and NAHT is calling for a rebranding of the Education and Training Inspectorate to become the Schools’ Improvement Service. There should also be more recognition of the importance of collaborative working between schools to drive up standards, with this process quality assured by inspectors.

Ideally, the association would like a system introduced where schools work with a development partner, and at the end of each year they would produce a self-evaluation report.

The district inspector would then come in and look at the evidence and quality assure the process. After three years, there would be a larger examination of the progress made on the three-year school development plan, with subsequent reviews building towards an inspection.

There should also be an independent complaints mechanism, through which schools can question judgements, and a better way of communicating judgements to the public.

Recruitment, retention and development Northern Ireland is facing a similar crisis in school leader recruitment to other parts of the UK, and this isn’t helped by the fact that there are few opportunities for middle leaders to access professional development, says Harry Greer. This year, the budget of the Regional Training Unit, which supports the professional development of school leaders and senior managers across the country, has been cut by 25 per cent. And the 2015 annual summer school regularly attended by around 2,000 teachers was cancelled due to lack of funding.

Joanne Gray, head of pastoral care at Willowbridge Special School, believes the depletion means many middle leaders who might have aspired to leadership no longer do so. “The only way to inspire people is to give them the tools. With knowledge comes confidence, and professional development makes you think: I can do this. The NAHT Edge scheme is trying to meet this deficit and it’s oversubscribed so there is a need out there.”

Time is an issue too, she adds. “Middle leaders are juggling

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so many responsibilities.

Historically, there was a lot more money available for people taking on these tasks but now there’s more and more work without that financial reward. No one has time to go out and do more professional development as well.”

England The issues and challenges faced by education in Wales and Northern Ireland will be very familiar to members in England.

And there’s general agreement about the way forward.

NAHT’s general election manifesto, published in 2014, also called for an end to the age weighted pupil unit which means that older students currently attract more funding.

In England too, many local authorities now lack the capacity for school improvement services, forcing them to provide challenge without the necessary support. There is a pressing need for effective professional development and the 2014 manifesto called for moves to establish a ‘college of teaching’ to disseminate best practice, as well as the creation of a research infrastructure for education.

There should be a formal qualification for school leaders, which reflects the increasing demands of the job. And there is a need for experienced heads to mentor the next generation – an idea that has been taken forward in the launch of the NAHT Edge section for middle leaders.

When it comes to inspection and accountability, the NAHT in England also favours a system of peer review as the first line of inspection, accredited by HMIs and backed up by HMI-led inspections in the case of schools that are failing. There are emerging models of how this might work, including the NAHT’s Instead project.

Assessment should be geared towards learning, and school performance should reflect more than academic attainment.

Other measures, such as sport, the arts, wellbeing, and civic responsibility, should also be taken into account.

A collaborative approach to the procurement and provision of services, in which groups of schools form companies that are professionally managed, would help free up school leaders to focus on teaching and learning.

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FUNDING

Fairer funding:

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the challenge begins IDENTICAL FUNDING FOR PRIMARY AND SECONDARY pupils? Extra weighting for early years or sixth form? More money for deprived children with low prior attainment?

More cash direct to schools, or some element of locallydetermined distribution?

All these questions and more are being asked this spring as the DfE finally bites the bullet on a fairer funding formula for schools. Almost 30 years after schools started getting most of their funding direct – and around 20 since underfunded regions, calling themselves the F40, began arguing for a national funding formula – chancellor George Osborne has finally committed to a new system from September 2017.

Although the timing’s not great, with no option of adding money to the overall amount schools receive, NAHT is cautiously welcoming the changes ahead. It is determined to ensure as wide a debate as possible informs both the consultation and the DfE’s deliberations, which is why it has published a pamphlet of 17 essays from think tanks, school leaders, the National Audit Office and others. Fair Funding: getting it right includes a huge range of opinion but shows general support for the urgent need for reform and for transparency in a new system.

Transparency and fairness “We have seen movement towards a national funding formula but never the full package,” says Kathy James, NAHT’s deputy general secretary. The system is now creaking so badly that it needs addressing, adds Kathy, who has worked on funding issues for the past two decades and currently sits on the DfE’s School and Academy Funding Group.

Her non-negotiables for a new formula include transparency, fairness and independence from the vagaries of local or national government. “And there needs to be a reasonable transition period with clear expectations given to schools,” she says, as this will allow schools to plan properly.

She adds: “A good settlement needs to have a clear, sensible rationale that gets most if not all of the available money to schools for them to make decisions as to how they will spend it. It needs to be transparent so that, where superficially

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Everyone agrees school funding is beset with inequalities – the question now is ‘how to fix it?’ NAHT asked 17 experts for their opinion, as Susan Young reports similar schools receive different amounts, it is clear what the reasoning is behind the allocation.”

That said, the fact that there is no option for increasing the overall amount of money available – the ‘quantum’ – means this process will not be easy. “Whatever happens, there will be a redistribution of the available cash and so someone will feel disadvantaged,” says Kathy. “However, if we get the process right, the funding should be going to the right places, regardless of politics. We will have to be careful to separate out the quantum and the system of allocating the quantum.

We might argue that we have a fair, equitable system of distribution but that the quantum is too small.”

The opinions in the NAHT pamphlet show exactly why governments have avoided making major changes to school funding since the schemes introduced with the School Standards and Frameworks Act of 1998. As Tim Phillips of the National Audit Office (NAO) says: “The scale of the inequity makes the case for change compelling, but it also makes embarking on change extremely daunting.”

And an upheaval previously thought too politically difficult will now happen at a time when school budgets have been hit by austerity, rising rolls, and increased national insurance and pension contributions.

In his essay, NAHT general secretary Russell Hobby writes: “When it comes to school funding, 2016 is the best of times because, when money is tight, you need to be absolutely sure it is going where it is most needed. This is not currently the case. It is also the worst of times because, when money is tight, we have no buffer at all to ease the transition. For one school to gain, another school must lose.”

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FUNDING

W When the process is so fraught with difficulty, why change? For Russell, it’s about giving every child the same opportunity to achieve. For Kathy, it’s because schools need to have control over their budgets at a time when they are expected to become increasingly autonomous. “And, for that to be the case, there needs to be a level of certainty and equity over the income,” she says. “The accountability regime for all schools is the same, the expectations of what they will deliver to their pupils is the same. It is only right that the funding schools receive for their pupils is the same, with recognition given for extreme differences.”

Political priorities in action Political contributions show just how tricky the process could be. Neil Carmichael, chair of the Education Select Committee, says politicians will need to grasp a series of complex underlying questions, “including the implications for pupil premium, transitional arrangements and the role of local authorities.” He promises his committee will scrutinise the proposals.

Deciding which factors should be included in a national funding formula, and how heavily each one is weighted, is an inherently political decision, says Jonathan Clifton of the IPPR. He writes: “It requires the government to set its priorities for the education system, and then to fund them accordingly. For example, a government that wanted to get all pupils up to a minimum level of achievement would weight funding very heavily towards those pupils who have low levels of prior achievement and risk missing this bar.

“On the other side of the coin, a government that wanted to stretch the best and brightest pupils might weight its funding towards those with high levels of achievement. The process of designing a funding formula is riddled with these sort of trade-offs.”

The NAO’s Tim Phillips agrees. “As with most other areas of social policy, schools are expected to help children in a range of different ways,” he says. “It will be important for the DfE to prioritise its objectives for this funding and ensure these are as measurable as possible.”

Beyond politics, the major issues are likely to centre on pupil characteristics used to weight funding, such as deprivation, low prior attainment and age; whether a funding middle tier should remain; and managing the transition. Sarah Bagshawe, school business manager at St Bede’s in Bolton, urges caution on this last point. “Schools need a minimum of three years to review how the changes affect their budgets and act accordingly,” she says.

Skewing funding towards students with lower levels of prior attainment is suggested by several contributors, including Jonathan Simons of Policy Exchange and the IPPR’s Jonathan.

The latter writes: “Teach First has argued for funding to be

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reallocated away from high-attaining deprived pupils towards the lower grouping, which would have the effect of doubly compensating schools for pupils with both characteristics (and a consequent loss for high attaining deprived pupils). This is something well worth considering.”

There is some agreement that pupil premium should remain.

Sir Kevan Collins of the Education Endowment Foundation argues that it can be used as both carrot and stick, and encourages school leaders to collaborate and use research.

“Keeping the pupil premium as a separate funding stream means it remains a key lever for raising the attainment of disadvantaged pupils – essential if we are to succeed in giving all young people the opportunities they deserve,” he writes.

What price learning?

A debate about the cost of education may be in the offing. “It would be useful for the DfE to understand more about what education should cost and how schools that currently receive below-average funding but meet standards manage to operate more efficiently,” writes Tim. “There is also a clear need for schools that receive more funding in future, relative to current levels, to spend it in the most cost-effective ways.”

The Elliott Foundation’s Hugh Greenway agrees, writing that “the brutal reality” is that any school smaller than 400 pupils is a drain on its organisation. “But this doesn’t alter the fact that we must improve the productivity of education,” he says. “I would argue that real efficiencies come with scale, certainty and trust. If academy sponsors and indeed local authorities were given multi-year financial settlements, they could plan better.”

Data may become even more crucial, says Tim. “Reform creates an opportunity to look again at the data that underpins our knowledge of pupils and schools. With universal credit being introduced it will be particularly important to ensure that new measures of deprivation and disadvantage are at least as good as existing ones.”

Sally Bates, co-head teacher of Wadsworth Fields Primary in Nottingham, argues it’s time to revisit the free school meals criteria, “as schools report hardship and inequality… for those

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who are just above the threshold.”

There is support for increasing funding to primary pupils: Robert Campbell, executive principal of Impington Village College in Cambridge, says: “Heads would probably accept that giving key stage three more than key stage two is difficult to justify… however, they would plead that key stage four be given additional resources to offer the breadth of curriculum and to maintain (let alone raise) standards. The same would be argued for post-16, where school sixth forms often provide a warm and nurturing environment for students to flourish.”

EE “The most poorly funded areas at the moment are looking at the best funded areas and hoping to achieve their level of funding.

This is not feasible”

Getting money to where it’s needed Opinions vary as to how money should get to schools. “Because there hasn’t actually been a proper formula since at least 2004, levels of funding per pupil across local authorities have become increasingly divorced from their current levels of needs and costs,” writes Luke Sibieta of the Institute of Fiscal Studies.

“Reintroducing a formula would correct this problem and still allow local authorities to determine their own local funding formulae. However, precisely because local authorities could still make different choices, it would remain the case that similar schools could receive quite different levels of funding per pupil. This is not necessarily a problem if one values the local discretion it implies.”

The Policy Exchange’s Jonathan, envisaging a world where mainstream schools are all academies, argues: “There will still be scope for reallocation at a local level, but increasingly this will be from within a multi-academy trust or hard federation as opposed to a local authority. The system should also increasingly move to schools voluntarily pooling upwards, rather than a default of allocations downwards.

“In practice, this may well mean that the 80 per cent minimum of funding following the pupil should rise, perhaps as high as 90 per cent. This leaves a remaining question of which body allocates the remaining 10 per cent on exceptional area or specific costs – high cost areas, sparsity, schools with temporarily falling rolls but which meet a strategic need, private finance initiative costs ... and the like.”

NAHT’s Kathy believes the funding should go directly to schools based on pupil numbers, while acknowledging that this will involve “a degree of complexity”.

She continues: “However, it should be possible to build a model that can take account of unusual factors but still directs money from the national pot to schools. It would make sense to allocate a small percentage of the national pot to local authorities (or some other middle tier?) to

allow for exceptional local issues.”

Mike Heiser of the Local Government Association raises problems with money going direct to schools, questioning what would go into a national funding formula from the three current funding blocks. “The high-needs block, where a large part is represented by local authority top-up funding, would be hard to allocate from the centre as it is subject to local discussion and agreement,” he writes, arguing that in most areas the Schools Forum is a place where all schools are represented, allowing an informed discussion on allocation and central services which can be provided by local authorities.

“Through this there is a form of accountability of these services to schools, as well as the wider local democratic accountability of elected local authorities. A ‘hard’ national funding formula would radically change these local conversations and many heads and governors might conclude that it was not worth giving up their time if all the decisions on funding were to be taken centrally by the DfE… if there is a school-by-school funding formula it should be indicative; or in the jargon, ‘soft’ rather than ‘hard’.”

NAHT’s Russell says expectations of the new system need to be managed. “The most poorly funded areas at the moment are looking at the best funded areas and hoping to achieve their level of funding,” he says. “This is not feasible and there are good reasons why some deprived areas receive significantly higher funding, reasons that will remain after any reform.

The uplift for the poorest funded areas may therefore be less than they hope and the government could find itself in the unenviable place of pleasing no one.”

Echoing this thought, NAO’s Tim advises that the government should build change into the new funding system. “The process of arriving at fairer school funding is going to involve much anxiety and will not be pain-free,” he says. “It is surely vital that any new formula contains within itself mechanisms for its own regular, incremental review. The education system is unlikely to want to repeat this exercise any time soon.”

Download Fair Funding: getting It right at: www.naht.org.uk/fair-funding

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ASSESSMENT REFORM

Measure for measure There is still a mismatch between assessment and accountability, with schools being asked to focus on what can be measured, rather that what is of value, says Nick Brook, interim director of policy and campaigns at NAHT

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ASSESSMENT IS A NECESSARY PART OF ALL TEACHING and, without it, what happens in the classroom runs the risk of being directionless and ineffective. Teachers assess pupils’ progress on an ongoing basis in the classroom, determining what is being learned, what pupils know, understand, are capable of and what’s required for them to progress. Those responsible for children’s learning need to be skilled in making judgements to facilitate pupils’ learning; they should undertake rigorous training in formative and summative assessment, and this needs

PHOTOGRAPH: GETTY

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to cover how assessment can be used to support teaching and learning for all pupils, including those with special educational needs.

Access to such training and support doesn’t come by chance.

In 2014, NAHT’s Commission on Assessment made a series of detailed recommendations, which included a call to government to provide support and resources for accredited training for school assessment leads. While many schools have made assessment training a priority, the government has yet to act in terms of provision of professional development support. E

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ASSESSMENT REFORM

W NAHT believes that assessment shouldn’t be a bureaucratic exercise for its own sake. Rather, it should provide information that is useful to teachers, pupils, parents and school leaders. Tony Draper, NAHT’s national president said: “Assessment has many forms. It is easy to conflate assessment with testing, but testing is merely one method of assessment.

The government puts too great a reliance on external tests, particularly for school accountability purposes. We believe that this overemphasis on formal testing can have a negative impact on children and lead to a narrowed curriculum.”

‘Teaching to the test’ NAHT supports the primacy of teacher assessment, which should be supported by testing. However, currently, the measurement via testing for accountability purposes is prioritised above a rounded professional view of where a child is, and insight into how to get them to where they need to be.

Amanda Hulme, chair of NAHT’s Assessment and Accountability Group, expands on this idea: “Our accountability system has the potential to distort and corrupt the curriculum and the diagnosis of pupil ability and progress. There is a concern that only that which can be tested is valued and this is having a negative and restrictive impact on what is taught. This over-reliance has led to distortion in curriculum emphasis and accusations of ‘teaching to the test’.

Amanda, head at Claypool Primary School in Bolton, adds: “High-quality school leadership and teaching are fundamental drivers of standards. If we want real, lasting change, we have to get to what matters rather than what is easy to measure.”

At the start of this academic year, NAHT general secretary Russell Hobby described assessment at a rickety vehicle which is “being driven too fast over ground it was not designed for. We should not be surprised if it breaks down completely soon”. He continued: “The end of levels, for example, could have been a wonderful opportunity to build intelligent systems of assessment to guide learning. It is within the skillset of every teacher and, left to their own devices, they could do a better job than any government. The trouble is, they are not left to their own devices. Every teacher and school leader knows that they will be

called on, many times, to produce quantifiable data on progress and to o predict performance in future statutory tests and exams. They have to conduct nduct assessment with at least one eye on this, or they hey will eventually lose the opportunity pportunity to conduct assessment altogether.”

The government hass said: “The removal of levels was based on the principle that schools are re best placed to develop their own high-quality -quality formative assessment systems, which are diagnostic and not necessarily nationally tionally referenced.”

However, the freedom dom envisaged in this statement is not replicated plicated or facilitated by the government’ss accountability system, resulting in a mismatch tch of design and purpose and increased frustration ation within the profession.

There is, without doubt, oubt, a level of fear associated with the assessment nt and accountability regime.

Also, a lack of clarity ity about how the changes will play out in the current urrent high stakes accountability system results in uncertainty ncertainty and a lack of professional confidence. Schooll leaders are left to pick up the pieces.

SEND assessment sment Kim Johnson, head ad of Bradfield’s Academy in Medway, and NAHT’s vicee president also has concerns for pupils who, because of special educational needs, are sometimes working below ‘national national norms’. He says: “There is currently no opportunity to o celebrate the successes of SEND pupils in national examinations. nations. The national curriculum should be fit for purpose for or all learners, and that formal qualifications suitable for all learners earners should be widely available. We must make sure we value alue the progress of children with special needs as much as any other group, and the use of P scales has been

EE “The end of levels could have been a wonderful opportunity to build intelligent systems of assessment to guide learning. It is within the skillset of every teacher and they could do a better job than any government”

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EE “NAHT is concerned that this constant changing of the assessment system will distract schools from high quality teaching and learning and further compound issues of recruitment and retention in the sector”

important to ensure appropriate challenge and progression for pupils with SEND. There must be a clear path from those working at the earliest developmental levels through to national expectations, and this should include a review of P levels.

P levels. The past 15 years of P-level data must be included in the new system so it is not lost.”

In July 2015, the government established an independent review panel, the Rochford Review, to look at statutory assessment arrangements for pupils working below the standard of national curriculum tests and to consider how best to assess the attainment and progress of this group of pupils.

In December, the Rochford Review published its initial report, including interim additional standards. Following publication of its interim recommendations and pre-key stage standards, the review’s work now focuses on the future of P scales. This will include whether they remain fit for purpose in the context of wider changes to curriculum and assessment.

The Rochford Review issued a survey in February about the assessment of SEND pupils. NAHT encouraged members to contribute as well as submitting a response on behalf of the organisation. Survey responses will be used to inform the final report and recommendations arising from the review, which are due to be published in spring 2016.

Russell Hobby said: “It is important we recognise the progress and achievements of every child and the work of the Commission provides a welcome structure for assessing those students who fall between the P scales and the standards set in the national curriculum.

This is only the start of the task, however, and we now look forward to their recommendations about the P scales themselves.”

The government continues to impose endless endles

PHOTOGRAPH: ISTOCK

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changes to initiatives that have barely begun and to structures chang have not yet properly embedded. NAHT is concerned that that h changing of the assessment system – and all that this constant c this eentails – will distract schools from high quality teaching and further compound issues of recruitment and and learning l retention in the sector. NAHT believes that teacher assessment reten should be the main method used, supplemented by appropriate shou levels of testing to inform and cross check those judgements. leve

NAHT’s Assessment Pledge NA At the t beginning of the year, we contacted members regarding the current assessment crisis. We created a pledge for members to sign to gauge your concerns about the current state of our national assessment system. na As Russell Hobby says: “Assessment is an area where the profession needs to push back on the changes the government pr has set out. We’ve suggested that members take a look at our ha Assessment Pledge, which highlights the main issues we think A need to be addressed. It states that NAHT wants a ‘stable, n ccoherent, valid and proportionate approach to assessment ccreated in dialogue with the profession and parents; a principled and well-planned approach that could raise standards for all and support the appropriate use of testing.’

“It’s a question of keeping the pressure on in discussions with policy makers and ministers. A healthy level of support for NAHT’s assessment pledge will be an important step to allow us to do this. We want to know what you think. You can find a link to the pledge below and on the front page of the NAHT website – do use it to tell us your views.

There is clearly a need and, importantly, a desire to engage in a broad examination of the nature and whole system of assessment, rather than the disjointed picture currently in place. There is also a need for a logical and meaningful assessment process that covers the whole of a pupil’s education.

NAHT is looking to establish an independent review group to consider this important area. Ultimately, we want assessment that helps teachers to do their jobs, rather than diverting them away from spending time from the children in the classroom.

Education professionals need to be trusted to work alongside the government in developing and implementing an assessment system that has pupils, not league tables, at its heart.”

NAHT Assessment pledge: naht.org.uk/pledge

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16/02/2016 13:20

SPECIAL NEEDS

A voice for SEND parents Vocal coach Carrie Grant will tell delegates at NAHT’s annual SEND Conference that collaboration between parents and school staff is the key to helping pupils with special needs. Carly Chynoweth reports Carrie Grant is best known to most people as a high-profile vocal coach who has appeared, with husband David, on TV talent shows such as Fame Academy, Pop Idol and The One and Only. Away from the spotlight, however, she is also a mother of four children (three are pictured), all of whom have special educational needs. As a result she is also an advocate and ambassador for parents – as she will explain to delegates at NAHT’s SEND conference in Leicestershire in March.

How did you learn that your children have special needs?

Throughout primary school we had meetings with Olivia’s teachers, who would say things like “she has problems writing,” or “she has problems with attention,” but it was very non-specific. It was when she went to secondary school that they immediately said there’s definitely something wrong with her fine motor skills. We had her tested privately and at the end of it they said: “Yep, she’s got dyspraxia.”

What we didn’t know until she was 18 or 19 was that she actually had ADHD, but without the hyperactivity. If she had been diagnosed earlier with ADD it would have been so much more helpful to her.

People have said to me: “Why do you want all these labels for your kids?” The answer is that I don’t want all these labels for my kids, but I think it helps a young person to know why they behave the way they do, why they have the struggles they do, why they are also inspired in the way that they are and why they’re an inspiration in the way that they are.

It also helps the parents to know what they are dealing with. You have to adjust your parenting and you have to adjust the teaching for these children… and without a diagnosis you can’t access help. With the label, you officially enter into the realms of: “I can now ask for help because I have this little piece of paper that says my child has this condition,” which is incredibly helpful.

E

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PHOTOGRAPH: REX

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SPECIAL NEEDS WE NAHT: campaigning on

special education W So it’s about becoming part of the system and learning the jargon?

Yes, exactly. I wish we could get rid of all the acronyms. For a new person coming in there are just so many things. Someone might say: “Your child’s got ADD, does he need an EHCP?” Parents can feel like they’ve just landed on Mars and everyone is speaking this strange language that they all seem to understand.

As a parent one thing you assume – erroneously – is that when your child is diagnosed lots of things will happen to help the parent to understand. Also that lots of things will happen to help the child.

Actually, in the parent group we lead, everyone says the same thing: it is the parents who initiate the help, the strategies and just about everything that happens to their children. It’s up to parents to learn everything about their condition and then to think about how to help their child.

“It’s a big mindset change; most parents just assume it’s a little bit like the NHS where you go to the hospital and you sit there and they tell you what’s going to happen. It doesn’t really happen like that with special needs. Most parents are so stunned by this new label that the idea that they have also got to strategise is quite overwhelming.

On 10 February this year, NAHT’s Colm Davis (right) was due to give evidence before the Northern Ireland Assembly’s education committee. His topic: challenges facing governors, staff and parents under the proposed changes to special education in Northern Ireland.

Speaking to LF before the event, the NAHT vice president-elect and principal at Tor Bank School in Belfast said he intended to address several issues. These included the imposition of a common staffing formula, which special schools are concerned could have a major impact on the quality of teaching and learning; the need for improved clarity and precision in the terms in which children’s needs are described to ensure that statements accurately reflect their needs; and a lack of transparency in budget allocations.

“The existing process lacks clarity, has no foundation and fails to enable governors to plan effectively for the present school year or any future school years,” says Colm.

“While it has been acknowledged by some special school leaders that they remain apprehensive about managing a fully delegated budget, all school leaders recognise that the existing model is not fit for purpose. It’s expensive for the system and it fails to enable school leaders to have the appropriate autonomy or flexibility to commission bespoke appropriate services for individual children… most school leaders strongly believe there is a smarter way to use existing money and they are being deprived of exploring options that are outside of Education Authority control.”

Budget issues are a concern when it comes to SEND provision elsewhere too, says Kim Johnson, NAHT president-elect and head teacher at Bradfields Academy in Kent. “We are talking about students who are high-needs and the money required to support them has increased and increased over the years,” he says.

E

What could schools do to offer better support so that parents don’t feel overwhelmed?

One of the biggest things to recognise is that parents are keen to collaborate. When we walk into school, we walk onto your turf and, in some ways, it’s for the school to make parents feel welcome. By ‘welcome’, I mean to create the kind of environment where collaboration can actually take place.

It’s very difficult when, for example, I go in and the first thing someone says to me about my son Nathan is: “He hit a teacher today and scratched her glasses.” I’m already on the back foot. Straight away, I’m thinking: “Oh my God, I must offer to pay for her glasses, I must apologise profusely for my

40

child’s behaviour because as a parent I feel responsible for it”.

That situation doesn’t lead to collaboration with parents, it leads to us feeling like we’re always on the back foot, always feeling guilty, like we’re really crappy parents. Actually, what we need is to get into a position where we can sit around a table with a cup of coffee and have a proper chat about how we help this young individual who is struggling so much. How do we put things in place, together? To do that is incredibly helpful. I’ve seen amazing work at my child’s primary school in Southgate in London, I just wish they could roll it out to other schools.

I don’t think you can just leave it to the SENCo to sort out.

It’s everybody’s responsibility from the head teacher down.

It takes a team to help a child who is really struggling.

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W “One thing we have to bear in mind is that where these students are funded properly, schools and academies can support them… what they can achieve relative to their start point is significant.”

Another area that NAHT is keen to highlight is research into children with complex special needs and the work being undertaken with Francesca Happe (left), professor of cognitive neuroscience at King’s College London, says Kim. “It is about better understanding of what makes children with a number of conditions and very complex needs tick, so we can better understand how they can learn. It’s not just saying: ‘We have been doing this for 10 years, let’s keep doing it.’ ” Another issue currently being investigated by the association is the frequency with which special schools are inspected.

Paul Williams, chair of NAHT’s SEND committee and head teacher at Shaftesbury High School in Harrow, says: “Special schools that are rated ‘outstanding’ are inspected by Ofsted at the same frequency as those rated ‘good’ – which is not the case with mainstream schools. It gives the impression that there is one rule for mainstream schools and another for special schools.”

Paul and his colleagues are also looking for ways that special schools can work together to support one another – and to make the most of their budgets.

“We need to work more closely and collaboratively to be more efficient,” he says. “We also need to fully engage with – and support – the assessment developments, and to show that we are as open to accountability as our mainstream colleagues.

We are not an add-on, we are part of the system.”

You wrote an article for The Guardian in which you talk about your daughter Imogen’s teacher teaching herself about autism…

Her teacher was amazing. She had not one moment of training on autism. She told me that during the summer holidays, after she’d been told about her class, she thought: “How on Earth am I going to deal with this? I don’t know anything about autism.” So, she went away and read about it, studied it, asked friends, and got a really good picture of what autism is, especially in high-functioning girls, which is totally different to every other type of autism. It made her realise that one of the first things she needed to do was to win Imogen over, so she made a friend of her immediately. Imogen is like most

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children with autism; once you get them on side they are so much more flexible.

Do you think more needs to be done in initial teacher training to ensure all teachers have a better understanding of children with special educational needs?

One hundred per cent, yes. As a vocal coach, I work with so many different types of learners. Some might not have a diagnosis, they might just be a little bit different in their way of learning.

Awareness of difference is probably something that needs to be taught in teacher training – there are many and very different ways that children learn.

You also mention ‘invisible disability’ in relation to autism?

It is invisible, but it’s not so invisible that you can’t see it if you are looking for it, and, as teachers, we need to be looking for it. As a coach, I just look and go: “I can see this person is going to need a lot of reassurance. That person is going to need me to kick them up the butt. This one is going to need loads of information and another person can only take one piece of information every 10 minutes.”

You have to be aware of that when you are working with a group of people.

Finally, is there a particular message you hope to get across to delegates at NAHT’s SEND conference in March?

It would be that we are the children’s parents and we want to collaborate, so please can you let us in? Can we talk? And, also, can we open up diversity to include ‘neuro-diversity’ and have a look at what that really means?

Some of the best special needs teachers are neuro-diverse. So it’s about recognising it in ourselves and how comfortable – or not – we are with difference and accepting that, if someone is neuro-diverse it doesn’t matter.

After all, if everything was left to ‘neuro-typicals’ we’d still be sitting in caves and we wouldn’t have invented the wheel.

For details of NAHT events, visit: www.naht.org.uk/welcome/naht-events See NAHT courses, page 24, Wellbeing, page 42

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M E N TA L H E A LT H W E E K

WE Children’s

Mental Health Week Who:

Place2Be

What:

Annual awareness week; this year’s theme is ‘building resilience’

When: 8-14 February Where: Primary and secondary schools in England, Wales and Scotland Why:

Children are less likely to suffer from serious mental health difficulties later in life if they receive support at an early age

Web:

www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk

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Built to survive

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WE NAHT support for mental health initiatives NAHT has campaigned on mental health issues for some time as it is an issue of real interest to members, says NAHT president Tony Draper. “Poor mental health is a significant barrier to learning. No amount of educational intervention is useful unless we can get children into the right emotional place for learning,” he says.

It is for this reason that NAHT is supporting a number of initiatives in this area, including the recent government announcement of £3m for the Mental Health Services and Schools Link pilot project in England, designed to give children better access to specialist local support; the association’s ‘Decoding mental health; promoting emotional wellbeing’ training course; its campaign for PSHE to become a statutory part of the curriculum; improved funding for, and greater consistency of, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS); and more recognition of the part that schools play in supporting mental health.

This last point follows a survey last year, which found that three quarters of schools commission mental health services directly, while more than half of the association’s members dip into their mainstream budgets to make up for services that used to be provided by other agencies.

However, it is not just pupils’ mental health that needs to be taken seriously: teachers and school leaders need to manage their own mental health, both for their own wellbeing and so that they are best-placed to serve their children. NAHT Northern Ireland recently released a report on this topic which found that work-related stress is having a ‘profound impact’ on the health of school leaders, with a quarter of survey respondents reporting an ‘unmanageable’ level of stress.

Colm Davis, NAHT vice-president elect and principal of Tor Bank School in Belfast, says progress in children’s mental health issues in Northern Ireland lags behind England and Wales. “It is left to individual school leaders to create their own model of support. We are looking for more direction from the Department of Education (DE) on it.” He adds that he hopes to see greater collaboration between schools and the DE. NAHT would also like to see more consistency of support in Northern Ireland; for example, counselling is currently paid for by the DE in secondary schools, but not in primary schools. Colm tells LF: “NAHT is driving for a more supportive model – and one that is more proactive.”

See NAHT courses, page 24

The earlier pupils are taught to deal with stressful situations, the better they should cope in later life, says children’s mental health charity Place2Be.

By Carly Chynoweth PHOTOGRAPH: PLACE2BE

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THE RESEARCH IS SHOCKING. THREE CHILDREN IN every classroom have a diagnosable mental health problem; depression and anxiety among teenagers has increased by 75 per cent in the past 25 years; and half of people with mental health issues first experience problems before the age of 14.

The good news, however, is that children are less likely to suffer serious mental health difficulties later in life if they receive support at an early age. This is why Place2Be, a national charity, is committed to providing support services to children and young people in primary and secondary schools. The work it undertakes focuses on proactive early intervention, including counselling pupils and training teachers, says Dr Fiona Pienaar, Place2Be’s director of clinical services.

“We work directly with children in one-to-ones, group work, classroom work, whole-school work and assemblies.

We also work with parents and have parent counsellors E

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M E N TA L H E A LT H W E E K WE ‘We have a crisis in our child population’

Professor Barry Carpenter W in most of our areas around Children’s mental health is in the spotlight at the moment and it’s not before time, says Professor Barry Carpenter (pictured). “Over the past four years cases the country. We work with of self-harming and anorexia have doubled,” he says. “We have a considerable teachers in supporting them in crisis in our child population. Last year, the Office of National Statistics understanding the children and reported that 20.8 per cent of children in schools will experience a mental young people they’re working health issue in their school years. That proportion has doubled since 2004.” with. We do a lot of training.”

Children and young people One factor at play when it comes to self-harm and anorexia is the internet, today face a huge range of which offers teenagers and children access to websites that mental health issues, she says. promote anorexia, and to videos of people self-harming.

Many are related to ‘normal’ “Another factor is that schools were only given permission life stressors – things such as to work in the field of mental health when the new code struggling with grief following of practice came out last year,” he says. “Previously, we the loss of someone close to them, could always pick up the phone to CAMHS, which has been or a loss of attachment after under huge pressure, but this is the first change to create a moving house or even country curriculum to promote mental health and emotional resilience – which means there is huge for the 21st century… Now is the time to revise pastoral systems,” he says, potential for proactive help to advising head teachers to develop clear policies and a school wellbeing team prevent such feelings developing alongside curriculum initiatives. into serious problems.

Barry, an international professor of learning disability, has a particular “As an organisation, we are very interest in the inter-relationship between mental health and SEND. much about early intervention,” Children and young people on a school’s SEND register are significantly says Fiona. “This is why we work more likely than their peers to suffer from mental health issues including so strongly in primary schools: anxiety, phobias and attachment disorder. The onset of adolescence, and we feel the earlier we get in to the surge of hormones it brings, is a particularly risky time. support children on their issues, “Mental health is the biggest factor for creating complex needs in the more likely it is that we can children. It will crop up and make every other issue more complicated. prevent them developing into You could have a child with Down’s syndrome or autism, for instance, diagnosable mental illness – who is doing very well until a mental health issue crops up,” he says. anxiety, depression, those sorts of problems. Although, increasingly, See New Year Honours, page 10 we are working in secondary schools too. Ideally, we are involved well before Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) is called in and encouraging mental wellbeing will help pupils’ ability to learn it usually results in the problem being headed off before the and to achieve academically, she adds. in-demand and overstretched service’s help is needed.”

“It is so important that school leaders, senior leadership teams, teachers and support staff have an understanding This is also where this year’s Children’s Mental Health Week and an awareness of mental health and are on board with theme of ‘building resilience’ comes in. Fiona firmly believes promoting it, so that children and young people are in schools that early intervention and teaching children and young people resilience, the ability to ‘bounce back’ from difficulties – and where they can feel safe to talk about their mental health, their offering counselling as necessary – is critical to their long-term emotions and the struggles they’re experiencing and they will know who they can turn to. Ideally, every school should have mental wellbeing. “The set of skills that makes up resilience counselling support too. includes knowing that you need help at times, knowing when “The role of schools in promoting good mental health is to to seek help and knowing who you can seek help from,” she ensure there is support for children and young people when says. “One of the primary issues is knowing that you have a supportive, caring adult in your life. That all adds to their they need it. It is also to ensure that teachers have an awareness ability to cope in later life.” of what mental health is so that they notice changes in children Schools have an important role to play in promoting good and young people.” mental health and supporting those who are struggling as it is This means taking a whole-school approach to ensure all staff understand what mental health is so that they feel one of the two environments, along with family, in which they comfortable and confident in addressing it, but it also E spend most of their time, she says. It’s also worth noting that

PHOTOGRAPH: UNP

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M E N TA L H E A LT H W E E K WE Time to change?

Wales leads the way Schools in Wales are seeing increasing mental health challenges in younger children as well as those at secondary school, says Rob Williams, director of NAHT Cymru. “Children are coming in with higher tariff challenges and more issues than in the past,” he says.

WE ‘Support pupils in

crisis and give them treatment opportunities’ A major European study on mental health and wellbeing, launched in January, should be used as the foundation for policy decisions based on research rather than politicians’ opinions, according to Chris Harrison, a past president of NAHT and a member of its international committee. “For too long we have had both policy and practice ill-informed by research,” says Chris, who spoke at the launch of the report in Brussels. “Too much policy has been determined on the basis of political fashion. It’s been a political football for far too long.”

The report’s recommendations include: • Support for early learning and coping with disabilities in childhood and adolescence to enhance resilience.

• Stimulate school preventive programmes and start prevention early; support pupils in crisis and give them treatment opportunities.

• Promote workplace stress management programmes with a special focus on prevention and awareness of depression.

The report, Depression, suicide prevention and e-health from Joint Action on Mental Health and Wellbeing, is co-funded by the European Union.

W means being in charge of their own mental health, adds Fiona, a former teacher. “The most important thing for them is supporting their own mental health, keeping a balance and knowing who they can talk to – especially school leaders. We know just how difficult and how challenging these roles are.

A lot is expected of them, so it’s important that they look after themselves so that they are in a space to support children.”

See SEND feature, page 38

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But Wales does have a good track record of taking mental health seriously, he adds. An example of this is the launch of the Time to Change Wales campaign (see link below), which was set up by three leading Welsh charities to help reduce stigma associated with mental health issues. It’s a campaign that NAHT Cymru has pledged its full support to, says Rob. Individual schools are also taking a proactive approach to support pupils’ mental health. Rob reports that last year the school where he used to be head teacher undertook research, along with others within the local authority, to identify children who might need a bit of extra support, for instance because they had few friends and might therefore be somewhat isolated.

This was backed up by extra training for school staff as well as programmes to address particular issues and enable potentially vulnerable pupils to develop greater resilience.

“The difference between Wales and England is that wellbeing has been part of the education conversation for a fair bit longer,” he says.

It’s even part of the Estyn framework – although what wellbeing means is not necessarily well understood by the inspectorate. “It is a hard thing to measure but it is important to teaching and learning. You can’t ignore it.”

Children’s mental health in Wales • 10,537 children or young people received counselling services in 2013/14.

• School staff accounted for nearly half of all referrals (47 per cent).

• One in five of all children and young people who received counselling were in year 10.

• ‘Family issues’ was the most common reason children and young people received counselling.

• 86 per cent of children and young people did not require referral to a further service after receiving counselling; of those who did, the most common referral was to CAMHS. www.timetochangewales.org.uk

PHOTOGRAPH: GETTY

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NAHT CHARITY PARTNER

It’s time for action As the dust settles on the government’s new sport strategy, Phil Chamberlain explores the implications for the delivery of PE, school sport and physical activity for young people 48

IT IS NOT OFTEN THAT A NEW government strategy is universally welcomed by the sector it is aimed at. On the publication of the long-awaited new sport strategy document, Sporting future: a new strategy for an active nation, that was certainly the case.

The Youth Sport Trust was among many organisations to welcome it, as it refers to many of the areas we covered in our response to the preceding consultation; as well as our manifesto for PE and school sport – Unlocking potential (see links, right).

But we must now move into action once again as the sector sets out on its next consultation journey.

Much has been said about ‘sport for development’, with the government suggesting this will be a major reform, setting out how investment in sport and physical activity will change to promote personal and mental wellbeing, community development and be of benefit to our economy.

It means future funding decisions will be made on the basis of the social good that sport and physical activity can deliver, but we still need numbers to increase in terms of activity levels; particularly as only 21 per cent of boys and 16 per cent of girls meet the chief medical officer’s minimum recommendation of 60 active minutes a day. That’s why it’s so important to have a period in the school day when every young person is required to be active.

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EE “Only 21 per cent of boys and 16 per cent of girls meet the chief medical officer’s minimum recommendation of 60 active minutes a day”

As part of the new strategy, Sport England’s remit will extend to engage young people outside of school from the age of five to create a healthier and more active nation. This is likely to lead to a major rethink for sports bodies about where they spend the money they receive to boost grassroots sport. The government will continue its investment in the primary PE and sport premium, so we will continue our efforts to advise schools on sustainable and effective ways to use it.

The next challenge will be to secure the legacy of this investment for generations to come. In future, the DfE will use reporting information required from schools to evaluate the impact of the investment, assess how to improve its sustainability and identify where further support may be needed.

Additionally, under the new inspection framework, Ofsted inspectors will assess how effectively leaders use the premium and measure its impact on outcomes for pupils, and how effectively governors hold them to account. This is something that the Youth Sport Trust has been calling for and will continue to support in its application.

Also, the strategy makes clear that more must be done to understand the barriers and issues around the drop-off in engagement from primary to secondary as well as identify good practice, particularly for those groups who are most affected.

We made it clear in our response to the consultation that there needs to be a ‘pathway through education’ of PE, sport and physical activity from early years to secondary school.

One area we will help lead is a review of the School Games to

PHOTOGRAPH: YOUTH SPORT TRUST

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assess its effectiveness and ensure it’s appropriately positioned within the wider context of this new strategy. Given the positive reference to the School Games in the strategy, alongside the special mention for the School Games organisers (SGOs) and a recommendation for all the work they do, we are keen to engage in the next phase.

We are hopeful that any review will consider what role SGOs can have in broader strategy deployment, especially in supporting the transition from primary to secondary education, as well as developing and promoting local opportunities for participation.

With the sport strategy emphasising the importance of development of the skills needed to enable children and young people to better engage in sport, we will continue to deliver the Change4Life Sports Clubs programme, which has done much to address inequalities and access issues that impede physical development and child health. Our hope is not simply that this programme is continued and expanded to all schools, but that the government will encourage and explore opportunities for all such initiatives to join up more effectively.

Unlocking Potential: bit.ly/Unlocking_Potential Class of 2035: www.classof2035.com Sport strategy consultation: bit.ly/Sport_strategy The Youth Sport Trust is proud to be the current NAHT Charity of the Year and is working closely with the association to offer NAHT members resources and support, which help schools maximise the positive impact of physical education and school sport on young people’s wellbeing and achievement.

Phil Chamberlain is director of external relations at the Youth Sport Trust

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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 l ove to share your stories with LF re a d e rs . Ema il Su s a n E educationhack@gmail.com

FINALLY… D

avid Wallace is not your archetypal careers manager; he is a former foreign exchange trader who left City life for a job as a teaching assistant so he could spend more time with his children.

Perhaps because of this he has some very definite views on careers education. “If you consider careers to be an add-on, students will never take it seriously and they will always see it as something off-timetable that you do on a careers day or in year 11 and it’s a bit of a joke,” he says. “It has to be embedded all the way through school so students are touched by it in small ways. The job of the careers adviser becomes easier as the students pick up the information as they go along.”

His approach chimes with that of Neil Wallace, his head at Stratford-upon-Avon School, who says: “Our aim is to engage, enthuse, and inspire students. Providing an exciting curriculum with overt links to employability skills and career opportunities is a key aspect of this.”

The latest initiative saw David hunched over his iPad and the new GCSE science syllabus, working out how to embed short films made by careers inspiration charity icould into the relevant lessons. He says: “Biology 1:1 is nutrition and health, so I used interviews with a nutritionist, a healthy eating expert and a fitness expert, and gave it to the science department. The feedback from the teachers has been good. They’re saying it’s the best starter they’ve done because the first thing they’d show was videos from people who work in an industry using that aspect of science. It’s particularly good for a new module because you can say: ‘This term we’re going to learn this; and here are people who use this knowledge for their work.’ It also means I get asked interesting questions by students who want to know more about a particular career.”

Chemical scientist So far, he’s matched up GCSE science Vanessa Wu, applications and geography to relevant videos. manager at Outcomes to date include a student Johnson Matthey, talks about her asking questions about working as a work on an hydrologist and another wanting to icould video know about the importance of maths to her interest in pharmacy.

“That’s the secret of embedding careers information: young people will be ready to make decisions about

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SUSAN YOUNG

WORK IN PROGRESS options and careers when they’re ready and there isn’t much you can do to force feed the process,” he says. “So if from year eight upwards you drip feed information into the curriculum they are more likely to be able to make these decisions when you want them to and less likely to require intensive support.”

David also likes to embed careers information by working with local employers. For example, a question about a delivery company’s percentage of late deliveries puzzled students who had never heard the word ‘logistics’ before. Another, about bolts used in vehicles, challenged those who had not seen a practical use for algebra until that point.

Who wants to be a billionaire?

One of David’s achievements is winning local authority funding for his Career Hub initiative. The project involved setting up a business enterprise partnership in school with independent careers company In2Ambition, enabling him to bring career professionals in to talk about their work, such as a car designer in a year nine resistant-materials class and a graphic designer in A level graphics and media, as well as apprenticeship evenings and other events.

He also runs regular assemblies where he tells students about the possibilities open to them, and to talk about innovators such as the world’s first drone billionaire.

“My job is expanding horizons, not narrowing them. You’ve got to see yourself as someone with a desirable bunch of skills, and not just defined by what you do. Six out of 10 young people are picking the same careers as 40 years ago. Where’s the cloud designeror the ‘Internet of Things’ expert? My job is to tell them and get them to go ‘Wow!’” PHOTOGRAPH: ICOULD.COM

16/02/2016 13:24

Working with schools around the world to improve learning in the classroom and wider school community

The International Early Years Curriculum (IEYC) is a new curriculum in development that recognises global best practice in early childhood education and the developmental needs of 2-5 year olds. It supports key areas of learning through holistic enquiry and play-based approaches that cover all curriculum areas including personal, social and emotional development.

The International Primary Curriculum (IPC) is the leading primary curriculum in the world for improving learning and developing international mindedness. It focuses on developing knowledge, skills and understanding of subjects set within child-friendly, relevant, crosscurricular, thematic units of work that are creative and challenging for children of all abilities.

The International Middle Years Curriculum (IMYC) is changing the way that 11-14 year olds learn. ,W LV VSHFLʳFDOO\ GHVLJQHG DURXQG WKH QHHGV RI WKH PDWXULQJ DGROHVFHQW EUDLQ DQG SURYLGHV challenging, engaging, and connected learning. The IMYC inspires students during a time when many, overwhelmed by the transition from primary to secondary education, can become disengaged.

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greatlearning.com info@greatlearning.com +44 020 7531 9696

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