Leadership Focus October 2019

Issue 85 / October 2019 / £5

THE MAGAZINE FOR NAHT AND NAHT EDGE MEMBERS

FOCUS

Improving together How effective peer review can have an impact in schools

It’s about time

A new report reveals the workload pressures of middle leaders

Finding and keeping good staff

Leaders share their views on the recruitment and retention crisis faced by schools

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | OCTOBER 2019

OPINION

JUDY SHAW: NAHT president 2019-20

The state of the union y first months as president have strengthened my belief that in these extraordinary times we have never needed our trade unions more.

When I tell people I’m a trade unionist they often put on a faux northern accent, doff an imaginary flat cap and summon up scenes from Billy Elliot or Brassed Off. Let’s face it, trade unionism has had an image problem for a long time, but I have seen first-hand that this is an outdated view and it is time to blow away the dust once and for all.

Today, unions look and feel different. It has been a necessary evolution in response to the changes in our workplaces and in society. There is a relentless focus to refresh and renew; to make sure the offer is relevant to existing members and attractive to new ones. The aims and principles of the trade union movement are more important today than ever.

Groups of people speaking and acting together to ensure workers are always treated with respect.

Advice, support and protection. A welcoming, inclusive community.

Recently I represented NAHT at TUC Congress. It was vibrant, inclusive and forward-looking.

Again, adapting and evolving.

Many members join for protection, and NAHT will always – first and foremost – offer that protection.

We do it incredibly well. I’ve watched our representation and advice teams in action. Their knowledge and specialist advice is second to none.

But there’s more to our union than this. And it’s exciting. There’s the desire to work together to create a better education system for education professionals and

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children alike. This is what drives me, and this is where we leave the old perceptions of trade unions behind. We are never afraid to challenge, but we are not just critical and confrontational.

We offer alternative thinking, supported by evidence and underpinned by the vision and experience of our members.

Unfailingly, we engage politely and professionally but with uncompromising determination as we take our message to the very heart of the policy-making process. A modern trade union: present, respected and influential.

I’ve never met a school leader without strong opinions or who didn’t care deeply about the future of their school and community.

Everywhere I go, the strength of feeling is palpable. Frustration, anger and defiance, but also determination, vision, optimism, and humour.

Let us channel that strength of feeling through NAHT. The more involved you are in your union, the stronger our collective voice.

Decisions are made by those who turn up. If you need a nudge to become more involved or evidence

Above: Judy Shaw

We offer alternative thinking, supported by evidence and underpinned by the vision and experience of our members.

of our impact, look at the recent government announcements on school funding.

Our campaign against school cuts was impressive. Our members spoke out. NAHT worked collaboratively with sister unions and campaign groups. The campaign grew like a snowball until the government could no longer ignore or deny it. The irresistible force met the immoveable object head on.

Finally, recognition and admission, and the promise of action.

Clearly, our campaign will continue, but we should pause to acknowledge our collective achievement. Unions are a rare countervailing force, especially now when so many of us feel powerless.

When I was eight, my dad, restless on the beach during our family holiday, took me to Tolpuddle and told me the story of the brave souls who founded the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers in 1833.

From these origins, unions have endured and evolved, and many, like NAHT, are growing again. It is right that they should. Their principles should be a mainstay of any civilised society. I’m loving being able to play my part and I’m proud to stand up, point to myself and say, “This is what a modern trade unionist looks like.”

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CONTENTS

ASSOCIATION AND EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES NAHT and NAHT Edge 1 Heath Square, Boltro Road, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH16 1BL naht.org.uk nahtedge.org.uk Tel: 0300 30 30 333

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Editorial strategy board: David Gilmore (chair), James Bowen, Tim Bowen, Nick Brook, Guy Dudley, Judy Shaw, Steven George, Magnus Gorham, Steve Iredale, Anne Lyons, Alice Adams Lemon, Judith Stott, Paul Whiteman and Rob Williams. @nahtnews @nahtedge

EDITORIAL TEAM Editor: Nic Paton.

Publisher: David Gale.

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SALES DIRECTOR Ian Carter.

Tel: 0207 183 1815 Leadership Focus is published on behalf of NAHT by Headlines Partnership Publishing, 51/52 Triangle Building, Wolverton Park Road, Milton Keynes, MK12 5FJ headlines.uk.com Tel: 01908 393303 Email: nic.paton@headlines.uk.com

Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation: 39,682 (July 2018 to June 2019)

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ISSN: 1472-6181 Š Copyright 2019 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 including electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher. 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 publisher.

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

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LEADERSHIP FOCUS | OCTOBER 2019

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Contents 6

News round-up The latest from across NAHT and NAHT Edge.

10 Effective peer-topeer review We speak to NAHT deputy general secretary Nick Brook about what effective school-to-school peer review looks like, and how it can have an impact in schools.

16 Recruitment and retention This summer, NAHT held a round-table to discuss the challenges schools face recruiting and retaining teachers.

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22 It’s about time The findings and recommendations of NAHT Edge’s recent middle leader survey.

25 Members in MATs How NAHT is supporting CEOs in multi-academy trusts.

28 Inspection FAQs NAHT’s guide to the new inspection framework.

30 Secretary of state Education secretary Gavin Williamson in his own words.

% y a 10on o j n E unt discoourses all c he code t usingemServ’ M ‘

32 School-led improvement How NAHT Aspire has made a difference in two schools.

33 NAHT Partners Benefits for members from our partners.

34 Agents of change

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How an NAHT member is empowering young people to take action on climate change.

36 Transform Our World A new resource hub to help schools empower youth environmental action.

38 Place2Be Catherine Roche explores new plans to prioritise prevention for mental health.

43 Whatever the weather The benefits of outdoor learning in the cooler months.

45 A legal view A recent challenge in an exclusion case, and what this means for schools.

46 Wales The latest news from NAHT Cymru.

47 Northern Ireland The latest news from NAHT (NI).

49 NAHT Life The benefits of NAHT Life membership.

50 Paul Whiteman A view from our general secretary.

52 A member’s view Dame Nicola Stephenson on her career and the support she’s received from NAHT.

53 Help at hand Popular NAHT advice from the last 12 months.

54 Courses and conferences NAHT’s CPD and events designed for you.

58 The final word Susan Young on the importance of continuing professional development and learning.

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NEWS ROUND-UP

T H E L AT E S T F R O M A C R O S S N A H T A N D N A H T E D G E Get in touch and share your thoughts on this issue’s news via publications@naht.org.uk

Ending Ofsted outstanding exemption is ‘right thing to do’

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Plans to scrap the exemption from inspection for schools rated ‘outstanding’

by Ofsted are welcome – but the inspectorate should focus its resources where it can make the greatest impact, NAHT has said.

Ending the exemption was among a series of measures unveiled by education secretary Gavin Williamson in September.

Responding to the announcement, Nick Brook, deputy general secretary of NAHT, said: “Removing the outstanding exemption is the right thing to do. To boost educational standards the government needs to rebalance holding schools to account with helping them to improve. The NAHT-led Accountability Commission made this very point last year.

“Having already abandoned floor and coasting standards, it is very welcome to see that the government is prepared to follow other recommendations of the Commission by removing the outstanding

exemption, focusing inspection on providing a stronger diagnostic of how schools that are struggling can improve to ‘good’, and providing meaningful support to these schools to improve standards as quickly as possible.”

However, he raised concerns over Ofsted’s capacity to deliver all these expectations when resources at the inspectorate are stretched, inspectors are spread too thinly, and inspection is becoming “an impossible task”.

He said Ofsted should focus its resources on where it can make the greatest impact, supporting schools that are struggling to improve, while other schools should receive a light-touch health check to ensure that they remain good. Meanwhile, the announcement of a new rating for financial management and oversight would require considerable retraining of the workforce and result in less time performing its core function of

judging the quality of education provided by a school, Nick Brook added.

“We look forward to working with the Department for Education to develop the detail behind these announcements to make sure they are taken forward in a positive way – it is support, not sanction, that is the key to unlocking great educational standards.”

NAHT has created a set of FAQs for members on the new inspection framework – see page 28 for more details, or go to naht.org.uk/ofstedfaqs.

Unions’ joint message on teachers’ pay Following the announcement of a below-inflation pay increase of 2.75% for teachers in England, unions wrote to the education secretary calling for a fully funded 5% increase.

NAHT, ASCL, NEU and Voice, representing the majority of teachers in England, wrote to Gavin Williamson in September asking him to set aside his predecessor’s recommendation in favour of a 5% increase across all teacher pay points and allowances, along with the additional funding needed to finance the increase.

Despite the deepening teacher recruitment and retention problems acknowledged by the STRB – the pay review body for teachers – the proposed 2.75% is below the current rate of RPI inflation and pay increases

in the wider economy, and schools are expected to fund the first 2% when they are already under severe financial pressure.

A 5% increase would signal the start of a programme to urgently restore the value of teacher pay following the real-terms cuts against inflation since 2010, the letter said. It also urged the government to consult with the teaching and leadership unions on the scope of the STRB’s remit to consider reforms to the pay structure for the profession – for classroom teachers, experienced teachers and school leaders concurrently – so the pay system is properly designed to support career progression and retention.

NAHT has also submitted its formal response to the report of

STRB in light of the secretary of state’s announcement of this year’s pay award. NAHT is again calling for a concurrent view of the structure of teachers’ and leaders’ pay, particularly in light of the government’s announcement that it intends to set a remit for the STRB to raise starting salaries for newly qualified teachers to £30,000 by 2022-23.

NAHT has welcomed this as a first step towards making teaching an attractive professional career option, but there is also a pressing need to restore leaders’ pay: the real-terms cuts to leaders’ pay must be reversed, and the differential for leadership restored if the leadership pipeline is to be repaired. NAHT’s response is available at naht.org.uk/pay.

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | OCTOBER 2019

IF YOU HAVE A NEWS STORY TO SHARE PLEASE CONTACT THE EDITOR Email: nic.paton@headlines.uk.com

Multiple concerns: members’ response to the pilot multiplications check test AHT has urged the government to abandon its plans to bring in a statutory times tables test for all Year 4 children following a survey of school leaders who took part in this summer’s multiplication tables check pilot.

Multiple Concerns, published in September, takes account of the views of members who took part in the pilot carried out by the government in the summer term, ahead of the full rollout of a statutory times tables test for all Year 4 children in June 2020.

More than nine out of 10 (94%) of those who took part in the survey said the multiplications tables check did not tell them anything that they did not already know about their Year 4 children’s recall of multiplication tables, and just 21% of respondents felt access arrangements for children with SEND were sufficient to enable these pupils to show their full knowledge of multiplication tables.

Meanwhile, 85% of respondents said that administering the check increased or significantly increased workload, yet only 5% believed this increase in workload was beneficial for children’s learning.

Just one in five (22%) said they participated in the pilot without difficulty – with the issues experienced including finding enough staff time, lack of enough IT hardware, internet connection problems and issues with the functionality and availability of NCA Tools, which is the website schools use for administration of national curriculum assessments.

One member who took part in the survey said: “Children who can bark answers to tables aren’t mathematicians.

We integrate tables teaching seamlessly with division and fractions, so children understand what tables are actually for and how knowing the facts can help them.

This exercise was a complete waste of time and money.”

Members whose children took part in the pilot said they felt it was a measure of IT proficiency, with more IT-proficient children being more able to quickly grasp the software and accurately input answers, while children without access to IT hardware at home may be unfairly disadvantaged.

“Some children struggled to quickly and accurately input their answers within the short six-second time limit. In this

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respect the test was merely a measure of the speed with which children were able to mentally recall and digitally input their multiplication table knowledge – not their actual knowledge of multiplication tables,” said another member.

NAHT senior policy advisor Sarah Hannafin said: “Children should, and do, learn their times tables. They are already part of the curriculum; every primary school is teaching them, and every child is learning them.

“Every primary school in the country probably has regular tables tests, and every teacher – and every child’s parents – could tell you which tables each child already knows and which they are working on. Knowledge of the multiplication tables is already tested in SATs papers in Year 6 and, more importantly, SATs assess how children can apply this learning.

“So, we don’t need a national test to tell teachers what they already know. If school staff are not learning anything new about their pupils, what an enormous waste of time and effort this test is for all those involved. From its inception, NAHT

has not supported the introduction of the multiplication tables check. The pilot hasn’t changed the minds of school leaders.”

NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman commented: “This is a totally unnecessary test, which adds workload to no benefit to pupils or teachers. When we surveyed our members in 2017, only 16% supported the proposal for a national statutory test. Little from the pilot has changed the minds of school leaders. We recommend that the test is scrapped.”

“Pupils with additional needs will be disadvantaged, meaning that the test is unfair. The technology is not sufficiently robust, meaning that there could be chaos in the classroom next June. Given all of the weaknesses that we’ve identified with the test, the government really needs to justify why it should proceed.”

NAHT has written to the secretary of state for education expressing its lack of support for the full implementation of the test for all Year 4 pupils this year, and has met with DfE and Standards and Testing Agency officials to share the findings and press for the test to be scrapped.

To read the report in full, see naht.org.uk/multipleconcerns.

NEWS ROUND-UP

A question of choice ‘Does school choice drive school improvement?’ was the question posed at fringe events co-hosted

by NAHT, the Education Policy Institute (EPI) and Tes at the Labour and Conservative party conferences this autumn. The panel at both considered if school choice is the right driver for change, and how we can remove perverse incentives from the system.

At Labour’s conference in Brighton in September, NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman was joined by NAHT president Judy Shaw, shadow secretary of state for education Angela Rayner MP, London Borough of Hackney councillor Anntoinette Bramble,

journalist Fiona Millar and EPI executive chairman David Laws on a panel chaired by Ann Mroz of Tes. At the Conservative Party conference in Manchester later the same month, Paul Whiteman and Judy Shaw spoke alongside Parents and Teachers for Excellence director Mark Lehain, Ann Mroz and Public First director Jonathan Simons.

Paul Whiteman also took part in a fringe event at the Liberal Democrat conference earlier in September that considered if radical education reform could win an election – see page 50 to read his column on this subject.

New mentoring scheme NAHT has created a new member-only mentoring platform.

This unique platform provides a space for members to be mentored by seasoned leaders as they navigate their leadership journey. Mentees choose who they’re mentored by and when, and mentors will share their experience, knowledge and wisdom as they guide, support and unlock the potential of new and middle leaders.

For more information see naht.onpld.com.

Two new titles for teachers and leaders 8

Two NAHT members have written pioneering new publications covering some of the key issues for school leaders to consider.

Celebrating Difference: A whole school approach to LGBT+ inclusion in school by Shaun Dellenty is a handbook for LGBT+ inclusion aimed at primary and secondary teachers and leaders. Shaun is an internationally recognised lead on LGBT+ inclusion in UK schools and his work has been recognised by the Department for Education, Ofsted and the Faith and Belief Forum.

His book offers practical advice to enable schools to bring about organisational change and ensure the safety, success, mental health and well-being of all pupils and staff. It also examines the roots and impact of identity-based prejudice in schools.

It is based upon his award-winning training programme Inclusion For All, which contains practical strategies to eradicate prejudice, prevent bullying, embrace diversity and improve whole-school outcomes such as attendance and attainment, as well as mindfulness techniques and ideas for INSET training sessions and school assemblies.

For reviews, recommendations and more information, see

bloomsbury.com/uk/celebratingdifference-9781472961501/ and you can follow Shaun on Twitter using @ShaunDellenty.

Staff well-being is a strategic consideration for all primary and secondary school leaders, and The Wellbeing Toolkit: Sustaining, supporting and enabling school staff by Andrew Cowley provides a thought-provoking resource offering effective strategies for addressing staff well-being from a whole-school perspective, with particular reference to reducing workload, managing stress and supporting teachers in challenging circumstances.

Andrew, a co-founder of the Healthy Toolkit campaign to encourage and advance staff well-being, draws on his own experiences as a school leader to unpick the myths around well-being and set out a practical, authentic and valuesdriven model that will enable leaders to foster a positive atmosphere for the benefit of the whole school community.

The book aims to help develop a culture of positivity and enable all staff members to take ownership of the wellbeing strategy. You can follow Healthy Toolkit on Twitter using @HealthyToolkit, and find reviews, recommendations and more information at bloomsbury.com/uk/ the-wellbeing-toolkit-9781472961631/.

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | OCTOBER 2019

IF YOU HAVE A NEWS STORY TO SHARE PLEASE CONTACT THE EDITOR Email: nic.paton@headlines.uk.com

Standing up for school leaders AHT spoke in support of rural schools and against LGBT+ discrimination at TUC Congress this autumn.

The union proposed two successful motions at 2019’s Congress in Brighton in September, and NAHT members spoke to another motion on homophobic and transphobic hate crime.

In his speech to Congress, NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman said: “I am delighted that NAHT is now an established part of the TUC family. Since we

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joined in 2017, our influence has grown, and this is reflected in the two important motions that we are proposing this week. It’s a landmark moment for NAHT.” He continued: “There is a legal expectation placed on schools to provide age-appropriate relationships education to all pupils from September 2020.

Relationships education in schools must be inclusive of all protected characteristics and treat the different types of relationships in our society equally, reflecting their

Below: TUC Congress 2019

equal status under the law and so promoting tolerance and respect for diversity. Our motion calls upon the TUC to lobby government to provide more clarity and support to schools to deliver inclusive relationships education.

“We also want the TUC to support our ongoing work on behalf of small and rural schools.

The survival of these schools is under constant threat, due to the current funding crisis. These schools are a vital part of life and they need to be fully and fairly funded in order to continue to properly serve their communities.

Losing a school because its budget has passed breaking point would do untold damage to young people and their families.”

NAHT’s work to support small and rural schools includes a largescale survey of members, which is due to be published this year.

To support its equality agenda, NAHT will continue to lobby the government for clearer guidance for schools.

Photo: Jess Hurd

HAVE WE GOT YOUR CORRECT DETAILS?

‘Bleak’ picture for schools supporting children with SEN NAHT says funding must keep pace with the cost of services required to support children with special educational needs, following the publication of a new report from the National Audit Office examining how well pupils with SEND are supported.

Commenting on the report, NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman said: “The picture facing schools supporting children with special educational needs is bleak. Not only are school budgets at breaking point, there have been severe cuts to local authority health and social care provision.

“Schools and councils are left struggling to meet the needs of our most vulnerable pupils. It is clear that the 2014 SEND reforms created unprecedented demand and funding has simply failed to keep up.

“The government significantly underestimated the cost of implementing these reforms and, as a result, we are now faced with a system in crisis. With the number of pupils identified as having additional needs continuing to rise, funding for both education and health and social care services must keep pace.”

Have you recently moved house? Changed your telephone number? Moved to a different school or changed role? As a membership organisation and registered trade union, it’s paramount we contact you about your membership and news that matters to you. Therefore, we must ensure your personal details are up-to-date. Please call us on 0300 30 30 333 (option 2) or email us at membersupport@naht.org.uk.

Alternatively, you can update your details by visiting naht.org. uk/update-details and NAHT Edge members can let us know of any changes by contacting us at membersupport@ nahtedge.org.uk.

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EFFECTIVE PEER REVIEW

Tools for improvement NIC PATON speaks to NAHT deputy general secretary Nick Brook about what effective school-to-school peer review looks like and how it can have an impact in schools.

round his time last year, in September 2018, NAHT published Improving School Accountability, the hard-hitting report from its 18-strong, industry-wide Accountability Commission. As Leadership Focus reported at the time (issue 82, October 2018), this set out a comprehensive case for change to our current corrosive, high-stakes, overly outcomes-focused school accountability system – still, arguably, the reality on the ground for many schools, despite the arrival this autumn of Ofsted’s revised inspection framework.

One of the commission’s key recommendations was that more tools are put in place to support schools to change and improve – to change the narrative around accountability and school

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improvement, with ‘robust’ peer review high on the list.

But the term ‘peer review’ can mean different things to different people. Is it simply a cosy chat between colleagues putting the world – and their school – to rights? Is it something more formal, structured and challenging? Can, or even should, peer review be shorthand for a heart-pumping, adrenalin-fuelled ‘mocksted’, just with peers rather than inspectors gliding around with clipboards and poker faces?

To try to get a handle on this, and to try to define for school leaders what ‘good’ peer review should look and feel like, NAHT last month (September) published a follow-up report, The Principles of Effective School-to-School Peer Review.

Developed with input from a range of organisations, including

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | OCTOBER 2019

Challenge Partners, Education Development Trust, Ambition Institute and the National Foundation for Educational Research, NAHT looked at the common characteristics that flow through different peer review programmes and evaluated the evidence for what works.

The result has been the articulation of nine core principles for ‘good’ school-toschool peer review, supplemented by seven suggested elements, from frameworks through to training and clear protocols, which an effective programme should in all likelihood contain. See the panel at the end of this article for more details on both of these.

As NAHT deputy general secretary Nick Brook outlines: “One of the main conclusions of the Accountability Commission was that we needed to rebalance holding schools to account with helping them to improve. We recommended one approach that has been tried and tested – working through peer review. Our recommendation therefore was to make peer review the norm rather

than the exception in schools.

“What became abundantly apparent in the months following the report is that there are huge differences of opinion as to what good peer review actually looks like when you talk to schools. The term peer review seems to be covering a multitude of sins.”

Just through NAHT, for example, there are a range of school improvement and peer review programmes that members can access, such as NAHT Aspire (delivered through Edison Learning) and Aspire Peer Review (formerly the Instead programme). And that’s before we get on to programmes run locally by individual schools or established programmes, such as those run by Challenge Partners and the Education Development Trust’s Schools Partnership Programme, to name a few.

“It became apparent that we needed to do a piece of work to clarify and develop a common language around what we mean by peer review,” explains Nick. “We weren’t at all sure at that point whether we would be able to

We want to raise the profile of peer review and to challenge misconceptions that might exist around what it is.

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EFFECTIVE PEER REVIEW

NAHT deputy general secretary Nick Brook at the launch of Improving School Accountability last year

12 identify common characteristics.

What quickly became clear was there was more in common than there was different about the various programmes out there that seemed to be having real, measurable impact.”

This, in turn, as already highlighted, led to the development of the core principles and the launch of the report. But what is the goal?

What does NAHT want to achieve with this document, whether within government, with the profession’s leaders or within individual schools?

There are three goals underpinning the report, Nick explains.

“Firstly, it is about raising the profile of how important and how useful peer review can be, to provide that external view on strengths and vulnerabilities to help schools to improve. We want to raise the profile of peer review and to challenge misconceptions that might exist around what it is. Secondly, I’m hoping this will enable schools to become more informed purchasers of peer review programmes. There are a lot of different programmes out there and, depending on the circumstances schools are in, they

might find some are more relevant to their needs than others.

“What we want is for schools to be looking at our document and saying, ‘right, these are the characteristics of good peer review; this provider has just offered to come and work with me on peer review – how does its programme stack up against these characteristics and is this what I want to be buying?’. This could serve as a useful tool; a helpful, short prompt for when people are coming to them and saying, ‘hey I can take care of your peer review for you’. It gives them a reference point to think, ‘what is it I want to buy; what is most useful for me?’.

“Thirdly, I see this report as a tool that can be used by peer review providers themselves; by anyone providing peer review. I hope it enables them to look at what our report says is effective in terms of evidence and research, and identify any potential vulnerabilities in their own programmes and the support they are offering schools. It is about helping providers to develop their own programmes further, and, in turn, enabling schools to undertake more effective peer review.”

It should be about the profession stepping forward, and supporting and challenging one another.

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | OCTOBER 2019

“It should be about the profession stepping forward, and supporting and challenging one another, rather than leaving all of that to the inspectorate, in whom we’ve got less confidence that they are able to make the right call, particularly when there is so much resting on each of those judgements,” Nick adds.

More widely, this document – and NAHT’s ongoing work in this area – feeds into NAHT’s continuing focus on the need to reform and improve school accountability and inspection. The fact that we have, in Gavin Williamson, a new education secretary finding his feet means this is set to be an important priority for NAHT in the next few months.

Indeed, Nick Brook highlights how this autumn NAHT is reestablishing the Accountability Commission to draw up a follow-on report. “It is going to be taking on bigger questions such as, ‘how is it thatt we help schools to improve?’,” he says. “The first report pressented a really compelling view as to how the system needs to change to better hold schools to account in a more proportionate way. But it was broad strokes.

“Over the next two terms, we will reconstitute the commission to deal with a range of bigger

questtions. How do you support good sc chools to become great schools? What is the architecture that’s need ded around this in terms of the system m leadership? I expect we will be touch hing on issues such as teaching schooll hubs, the role of national leaders of ed ducation, and research schools in helpin ng to build capacity in schools to improv ve.

“Equally, it is going to focus on questions such as what role peer review should play within school improvement. We’ve defined in this report what effective peer review looks like, but where does that fit within the system? What does it link to? How do you maximise the impact of peer review through effective links through to the various options for helping your school to improve?

“What, too, are the barriers to school improvement at present, and what actions can government and the profession take immediately to overcome these? It is about trying to shine a light on what in practical terms needs to change within schools, and suggest ways forward,” Nick argues.

What does he suggest grassroots NA AHT members should be taking away from all this, especially thosse either already using or conside ering peer review as a means for scho ool

13 improvement? “If you’re not involved in peer review, seriously consider it. Look at this new research we are putting out and consider whether or not this can help you on your improvement journey,” he recommends.

“We also know many schools are involved in peer review already. If you are already involved, consider what this evidence is saying about what is most effective, and decide from there whether or not your current arrangements are doing everything they could do.

“It is about really grasping this with both hands, about recognising that peer review – and within this, of course, good peer review – is potentially a fantastic way schools can come together to support one another to improve,” Nick says.

See overleaf for NAHT’s nine principles of good school-to-school peer review. For more information and to download the report, see naht.org.uk/peerreview.

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The Principles of Effective School-to-School Peer Review NAHT’s The Principles of Effective School-to-School Peer Review outlines how peer review and collaborative working need to become the norm not an exception if teachers and school leaders are fully to exercise their professional capabilities.

It highlights how the evidence backs the idea that working together in a structured way towards actions and outcomes allows teachers and schools to improve faster and more sustainably.

Yet, at the same time, it emphasises that peer review and collaboration should not be considered an easy or soft option. It requires commitment, expertise, designed processes and abiding partnerships, it argues.

The report is intended to provide “insights for schools that are constructing their own peer review approaches and a benchmark for schools to use when considering purchasing peer review programmes”. Moreover, these insights and recommendations can fully be applied to other forms of collaborative practice, for example, multi-academy trust (MAT) to MAT, teaching school alliance (TSA) to TSA, or between subject departments, the document emphasises.

The nine principles for good schoolto-school peer review are: Committed to better outcomes for all – That there is shared responsibility to establish improvement across all schools and not just one’s own, including the sharing of best practice identified in reviews.

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Action focused – That the peer review is set up with the intention of acting as a result of the review, whether to address a deficit or to get even better. Alongside this, that it provides evidence of strengths and areas for improvement but is not a standalone activity and that it is part of wider processes that provide sustained support for evidence-based improvement.

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Rigorous and objective – The team should always consist of peer leaders with the professional distance to give a truly honest appraisal of where the school is in its journey.

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Structured and robust – The approach used in the review should have a clear structure so that the evidence collected is unbiased, defendable and is action focused, with all actions owned by the reviewed school.

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Expert and evidence led – Reviewers should be given the training and support to be(come) experts in peer review. Their diagnosis of school performance should be rooted in evidence, as should any suggestions about potential actions.

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Done with, not to, the school – Good peer review should drive more transparent and honest self-review; should engage as much of the school workforce as possible, and should always be reciprocated.

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Open and trusted – That the school is able and willing to identify vulnerabilities, in order to elicit new perspectives on problems.

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Builds deeper relationships – Peer reviews should lead to abiding collaborating partnerships which can evolve over time to enable stronger, closer working in local clusters. It should also enable opportunities to share more widely as part of a national drive for improvement.

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Commitment to continuous improvement – Peer review itself should always be kept under review and providers of peer review programmes must have embedded structures and processes to evaluate the effectiveness of the process and commit to continuous improvement.

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Beyond these core nine principles, the report outlines how good school-toschool peer review programmes and processes will contain:

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A clear framework, aligned to local and national accountability methodologies, which is understood and signed up to by all.

2

Initial training and upskilling to ensure all involved gain expertise in evidenced peer review practice and a shared understanding to build trust and transparency.

3

A set of defined protocols that guide peer questions and dialogue.

4

A method for collecting and presenting evidence on reviews and for capturing agreed actions stemming from them.

2019

LES THE PRINCIP E IV OF EFFECT CHOOL -S O SCHOOL-T W PEER REVIE

5

A clear methodology for ensuring reviewed schools can access robust and evidenced-based sources to determine actions against the review findings.

6 7 PEER REVIEW PRINCIPLES 1

A process for following up on actions and revisiting reviews.

A wider partnership of support and challenge on the local and national levels, which is itself strengthened and reviewed by the collaborative process.

RECRUITMENT TMENT & RETENTION 16

Tackling the recruitment challenge This summer, NAHT held a round-table on the challenges facing teacher training providers, ‘classroom readiness’ and the problems schools face recruiting and retaining trainees.

NIC PATON reports on the discussion.

ack at the tail-end of 2017, NAHT’s The Leaky Pipeline report painted a distinctly grim picture of teacher recruitment and retention. The poll of more than 800 school leaders found 81% reporting difficulties in filling vacancies at all levels, with 63% saying recruitment was “a struggle” and 18% unable to fill an advertised role.

Scroll forward two years, and, apart from the revolving door at the Department for Education (DfE) that brought Gavin Williamson back into the Cabinet in July, for many head teachers and school leaders the sense is that, if anything, things are getting even tougher, despite the launch by the DfE of its recruitment and retention strategy at the beginning of this year.

B

One ‘sharp end’ in this context is the ability of schools and teacher training providers to attract and retain newly qualified teachers (NQTs) and new entrants into the profession. What are the barriers putting people off entering teaching? Are university or school training programmes properly preparing trainees to come into schools ‘classroom ready’? Why, too, do so many new entrants leave within five years, or sooner?

A key finding of NAHT’s recent surveys has also been concern about the quality of applicants for posts at all levels. In a challenging recruitment climate, are schools increasingly having to ‘make do and mend’ and accept they may have little choice but to pick and choose from a poorer field? And if this is the

case, what does it then mean in terms of the extra burden placed on line managers and mentors (and, in turn, senior leaders) in terms of oversight, training and development of trainees?

And finally – and most importantly of course – what does this situation mean for the quality and excellence of the education being delivered in the classroom to our children?

The challenges

To try to consider some of these challenging questions, in the summer NAHT convened a round-table panel of head teachers and deputy head teachers, along with teacher training providers.

The aim was to discuss and reflect upon the challenges facing teacher training providers in attracting entrants, the question of ‘classroom

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | OCTOBER 2019

readiness’, the wider (perhaps systemic) challenges faced by schools in recruiting and retaining trainees, and what, if anything, both schools themselves and NAHT can do to drive change in this area.

NAHT senior policy advisor Ian Hartwright opened the discussion by reflecting on The Leaky Pipeline report. He pointed out: “What we found was that the pipeline is leaking at all points. We don’t have enough people coming into teaching, we lose too many in the first five years – attrition rates are huge; we don’t take enough people into middle leadership; we don’t take enough people from middle leadership into senior management.”

When it came to NQTs and new entrants, “the pain is massive” agreed Chris Kirkham-Knowles, head teacher at Newby and Scalby Primary School in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, and chair of the Scarborough Teaching Alliance. Scarborough also recently lost its initial teacher training provider, based in the town, which has had a knock-on impact, he pointed out. “Once someone withdraws a university placement, that makes a huge difference to an area.”

“Recruiting teachers, obviously, is a big problem,” agreed Julie Simpson, head teacher at St Andrew’s Church of England Primary School in Yetminster, Dorset, and member of the North Dorset Teaching School Alliance. “I don’t think it depends anymore on where your school is, as it used to be. Ten years ago, we would have 30 to 40 applicants for a job. Now I’m lucky to get five or six. It is the general

problem. I do think the quality of trainees who are applying to become teachers – and I am involved in recruiting trainees through the alliance – is an issue as well.”

“I think it is probably even before that [first recruitment point],” highlighted Polly ButterfieldTracey, project director for the Confederation for the Education of South East Teachers and director of research at Astor College in Kent. “From our research there are huge barriers to application, to train to become a teacher. There’s so much confusion over the different routes available. Even when student teachers have managed to negotiate their way onto one route, they are still not sure of the value of one route over another.

“Then on top of that, yes, we have a shrinking market – fewer people are coming in to train – yet it is a marketplace full of ‘noise’. Providers are shouting over one another to try to compete for applicants.”

“It is so disjointed now,” agreed Julie Simpson. “When you have trainees in from different providers, for us as schools it becomes difficult to manage. In some cases, we are expected to be lead mentor for those trainees, in some cases not. And you don’t always get the same quality of support for the trainee.”

“There is also pressure on providers not to have a dropout rate,” echoed Chris KirkhamKnowles. “Once they’re in, it is very difficult to drop them off. For schools providing placements, there is huge pressure to find a means of ensuring those trainees are satisfying requirements.

They’re then being released into the profession, particularly in areas where it is difficult to recruit, and needing massive amounts of support to deliver.”

Ten years ago, we would have 30 to 40 applicants for a job.

The bigger picture

Is one factor within this the wider accountability climate, the panel was asked? Does this, for example, mean trainees and NQTs are too often expected to be ‘the finished article’ too quickly, when they are in fact still learning their craft and developing as teaching professionals?

“Yes, so many schools are in such a high-pressure, high-accountability environment that you maybe do have to be the finished article, or it is a huge risk to your school,” agreed Polly Butterfield-Tracey. “I come from a challenging school myself, and I’m not sure how to alleviate that pressure on leadership teams, on the NQT, on the providers of the training. The issue is the school environment and the wider pressure schools are under.”

Another difficulty is there is no “magic wand” schools can wave, pointed out Nick Oakley, senior lecturer in the Faculty of Education at Canterbury Christ Church University, Kent, which provides teacher training through a number of routes. “What we are finding is that trainees are a) not understanding what school is going to look like, b) getting in and finding out this high-stakes accountability is there, and c) discovering that it does not actually fit their own vision of what they want the job to be. This is why we have had to adapt our programmes to these challenges” At this point Bev Sheppard, deputy head teacher at The Deans Primary School in Salford and chair of NAHT’s Deputy and Assistant Heads’ Sector Council, interjected to highlight that, in her school at least, some 82% of teaching staff had started as NQTs. “I don’t know why, it just works and they stay.

And I am incredibly lucky. We do also have a really good relationship with our local university, which does the training.

“It is like a reciprocal relationship; we offer each other things – so they know to send us good-quality candidates. For example, the science lead of the PGCE will come to our school regularly for visits. He won’t send any of his minions; it is he who comes.

“Even then, the problem we seem to have is that, whenever they’ve got a student who has been elsewhere and there is the likelihood they are not going to be passed, the university will often ring us up and say ‘can we send this person to you because we need them to pass, so can you do what you do with the others?’. So we feel the pressure sometimes to pass these people,” she added.

17

RECRUITMENT & RETENTION 18

Ian Hartwright highlighted how this issue is part and parcel of interlocking wider, systemic issues, and pressures around pay, workload, accountability and funding. “What we see, increasingly, is that the pressure is on deputy and assistant head teachers, because they often find themselves back in class, with more contact time, which puts increasing pressure back on to the head. So, the strategic leadership of a school is denuded by the pressures they have got around funding, and that makes it much more difficult to give this kind of very intensive support to trainees and NQTs.” “There are many, many drivers to the reasons [people are not coming into or staying in teaching],” agreed Paul Gosling, head teacher, Exeter Road Primary School, Devon and a member of Teaching Schools South West as well as vice chair of NAHT’s Professional Committee. “It is about getting the people in at the start – the pay has been so poorly eroded. At our school we are very lucky in that we draw teachers from all over the country; we get lots of relocated teachers who have done five years in Birmingham, say, and want to move to Devon.”

The ‘heat and burden’ of life as a teacher – the workload, accountability and intensity

t eac h wan t e r s ed

combined with the erosion in pay doing displays or anything like that, and conditions in recent years – is it is not those practical things that definitely a factor in terms of making are the issue. It is the accountability system that weighs heavily on every teaching less attractive compared to, perhaps, other careers or other level of the education system. Until graduate training programmes. the government shifts that, it doesn’t “When I was an NQT I had no matter how many documents worries, all I had to do was get up, it produces and circulates to have my breakfast, get into school. everybody about how to reduce I interviewed an NQT the other workload, that is where the pressure week who has got a young family. comes from,” he emphasised.

I’m sure she will do very well and be He highlighted a conversation supported, but it is increasingly hard he had recently with a financial to balance a family and be an NQT,” advisor, comparing accountability he added. structures. “For a day a year he had three or four of his files really “The system has to sort itself out, drilled into, to find out whether and school leaders have to play their he was following all the rules and part,” said Chris Kirkham-Knowles. regulations relating to finance – and “The school itself has to be a culture that is supportive of people having this was after the bankers’ crash, so a life outside, whatever that is, it was a fairly intense time for him. whether it is families or not. I’ve been But then after that he could get on with his job. a school leader for over 20 years, “Or I talked recently to my butcher and I haven’t changed the way that – the health people come and have a we function – I haven’t allowed the look and make sure he’s clean and he accountability system to become the driver for why people are at work. gets his five stars on the door, but “I think fundamentally as a then he is fit to carry on work.

All he has to do is maintain system we have allowed those standards. He never accountability to be once thinks about it the weight bearing on people, which has at 3am. In education We have allowed created workload. It we have gone down accountability doesn’t matter how you a very different route to be the weight map out saving time where it is pernicious bearing on people, and over-arching – at photocopiers or not covering every aspect which has created of everybody’s work – workload. and until that is removed it is going to trickle through at all levels,” he added.

“There are specific issues that we’re finding in London,” highlighted Stuart Beck, consultant senior leader, Sacred Heart of Mary Girls’ School, Havering, east London. “There is an economic one, because the cost of living in London is that much higher.

So, as well as doing your 60 to 70 hours a week, you then go home and find that, once you’ve paid the rent or mortgage, if you’re lucky, there is little else available to you. So, you’re sitting there thinking why am I doing this?

“Secondly, the other London factor is we’ve got a very lucrative alternative jobs market on our doorstep. There is the temptation – and we see it happening with our teaching staff – of ‘I could get a fairly low-level job in the City and actually earn double and sleep at night’.

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RECRUITMENT & RETENTION 20

“From a secondary perspective, I would say that some subjects are an issue. For example, we struggle with business studies, but then business graduates are probably going to be more attracted to the City. And for some reason, geography. Unless we bring in some real-terms economic incentives, even if it is key worker housing or something of that nature, it’s going to be very difficult to be a teacher in London and have some sort of reasonable living standard,” he added.

Seeking solutions

What, then, might be some solutions, the panel was asked?

Clearly there are underlying systemic problems – such as highstakes accountability and funding pressures – but what can individual head teachers, school leaders and schools themselves be doing to alleviate these problems and overcome these barriers?

“One of the things we’ve done recently is introduce part-time routes and a flexi, modular route on primary,” pointed out Nick Oakley.

One of the things we’ve done recently is introduce part-time routes and a flexi, modular route on primary.

“And we have now introduced a part-time programme on secondary as well. It has started small, but I think there is a growing interest in the part-time route. However, going back to the point Polly made earlier, does yet another route, yet another way of training to teach, just cause even more confusion?”

“I think a part-time route would be really helpful,” agreed Julie Simpson. “Having come into teaching in my early thirties with a young family, that would have been quite helpful at the time, definitely.

“To be honest, for me, the focus has to be on reducing workload on our teachers, without a doubt. And while we still have this accountability system, that makes it very difficult.

And what happens is when we try to reduce the workload of our teachers, it simply increases the workload of our senior leaders, because the stuff still has to be done.

“You want to be able to say to your teachers ‘you’ve just got to focus on your class, focus on your children, and show they are getting the best possible experience, and we will worry about the other stuff’.

But in terms of looking out for their well-being, we’re not looking after our own,” she added.

“I started my career in London in a borough that used to organise events for NQTs. I made a lot of mates. What did we do on a Friday? We went to the pub, we moaned about the week, we moaned about our bosses, but we all supported each other in that network,” said Paul Gosling.

“I think now, because of the fractured nature of schools, you can have two NQTs in a school who did not even go on the course in the same university. Or they might be living a long way from the school.

So how do we facilitate high-quality peer support from each other?

Mentors are great, but sometimes you don’t want to talk to your mentor about things; you just want to talk to somebody who’s experienced the same things at the same level at the

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | OCTOBER 2019

The panellists on NAHT’s head teacher and deputy head teacher round-table: • Stuart Beck, in phased retirement but consultant senior leader, Sacred Heart of Mary Girls’ School, Havering, east London • Polly Butterfield-Tracey, project director for the Confederation for the Education of South East Teachers and director of research, Astor College, Kent • Paul Gosling, head teacher, Exeter Road Primary School, Devon • Ian Hartwright, senior policy advisor, NAHT • Chris Kirkham-Knowles, head teacher, Newby and Scalby Primary School, Scarborough, North Yorkshire • Nick Oakley, senior lecturer, Faculty of Education, Canterbury Christ Church University, Kent • Bev Sheppard, deputy head teacher, The Deans Primary School, Salford and chair of NAHT’s Deputy and Assistant Heads’ Sector Council • Julie Simpson, head teacher, St Andrew’s CE Primary School, Yetminster, Dorset.

same time. So I’m just wondering if there’s a role for creating something – but it might need money to do it I imagine – like a buddy system?”

“We’ve been considering this in the coastal area of North Yorkshire,” agreed Chris Kirkham-Knowles.

“We used to have teachers’ centres across the county that were a social as well as a professional hub. So, within our alliance we are re-establishing that type of work, a physical space where people can go and meet and borrow books. One of the challenges is trying to get new teachers together for more socialtype activities as well as professional ones to build a community of, if you like, educationalists.”

“A lot of the work the teaching alliance is doing is not necessarily about training courses but networks. So it could be networks of people in terms of similar subjects at secondary, or networks in terms of particular interests in pedagogical approaches. But actually, it is that community hubtype arrangement that we are trying to re-establish.”

Stuart Beck highlighted that in his school, staff do organise events for themselves. “Many of them have got young children and they organise an annual Christmas party for the kids and families. We’ve just got two particular staff who are really good at it, and so we said ‘look, we’ll resource you as best we can, but ultimately you run with it’, because we actually think it will be an awful lot better and be much more realistic and effective if it is run by the staff for the staff, rather than us kind of imposing it.”

But Polly Butterfield-Tracey pointed out that, even here, workload and accountability pressures can get in the way.

“Where there are these toxic and broken cultures as a result of external pressures, it is very hard to say, ‘you know what, we’re going to have a party’. People might say, ‘I just want to go home please’.”

“I think there is some mileage in looking at how we create opportunities for people to get together and vent the frustration; people saying, ‘you know what, this is not working’. If you can actually reflect on it, have a laugh about it and share some experiences, it does get you through an awful lot in life doesn’t it, rather than being on your own? We are social creatures,” said Paul Gosling.

“I completely agree and what I think works for us in our area is that we still have a local authority, even if it is now very small. So it doesn’t matter which route you have come in by, there are still NQT sessions throughout the year led by the authority where people can get to meet and mingle and network,” agreed Bev Sheppard.

Finally, what could be NAHT’s role in enabling and facilitating this, the panel was asked. What could NAHT, and NAHT members, do to change the landscape, the conversation?

“I think we need to establish a firm view on what we feel will work across the whole of the countries in order to recruit highquality professionals, retain them with a good, strong professional development programme, and a career pathway structure that is appropriate to everybody, whether they’re leaving sixth form college or in the middle of a degree,” said Chris Kirkham-Knowles.

“If we had a really clear policy statement that was well-researched and based on evidence of effective practice where cultures in schools were supported, I think that would put us in a really strong position moving forward,” he added.

“What we need is competitive starting pay,” said Ian Hartwright.

“That doesn’t mean you are going to be paying people £70,000, but it needs to be competitive. You need to have the potential to develop your career, so you need career support when you begin. You need a set of different career pathways that cross over and allow you to change where you’re going at different points in your life, and to be more flexible about how you do that. You need some pay progression points, because that is what professional careers have. And we need to make those routes into leadership and other non-leadership positions look really attractive.”

Polly Butterfield-Tracey agreed: “The offer must remain attractive as teachers’ careers develop; this requires political will and funding from government. It also requires committed collaboration between ITT providers and school leaders to address persistent recruitment problems within regions, and a transformation in the way we promote and advocate teaching as a vibrant and rewarding profession.”

“Some of this is also about the status of teaching,” agreed Paul Gosling. “We need to make sure society recognises teaching. For me, teaching is a craft and you tell a craftsperson what you want, but you don’t tell them how to get there.

With my teachers I say, ‘I pay you as professionals, but I am not going to be meddling in how you get to what I want, which is for children to have a well-rounded education – you get on with that, you work it out and tell me how you’ve done at the end of the year’.

“We have had too much meddling.

The previous government, especially, did so much damage, and it goes on and goes on, with the emphasis on accountability. We should be saying to teachers, ‘you get to a certain standard and you are a professional and you are trusted by society to get on with doing your job, subject to some basic checks’. Trust the profession,” he added.

21

MIDDLE LEADER SURVEY

It’s about

T I M E

New research shows middle leaders’ responsibilities are increasing, yet they have less time than ever to carrry them out. Unless the government acts now, NAH HT Edge is warning, we risk losing these leaders and ffu uture head teachers from our school system. iddle leaders play a critical role in our schools.

To get a better understanding of the current realities of life as a middle leader, this summer NAHT Edge asked middle leaders to share their views on a range of issues including their workload, responsibilities, professional development, pay and future aspirations.

The survey was completed by middle leaders in primary and secondary schools across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

It paints a stark picture of the challenges they face and serves as a warning to policy-makers.

The main findings, along with NAHT Edge’s recommendations for schools and the government, are being published this autumn in a new report, About Time: Life as a middle leader.

M

22

mes The report’s author Jam Bowen, who is director off policy at NAHT and director of NAHT Edge, which represents middle e leaders, explains: “Perhaps mostt alarming of all is the finding thatt around a third of respondents arre thinking of leaving the professio on. Given the current recruitmentt and retention crisis in both teac ching and school leadership, the ese are professionals the system cannot afford to lose.”

Of tho ose thinking of leaving, the most co ommon reason, cited by 77% of members, was to pursue a be etter work-life balance, while mo ore than a third said it was be ecause they had concerns about the current accountability regime.

The survey also found that, while one in three middle leaders said their dedicated teacher release time had decreased over the past three years, more that 80% said

What are the biggest drivers s of your workload as a middle leader (top three re easons presented)?

72% Recording, inputting, monitoring and analysing data in relation to pupil performance and for other purposes

68% Leadership of curriculum design, implementation and planning

62% Mana agement responsibilities (interna al meetings, timettabling, etc)

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | OCTOBER 2019

Which of the following factors (if any) put you off aspiring to headship and/or system leadership (eg executive head)?

79%

69%

49%

29%

21%

Concerns about work-life balance Accountability pressures (including Ofsted/Estyn/ETI) Level of removal from teaching/ pupils Lack of school funding Lack of support/training

KEY FINDINGS

1

Middle leaders have greater responsibility, but less dedicated leadership time to carry out the role.

2

Fewer than half of middle leaders aspire to headship or system leadership roles.

3

Around one in three middle leaders are considering leaving the profession.

4

Managing pupil data remains the primary driver of middle leader workload.

5

More than half of middle leaders cited coaching and mentoring colleagues as a major driver of workload.

6

Very few middle leaders reported that they received induction training when stepping into the role for the first time.

7

A significant proportion of middle leaders have received no CPD relating to their leadership role during the last 12 months.

8

Some 40% of middle leaders do not hold a formal leadership qualification, however those who do feel it has had a positive impact on their work.

9

Additional pay is not a significant motivator for many teachers when stepping up to middle leadership.

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MIDDLE LEADER SURVEY 24

their leadership responsibilities had increased in the same period. Yet the majority (67%) were allocated between zero and three hours to carry out this role, while they spent an average of 16 hours a week on leadership-related tasks.

James says: “It is a significant concern that middle leaders are reporting that their leadership ed in responsibilities have increase recent years when, at the same duction time, they have seen a red in the amount of time they are given to carry out the ro ole. This only serves to make an already difficult task even harder.”

Anecdotal evidence from both e members NAHT and NAHT Edge suggests this is linked to cuts in school budgets. Sma aller budgets mean schools simp ply do not have the ability to pay for cover or supply in order to relea ase middle leaders o do this work. from classes to And what iss the main driver kload? Recording, of their work nd inputting pupil data analysing an was cited by 72% of respondents,

In you ur first role as a middle leader did you u receive any induction training?

29% YES 71% NO while coaching and mentoring colleagues is another major workload driver, cited by 55% of those who took part in the survey.

Meanwhile, less than a third of middle leaders had received any form of induction training when they took on their school leadership role, and more than 40% had received no CPD training relating to their role in the last year.

Indeed, less than half the middle leaders who responded to the survey said they aspired to headship or to system leadership roles. When asked why, they cited concerns about work-life balance (79%), accountability pressures (69%) and the level removal from teaching

RECOMMENDATIONS For schools:

1

2

8

Schools should consider middle leaders when planning CPD for their staff.

Coaching and regular opportunities to work with other leaders in the school can be highly valuable professional development activities.

3

Where appropriate, senior leaders should encourage middle leaders to consider their pathway to senior leadership.

4

Schools should consider auditing the proportion of time middle leaders spend on different leadership tasks and activities.

5

Where possible, middle leaders should be encouraged and enabled to participate in network groups involving other middle leaders carrying out similar roles.

For government: When considering any future funding formulae for schools, government should take into account the need for both middle

About Time is due to be published this October – for more information, see naht.org.uk/abouttime.

To find out more about NAHT Edge, go to naht.org.uk/naht-edge.

and senior leaders to have sufficient release time to carry out their role effectively.

7

All schools should ensure they have an induction process for those teachers new to middle leadership. New middle leaders are also likely to benefit from having a formal leadership mentor.

6

and pupils (49%). Meanwhile, NAHT’s annual recruitment and retention surveys have already demonstrated the extent of the problem faced by school leaders trying to fill teacher vacancies and retain newly qualified teachers.

“The middle leaders of today are the head teachers and system leaders of tomorrow and we need to be drawing from as wide a pool of leadership talent as possible. Middle leaders play a critical role in our schools. Our findings should act as a wake-up call to government,” says James.

“Unless urgent action is taken, there is a real risk that we will lose talented leaders from the system.

This has not only an immediate impact in terms of middle leadership, but also a potential long-term impact, as we risk losing the potential school and system leaders of tomorrow.”

For certain roles, eg SENCos, schools and middle leaders may benefit from clearer guidance regarding how many hours of dedicated leadership time they should expect to receive, depending on the size and nature of their school.

In any future review of teacher and school leader pay, government should be mindful that for some teachers, additional pay for leadership roles is a motivating factor. Therefore, any review should protect and look to enhance additional payments such as TLRs.

11

Schools and government should ensure that all work on reducing workload and improving well-being incorporates school leaders as well as teachers. This will not only help to retain those currently in such roles, but may also encourage more middle leaders to stay in the profession and step up to senior leadership in the future.

For Ofsted:

12

As a result of their renewed focus on the broader curriculum, including the use of ‘deep-dives’ during inspection, Ofsted should be mindful of the potential impact on the workload of middle and subject leaders.

For middle leaders:

9

13

10

14

Government must urgently address the funding crisis in schools, so schools have the ability to pay for the CPD and release time that middle leaders require to carry out their role effectively.

Government should consider improving and expanding access to formal accredited leadership programmes such as NPQML or NPQSL. Currently, access to such programmes is too dependent on geography, whether or not a school deems it to be a priority, and the financial circumstances of individual schools.

Given the often-isolating nature of some roles (eg SENCos), middle leaders should take every opportunity to participate in networks of fellow professionals, both within and beyond their own schools.

Actively seek out opportunities to be mentored and supported by senior leaders either within or beyond their own school. This may include looking for opportunities to work alongside or shadow senior colleagues.

15

Be prepared to act as a mentor for newly appointed middle leaders.

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | OCTOBER 2019

Speaking up for CEOs

Multi-academy trust chief executive officer and NAHT member Gary Wilkie speaks to NIC PATON about the new group to support NAHT colleagues in similar roles. s any head teacher knows only too well, it can be tough – and sometimes lonely – at the top. But just as how schools are structured, managed and ‘owned’ has evolved in recent years through the development of academy trusts and multi-academy trusts (MATs), so too has what ‘top’ now means in a school leadership context.

In many academies, and especially MATs, it is now the chief executive who is the most senior leader – and the figurehead with whom, ultimately, the buck stops – rather than individual head teachers who, more commonly, will report into and back to the CEO and his or her team.

And, while the pressures, stress and strains on head teachers in a landscape of high-stakes accountability and eye-watering financial constraints have been well-documented, the challenges and pressures faced by, and on the shoulders of, MAT CEOs is often less well-recognised. Yet MAT CEOs – who often will have progressed to the role from being a head teacher – may need support, help and representation as much as other school leaders.

A

To that end, NAHT has established a new multi-academy trust chief executive group specifically to help and be a voice and support network for MAT CEOs (see panel for details).

As group chair Gary Wilkie emphasises, it is a much-needed new resource within NAHT: “There has been an awareness within NAHT for some time of the need to have a group for CEOs within the union.

The group has been going now for about eight or nine months, and so it is still very much in its early stages.

“It would therefore be great to hear from as many people as possible who are interested in us, as MAT CEOs, collectively working together. This is us saying to CEOs ‘what do you want from NAHT that you don’t feel you are currently getting?’.”

As well as being NAHT Newham branch secretary, Gary is chief executive of Learning in Harmony (lihtrust.uk), a MAT split between eight schools, all converter academies, spreading from Newham in London through to Southend on the Essex coast. The trust was established in September 2014.

“It is very much based around a collective commitment to make the best of what is available to each other. We are not trying to create something where everybody is doing the same thing, as if we have some kind of magic formula. We are not an orchestra, because in an orchestra there is a pre-determined score. We are trying to be the best jazz band in the world,” laughs Gary.

He came to the chief executive role through school headship, but he agrees the role of chief executive is very different from that of head teacher. “It is totally different. And what’s interesting, I think, is you only realise how different it is when you get to a certain size and it has been going for a little while.

“When you’re at two, three, or four schools, you can operate as a ‘superhead’ or as an executive head where you have a reasonable understanding of what’s going on in each of the schools. If you’re a head of a big school you’re not dayto-day responsible for everything, you’re responsible for making sure someone else is responsible for everything. At small MAT size you can still do that.

“Once you get beyond that it’s much harder, particularly if you are trying to not operate on a ‘we’re all going to do everything the same’ kind of way. I consider myself

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ACADEMY CEO GROUP 26

more of an influencer in terms of my leadership style; a coach, a questioner. And to do that really effectively you have to understand the organisation you are trying to influence. Yet the further away you are, the harder it is for subtle influencing conversations to make a difference, or for you to really know that they’ve made a difference.

“The other thing in terms of what is different is that as a CEO you tend to spend an awful lot of your time on the management of health and safety, compliance, premises and contracts, as well as the financials.

You can create a back-office team and put in place the infrastructure you want to create, but you have to remember all the time that this is about a school. It’s not about profit; it is a people industry.

“I came into teaching because I wanted to make a difference to society. I went into leadership, which developed into a senior leadership role, and now, as a MAT CEO, I feel I have an opportunity to influence society at a wider level; to have a strong influence on a group of schools, a larger group of children, and a wider community. To me, it is not any different. OK, I don’t have that day-to-day contact – that ‘I’ve just been there when that child has learnt something’ buzz – but I do get the ‘I’ve just had a conversation with a leader that has helped them to solve a problem that they are dealing with that is going to make a difference to children’,” he adds.

But with that opportunity to influence – to, in effect, shape his schools and his community from an educational perspective – comes a whole range of stresses, pressures and responsibilities, especially given the challenging day-to-day climate within many schools.

“I think one of the roles of a leader is to protect their workforce,” says Gary. “And it’s making sure the organisation is operating in a way that fits its values. That means you have to challenge people all the time; having uncomfortable conversations.

I’m not talking about uncomfortable conversations in terms of telling people when they’re not doing a good enough job. I’m talking about uncomfortable conversations in terms of ‘actually, this is what we’ve agreed to do as a group of people

in terms of the way that we are operating; you’re not operating like that, so we need to find a way of doing something about it’. That’s very different, I think, from ‘you’re not following our marking policy so follow it’, because operating according to a set of values is far more subtle.

So, there is that level of pressure.

“There is also a level of pressure just in terms of the finances. It is very, very frustrating when there is so much pressure. Every CEO I talk to says one of their greatest concerns is how they are working harder than they have ever worked to feel they can justify their salary. And the pressure that puts on you is enormous.

“Legally, I am responsible for eight schools. I do find myself quite often having to make a judgement about something. HR experts, lawyers, financial people – they are all very, very good at giving you advice. But they are not the ones who make the decisions. And legal and HR advice is often risk averse, as it needs to be. But sometimes, equally, you need to take some risks, otherwise you are never going to get anywhere,” Gary adds.

And this is very much where the new group will come into play. “NAHT has realised there is a group of people who are all doing a relatively similar job who need support, who need access to a range of networks, who need to feel that somebody is there for them personally,” explains Gary.

“There are other organisations out there. The Confederation of School Trusts, for example, is doing a very good job as the voice of trusts – but that is about trusts per se, not the individual people. There are also

MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GROUP NAHT’s multi-academy trust chief executive officer group has been set up to: • identify the professional and employment issues that are of particular relevance to the role of the chief executive officer in MATs; • establish how NAHT can best represent the interests of CEOs and to support them in their role; • inform the development of NAHT policies, advice and guidance to support CEOs and MATs; • be a positive voice for CEOs within and outside the association, including sharing good practice and case studies across MATs and promoting networking in regions and branches.

There is a group of people who are all doing a relatively similar job who need support, who need access to a range of networks, who need to feel that somebody is there for them personally.

great organisations out there doing training in how to be a CEO, but to my mind that is also not what NAHT’s role should be.

“NAHT, just as it is for head teachers and school leaders generally, is there for each individual CEO as a place of last resort, that back-up insurance for which so many people join a union in the first place. But there is also a recognition among leadership at NAHT, and among the CEOs within the group, that it has to be more than insurance.

It also needs be the voice of CEOs, whether they have come into the role from being a head teacher or from outside education.”

To that end, and as highlighted earlier, NAHT is keen hear from MAT CEOs who would like to be involved and to widen the membership of the new group. The hope, too, is that from small beginnings this could lead to further networking and support activity, perhaps even one day an NAHT MAT leaders’ conference or something equivalent.

“Our aspiration is to be giving you, the MAT CEO, more of a collective voice, more of a networking opportunity, and a forum through which to represent you to politicians, to other groups, and simply to support each other. So please do come and join us,” Gary says.

If you are a MAT CEO and would like to be a part of the group, please contact John Hakes, NAHT head of representation and bargaining, at john.hakes@naht.org.uk.

INSPECTION FAQS

Your guide to the new inspection framework NAHT examined Ofsted’s new inspection handbook and has put together answers to some key practical questions, alongside a summary of the main changes to inspection methodology and judgements.

NAHT’s policy exp perts have e answered members’ key questions about the new Ofsted framework for inspections from September 2019. Below are some of the questions covered – for details of all NAHT’s FAQs, information and advice for members on inspection, see naht.org.uk/ k/ /ofstedfaqs.

When will I be Q notified of an inspection?

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You wiill be no otified between 10.3 30am and 2pm on the day beffore e inspection. Exceptionally, Ofsted can inspect without notice where there are e very y serious concerns, in which case notification takes place about 15 minutes before inspectors arrive on site.

How long will the

Q inspection last?

Normally two days, regardless of whether it is a full section 5 inspection, or a section 8 inspection of a ‘good’ school. ‘Good’ or non-exempt ‘outstanding’ schools with fewer than 150 pupils on roll that are inspected under section 8 inspection will normally receive a one-day inspection.

Will there be

Q on-site

‘preparation’?

No - NAHT vigorously opposed this and there was little support for Ofsted’s proposed change. Instead, Ofsted has introduced a 90-minute phone call between the lead inspector and the head teacher that will happen in the afternoon before the on-site inspection begins the following day.

This may be split into two separate calls, one focused on the school’s

conttextt, progress and d sttrengtths and weaknesses; with h a later call concentrating on plan nning and practical arrangements for the inspection.

> keepiing an aiide-memoiire off the above points handy and accessible – this could prove helpful in reducing stress and worry about ‘the call’, particularly if you are off-site; > having to hand your school improvement plan, selfevaluation, and your previous Ofsted report; > involving your whole leadership team in the reflections above, remembering your deputy may need to take the call if you are offf-site.

• Have a plan for wh hen th he calll comes: > brief your school office to ensure arrangementts for the phone conversation provide you with some time to gather your thoughts, check your notes and reflectt ahead of the call; > co onssid der wheth her it would help to take the call on speakerphone to allow w your leadership team to he ear the conversation and supporrt you; > think about the process for informing and reassuring staff – and if another member of the leadership team needs to do this if the call runs over the end of the school day; > consider how your leadership team are prepared and sighted if you are unable to take the call.

What is NAHT’s Q advice about handling the 90-minute phone call?

We think it is prudentt to consider he inspection taking steps to get th ble start. off to the best possib There will no longer be the opportunity to reflect overnight on n how best to articulate your school’ss successes and challenges in that key first discussion with the lead inspector, as this phone call will take place in the hours after notification, so here are some possible mitigations: • Read throug gh parag grap phs 54-64 of the handbook.

• Consider, in advance, how you would describe: > your school’s context and the community you serve; > any recent changes that may have affected your school; > your school’s progress against areas identified for improvement since the previous inspection.

• Remember that inspectors will refuse to consider in n-school data, but will be interested in how you use such data, the workload it may genera ate and the im mpact of its use.

• Keep in mind the strong focus that inspectors will have on curriculum planning, delivery and impact (‘intent, implementation, impact’) – with this in mind, what are the school’s strengths and weaknesses?

• Identify the areas that you believe inspectors should focus on.

• Take some practical steps and consider:

What’s changing Q for full (section 5) inspections?

FIND OUT MORE…

To read NAHT’s FAQs in full, see naht.org.uk/ ofstedfaqs.

Inspectors will make four new graded judgements, with the content, evaluatiion criteria and descriptors for each of the below judgements either new orr revised: • quality of education • behaviour and attitudes • personal development • leadership and management.

EDUCATION SECRETARY

GAVIN WILLIAMSON was appointed secretary of state for education earlier this year. Here he outlines his plans and priorities. chool improvement is a complex business. There are no easy solutions or quick fixes. As school leaders, you know this better than anyone. You are faced with a daily balancing act of needs and priorities and many of these will require tough decisions.

But I know that you are the best people to make these decisions.

As school leaders you know your

S

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Education secretary Gavin Williamson on a recent school visit

schools, your parents and the children in your care better than anyone. I back you 100% to manage your resources wisely, taking into account all these diverse needs.

Since 2010, we have embarked on an ambitious programme of reforms and you’ve done a fantastic job in putting them into practice. The changes to the primary curriculum, for instance, raised the bar in our

ambition for young children. We want to see every single child leaving primary school with a good standard of reading, writing and maths.

We can already see from our most recent figures that 65% of all pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, while 11% exceeded it. There are now 1.9 million more children in ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | OCTOBER 2019

schools than there were in 2010.

That represents roughly 85% of children, up from 66%. These really are tremendous figures and there are plenty more like them.

I want you to continue this excellent work, and I’m increasing the funds you have at your disposal so that you have more scope to do so.

This will give you greater certainty over your budgets, enabling you to plan more effectively, help you to recruit and retain the best teachers and provide more robust support for your most vulnerable pupils.

We are investing over £14 billion more in schools across the next three years. In 2022-23, this will mean an extra £4.6 billion for primary and secondary schools, over and above inflation, so that all schools are levelled up and money is more fairly distributed.

I know how challenging balancing the books is, with so many different claims on what will always be a limited pot of cash. So this boost will hopefully ease some of the pressure on school leaders like yourselves.

One of the key areas of concern has been recruiting enough high-quality teachers and keeping those you already have. Earlier on this year we launched a new teaching recruitment and retention strategy.

This involved teaching unions, leaders and teachers working together to develop a more supportive culture in schools. We may all have different roles but we share the same ambitions. We all want the teaching profession to be one that attracts the best people and offers them a satisfying, sustainable career.

A key part of the strategy is the new Early Career Framework, which is the most significant reform of the profession since teaching became a graduate-only profession. It will provide much more support for

teachers at the start of their careers, when we know they are most at risk of quitting the profession. I want there to be a culture in every school where it’s not just the pupils who flourish, it’s the teachers too.

I know that teachers don’t sign up for the job because they’re motivated by money but let’s be honest, pay is important. I care passionately that teachers are accorded the respect and esteem they deserve and that extends to what they are paid.

I am very pleased to say that we are planning the biggest reform to teacher pay in a generation. I intend salaries for new teachers to rise to £30,000 by 2022-23, and for teachers at all stages of their careers to see their pay

Consistent school improvement is something we can only achieve if we work together and I am looking forward to having a constructive and fruitful relationship with NAHT. Your views are vital and I want to hear them.

As with so much else, the more we talk about the problems we face, the more chance we have of solving them. I know that NAHT has a strong tradition of providing good advice to the department – for example in taking forward the changes to primary assessment – and I really want to see that continue.

I am a big fan of round-table meetings to do this – I find that they’re an excellent way of hearing first hand about ideas and concerns that might otherwise go unaired. All

The more we talk about the problems we face, the more chance we have of solving them. increase. This is being covered by the increase in funding I have been able to announce. Together with the pension scheme, this will mean schools can offer new teachers one of the most competitive pay packages in the graduate market.

Another area which will benefit from extra funds is special educational needs and disabilities.

There’s no mystery about our ambitions for SEND children, we have the same aspirations for them as we do any child. We want every single one of them to have the chance to make the most of their potential and to let their abilities shine.

I am very glad to have been able to announce an increase of more than £700 million to support SEND children next year. This is going hand in hand with a wider review of SEND services, which I launched at the start of September.

of us – schools, government, business – we all need to keep the dialogue going to keep up the momentum for change.

At a recent round-table with NAHT and other stakeholders, we had a wide-ranging discussion about some of the barriers to school improvement and some of the ways individual schools have tackled them, as well how we can collectively unleash more of the untapped potential across the system. I am genuinely optimistic that between us we will continue to drive standards upwards.

As education secretary I want you to know you could not have a more enthusiastic or committed champion in government than me. I will be working for you every bit as hard as I know you are working for our children. It will be a team effort and I am very much looking forward to what we are going to achieve together.

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NAHT ASPIRE

School-led improvement How the NAHT Aspire programme has made a difference for leaders, teachers and learners at two West Sussex primary schools. he NAHT Aspire pilot programme was launched in 2013 with the aim of putting “the future in the hands of the profession”, and these words have proved prophetic for Glenn Livingstone, head teacher and now executive principal of the Partners in Learning Trust.

Glenn’s previous school was in the original pilot of NAHT Aspire in 2013. What attracted him to the programme was the principle of working with schools to use strategies in a way that suits their community. It is not a one-size-fitsall model, it is adaptive and, most of all, sustainable. This was contrary to other programmes, which focused predominantly on quick wins. Glenn is adamant that NAHT Aspire was fundamental to rapidly securing a ‘good’ Ofsted outcome after a previous satisfactory rating.

at Halsford Park, where key stage 2 progress has moved from several years of being significantly below national average to being in line with it, and above it in some areas.

“There continues to be the need to improve further at both schools, but as the strategies mature and refine, our journey to excellence continues,” says Glenn.

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Developing leaders

“All leaders now feel empowered and are having a significant impact on their teams. The role of achievement team leader is used as a first – but very important – step into middle leadership,” he says.

NAHT Aspire was introduced at Partners in Learning from September 2014, and he explains that the key driver for the Trust was to bring about genuine empowerment of leadership at all levels to improve learning and progress. The Aspire programme is based on the belief that school improvement can only be effectively achieved through shared and distributed leadership.

“We now have highly effective leaders at all levels,” Glenn says, with both schools in the trust, Baldwins Hill Primary School and Halsford Park Primary School in East Grinstead, West Sussex, working collaboratively on the programme.

School-to-school improvement

Above: Glenn Livingstone and the Partners in Learning Trust NAHT Aspireaccredited partnership team

Middle leaders have responsibility in both schools and Achievement Teams have been established with membership from both schools to bring about sharing of ideas.

Teaching and learning has improved.

“There is no way an individual school, or group of schools, would have the time or capacity to design these strategies,” says Glenn. The vast array of teaching, learning and leadership tools and strategies available through the programme are well researched and evidenced.

“We also utilised the EdisonLearning Connected Curriculum, which always espoused the benefits of a broad and balanced curriculum before Ofsted finally caught up.”

This has led to improvements in teaching and learning more broadly than just in SATs results, particularly

“Over the years I have seen the school grow and develop levels of professionalism that were simply not existent all those years ago. The structures now in place and the teaching strategies that are embedded enable the children to progress faster. I now know I am working at a level I was not all those years ago, and I am able to help children more than I could in the past. And it is still a very friendly place.”

PAUL TIPPETT, CLASS TEACHER AT BALDWINS HILL PRIMARY SCHOOL

“Because our schools have felt the far-reaching benefits to this programme, we were keen to spread the good practice to others.

Therefore, when the opportunity arose to become an Accredited Partner, we jumped at the chance,” he says.

Glenn was asked to become an associate advisor on the NAHT Aspire TLIF Programme. He found this very beneficial to his own schools as it ensured he gained an even deeper knowledge and understanding of the strategies, which has enabled his schools to reflect further and make changes to get more impact.

In 2018, the NAHT Aspire Accredited partner model was launched, with the Partners in Learning Trust becoming the first accredited partner in the south east.

The new academic year will see it supporting three schools in the local area with the NAHT Aspire team.

“We have come full circle and, six years on, the NAHT Aspire programme continues to deliver the vision of a self-improving system with our members and their schools enjoying and sharing their success,” says Glenn.

To find out more about the Five Strand Design, NAHT Aspire partnerships and how to become an accredited partner, visit nahtaspire.co.uk or call 0844 809 9219.

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | OCTOBER 2019

Have you taken advantage of your membership benefits from our partners?

New partners for 2019 FlashAcademy® EAL FlashAcademy® EAL is a new platform for schools, supporting teachers to deliver learning for pupils who don’t have English as their first language.

FlashAcademy® accelerates English language acquisition through curriculum-mapped lessons, challenges and games that simultaneously teach and test pupils. NAHT members receive a 5% discount towards a FlashAcademy® school licence, when quoting code ‘NAHT’.

Judicium Education’s data protection officer (DPO) service helps schools and MATs comply with the requirements set out in the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). Judicium Education acts as the DPO for over 1,200 schools and also provides GDPR training for NAHT. Its DPO service is now offered at a discount to NAHT members.

Lloyd & Whyte, which has been advising members of professional associations on their personal insurances for over 20 years. Find out more at lloydwhyte.com/naht.

You can email them at naht@lloydwhyte.com or call the team on 01823 250730.

For you and your school We understand that everyone has their own goals and challenges and, as your chosen professional body, we’re committed to meeting your needs. Being a member of NAHT brings a range of benefits, including services and discounts from our carefully selected partners.

NAHT Assured partners can provide your school with professional services such as HR, payroll, health and safety, effectiveness, SIMS, and more.

Your membership, your benefits

We’re always on the lookout for the best money-saving deals for you and regularly update our membership offers. Tell us who you want to receive discounts from and we’ll see what we can do.

Email affinity@naht.org.uk.

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Visit naht.org.uk/affinity to see the latest offers from our partners.

FOR YOU

FOR YOUR SCHOOL

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The Education Broker (absence insurance)

amplifon.com CS Healthcare (healthcare) cshealthcare.co.uk

theeducationbroker.co.uk Eschools (communications) eschools.co.uk (code NAHT-1819) GL Assessment (assessment)

Graybrook Insurance Brokers Ltd

gl-assessment.co.uk

(professional indemnity and public

Medical Tracker (medical information

liability insurance)

management)

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medicaltracker.co.uk

Mycarlease.club (personal car leasing) Mycarlease.club (code NAHTMCL18) Looking for peace of mind with your insurance? We have a brand new partnership with

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Please note that NAHT’s partner offers are not provided by NAHT but by NAHT’s partners. Accordingly, NAHT or NAHT Edge members wishing to purchase selected products and services must do so directly from the relevant partner. In connection with the promotion of these selected products and services, NAHT grants its partners the right to use the name NAHT partner or the NAHT Assured logo. As part of its investigations, and taking account of ongoing members’ feedback, NAHT is confident the products and services offered by its partners, in connection with the NAHT name and NAHT Assured logo, are worthy of serious consideration by school leaders interested in selecting such products and services.

Notwithstanding this, each NAHT or NAHT Edge member acknowledges that in selecting such products and services, they have not relied on any endorsement or association with NAHT in respect of the relevant product or service and shall have no remedies against NAHT and its employees in respect of such endorsement or association.

YOUTH CLIMATE ACTION

Agen nts of ch hange How children at a Cu umbria primary school are campaigning to tackle climate change with the help of their head tea acher.

“

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As head teachers and school leaders, we’re well versed – right across teaching – in this notion that we have a duty and responsibility to prepare children for the world,” says Graham Frost, NAHT memb ber and head teacher at Robert Ferguson Primary School in Carlisle.

He continues: “But I take it a little bit further now, and say I think we have a duty and responsibility to prepare the world for our children. And that is what I’m hearing coming from councillors and politicians – they’re starting to echo those kinds of sentiments.”

Graham’s approach to teaching g about climate change has been informed by his own experiencess at school, where he also learnt all about the greenhouse effect and d rainforest deforestation. Yet his experience left him “feeling very angry and worried and perplexed d that nothing seemed to be done about addressing them”.

“It was like we know there’s a problem; end of,” he says. “I didn’t want the children coming back to o me and saying the sorts of thingss I was thinking when I was a child, being similarly mystified about th he collective foolishness of allowing these things to go on unchecked d.”

So, now, as a head teacher, he teaches students at his school about the science of climate change – something he describes as having gone from being a fringe concern to being mainstream – and he is helping them do something about it.

“The children are really engaged.

It’s quite exciting when it reaches a tipping point where, actually,

instead of the impetus coming from the adults, now it’s very much coming from the children, who are challenging us as a school about doing more.

“When I’m telling the children about putting a food digestor in my garden, they’re asking ‘why haven’t we got one in school, Mr Frost’? And when they are busy recycling their thousands of plastic containers associated with

the school milk scheme, they are saying ‘can’t we have a different different system?’ and ‘do we hav ve to ve have all these single-use e plastic containers?’ So, we’re re eviewing eviewing that. This has empowere ed people.” ed Graham says it has allso so had an impact on parents, the community, community, and, significantly, on pollliticians iticians and big business. “If you u consider how previous generation ns of ns chilldren persuaded theirr parents

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | OCTOBER 2019

FIND OUT MORE…

You can hear Graham Frost and Lord Redesdale discussing action on climate change in a recent NAHT school leadership podcast episode – see naht.org. uk/podcasts, or search for ‘school leadership podcast’ on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Below: Graham Frost

to consider stopping smoking once they’d learnt about the health risks at school, I think it’s the same with this current generation, who are going home and saying we need to do more on sustainable living. Children are becoming change agents,” he says.

His students have received responses to letters they wrote to government departments about climate change and are involved in regional events. In April, the school worked with the Learning, Education and Development Research Centre at the University of Cumbria to organise the Cumbria Youth Climate Change Summit.

This saw 90 young people from 30 schools taking part to discuss their concerns about climate change, with local councillors attending to hear what they had to say.

In May this year, Graham brought a motion on climate change in the curriculum to NAHT’s Annual Conference, which was passed.

It encourages school leaders to incorporate information about the impact of climate change into learning plans, to help young people express their views without compromising their personal safety, and to give time in the school day

SUGGESTIONS FOR ORGANISING A YOUTH CLIMATE SUMMIT

1 2 3

An invitation is sent to schools for two pupil delegates from each school to attend – this enables many schools to participate.

Delegates consult their peers and represent their views by giving a two-minute presentation at the summit. They then feed back to their schools after the event.

Local politicians and councillors are invited to hear the pupils’ views and are given a time-limited opportunity to respond at the end.

For more details and information about Graham’s work on climate change, including the Cumbria Youth Climate Change Summit, see cumbriahead.worpress.com.

for activity to pressurise policymakers to take the issues that matter to young people seriously, and to act on them.

“I felt strongly that NAHT should equip and empower school leaders to support this generation of children to have a much bigger platform so they can communicate the message across to as wide an audience as possible,” he explains.

Since then, Graham and his students have continued their campaign. “We’ve produced a series of videos highlighting the issues, and what’s really powerful about these videos is they’re having a strong impact.

That’s come about through the developing connection with Lord Redesdale and the Do Something Now campaign.”

“Lord Redesdale is using some of those videos at meetings, and he’s reporting back to us that some of those meetings have resulted in big business making big pledges on carbon reduction. You can imagine the response of the children at our school when I relate that back to them.”

The Do Something Now campaign aims to secure the commitment, through the making of pledges, of everyone – from individuals through to large

organisations and businesses, to take the necessary steps to achieve rapid carbon reduction.

“We are teaching them their efforts can have a real impact, about activism in the right ways.

We’re saying to them, actually, you know that video we made, well it’s having an impact. It’s a jawdropping response, and the impact of that is it doubles their effort and enthusiasm for doing more work,” Graham says.

“I don’t think we’re done with this, it’s going to run and run, because of course the issue of climate change is going to run and run and become more prevalent as we increasingly see the effects of it.”

Graham is already planning for the school to organise more events, and it is working with other organisations, including the Wildlife Trust and Global Action Plan, which recently launched new resources for schools called Transform Our World – see page 36 for more about this.

“We’ve lit the touch paper for this youth action on climate change, so now we’ve got to decide whether to fan the flames or allow it to fizzle out. And I think you can gather from my enthusiasm for this, it’s not going to fizzle out,” says Graham.

Read more about Global Action Plan and Transform our World on page 36. You can also find out more at globalactionplan.org.uk/transform-our-world.

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TRANSFORM OUR WORLD

Empowering positive action A new online resource hub has been set up to help schools encourage positive youth environmental action. aunched this autumn, Transform Our World is a new online hub full of free, practical resources for schools. The hub offers solutions for teachers and school leaders to feel better equipped to respond to enthusiasm and energy around the climate strike, as well as empowering young people to take positive action on the environment.

Resources on the hub are picked and rated by teachers and provide opportunities for students to lead impactful projects that benefit their friends, family and local area, as well as the wider world. Transform Our World is a chance for teachers and school leaders on a collective mission to connect with one another and encourage their whole school to get involved in youth green social action, by embedding it in school life and culture.

L

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Why use the Transform Our World hub?

• Save time: High-quality, low-preparation resources are collected in one place. They are sourced from a range of partner organisations that are expert in inspiring young people to protect the natural world through schools

Below: Resources on the hub provide opportunities for students to lead impactful projects that benefit their friends, family and local area

programmes. Programme partners include RSPB’s Wild Challenge and Young Climate Warriors, for example, with new partners joining as the hub grows.

• Tackle the environmental Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): The hub has a selection of ready-made resource suggestions for teachers who want to run activities on tackling the environmental UN Sustainable Development Goals.

• Access an expanding, curriculum-linked resource library: Teachers have rated and reviewed the resources, which are curriculum-linked and grouped under themes such as STEM, SDGs, outdoor learning and local community. Every month has a new resource focus.

• Access training and CPD opportunities: The hub offers teachers a broadening range of training and CPD opportunities.

• Be part of a growing teacher community: Transform Our World is building a community – be a part of it! Feedback is key to helping shape the hub, so please encourage your teachers to send the team their thoughts at transformourworld@ globalactionplan.org.uk.

Next steps

Ask your teachers to visit transform-our-world.org and sign up to use the resources. There

is a PowerPoint presentation available for school leaders to share Transform Our World with teachers – it’s available to download at globalactionplan.org. uk/files/transform_our_world_ presentation_for_teachers.pptx or by emailing transformourworld@ globalactionplan.org.uk.

Who is behind Transform Our World?

Environmental charity Global Action Plan has created Transform Our World as part of its pledge to the #iwill campaign: a movement of more than 1,000 organisations from across the UK that aims to make participation in social action – such as volunteering, campaigning, supporting peers and fundraising – the norm for young people aged 10 to 20.

The #iwill Fund supports Transform Our World. The #iwill Fund is made possible thanks to £40 million joint investment from The National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to support young people to access high-quality social action opportunities.

For more information see transform-our-world.org and follow @transformSDG.

Chartered College of Teaching YOUR professional body RAISING the status of teaching CONTINUALLY DEVELOP

CLAIM A

Recognising excellent teaching and awarding Chartered Teacher status (CTeach) Bringing teachers and experts together with our networks and events

DISCOUNT

DELIVER THE BEST POSSIBLE EDUCATION Peer-reviewed journal, Impact, full of the latest research and practice

We’re working to celebrate, support and connect teachers to take pride in their profession and provide the best possible education for children and young people

MyCollege, tailor-made research and guides to support teacher development

VALUED AS AN EXPERT AND A LEADER Awarding members with post-nominals MCCT Join roundtables and feed into consultations to shape the future of teaching

We are bridging the gap between practice and research and equipping teachers from the second they enter the classroom with the knowledge and con!dence to make the best decisions for their pupils

NAHT members can claim a 20% discount* on Chartered College of Teaching membership Visit naht.org.uk/charteredcollegediscount to !nd out more * 20% discount available to NAHT members joining the Chartered College of Teaching, not for NAHT members already holding Chartered College membership.

www.chartered.college.com

PLACE2BE

Preventing mental health problems CATHERINE ROCHE, chief executive of Place2Be, explores new plans to prioritise prevention for mental health and explains how school teams are in a great position to help. alf of those with lifetime mental health conditions first experience symptoms by the age of 14 and children spend most of their time in school – so it’s unsurprising that, alongside the home, the classroom and playground are now seen as crucial environments for early intervention.

Children aren’t always able to articulate their feelings and school teams know that better than most.

So when one of your teachers raises a concern about a pupil who’s struggling or behaving out of character, it could be the crucial first step in the identification and prevention of a mental health condition.

As a mother, former teacher and chief executive of the children’s mental health charity Place2Be, I’m delighted that the importance of supporting children and young people’s emotional well-being is increasingly under the spotlight.

Alongside many of you, we have been banging the early intervention drum and pioneering school-based support and training for more than 25 years.

Intervening early makes a qualitative difference to individuals’ lives, as well as saving society money. Gemma, an adult who received Place2Be support as a child, summed it up: “If there was a mirror that allowed me to see a version of me that didn’t go to Place2Be then I don’t think I would want to see it, because I wouldn’t wan nt to know the type of person I could have turned out to be.”

Encoura agingly, policy is shifting in the same e dirrection. The recent green paper from the Department of Health d Social Care makes prevention and

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Above: Catherine Roche

a priority for the next decade and reinforces the need for a ‘parity of esteem’ between physical and mental health. With the right tools, school teams are in a great position to help these changes to happen.

The green paper outlines the requirement for all schools to provide support, as well as teaching about mental health and well-being from September 2020 at the latest. We know the former can be especially difficult given budgetary pressures, but projects like The Greater Manchester Mentally Healthy Schools and Colleges programme have shown the impressive progress that follows when the education, health and charity sectors work in partnership.

The Department for Education will also develop training for new teachers to help them spot the signs of mental health conditions – something we’ve provided from 2013 and embedded for students in

Visit place2be.org.uk/train to find out more about Place2Be’s expert training for schools, including the Mental Health Champions programmes.

Visit mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk to access high-quality mental health resources, information and advice for primary schools.

Belfast, Stirling and Edinburgh since last year. But no one should expect teachers to become experts and diagnose conditions themselves.

Schools with Place2Be’s on-site services can call upon our mental health professionals for expert consultations that focus on the potential causes behind challenging behaviour, regulating stress and improving classroom management.

The emphasis should always be on building knowledge and capacity, not adding pressures – so we are exploring ways to empower school teams by providing easy access to the tools they need. We launched the Mentally Healthy Schools website last year with the Anna Freud Centre and YoungMinds, funded by the Royal Foundation, to ensure primary schools can access quality-assured mental health resources, information and advice.

If we looked into our own version of Gemma’s mirror, what would we want to see? My vision is a society where early intervention is the norm, allowing our children to grow into adults who can cope with life’s challenges and thrive. In the coming years, schools will play a vital role in building this future – and many of you are already leading the way.

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | OCTOBER 2019

Whatever the weather AHOEC executive member GLEN PROBERT outlines the benefits of outdoor learning experiences during the autumn and winter months. s the seasons change, it is easy to discount the opportunity to enhance learning through the great outdoors.

But no matter the season, the purpose for educating young people remains the same. We all want to help children to reach their full potential and to do so means exposing them to the best learning experiences possible as a platform for their future success.

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Enhancing the curriculum

To create an irresistible curriculum in a school involves planning and implementing variety, challenge and real experiences that, with guidance, allow the children to be innovative, gain and apply knowledge, and be creative, to gain a sense of wonder and achievement that itself acts as a catalyst for a desire to keep learning.

Outdoor educational experiences are well proven to enhance a school’s curriculum to bring about some of the outcomes mentioned above. Such benefits are outlined in national guidance such as High Quality Outdoor Learning – see outdoor-learning.org/GoodPractice/Good-Practice/HighQuality-Outdoor-Learning.

As our society changes, there is a danger that not exposing our children to some of the hazards and challenges of the world will limit their ability to manage risk levels or gain benefits for themselves later in life, while also reducing the likelihood they will continue to benefit from outdoor learning experiences. For those interested in knowing more on this subject, the Nothing Ventured publication

by Tim Gill is well worth a read – see englishoutdoorcouncil.org/ wp-content/uploads/NothingVentured.pdf.

Connecting with nature

Leading Outdoor Learning

In Scandinavian countries, people have built a connection with nature as part of their society. From nursery age, through school and right into their adult working life, people are encouraged to practise ‘friluftsliv’, which means being fully present in nature, getting outdoors and open-air living, all year round, in some of the toughest conditions imaginable. This is more than just about being in nature, it’s also about being mindful and appreciative of the environment and that moment where they really connect with the world around them.

The autumn and winter periods in the UK are excellent times of year to increase the opportunity for schools to add to their curriculum and the children’s learning experiences.

The changes in temperature and weather promote a sense of challenge from the elements that requires children to plan and take responsibility for their comfort levels. It builds their resilience and the need to be aware of how the environment is affecting others as much as themselves.

Sometimes the power of nature gives us more perspective, as

we feel our place in the world through immersion in a challenging environment. The winter seasons also provide a change in colour as well as feel – a gentle walk through a forest on a cold morning or an early afternoon sun casting long shadows over a landscape can create vivid memories for children and provide an opportunity for creativity and reflection.

When that sun finally sets, a whole new magical world is awakening. Night walks provide access to animals and sounds not usually heard by children, with a real sense of challenge as one of their senses is taken from them.

And nothing can beat that moment when the clouds clear and expose children to the wonders of the night sky. Once the adventure is over, the sense of achievement and camaraderie is tangible. Such experiences early in the school year can be a perfect cornerstone for building relationships between the children and with the teacher, or a springboard to launch into an immersive curriculum learning for the rest of the year.

Learning Away has some great supporting literature to get an insight on what the facts and figures say – see learningaway.org.uk /freeresources/winterresidentials/2-benefits/ – and there’s also a video on the benefits at vimeo.com/234107865.

AHOEC is the professional membership association for leaders in outdoor learning. Members hold senior strategic positions in outdoor learning centres across the UK and oversees. The aim of the relationship between AHOEC and NAHT is to raise the profiles of both associations and to share best practice in the leadership of effective and high-quality educational experiences for young people. Find out more at ahoec.org, email team@ahoec.org or call 01228 564422.

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Equip pupils with the cultural capital they need to succeed in life Artsmark Award is the only creative quality standard for schools that helps to:

• Build young people’s confidence, character and resilience through creativity • Support the health and wellbeing of pupils through arts and culture • Meet Ofsted’s requirements for Quality of Education by using Artsmark’s flexible framework to maintain broad and ambitious curriculum Photo © Mark Savage / Our Lady’s Catholic High School

Register at

artsmark.org.uk

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | OCTOBER 2019 A LEGAL VIEW

Disability and exclusions NAHT solicitor YIN-WAI WONG outlines a recent legal challenge in an exclusion case and what this means for schools. isability is defined in the Equality Act 2010 as any physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. There is no precise definition for ‘impairment’; tribunals will give it its ordinary and natural meaning, denoting a sort of limitation outside the normal range of differences in ability among people.

People with certain conditions, such as those certified as blind or sight impaired by a consultant ophthalmologist, are deemed to have a disability, as are people with cancer, HIV and multiple sclerosis. On the other hand, certain conditions are normally excluded from amounting to an impairment, such as addiction to non-prescribed drugs (including alcohol), exhibitionism or voyeurism, a tendency to set fires, steal or the physical or sexual abuse of others, and hay fever.

The tendency to abuse of others is at Regulation 4(1) (c) of the Equality Act 2010 (Disability) Regulations 2010 (“the Regulation”). The Upper Tribunal gave the following guidance in a 2015 case as to the definition of tendency to the abuse of others: • an element of violent conduct is essential • no requirement for the perpetrator to know what they are doing is wrong • any misuse of power or coercion may mean a lower degree of violence is sufficient to establish this condition • the stage of a child’s development is a relevant factor • no requirement for this tendency to be manifested frequently or regularly.

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Until recently, the Regulation had been relied on by schools as part of their defence in disability discrimination claims at the First-tier Tribunal, in cases where children who had shown aggressive and violent behaviour towards others had been subject to exclusion measures.

This was so even where the tendency to physical abuse was a manifestation of a child’s underlying impairment, by way of, for instance, autism and ADHD. This changed with a recent Upper Tribunal case involving a primary school child with autism, anxiety and pathological demand avoidance. The child was 11 and, over a 10-month period, was involved in pulling, pushing and grabbing others. On one occasion, he hit a teaching assistant with a ruler, pulled her hair and punched her; on another occasion, he hit the same teaching assistant with a book. The child was subject to a 1.5-day fixed-term exclusion.

The parents brought a discrimination claim to the Firsttier Tribunal, which found that the child’s behaviour had amounted to a “tendency to physical abuse” and, therefore, falling under the exclusion in the Regulation, was not considered to have a disability.

Of course, a successful disability discrimination claim includes far more than establishing a disability, but with the first hurdle unsuccessful, the claim failed.

The parents appealed, solely on the legality of the First-tier Tribunal’s finding that the child was not “disabled” insofar as his “tendency to physical abuse” was concerned.

The appeal was upheld. The Upper Tribunal found that, in the context of education, the Regulation did violate the prohibition against discrimination at Article 14 of the

In accordance with section 15 of the Equality Act, schools need to justify that any exclusion measure employed is a “proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim”.

European Convention on Human Rights. The judge found that the secretary of state for education had failed to justify maintaining a provision that excluded protection of the Equality Act from children whose behaviour in school “is a manifestation of the very condition which calls for special educational provision to be made for them”. It was noted that “aggressive behaviour is not a choice for children with autism”.

At the time of writing, there has been no amendment to relevant legislation. Nonetheless, following this judgment, it is no longer lawful to apply the Regulation to children with an impairment that is more likely to result in physical aggression.

This does not mean schools are now blanketly prohibited from excluding pupils with disabilities.

What it signifies, however, is the need for schools to make reasonable adjustments (not irrespective of costs and practicalities) for children with disabilities, including trying to prevent or manage challenging pupil behaviour.

In accordance with section 15 of the Equality Act, schools need to justify that any exclusion measure employed is a “proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim”, the legitimate aim being to safeguard the needs and interests of other pupils and staff. Naturally, the more aggressive the behaviour, the more justifiable exclusion may be.

Given the Upper Tribunal’s reasoning was given specifically in the education context, not least with its reliance on the right to education, it is unlikely the judgment will have any direct application in the employment context, though it may give rise to cases arguing that the exclusion under the Regulation is indirectly discriminatory.

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WALES

Wales

POLICY UPDATE

ROB WILLIAMS, director of policy at NAHT Cymru, provides an update on the work being done in Wales to protect, support and empower NAHT members.

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Accountability: draft evaluation and improvement arrangements for Wales Improving School Accountability, the report from NAHT’s Accountability Commission in England, outlined a number of key recommendations. In NAHT Cymru’s work with Welsh government, we have progressed a number of similar key principles that have developed into tangible changes within the proposed evaluation and improvement arrangements for Wales, published earlier in 2019.

For example, one of the commission’s recommendations proposed a new role for the inspectorate and an increased opportunity to feed diagnostic information into each school to facilitate improvement. In the draft evaluation and improvement arrangements for Wales, Estyn is being provided with a changed role and clear remit for validating school selfevaluation processes and using a strong evidence-base in order to facilitate the wider self-improving education system outlined in Education in Wales: Our national mission, the Welsh government action plan for 2017-21.

In launching the draft evaluation and improvement arrangements for Wales, the minister for education, Kirsty Williams AM, outlined the far-reaching implications for the system: “In our reformed system, every child will count and schools will be evaluated according to the difference they make to the progress of every child. This will help schools focus on teaching and learning, the well-being of pupils and teachers, and reduce unnecessary bureaucracy.”

“This is a culture change. We are moving from a system based on compliance and bureaucracy to a model of evaluation and improvement more in line with high-performing education systems across the world. What remains constant is our focus on raising standards and attainment for all.”

The proposed changes will be phased in over a period of years so schools should be more able to adapt to the new curriculum while maintaining, and raising, standards. During this period, there will be a partial suspension in school inspections for 2020-21. However, schools causing concern would continue to be monitored by Estyn and inspection will still take place in schools where there are identified concerns during this time as will inspections of local authorities and independent schools. This pause in the inspection cycle was a direct call made by NAHT Cymru during Professor Graham Donaldson’s review of the inspectorate.

What remains clear within all the proposed changes is that there will be an increased role for school leadership within a peer review approach. Validating, challenging and supporting each other in the self-evaluation school improvement cycle. The challenge in shifting to this robust but more collegiate way of working is that the current system of school categorisation, and previous accountability systems in Wales, have created a culture of school comparison and high-level workload.

As NAHT Cymru has previously stated, for newly implemented policy, what schools and leadership need is clarity from Welsh government as to what it replaces: what stops for schools to create the space to bring in something new?

Pay review body’s first report

The Independent Welsh Pay Review Body (IWPRB) published its first report in June 2019. It made seven recommendations, including a pay award to all teachers of 2.4%. At the time of writing, the minister for education, Kirsty Williams AM, was unable to accept all the recommendations in full without further scrutiny of evidence, but she did commit to an increase in teachers’ pay of 2.75% – a reflection of the commitment secured by unions in Wales to ‘no detriment’ in comparison to pay awards in England.

The award, however, does not meet the 5% increase NAHT Cymru called for and, more worryingly, did not clarify that it would be fully funded in Wales.

Welsh government consultations – NAHT Cymru responses since May 2019: • Curriculum for Wales 2022: guidance • Additional National Professional Learning INSET days 2019 to 2022.

Welsh Assembly Committee inquiries – NAHT Cymru submissions: • Children, Young People and Education Committee - consultation on the Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Bill.

You can see the overview of the draft evaluation and improvement (accountability) arrangements for Wales at: gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2019-02/draft-evaluationand-improvement-accountability-arrangements-for-wales-overview-of-arrangements.pdf.

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | OCTOBER 2019

Northern Ireland

ALICE ADAMS LEMON, interim director of NAHT (NI), provides an update on the work being done to support members and represent their interests in Northern Ireland.

NAHT (NI) industrial dispute reaches tipping point

NAHT (NI)‘s negotiations with the employing authorities were pushed to their limit in July and August this year. Employers had been slow to address critical concerns as laid out by NAHT (NI) members in an indicative ballot held in January 2019. As their lack of engagement moved the union closer to unavoidable industrial action, there were several efforts to gain a negotiated agreement.

NAHT (NI) is asking for: An easing of workload being placed on school leaders and the removal of unjustified and inappropriate pressure until this is addressed in terms of a settlement.

The establishment of a school principals’/teachers’ consultative body with clear terms of reference, jointly agreed by the employers and school leaders, to consider workload, the inspection process, budget and support for schools.

A process of ‘fit for purpose’ evaluation of the EA’s Children and Young People’s Services to schools and the school support service.

An independent complaints procedure weighing up evidence from ETI and schools.

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The employers’ most recent response to the dispute was presented to the NAHT (NI) Committee in September. In the presence of the general secretary, the Committee agreed to move to a statutory ballot on industrial action. At the time of writing we have just announced NI members’ collective response – 95% of respondents would take action short of strike and 58% would take strike action.

During the period of ballot, members were invited to a number of engagement meetings throughout Northern Ireland.

The Northern Ireland press took interest in the fact that NAHT (NI) was balloting members, given that NAHT (NI) had chosen to support other teaching unions in their ongoing action short of strike, but had not participated in it.

Our members are managing colleagues who, depending on their own trade union membership, may be refusing to take part in professional discussions, out-ofhours activities, assessment or providing cover. Not only is a school leader needed to navigate individual participation depending on different legitimate actions, but they are also required to ensure that the school runs efficiently with no detriment to the education of the children in their care with the worst funding per pupil of anywhere else in the UK and Northern Ireland. Members feel that now is the time for action.

As ever, the negotiating team will remain open to discussions with the employing authorities at any time. However, there is a determination that any action should have minimal impact on learners and their families. For up-to-date information, visit naht.org.uk/timeforaction.

Education in Crisis – update

Following on from this, Northern Ireland has its unique issues, as no politician is present at Stormont to allow for a direct campaign to Members of the Local Assembly (MLAs). We would like MLAs to be back in Stormont by October so they can be lobbied in their own house.

NAHT (NI) president Geri Cameron, vice president Graham Gault and I will meet

POLICY UPDATE

with MLAs from the main parties to directly discuss with them issues in education that are relevant to our members, including the industrial action mentioned above.

However, at the time of writing there is still no MLA sitting in Stormont.

New vice principals’ and principals’ meetings

Business-as-usual is a difficult concept in these turbulent times in Northern Ireland. Despite this, NAHT (NI) continues to welcome new principals and vice principals into the role by offering members and non-members the opportunity to network, find out more about the union and ask questions about the profession in a safe space. This year was no different, and in September newly appointed practitioners were welcomed into the offices in Belfast to discuss and prepare for the challenges ahead.

We are delighted to announce that a Post-Primary Committee has been established to support, hear from and progress the views of members in those roles.

Looking forward

As we move into the new school year, NAHT (NI) hopes for a better environment for our school leaders this time next year. We want the teachers’ dispute and NAHT (NI)’s dispute to be resolved satisfactorily and we want more funding for schools – and we will continue to work towards these goals in solidarity with colleagues across NAHT.

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NAHT PRESENTS

NEW

We’ve created The Hub for school leaders and have stocked it full of advice and support articles for you; from mindfulness exercises and financial tips, to inspirational case studies on our members’ journeys to success. We’ve even provided articles on techniques to stay motivated throughout another busy academic year.

We will also keep it updated with lots of articles.

Visit The Hub now: thehub.naht.org.uk

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | OCTOBER 2019

A union for life

NAHT Life Membership gives retired members the opportunity to continue membership of the biggest union for school leaders. Here, retired head teacher MICHAEL WILSON shares his experiences of retirement and NAHT Life Membership.

Tell us a little about yourself.

I started my career as a PE teacher in Wigan before moving to Leigh, where I successfully coached the team that won the Champion School of England Rugby League Cup. I was also a linesman at Wembley for the school boys final at the 1989 Silk Cup Challenge Cup Final, when Wigan beat St Helens 27-0. From here it was back to Wigan and fulfilling my dream of working in a primary school, which prepared me for my leadership roles: deputy head teacher at Hindley Green County Primary School and eventually head teacher at Orrell Holgate Primary School – a school that needed significant modernisation and focused leadership. Not only did I integrate three buildings into one and install a multi-sport all-weather pitch, I also brought the toilets indoors! After 17 years as a head teacher, a local leader of education, and a Greater Manchester Challenge leadership support associate, I decided to retire. Retirement has allowed me to spend a lot more time with my growing family, explore my hobbies, like becoming a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and dedicate time to NAHT. I met my wife Diane, a fellow PE teacher, at college and we now have three children and two grandchildren.

In fact, we’ve just celebrated our 38th wedding anniversary.

Why did you choose NAHT?

As soon as I became a deputy in 1994 I quickly joined NAHT. It really was that simple. It’s the only union that offers advice, guidance, representation and support solely to school leaders. On top of this, the focus on collaboration, learning, sharing experiences and meeting fellow leaders has always

been a tangible expression of NAHT membership at its very best. Even after retiring, I stayed active in a union that’s always been there for me. As a Life Member I’ve been Wigan branch secretary, North West regional secretary, Life Member Committee member, and communications and development officer. That’s 25 years and still going strong.

Was it just as simple transferring to Life Membership?

Simpler, if that’s even possible.

Becoming a Life Member was an automatic choice for me because it keeps my educational and trade union passion alive, allows me to collaborate and share my experience, gives me retrospective protection so I can enjoy my retirement, gives me a voice on issues that matter to school leaders, and to grandparents of course.

How’s being a Life Member enriched and/ or benefited your life?

It’s been so good for me. Aside from the physical and mental health rewards, I’m surrounded by those who are equally, if not more, passionate about making education.

It’s the sort of camaraderie you don’t get elsewhere. Plus, I can now give back to a profession that I’ve devoted my entire career to and make a lasting difference.

What advice would you give to retiring leaders about Life Membership?

This is the easiest but probably one of the most important transitions any leader will make. NAHT really does all the work. Call 0300 30 30 333 (option 2) as soon as you know you’re retiring, and it’ll handle the rest. In fact, all you’ll have to

Q & A

worry about is how you’re going to spend your well-earned retirement.

A lot has been said about how overwhelming retirement can be because it’s such a dramatic shift after decades of routine. What was your experience?

For me, planning was key. I went on two pre-retirement courses to explore a wide variety of options, but there isn’t just one way to approach any aspect of life, including retirement. I’d encourage anyone retiring to become a Life Member immediately and then allow themselves to do what feels right for them. Some will thrive in the freedom of not having to follow a regimented routine, some will continue playing an active role in education, and some will go off on a round-theworld trip of a lifetime. Whatever a retiring member chooses to do, they should do so with the peace of mind Life Membership brings.

What more could NAHT do to support retiring leaders and help them transition to Life Membership?

You already do a great job. Please keep shouting about this superb membership type. I hope Life Membership becomes second nature to all retiring school leaders. Oh, and the amazing pension advice is invaluable.

Retired members of NAHT receive trade union services and have the opportunity to continue to play an active volunteer role within our regions and branches. To find out more and to become a life member, see naht.org.uk/join-life.

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OPINION

PAUL WHITEMAN: general secretary

Can radical education reform win an election? hether we wanted it or not, whether we predicted it or not, we now find ourselves in general election territory. Last time, education was the defining doorstep issue. A Survation poll suggested that 800,000 people switched their votes because of what the two main parties were saying about education.

The need to avoid this happening again has prompted the current government to throw £2.6 billion at the problem for 2020-21, with the promise of more to follow. This is actually a pretty radical move because, up until recently, the standard line had been that there was no crisis in education funding at all. I am pleased that the Treasury has accepted that new money was needed, and they delivered a significant amount.

But significantly more is needed to truly restore funding to previous levels. When you analyse the figures behind the headline, many schools will still have to make cuts this year – election year – with long-term funding still falling short of restoring previous cuts. However, a precedent has been set for whoever wins the next election. Further investment in education is necessary. It is also popular with voters. But do voters also respond to radical education proposals in election manifestos?

The view from the head teachers’ office is that politics easily gets fixated with changing structures, chucking out the system implemented by the outgoing party in favour of a new one. This is not what education needs.

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For a start, education is a long game. Children can enter nursery schools aged two and emerge blinking from the state sector at 22, having been through primary, secondary and university settings.

And yet, modern education secretaries barely last longer than a key stage. Children who started school in 2015 are already on their fifth secretary of state. Each one had a vision. Each one had a radical new policy. Each one got moved on and their reforming agenda was overwritten by the next occupant of the office – even without a change of government.

General elections seem to demand eye-catching policies, but in education, the most radical thing that could be done would be to let the many reforms of recent years bed in, and focus on delivering the basics that schools need.

Above: Paul Whiteman

Modern education secretaries barely last longer than a key stage.

Children who started school in 2015 are already on their fifth secretary of state.

So, what are the basics in NAHT’s view? First and foremost, we need a fully funded education system where the investment announced this autumn is built on, the real-terms cuts since 2010 are reversed, and there’s guaranteed investment for the long term.

Secondly, we need enough teachers and leaders for every class and every school – currently we’re attracting too few graduates and losing too many experienced hands. Thirdly, we need a reformed inspection system that supports school improvement, so that all pupils and staff have a great place to work and learn.

With those three things in place, schools and colleges need to be able to offer a broad range of subjects to all pupils that gives them different ways to show what they can do and properly prepares them for adult life. Currently, the straitjacket of the EBacc, among other things, works directly against that ambition.

And, finally, recognising that schools and colleges do not operate in a vacuum; that support services like health and social care must be given what they need to match the demands that exist.

That’s radical enough for me.

I am not sure that a radical vison for education will win an election. But getting the basics wrong might just lose one.

A MEMBER’S VIEW

Speaking up for school leaders

Former regional backstroke champion Dame Nicola Stephenson had planned to become a police officer before deciding on a career in education. Here she talks about the issues affecting school leaders and how NAHT has supported her throughout her career. icola Stephenson’s first job was in a community described as one of the most difficult areas to police, where she spent nine years creating a thriving school for its young people. She went on to become one of the first national leaders of education advising the Department for Education, and one of 25 fellows commissioned to help resolve educational issues.

In 2014 she was honoured with a Damehood for services to education after her school went from being among the top 10 worst-performing in the north east to the second most-improved school in England. She is now executive head teacher at two Newcastle upon Tyne primaries, and used her time in front of delegates at NAHT’s Annual Conference earlier this year to rap her successful motion calling for more support for pupils’ mental health and well-being.

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I joined NAHT as a deputy head teacher in 2003 and it felt like a badge of honour – it was a real sense of achievement after completing my masters and NPQH. I also became a deputy head representative in the Newcastle branch of NAHT because I wanted to practise what I preached. If you belong to a union, you have a responsibility to understand what it stands for, what drives it and how you’ll be protected.

I’ve never been an activist, but I’ll always give my opinion and stand proudly for what I believe in. For me, NAHT is so much more than a security blanket, it’s a community

in which members support each other, and which demands better.

Alongside the fantastic CPD, which has recently been revamped, there are the weekly updates and advice on issues affecting schools, and I mustn’t forget the brilliant information we received on the new Ofsted framework, from which I’ve happily taken policies for Valour Multi Academy Trust – that’s right, there’s no reinvention of the wheel for me.

This year, I decided to rap my motion to Annual Conference.

But I must confess my favourite part of Conference is the social aspect; being able to let my hair down and enjoy the company of fellow leaders is an absolute joy.

A more intellectual response is to reference the impact on national policy – this year hearing from the Department for Education, Ofsted and the shadow education minister, and being inspired by Frances O’Grady and Judy Shaw, although I do find politicians’ inability to give straight answers a tad frustrating.

I’ve very fortunate in my 16 years as a member, because I’ve only had to call upon the union for support once, during the very early stages of my career. Having a knowledgeable NAHT representative with a strong character who spoke common sense during hearings was a real comfort, and it really did stop me from being consumed by the stress and worry.

Having represented NAHT members during discussions with Ofsted, I have seen first-hand

Below: Dame Nicola Stephenson

the challenging yet respectful two-way discussions that occur.

I believe it’s because of our dialogue that positive changes have been made to the lead-up to, and to, inspections. I know what the anxiety of having an inspector in school feels like, when you’re trying to do your job and manage the well-being of staff, inspire pupils, and ensure you’re abiding by the ever-growing regulations and rules. In fact, I’m also an inspector – and as lovely and calming as I am, I can see the pressure both parties work under.

My advice is to have honest, open discussions with the team – read Ofsted’s updates along with the information provided

by NAHT. Discuss with your staff why you teach in the style you do, why you cover the content, and revisit learning throughout the school. I believe in Ofsted’s drive to ensure every child gets a decent education – we all do – but that’s not enough. There are examples worldwide of self-improving systems, so we absolutely must do better, especially Ofsted.

When you’ve worked hard and proven yourself to be a leader, be proud of your achievements and of being part of a leadership network that speaks sense, speaks truth to power, and won’t back down from representing you. It’s reassuring to be part of a union that keeps me abreast of policy and practice, and voices my concerns to affect change at a national level.

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | OCTOBER 2019

Help at hand As well as taking hundreds of calls every week, NAHT’s specialist advice team produces advice guides on key issues faced by school leaders.

Here are excerpts from some of the popular topics from the last 12 months.

Job shares and flexible working

We have seen a marked increase in job shares and part-time working in schools in recent years.

Many members tell us there are considerable benefits for staff, the school and pupils as a result of job sharing and flexible working. These include having a more diverse range of skills and experience, increased staff numbers making covering the curriculum more practicable, particularly in smaller schools, and a reduction in working time before retirement allowing people to avoid a ‘cliff edge’ retirement and share their expertise.

Job shares, in particular, can be perceived as difficult to manage, needing a greater degree of monitoring and supervision, but this should not be the case.

Supportive management is vital, but it is up to the partners to ensure that any job share works, and problems in a job share should be managed in the same way as problems in full-time posts.

There are several procedures schools and governing bodies need to consider when considering jobs shares and flexible working.

These are outlined in NAHT’s advice, which members can download, along with a model policy for flexible working, at naht.org.uk/advice-and-support/ management/job-shares-andflexible-working.

Resignation dates and notice periods NAHT’s advice for members sets out the resignation dates and notice periods for teachers, which can differ depending on the type

of school and the position.

If you are a head teacher in a maintained school in England and Wales, you must give a minimum of three months’ notice to leave at the end of either the autumn or spring term and, if you resign at the end of the summer term, you must give your employer a minimum of four months’ notice.

So, to leave on 31 December, give notice by no later than 30 September; to leave on 30 April, give notice no later than 31 January; and to leave on 31 August, give notice no later than 30 April.

For other teaching staff in England and Wales, for the autumn and spring terms a minimum of two months’ notice is required, and for a resignation to take effect at the end of the summer term, a minimum of three months’ notice must be given. In non-maintained and independent schools, and in academies – subject to any Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment Regulations 2006 provisions) – both the resignation and notice periods will be a matter of contract.

Agreeing to a different notice period with your employer is possible, but an employer is not obliged to agree, and if you want to be certain to leave employment on a particular date, it is prudent to stick to contractually agreed notice periods. If you were to leave employment without giving the correct notice, you would be in breach of your contract, and this could lead to legal action.

For NAHT’s advice in full, see naht.org.uk/advice-and-support/ management/resignation-dates.

Christmas parties

Employment law applies to the ‘office party’, no matter when or where it takes place. This means the employer may be liable for incidents of misconduct – harassment in particular – that take place at work-related social events and could even face subsequent tribunal claims. Excessive alcohol consumption is, unsurprisingly, the cause of most misconduct cases, so it does not hurt to remind staff what constitutes unacceptable behaviour at staff social events, as well as highlighting the likely consequences.

It is also worth remembering that Christmas can be a challenging time for some. As your employer ‘duty of care’ extends over school-closure periods, it may be wise, among any staff messages, to highlight your school’s employee assistance programme (EAP) – if you have access to one. See naht.org.uk/advice-and-support/ management/christmas-parties-and-howto-get-them-right for NAHT’s advice in full.

More advice for members

NAHT’s specialist advice team produces new advice regularly during term time, so don’t forget to check your inbox for your weekly email newsletter.

All NAHT’s advice and guidance resources are available to view and download at naht.org.uk/ advice-and-support – members will need to log in to view these.

If you have any queries or would like any more information about any of the topics covered here or any other issues, you can email specialistadvice@naht.org.uk or call 0300 30 30 333 (option 1).

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COURSES AND CONFERENCES

WE’RE TAKING YOUR CPD SERIOUSLY SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT COURSES

Relationships and Sex Education | Curriculum Design | Understanding Prevent | Health and Safety | Safeguarding | GDPR | Clerking andGovernance

COURSES TO DEVELOP YOU

Well-being | Developing Leaders | One-to-One Coaching | Personal Learning Days Visit: www.naht.org.uk/cpd for more info

“Excellent facilitator. I arrived feeling deflated and disillusioned about the school’s deficit – I left feeling inspired and strong, ready to tackle the financial position without sacrificing pupil outcomes” HEAD TEACHER, LONDON

AN TE C I F I T CERF COMPLETIO O

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VED O R APP

We’re taking your CPD seriously At NAHT, we know that good professional development is essential to all school leaders.

That’s why we’ve spent the last few months listening to members, analysing our CPD offer and reimagining what we could do in this space to create something truly special.

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e have redesigned our CPD offer from the ground up, leading to a brand new CPD programme. It takes the best of what we offered, and, as you’ll see from the list of courses available, we’ve teamed up with other organisations considered to be the experts on the content they’ll be delivering. This means we can harness their knowledge while ensuring the content is tailor-made for school leaders.

We offer both face-to-face and online courses, giving you the flexibility to come and learn alongside your peers, or to further your skills from your school or home.

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• articulating curriculum design rationale • visualising end points.

Implementation: • using research from the learning sciences to guide implementation decisions • using subject-specific pedagogy (content pedagogical knowledge) • the role of subject leaders (or equivalent).

Impact: • assessment methodologies • how to monitor attainment without flight paths, predicted grades or point scores.

Courses

Chris Quigley is a specialist in primary education. He has been a teacher, head teacher, lead inspector and trainer of school inspectors. He is also a publisher and a director of Chris Quigley Education, where he leads a team of specialists, delivering inspiring training.

Intent: • building ‘cultural capital’ • mapping breadth study • creating a curriculum progression model

Book your place • 3 December, London

Curriculum Design: Planning, implementation and evaluation Are you in the process of evaluating and redesigning your curriculum? In this one-day course, Chris Quigley will guide you through three stages of curriculum design: intent, implementation and impact.

Successfully Preparing for Relationships Education and Health Education in Primary FIND OUT Schools MORE… Are you ready for the PSHE For more education changes due to information and come in September 2020? to book a place on these or any of In partnership with the PSHE our courses, see Association, this one-day naht.org.uk/cpd. course will explore the new statutory changes in detail, including their place within the primary PSHE curriculum and what constitutes effective teaching and learning.

Expect a wealth of practical tips and plans to share with nd your school stakeholders and advice on avoiding pitfalls.

Plus, you’ll get a Enjoy year’s organisational disco a 10% membership of the all unt on PSHE Association worth using courses t £120, which gives you ‘Memhe code Serv’ access to the latest guidance, quality teaching port. resources and ongoing support.

Book your place • 5 November, Leeds • 13 November, Southampton • 21 November, Chester • 22 November, Plymouth • 27 November, Bury St Edmunds

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | OCTOBER 2019

Mindfulness in Schools: Well-being for school leaders and teachers, and how mindfulness can help recruit and retain staff What can teachers do to help support themselves? What can school leaders be doing to improve well-being in their schools? This informative and engaging one-day course is delivered by Mindfulness in Schools Project (MiSP), which has more than 10 years’ experience in mindfulness training and has trained more than 5,000 teachers. It addresses the challenges of strengthening mental well-being for school staff and provides a mindfulness-based strategy to improve staff well-being within schools, both on an individual basis and as part of a whole-school approach.

While exploring the evolutionary basis of, and scientific evidence relating to, stress, you will receive a brief introduction to what mindfulness is and isn’t; the theoretical framework underpinning it, and some basic practices that can support staff in their personal and professional lives. In particular, you’ll look at how these practices can help you to step back, notice choice points and work with difficulty as it arises. The cultural context and how to implement a strategy to improve well-being for individuals and across the whole school will also be considered.

Book your place • 29 November, Taunton • 5 December, Leeds • 12 December, London Resilience Masterclass Our resilience masterclass is an opportunity for school leaders to explore strategies and techniques to build and sustain resilience.

We know that school leaders love the job they do, but recognise that in a climate of intense accountability and responsibility, at times they need support to manage demands and develop strategies to enable them to have an improved sense of well-being and resilience.

This new half-day masterclass is run by the Education Support Partnership, a UK charity dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the entire education workforce.

Book your place • 15 November, Leeds • 27 November, Staffordshire • 29 November, Manchester • 4 December, London

Learning at a time and place to suit you and your staff - coming soon NAHT is delighted to be working with Gooseberry Planet to offer two brand new e-learning courses on safeguarding and Prevent. afeguarding and Prevent training is no longer a tick-box exercise – we need to ensure every member of staff has proof of learning and understanding.

Staff can access this training in their own time and at their own pace, via accessible modules, each followed by a short assessment (parts of which are scenario-based) to check understanding.

They may revisit the modules as often as they wish to improve or refresh their knowledge. Results are available to designated safeguarding leads so they can check training has been completed and identify any areas of weakness. On completion, staff obtain a certificate confirming they have passed. There is a refresher quiz to be completed three months after the main training has been completed. Our progammes can be accessed anywhere at any time, and both programmes are available on any of the app stores.

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NAHT safeguarding e-learning CPD Keeping Children Safe in Education (revised in September 2019) is statutory guidance that schools and colleges in England must have regard to when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

Governing bodies of maintained schools (including nursery schools) and colleges, proprietors of independent schools (including academies, free schools and alternative provision academies) and non-maintained special schools, and the management committees of pupil referral units, should ensure that all staff in their school or

For more information and to book a place on our e-learning courses, see naht.org.uk/cpd.

PART 1: ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Module 1: What is my role?

• Module 2: What is the role of the designated safeguarding lead?

• Module 6: Record keeping and information sharing

PART 2: RECOGNISING AND RESPONDING TO A SAFEGUARDING ISSUE

• Module 3: What you need to know about the safeguarding process • Module 4: What to look out for • Module 5: What to do if you have concerns about a child’s welfare

PART 3: RAISING A CONCERN ABOUT OTHER STAFF OR SAFEGUARDING PROCEDURES • Module 7: Concerns about another member of staff • Module 8: Concerns about your school’s safeguarding procedure

PART 4: ANNEX A – SPECIFIC FORMS OF ABUSE AND OTHER SAFEGUARDING ISSUES

• Module 9: Courts, children missing from education, prison, domestic abuse and homelessness • Module 10: Honour-based violence (so-called) including FGM and forced marriage • Module 11: Preventing radicalisation • Module 12: Child criminal exploitation – county lines • Module 13: Sexual exploitation, sexual violence and sexual harassment.

55

COURSES AND CONFERENCES

LEARNING YOUR WAY WITH

NAHT

E-COURSES ON SAFEGUARDING AND PREVENT Visit

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56

college read at least part one of the guidance. Annex A contains additional information about specific forms of abuse and safeguarding issues that should be read by school and college leaders and those staff who work directly with children.

NAHT’s e-learning CPD covers all the content of both part one of the guidance and Annex A, plus lots of extra information from some of the many additional documents referred to in the guidance.

The CPD is divided into 13 modules, broken down into four parts. A summary of the content is shown on page 55.

Modules 9-13 relating to annex A are optional, so support staff who do not work directly with children can choose whether to complete them.

NAHT Prevent e-learning CPD

All schools are subject to a duty under Section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 to have “due regard” to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism. This is known as the Prevent duty. The Prevent Duty Guidance 2015 and Keeping Children Safe in Education 2019 both underline the importance of Prevent awareness training for staff to ensure that they have the knowledge and confidence to identify children at risk of being drawn into terrorism, and to challenge extremist ideas. They should also know where and how to refer children for further help.

Prevent is first and foremost a safeguarding duty. It should not be burdensome, and it is similar to how staff can safeguard young people from

other social harms such as gangs and violence. However, it is often perceived as a complex and controversial area, and people do not always have the confidence to tackle subjects like terrorism and extremism.

In partnership with a highly respected Prevent practitioner and subject matter expert, NAHT has developed comprehensive, accessible up-to-date

INTRODUCTION

• Background to Prevent duty • Key terms and definitions that schools are required to understand • Latest information around threat/risk of terrorism • Our response – UK CONTEST Strategy, incorporating Prevent

EXTREMISM

• Understanding of extremism • Emphasis on most common types of extremism • Islamist-inspired extremism • Far right-inspired extremism

BRITISH VALUES

• How to build resilience to radicalisation • Prepare students for life in modern Britain • Tackles controversy around British Values • Consistent with latest Ofsted guidance • Practical advice on how to embed British Values within curriculum

WARNING SIGNS

• Practical guidance on how to spot signs of concern • Case study

CPD that covers all aspects of the Prevent duty that affect education.

The CPD is divided into seven sections, each one with a short assessment at the end to check understanding. Case studies involving different types of extremism (based on real-life Prevent referrals) are incorporated throughout the module, to reinforce the learning and bring the CPD to life. A summary of the content is below.

WHAT IS PREVENT?

• Outline of Prevent duty • Relevance to education, tackling myths • Explanation of the Channel safeguarding process • Case study to embed understanding of Channel

RESPONSIBILITIES FOR SCHOOLS

• Legal obligations for schools • Understanding of Prevent as a safeguarding duty

VULNERABILITIES

• Understanding of processes of radicalisation • Types of vulnerabilities consistent with Prevent referrals

REPORTING

• Prevent as part of safeguarding • How to report concerns • Notice-check-share principle • Additional resources

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | OCTOBER 2019

Early Years Conference and Primary Conference London, Thursday 21 and Friday 22 November – Knowledge Centre, British Library Two-day tickets

• Member – £299 • Non-member – £399

Early Years Conference and Primary Conference

Day tickets

• Member – £170 • Non-Member – £220

oin us this November for our very first back-to-back Early Years Conference and Primary Conference. With the Early Years Conference starting on 21 November, followed by the Primary Conference on 22 November, each day has been designed for those working in the early years and primary phases – this is a two-day event not to be missed. You can come to both days or focus on either early years or primary.

This is a unique opportunity for school leaders, leadership teams, teachers and support staff to reflect on and develop policy and practice in their schools across both phases, making sure that the learning journey continues seamlessly for children as they move through school.

Our keynote speakers and workshops across both days have been carefully chosen to inform and inspire delegates, provoke discussion and debate, and highlight the very latest and best research and pedagogy in early years and primary education.

Day two’s theme focuses on ‘reclaiming the research – what does it really tell us?’ and will explore what really works well for school leaders based on the research.

Keynote speakers

Rob Coe, director of research and development, Evidence Based Education: what does the research really tell us? – lessons for school leaders

J

Aims: • be inspired to take back to school the latest evidence and policy developments in early years • understand Ofsted’s new framework and the latest thinking in early years • provide networking and collaboration opportunities • provide practical advice, ideas and support for delegates to take away from the conference • share current educational thinking and examples of effective practice.

DAY TWO: PRIMARY CONFERENCE

Paul Whiteman, NAHT general secretary: reclaiming the profession Becky Allen, co-founder of Teacher Tapp: how to improve schools when no-one is really sure what good practice looks like

DAY ONE: EARLY YEARS CONFERENCE

Day one’s theme is around ‘getting the balance right’, because we know you want to get the best results out of your school without compromising on effective teaching and learning.

Keynote speakers

Nick Butterworth, author Gill Jones, Ofsted: Ofsted education inspection framework 2019

Workshops

Full workshop descriptions are below.

You will choose three workshops that you wish to attend when booking.

• The early years curriculum: missing in action? – Julian Grenier • Getting it right from the start: effective behaviour strategies in early years – Ruth Swailes • I like to move it! The importance and impact of good physical development on outcomes in EYFS – Ruth Swailes • Striking the balance between the adult directed and child-initiated literacy curriculum in a language-rich EYFS environment – Dawn Robertson and Erica Mason • Effective and meaningful assessment in a time of baseline – Jan Dubiel

Jeremy Hannay, head teacher, Three Bridges Primary School: creating the happiest school in the country – a head teacher’s tale

Workshops

Full workshop descriptions are below. You choose three workshops that you wish to attend when booking.

• To track or not to track – Richard Selfridge • Reception baseline: the facts and the evidence – Liz Twist and a representative from the Standards and Testing Agency • Creating curriculum for long-term change – Andy Moor • Getting the best out of your governance: people, processes and performance – Su Turner and Mary Hennessy-Jones • Don’t panic! Crisis communications for school leaders – Steven George • Effective safeguarding – Philippa Ollerhead • Workload is about more than working hours – Becky Allen

FIND OUT MORE…

For more information and to book a place at this and any of our conferences, see naht.org.uk/conferences.

57

THE FINAL WORD

SUSAN YOUNG: education columnist

Leading on learning “

58

It’s something as a profession we don’t find time to discuss – we’re doing more important things; it gets overlooked. And I think that’s a major cause of people leaving,” says Dr Deb Outhwaite. She’s talking about continuing professional development and learning (CPDL; she’s insistent about the learning), which has been at the heart of her career for over a decade.

Originally a secondary teacher, she taught on education master’s courses at her local university before returning to the frontline as director of the Derby Teaching Schools Alliance. CPDL is something she feels strongly about.

“I think a lot of people don’t feel valued and do feel pressured. They came into the profession to be more creative and the performativity has driven a lot of people out,” she says.

“People in classrooms are sick of it and nobody champions them, so why not leave? Many don’t see promotion as an option because they can’t fit in the hours round their family, so who can blame them?”

“It’s a lot to do with next steps, particularly if you don’t want a leadership role. I want to encourage everybody to own their professional development.

Particularly for women, keeping your hand in can open doors later on and give confidence.”

She’s concerned many good CPDL opportunities have disappeared, leaving a more informal system often run by people without postgraduate qualifications. “How much money was pumped into master’s degrees for teachers a decade ago? Now they have to take out a loan and don’t have time. Teaching schools are doing great work, but often without validation or accreditation.

How is this meeting everybody’s needs? Think about what nurses or accountants get. We haven’t got any of that.”

She adds: “There’s a misnomer about CPDL. A day’s INSET on safeguarding isn’t CPDL, it’s training. The quality variation I see in some teaching schools worries me. Some is fantastic, some less so. We haven’t got a national system, there’s no oversight, and the closest some get to CPD is something they’ve done off their own back, often unsupported by the leadership team. You meet people who’ve self-funded a parttime masters but the skills they gain aren’t well-utilised and can be quickly lost.

“I’m in schools all the time and often meet female teachers who did their master’s with me.

I ask if they’ve published or are researching, and they say ‘that would be nice but it’s not utilised here’. What effects would we have seen if all the people who had funded master’s degrees could have used them in school?”

She is particularly interested in the careers of women – the majority of the teaching force.

“The female leadership role looks very different to the male role. Men put themselves up for leadership, and work up the rungs.

Women have other commitments

Above: Susan Young

I want to encourage everybody to own their professional development.

and their career structure doesn’t look the same, and it’s important to remember that.”

Deb is heavily involved in WomenEd and the Department for Education project Women Leading in Education, which support women’s career development, but says that attending events can still be difficult for those juggling commitments.

“School leaders play a critical role because lots of the information goes to them, but you’re in a slightly invidious position if you’re encouraging people to go on Saturday or to twilight sessions. And there’s a real problem with lack of funding.”

There are three things she encourages leaders to do. One is to be coached: “So you can see how useful it is; do some coaching - taking stock of someone else’s career doesn’t do any harm.”

The other thing is to let staff know what CPDL is out there or bring in someone who does.

“We can stop people leaving the profession in droves by giving them that support and encouragement. Hundreds of women would have left education if it weren’t for WomenEd, but they are now part of a supportive female organisation encouraging them into leadership. It’s about pushing people forward and having confidence in their ability.”

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