Life magazine (NAHT) Summer 2015

Life MAGAZINE FOR LIFE MEMBERS

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COVER

OWNING WHAT IS OURS ‘Our proactive and ethical approach befits a union of leaders and confirms NAHT as a decisive force in the education landscape,’ general secretary Russell Hobby tells annual conference INSIDE

NATIONAL OFFICERS MARATHON MAN BIRTHDAY HONOURS

SUMMER 2015 ISSUE 86

17/07/2015 16:23

PARTNERS INSURANCE

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To get a quote visit www.fromyourassociation.co.uk/NAHT using the code nahthome for a home quote and nahtcar for a car quote. *Amazon.co.uk is not a sponsor of this promotion. Amazon.co.uk gift certificates (GCs) may be redeemed on the Amazon.co.uk website towards the purchase of eligible products listed in our online catalogue and sold by Amazon.co.uk or any other seller selling through Amazon.co.uk. GCs cannot be reloaded, resold, transferred for value, redeemed for cash or applied to any other account. Amazon.co.uk is not responsible if a GC is lost, stolen, destroyed or used without permission. See www.amazon.co.uk/gc-legal for complete terms and conditions. GCs are issued by Amazon EU S.à r.l. All Amazon ®, ™ & © are IP of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. **Terms and conditions apply. Insurance underwritten by Aviva Insurance Limited. Registered in Scotland No. 2116.

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Note that the maximum age for joining CS Healthcare as a HealthBridge member is 64 years and 11 months.

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PARTNERS’ CONTACTS Useful numbers NAHT is committed to negotiating high-quality, value-added benefits and services for its members.

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ROCK Travel insurance 0844 482 3390 www.nahttravelinsurance.co.uk AVIVA Home, contents and motor insurance 0800 046 6389 www.fromyourassociation. co.uk/NAHT CS HEALTHCARE Private medical insurance 0800 917 4325 www.cshealthcare.co.uk (promo code 147) GRAYBROOK INSURANCE BROKERS LTD Professional indemnity and public liability cover 01245 321 185 www.graybrook.co.uk/nahtmembers Email: enquiry@graybrook. co.uk MBNA Credit card www.mbna.co.uk SKIPTON FINANCIAL SERVICES LTD Financial advice 0800 012 1248 www.skiptonfs-naht.co.uk Email: sfsnaht@skiptonfs.co.uk

LIFE l SUMMER 2015

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Editorial Sweetness and fight

CONTENTS

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nnual conference 2015 coincided with Russell Hobby’s re-election as NAHT general secretary. In his speech he outlined some of the association’s recent achievements.

He said: “We have begun to build the system we want to see: we have built our own approach to inspection. ‘Instead’ has helped put peer review on the table as a credible alternative and dozens of schools are piloting it. We have also created the Aspire project. More than half the ‘requires improvement’ schools in the first wave achieved ‘good’ after 18 months.”

Warming to his theme, he continued: “The framework from the NAHT Commission on Assessment is the most widely used replacement for levels and we have helped to create our own system of performance tables.”

He also highlighted NAHT’s work with the Education and Employers Taskforce on the Inspiring the Future and Primary Futures projects as well as the establishment of NAHT Edge, the section aimed at middle leaders.

“Our proactive and ethical approach befits a union of leaders and confirms NAHT as a decisive force in the education landscape,” he said.

But what of opposition to government plans; where is the bite? Fear not, he said. “Lest you think we’ve come over all sweetness and light, we fought the introduction of no-notice inspection and the proposed ranking of 11-year-olds into 10 per cent bands. We fought the cuts to pensions and we went to the High Court on behalf of GCSE students. We can still be cantankerous when necessary.”

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NAHT PARTNERS Selected services for members.

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NEWS Calls for the profession to seize the initiative dominate annual conference.

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NEWS Former NAHT national treasurer Jack Hatch is awarded an OBE.

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OBITUARIES Remembering former NAHT president Patricia Partington and former council member Austen Bott.

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OPINION NAHT past president Dr Rona Tutt.

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NAHT’S EXECUTIVE OFFICERS Meet national president Tony Draper and vice president Kim Johnson.

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10 MARATHON MAN Richard Balukiewicz’s career came to an abrupt halt after 35 years but he’s since found a new lease of life.

12 HEALTH Advice and information on tinnitus.

13 RECIPE Pancakes with melted raspberries.

14 TRAVEL Venice: the original and the best.

15 CONTACTS AND CROSSWORD Find a local group; and test our life member crossword compilers.

Tip: don’t look at the answers below.

Steve Smethurst, Managing editor

CROSSWORD SOLUTION EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES

EDITORIAL

Life is published by Redactive Publishing Limited on behalf of NAHT

Managing editor: Steve Smethurst Designer: Adrian Taylor Senior picture editor: Claire Echavarry Production director: Jane Easterman Printed by: Gemini Press

ASSOCIATION ENQUIRIES NAHT, 1 Heath Square, Boltro Road, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH16 1BL www.naht.org.uk Tel: 0300 30 30 333

17 Britton Street, London EC1M 5TP www.redactive.co.uk Tel: 020 7880 6200 Email: naht@redactive.co.uk

ADVERTISING Sales executive: Joe Elliott-Walker Sales director: Jason Grant

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ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2015 NEWS IN BRIEF

Politicians must start to trust us

Governance under fire Governance was a hot topic at conference in the aftermath of the ‘Trojan Horse’ affair in Birmingham.

Tim Gallagher, a life member from Wolverhampton, warned: “There is no national database of governors. Few are required to take any training, only chairs

A gem of an article

TEMPEST

NAHT’s annual conference was held the weekend before the general election in early May. Russell Hobby, NAHT general secretary, summed up the event: “We had three days of debate and the overwhelming theme was that politicians must to live up to their promises about trusting the profession.

School leaders should be able to get on with the job of raising standards and driving through change for themselves.”

He added: “The demands placed on leadership have never been greater and the job has never before carried so much risk. To combat this, NAHT will build a new Leadership Foundation with our colleagues in the professional

associations representing leaders and governors. NAHT will also guarantee a mentor for every new head teacher in the country. Furthermore, our Aspire pilot has shown it is raising standards and is working on a large scale. It does so without the trauma and conflict of so many top-down interventions.”

of governors in Wales. It’s a patchwork quilt of varying quality.

“Inappropriate behaviour does take place. It can be micromanagement of our members or the decision-making of those who lack knowledge, skills or understanding. We need to regulate the number of governing body posts any one individual can hold; we need a database of governors and we need to be able to check their suitability.”

‘Own the story’ says national president New NAHT president Tony Draper told delegates the profession needs to seize the initiative away from politicians – hence his presidential theme of ‘Own the story’.

On academies, Mr Draper, head of Water Hall Primary School in Milton Keynes, said: “An academy can be a great school. But so can any other, with the right leadership, teachers and plans in place. There is no evidence that academy status raises standards.

We must fight forced academisation

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– it is a waste of money and it doesn’t help children.”

On Ofsted, Mr Draper said: “It no longer has anything to do with school improvement; it’s become punitive and we have lost faith in it. We know there are inspectors who are not fit for purpose, who are incompetent, who bully and harass heads and their staff.

Finally, the politicians are seeing it our way. We must convince the next government that nothing less than wholesale reform of Ofsted is required.”

Life member John E Stinton writes: “I read ‘Change the record’

by Rona Tutt (Life, spring 2015) with real enthusiasm. She outlines clearly the mistakes of the present system of inspections and league tables. The old system failed because it was inconsistent and inadequately administered but it was much fairer.

“She then challenges the national curriculum. I retired from 26 years as a head of a junior school in Hertfordshire as it was being introduced but I did see the ridiculous volume of paper being prescribed for teachers to absorb.

“Finally, she points out the idiocy of leaving education to the whims of politicians. I was fortunate to work for understanding and helpful education officers. When I needed their advice and guidance, I was never disappointed.

“This really is a gem of an article and needs to be framed, to hang in every head teacher’s office. Thank you Rona Tutt.”

• See page 7 for more Rona.

NAHT Cymru lunch invite NAHT Cymru’s life member representative Carys Brown is organising a life members’ lunch on Tuesday 3 November at the Celtic Manor Hotel in Newport.

It forms part of the NAHT Cymru Annual Conference. Anyone who would like to attend the lunch should email their contact details to carysbrown@gmail.com.

Calling Teachers’ Pensions?

The phone number for Teachers’ Pensions has changed. The scheme, which covers England and Wales, is now 0345 6066 166.

The website is unchanged: www.teacherspensions.co.uk.

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NEWS ROUND-UP

NAHT members honoured FORMER NAHT NATIONAL TREASURER JACK HATCH IS AWARDED AN OBE

CASCADE NEWS

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he 2015 Birthday Honours list, published in June, recognises people for their services to education and children’s services. Official congratulations came from Chris Wormald, permanent secretary at the DfE, who said: “Their achievements and dedication are helping to improve the lives of children and young people, and raising educational standards across the country so that every child and young person can fulfil their potential.”

One familiar name was head teacher Jack Hatch, former national treasurer at NAHT, who has been awarded an OBE. Jack’s school, St Bede’s Academy in Bolton, earned praise from former schools minister David Laws for its work with children from disadvantaged backgrounds. He has also been described as a “hero” by Conservative

politician Liz Truss for helping to set up childcare from 7am and up to 6pm.

Jack said: “I was quite shocked, but very pleased; it is perhaps the crowning glory of my career. It is something that makes you feel very humble. I have had a really rewarding career, but I also want to thank all the people who haven’t been given an award.

“St Bede’s has been supporting

families and parents for more than 10 years by providing care 52 weeks per year and the school has long understood the benefits this brings to children and their families.”

NAHT general secretary Russell Hobby said: “This is a much-deserved recognition. Jack is held in extremely high esteem by this union. We owe him an enormous debt of gratitude for the generosity with which he has given of his time and his considerable talents.

“Jack’s dedication to making sure that head teachers receive the support they need to ensure that our children receive the very best education possible is an inspiration to us all.”

Other NAHT members honoured include: Sarah Bailey, Donna Barrett, Patrice Canavan, Sharon Gray, Peter McPartland, David Sellens and Garry Reed (see below for details).

Birthday honours for UK’s school leaders KBE Sir Nick Weller, executive principal, Dixons Academies, Bradford OBE Sarah Bailey, executive head, Queensbridge Primary School, De Beauvoir School and Mapledene Children’s Centre, Hackney Donna Barratt, head, Glebe Primary School, Harrow Elizabeth Bull, lately head, Slated Row School, Milton Keynes Patrice Canavan, head, Oaklands School, Tower Hamlets Lauren Costello, executive head, Federation of Moredon Primary and Nursery School and Rodbourne Cheney Primary School, Swindon Sharon Gray, head, Netherfield Primary School, Nottingham Andrew Griffiths, lately head, Ellowes Hall Sports College, Dudley, West Midlands Jack Hatch, head, St Bede Church of England Primary Academy, Bolton John Henderson, executive head, White Woods Multi Academy Trust, Rotherham

Kevin Hollins, lately principal, Knutsford Academy, Cheshire Thomas Mannion, head, St Aloysius College, Islington Peter McPartland, head, Trinity Special School, Barking and Dagenham Dayo Olukoshi, principal, Brampton Manor Academy, East Ham Elizabeth Seers, head, Heaton School, Stockport David Sellens, head, Thomas Jones Primary School, Kensington and Chelsea Margaret Walpole, lately head, Paddock School, Wandsworth MBE Alice Bennett, principal, Madresfield Early Years Centre, Worcestershire Jenny Boyd, head, Rosewood Special Free School, Southampton David Donnan, vice principal, Down High School, Northern Ireland Lynn Jones, assistant principal, Ormiston Sir Stanley Matthews Academy, Staffordshire Garry Reed, head, Swimbridge Church of England Primary School, North Devon

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OBITUARIES

Patricia Partington 1933-2015 Pat came a long way in 81 years.

She was born Patricia Heads in a small flat without a bathroom by the shipyards in Willington Quay in Newcastle.

At 11 she passed the exam to go to Wallsend Grammar school and became the first person in her family to go on to higher education at Durham University where she trained to be a teacher. At Durham she met John Partington and they married in 1957.

Pat taught around the country, in Barnsley, Bath and Preston (where her daughter Jane was born) before moving to Nottingham in 1965 to teach at Trent Vale Infant School.

During this time she learned one of her main skills in life, being able to play the piano while looking backwards over her shoulder and telling people to be quiet.

Pat worked hard and progressed quickly to the senior leadership team. She became a head teacher, first at Charles Williams in Beeston and then at Bramcote Hills Primary

School. During the 1980s she became active in NAHT and became national president in 1993. She still comes up on Google searches in an article in the Independent for her attack on the Conservative government’s plans for school league tables.

Pat retired from headship in her sixties but never stopped.

She picked up classes in Latin and history and travelled widely all round the world.

When her grandson, Luke, was born in 2004, she moved up to Manchester to be close to the family. Pat was worried about creating a new life in Didsbury but, as always, she put her mind to it and succeeded. Through Probus, University of the Third Age, history classes and book groups, she met a circle of friends and was out and about every day.

Pat was active until this last illness. When we asked what she wanted for her 80th birthday, she said a holiday in Rome.

We never thought of her as old either in body or mind and she was hooked on the election coverage listening overnight to the results.

We cannot tell you how much we will miss Pat. She will leave a huge hole in our lives.

Mark Game (Patricia’s son in law)

Austen Bott 1928-2015 Many members will remember Austen. He was educated at King Edward VI Grammar School in Aston, Birmingham, and then attended Birmingham University, reading geography and economics, which was followed by a teacher training course.

After National Service in the Royal Artillery, his first teaching post was at a boarding school in Wenlock Edge, followed by Mosely Grammar School in Birmingham, Fairfax High School in Sutton Coldfield, then a high school in Warwickshire. His last post, from 1967, was as head of Walcot School in Swindon, a comprehensive for pupils aged 11 to 14.

His commitment to teaching the ‘whole child’ led to involvement in many extra-curricular activities. He was a keen sportsman and coached rugby, tennis, sailing and the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme to gold level. He also instructed members of the Combined Cadet Force and maintained his membership of the Territorial Army.

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Having been a member of the Assistant Masters Association, he joined NAHT in 1973 and became council member for his local district the following year. He greatly enjoyed the involvement and soon became chair of the education (curriculum) committee. “The committee was a byword for efficiency,” recalls Derek Best, with Austen “always on top of his brief with a clear idea on the best way forward but prepared to listen to the views of others and adjust his own accordingly.

He had a real desire to help colleagues and improve the curriculum and its delivery for the benefit of children and young people, who were his first concern.”

When John Swallow was elected national president for 1983-4, he asked Austen to be his aide for the conference, recalling: “Austen was an excellent ambassador for the association.”

Following a reorganisation of the schools in Swindon, Austen became adviser for professional development and training in Wiltshire. This was a role for which he was well prepared because of his involvement with many college, university and ministry bodies during his time with NAHT. He was also able to set up a course for in-service training within the county.

Sadly, Austen died unexpectedly in April after a short illness.

He is greatly missed by family, friends and all who knew him.

Ann Bott (Austen’s wife)

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VIEWPOINT

Opinion What comes next?

NICKY MORGAN EMERGED UNSCATHED FROM ELECTION NIGHT, BUT WILL SHE HEED THE ADVICE OF THE PROFESSION AND LET IT TAKE THE LEAD?

RONA TUTT VIEW FROM A PAST PRESIDENT

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arold Wilson, who won four general elections, is thought to have coined the phrase: ‘A week is a long time in politics.’ It was demonstrated vividly by NAHT’s annual conference taking place so close to the election. There we were, listening to Nicky Morgan, David Laws and Tristram Hunt. Less than a week later, we discovered that Nicky would be staying on, Tristram would not be in a position to replace her and David had been erased from the equation, along with a large number of his colleagues.

Red lines drawn Whatever your views on the outcome, it has avoided the situation we were told to expect: not just a coalition government, but a rainbow coalition of assorted parties. This means that we will never know how this would have worked out. When every party seemed to be drawing so many red lines before the election, it was hard to envisage how anyone would have been able to work with anyone else, let alone more than two parties agreeing to work together.

So perhaps it would be timely to offer the secretary of state a few words of advice. First, that in the wake of her Workload Challenge, everyone’s

workload would be immeasurably reduced if schools and other educational settings were allowed some respite from the constant churn of change.

In addressing delegates at annual conference, she thanked those present for getting up early and working late into the night to inspire the next generation.

Later in her speech she said: “Teachers are not just teachers but friends, relatives, mothers, fathers, daughters...

They should be able to balance their own family life with work.” Quite right, but with the present workload, that balance is often hard, if not impossible.

Another example of how to make life less stressful would be to clip the wings of Ofsted and to come up with a system that doesn’t rely on ‘undependable data’, as school reform minister Nick Gibb has called it. Ofsted is not a force for improving schools but a source of considerable stress. Heads spend half the week waiting for the phone to ring and the other half preparing for what happens when it does. Instead of concentrating on improving pupils’ learning, time is wasted on charts and graphs of unreliable data, revising and inventing policies to cover all eventualities and keeping the all-important website up to date.

Any government that is serious about school improvement would scrap the

Ofsted is not a “ force for improving schools, but a source of considerable stress

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hugely expensive and damaging system of schools being judged by an assorted group of inspectors, who have it in their power to deliver a damning verdict before making a quick getaway, while the school is left to pick up the pieces.

There are several other suggestions that might be made, not least having a moratorium on testing and retesting.

Let the profession lead When will politicians accept that, in the same way they pride themselves on being different from each other, no two children are the same? Why do we have to keep on saying something that is so blindingly obvious to anyone outside the walls of the DfE? Let us hope that politicians will allow the profession to take the lead, as outlined in NAHT’s manifesto, and in the words of Tony Draper’s conference theme, to ‘own the story’.

Rona Tutt is a retired head teacher and a past president of NAHT

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NATIONAL OFFICERS 2015/16

Tony Draper NAHT president W• Tony Draper,

head teacher, Water Hall Primary School, Milton Keynes

Tony taught at Duston Eldean and Thorplands Lower Schools in Northampton, before becoming deputy head at St James’ Infants in Daventry, then head at Heronshaw First and Water Hall primary schools in Milton Keynes.

Tell us about Water Hall It serves an area of high deprivation where more than 65 per cent of children are eligible for pupil premium. Mobility is significantly higher than the national average with only 63 per cent of children classed as ‘stable’. We put a strong emphasis on personal wellbeing and providing a safe, calm environment in which children can learn, based on core values. We were rated as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted in March 2013, citing the imaginative curriculum that is extremely well matched to pupil needs and the creative ways the school engages parents. Strong core values underpin everything. These, together with a creative staff team who are prepared to take risks, mean that learners at Water Hall are happy, well behaved and motivated.

What qualities will you bring to the presidency?

The passion that comes with being head of a school in challenging circumstances. I have been under the cosh, coped with intervention and grown stronger and more confident as a result. I recognise and

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identify with the day-to-day issues that heads work under and am prepared to stand up and fight for schools threatened with forced academisation.

Local solutions should be the first option. I want to engage colleagues who feel isolated and under constant threat and encourage them to become involved and work together to ensure that by pulling together our collective strength means the need for external intervention becomes redundant.

What excites you most about the next 12 months?

The opportunity to develop what I hope will be a positive working relationship with a new government to persuade them that there is a much better way to engage the whole profession than the adversarial strategies used for much of the past five years. I also look forward to visiting branches and regions to learn more about the local issues and meet members.

Where would you like to make the biggest impact?

Assessment is broken; I want to work with a new government to overhaul a system in which narrow testing and floor standards are all that matters. This must be done through partnership and respect – something that was lost under the

Any message for members?

Get involved. I worry when I attend NAHT meetings about the colleagues who are not present. Too many school leaders are afraid to leave their schools.

They miss the messages. When I first joined National Executive I was told by my SIP that I couldn’t afford the time out of school to do it. In fact, I couldn’t afford not to do it. What I learn through NAHT is far more valuable than anything any local authority provides. We meet with ministers and officials and pick up on the key issues well in advance. In my view, members cannot afford not to be involved in their local branch. I urge all of you to do this.

Describe yourself in 10 words Relaxed, happy, irritating, infuriating, challenging, friendly, complex, spirited, loyal, Yorkshire! last government. I see an opportunity for this and believe NAHT must commit to working with the government to sort this out so that schools can be judged on the totality of provision.

I am particularly keen to lobby over the impact of austerity measures on children and schools. We have seen an increase in families falling below the poverty line and ministers need to understand the impact of this on children’s wellbeing and mental health and on their educational outcomes.

And in your spare time?

I have a lifelong interest in football and coached at Northampton Town for 12 years. However, my first love is Huddersfield Town.

I also support the Huddersfield Giants, a re-emerging force in the far superior code of rugby league – although being from Huddersfield, I may be a little biased.

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Kim Johnson NAHT vice president W• Kim Johnson,

principal, Bradfields Specialist SEN Academy, Chatham, Kent

Kim started teaching in Norfolk in a BESD special school, before moving to a PRU and then a mainstream secondary, where he taught PE and geography. He moved to Warwickshire, where he became a SENCo, and then to Germany to a service children’s secondary school. His first headship came in 1995 in North Yorkshire at a BESD special school, before he moved to Kuwait to become director of three schools: a primary, secondary and special school for ages four to 21.

He moved back to the UK to take up headship of a BESD special school in Croydon before moving to Medway and a complex needs special academy.

Tell us about Bradfields Bradfields Academy provides education for 300 students aged four to 19 who experience a comorbidity of complex learning disabilities and difficulties. It aims to be a leading centre of excellence in the special education sector. This work has been furthered in our strong international links with seven European countries and China in partnership with the British Council. While Bradfields has been highly commended and celebrated over the past nine years, the judgement we like to acknowledge and endorse is the one we received from Brian May of Queen in April.

Following a day with us, which included a music session with our students, he described us as an

‘incredible school’. We feel this captured us succinctly.

What qualities will you bring to the vice presidency?

We have not had a president from a special school for a number of years and I will bring that area of expertise to benefit all phases and sectors. I will give Tony Draper and Russell Hobby my full support to ensure we provide expert advice, support and representation at local and national levels.

Where would you like to make the biggest impact?

• Furthering the profile and success of NAHT’s sensible and highly effective school improvement practices through Aspire, Instead and Primary Futures • Engaging with local authorities and academy trusts/chains to further the

Describe yourself in 10 words Experienced, hard-working, committed, enthusiastic, philosophical, with everready humour. implementation of the NAHT leadership compact as a basis for partnership work to benefit educational leadership dialogue and working practices • Furthering research into complex learning needs and the work of neuroscience and special school practitioners to better place us in meeting the comorbidity of difficulties and disabilities present in mainstream and specialist settings • Proactively engaging with mental health agencies and the DfE in ensuring ‘happiness’ and ‘resilience’ are key to

a child’s educational experience to try to ensure that the WHO prediction of ‘depression being the most prevalent child disorder by 2020’ is warded off • Furthering our involvement with parent and carer organisations, such as the Family and Child Care Trust, to the benefit of the whole local community • Rallying the membership to ensure that the rich vein of talent in our young aspiring leaders, serving heads and retired colleagues is fully engaged.

What excites you most about the next 12 months?

The opportunity to work alongside the talented team of headquarters staff in supporting Tony in his presidential year on the national educational platform is extremely exciting. It will also give me a great insight into the demands of the position and allow me to prepare for my own presidential year.

Any message for members?

Leading teachers can be challenging but the rewards are truly immense. I have enjoyed many years in a key leadership role ensuring the educational communities can grow in their effectiveness and be places where students want to learn and staff want to work. In the same way, I look forward to working for and with you to benefit our association and our students.

And in your spare time?

Walking in the Yorkshire Dales, watching football at Scarborough Athletic and Charlton Athletic, fly-fishing and riding my Harley Davidson Sportster.

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NEXT STEPS

M

oving on from a highpressured school leadership role can be a mixed blessing. For some, it’s a chance to wind-down and pursue a gentler way of life. For others, there’s a sense of loss akin to grief and a fear of impending decline. For NAHT life member Richard Balukiewicz, reaching the end of a demanding, 35-year adventure saw him face the challenge of his life to rediscover his inner strength, spirit and sheer physical grit at the age of 63.

“Suddenly my life had a significant void. I dreamed of school each night for probably the first full year,” says Richard, who was 59 when his school closed and his career in education came to an abrupt end.

In common with many retirees, Richard missed colleagues, students and what he described as “the daily buzz of decision-making and problem-solving”.

And he also experienced a loss of status.

It wasn’t all bad, of course; waving goodbye to Ofsted inspections was a particular joy. But weighing in at 17-stone with a dodgy knee and shoulder, Richard worried about his long-term health implications. He had even earned the affectionate but slightly disconcerting nickname ‘Tubs’ from his wife and grown-up children.

Richard says: “My retirement planning was rubbish. I had always imagined that I’d be fit and healthy and doing the things I did in my youth.

But I struggled to walk farther than a mile and enjoying good food and wine had taken its toll.”

In 2013 Richard and wife Gill had a two-week holiday in France that included cycle rides of up to 15 miles. It rekindled Richard’s pleasure in sport and was to become the precursor of a new focus. He says: “When I was younger I enjoyed taking part in physical activities that challenged me, such as climbing, skiing and marathons. That feeling you have when you achieve a goal has never disappeared – especially where the outcome may have been uncertain and where failure was always a possibility.

“That feeling is a mixture of a tingle down the spine combined with disbelief that you’ve actually achieved your goal.”

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Marathon man

Life member Richard Balukiewicz’s career came to an abrupt halt after 35 years but he’s since found a new lease of life

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I felt a peace and a realisation that I had achieved something I didn’t think was possible

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After the successful French trip, Richard quietly made a decision to try to cycle to John O’Groats from his home in Nantwich, Cheshire. It was a personal challenge and each day he concentrated on cycling a little further than the day before.

On reaching his destination, Richard recalls: “I felt a peace and a realisation that I had achieved something I didn’t think was possible. My confidence was restored. I’d lost a stone in weight and stopped drinking alcohol; my family was really proud of me.”

That was the buzz he’d been looking for. Richard knew that his next goal would need to be something that sent a shiver down his spine and feel as if it were just out of reach. It came in the form of what Olympic rowing gold medallist James Cracknell has described as the toughest race on earth: the Marathon des Sables in Morocco.

The race is considered by many to be the ultimate test of human endurance.

Taking runners on a 250km route across the Sahara desert in temperatures reaching up to 50 degrees Celsius – even the toughest athletes have been pushed to breaking point.

Richard’s wife Gill was supportive but laid down the law: “For this one, you’ll have to train,” she told her husband firmly. After passing a medical and a heart check, Richard was allowed to enter the race and embarked on nine months of gruelling but, he claims, enjoyable training including working out in heat chambers. Then, at a trim 12 stone and armed with compulsory kit including a venom pump to fight off the effects of snake, scorpion and camel-spider bites, he flew to Ouarzazate in Morocco.

In just two days, Richard suffered swelling and blistering to his feet so extreme that a podiatrist commented after the event that he had never seen

anything as bad in 26 years of practice.

Days four to five were to be a surprise for the 30th anniversary of the race: 91.7km (57miles) and the longest ‘day’ in its history. Given a time limit of 36 hours, it required a day, a night and part of the following day to complete.

Richard says: “To say I was relieved when that bit was over was an understatement that prompted hugs and cheers from my tent mates.”

Day six was a marathon of 42.2km (26.2 miles) which Richard says went in a blur. Then, at last, the end came.

He says: “As I crossed the finish line, a shiver shot up and down my spine – I’d done it! At 63 years of age I was the second oldest Briton to finish, I even beat Sir Ranulph Fiennes, although he is 71, has had two heart attacks, a doublebypass operation and is diabetic!

“On my return to Gatwick I had not expected to be greeted by anyone but to my surprise my daughter Kim and her boyfriend Alex were there. It was the only time my emotions really came out and tears flowed as I hugged her.

“It was then I discovered that Kim and my son Rob had set up a JustGiving page to sponsor me which had raised more than £2,000 for the charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer.”

Richard’s message for fellow school leaders facing retirement is to hang on to their self-belief. He says: “For me, retiring after 35 years in education was difficult; like I’d imagine withdrawing from a long-term drug habit might be.

“But remember, you didn’t become a school leader by accident and in your time you’ve had to deal with issues that were tough and sustained and on occasion seemed impossible to resolve.

Yet you didn’t flinch and used your confidence and self-belief to succeed.

“So, in retirement, your ambition for what you can achieve is as big as your imagination and the main limiting factor is often only yourself. Now is the time to dream.”

Speaking of dreams, Richard says completing the marathon was effectively “a major rebooting of my system and I’m now planning my future. I’ve even stopped dreaming about school.” www.justgiving.com/richardbalu

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17/07/2015 11:55

Health The sound and the fury MANY PEOPLE FIND TINNITUS INFURIATING AS IT PRODUCES A CONSTANT NOISE IN THEIR EARS THAT DISRUPTS THEIR DAILY LIVES. BUT IT CAN BE TREATED

S

ALAMY

ix million people (10 per cent of the UK population) are thought to have tinnitus to some degree, with 600,000 (one per cent) experiencing it to a severity where it affects their quality of life.

It is more common in people aged older than 65, but it can affect people of all ages.

Tinnitus refers to sounds people can hear from inside their body rather than outside. It is often described as ‘ringing in the ears’, but sounds can include buzzing, humming, grinding, hissing, whistling and sizzling. Sometimes, the noise associated with tinnitus beats in time with a person’s pulse.

This is known as pulsatile tinnitus.

Most people learn to live with the disturbance, but it can have a significant impact on day-to-day life, affecting concentration and causing sleeping problems and depression.

However, tinnitus itself isn’t harmful and it usually improves over time. There is currently no single treatment that works in the same way for everyone, but if an underlying cause can be established it can often be treated effectively.

What causes tinnitus?

A build-up of earwax, a middle-ear infection or a problem with your inner ear (such as Ménière’s disease) can sometimes be responsible for the sounds of tinnitus. If a earwax is responsible, eardrops or ear irrigation (using a pressurised flow of water to remove the earwax) may be recommended. If no cause can be established, the focus will be on managing the condition on a daily basis.

It’s important to establish what triggers the sounds, whether there are particular times of the day when it’s more noticeable and whether there’s anything that makes it better or worse. For example, some people find their tinnitus worsens when they’re stressed or anxious.

Occasionally, temporary tinnitus can be the result of a blow to the head or a sudden loud noise, such as an explosion or gunfire.

Medical advice is to see your GP if you’re continually hearing sounds such as buzzing, ringing or humming, or if you have regular episodes of hearing these sounds. They may then refer you to an ear, nose and throat specialist or an audiologist.

For less serious cases, background noise such as music or the television can help distract from the sound of tinnitus.

Listening to natural relaxing sounds, such as the sound of rain or the ocean, can also help and environmental sound generators – small, electronic devices that produce

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TINNITUS RETRAINING THERAPY One theory about tinnitus is that the limbic system, the area of the brain responsible for emotions, prioritises tinnitus sounds. According to this model, tinnitus sounds have great significance to a person with the condition and are perceived as loud or persistent.

Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) uses a patient’s natural ability to get used to a sound so it becomes part of their subconscious, rather than their conscious perception.

For example, the sound of air conditioning units, computer fans and refrigerators tend to become background noise after a while and we’re able to tune it out. We don’t tend to notice the noise unless we deliberately tune back in.

TRT uses a combination of sound therapy and counselling to help patients retrain the way their brain responds to tinnitus sound so they start to tune out and become less aware of it.

TRT is widely available privately, and may be available on the NHS for people with severe or persistent tinnitus.

these types of soothing sounds – have proved useful for many. Sound generators can be particularly useful at night because they distract the brain when you’re falling asleep.

Many have timers so they can turn themselves off after a set period of time so they don’t stay on all night.

In some cases, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can be helpful for tinnitus.

CBT aims to change the way people think about their condition so that they’re able to find more effective ways of managing it on a day-to-day basis.

Similarly, tinnitus retraining therapy has also been used successfully (see panel, above). www. tinnitus. org.uk

Source: NHS.co.uk k

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Recipe Ricotta pancakes with melted raspberries THESE ARE CHEF CURTIS STONE’S ALL-TIME FAVOURITE PANCAKES. HE CALLS THE RASPBERRIES ‘MELTED’ BECAUSE THEY’RE COOKED WITH A TOUCH OF SUGAR UNTIL THEY BEGIN TO SOFTEN AND RELEASE THEIR JUICE, BUT STILL RETAIN THEIR SHAPE

FOR THE MELTED RASPBERRIES 340g fresh raspberries 50g caster sugar 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest FOR THE SWEET LEMON BUTTER 115g unsalted butter, softened 30g icing sugar, sifted 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

METHOD First, make the sweet lemon butter. Combine the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Set aside at room temperature.

To make the melted raspberries, heat a large, heavy frying pan over a medium–high heat. Add the raspberries, sugar and lemon zest and cook for about 45 seconds until the sugar melts and the berries soften slightly and begin to release their juice to form a syrup.

Don’t let the berries cook too long or they will become mushy and lose their beautiful shape. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

DAVID LOFTUS

INGREDIENTS FOR THE PANCAKES 250g fresh ricotta cheese 4 medium eggs, separated 180ml buttermilk 125g plain flour 1½ teaspoons baking powder a pinch of salt 50g caster sugar 45g unsalted butter

To make the pancakes, whisk together the ricotta and egg yolks in a large bowl to blend, then whisk in the buttermilk. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the ricotta mixture and whisk once more until just combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with the sugar until stiff peaks form.

Using a large silicone spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the batter in two batches.

Heat a flat, smooth griddle pan over a medium–low heat. Melt some of the unsalted butter on the griddle. Make the pancakes in batches of about three at a time (or more if you are making small pancakes). Ladle the batter on to the griddle and cook the pancakes for about three minutes per side until they puff, turn golden brown and are just cooked through. Transfer the pancakes to plates.

Extract taken from: MasterChef: The Masters at Home.

Published by Bloomsbury, £25, hardback

Immediately after the pancakes come off the griddle, spread some sweet lemon butter over them and spoon on some of the warm melted raspberries and the accumulated raspberry syrup, then serve. Repeat to make and serve more pancakes.

SUMMER 2015 l LIFE

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ISTOCK

Travel

Accept no imitations OTHER CITIES MAY TRY TO PERSUADE YOU THAT THEY HAVE THE WATERWAYS, THE HISTORY, THE ARTS AND THE CHARM, BUT VENICE IS THE REAL DEAL

I

f imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery, then a certain Italian city should be feeling quietly smug. No less than 10 cities claim to be the ‘Venice of the North’, with a dozen more frequently describing themselves as the ‘Venice of the East’. There’s even a ‘Venice of the Pacific’ (Nan Madol in the Federated States of Micronesia, in case you were wondering).

Yes, it’s overcrowded, expensive, a magnet for pickpockets and slowly sinking into the mud, but even these problems don’t outweigh its incredible charm. Although August, with its crowds, heat, humidity and mosquitoes, is perhaps best avoided. Even so, stone palaces still rise magnificently out of the water and there’s a delightful absence of cars and dual carriageways – just canals, boats, bridges and a vast network of intriguing alleyways.

Artistic licence The birthplace of Vivaldi, Titian and Tintoretto is home to 60,000 inhabitants who are joined on a daily basis by an equivalent number of tourists, nearly all of whom are seeking out the Palazzo Ducale, Basilica di San Marco and looking to cruise along the Canal Grande.

Venice has always been a magnet for culture and is often described as the most beautiful city on Earth. Shakespeare

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set plays there, James Bond is a regular visitor and even Madonna’s video for Like a Virgin was filmed in the city.

Top tips for visitors include spending at least three days exploring the city – if possible allowing an extra day for the neighbouring islands of Murano, Burano, and Torcello.

Or, for something different, perhaps a trip to the island cemetery of San Michele.

It’s often said that the best time to be in Venice (at least during high season) is late in the day, after all the daytrippers have departed, or in the early morning before the buses return. It’s also worth noting that the Doge’s Palace is massively popular and the queues can be horrendous.

Perhaps the best time to visit is the autumn, when it is still warm enough to eat outdoors. Even winter has its attractions – if you’re lucky you’ll experience crisp, misty mornings and it will feel like you have the city to yourself.

VENICE ON THE WEB www.venice-tourism.com/en/visit-venice.html wikitravel.org/en/Venice europeforvisitors.com/venice tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel_Guide-g187870-Venice_Veneto.html www.italyguides.it/en/veneto/venice www.cntraveller.com/guides/europe/italy/venice

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17/07/2015 11:57

HELP US SUPPORT CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE WITH CANCER

Every day, 10 children and young people in the UK hear the devastating news they have cancer.

CLIC Sargent is the UK’s leading cancer charity for children and young people, and their families. We provide clinical, practical and emotional support to help them cope with cancer and get the most out of life.

We need your support to fund our vital work.

Find out how you can help at www.clicsargent.org.uk

Registered charity number 1107328 and registered in Scotland (SC039857). 15SM070A

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Cryptic crossword

LIFE MEMBERS’ REGIONAL GROUPS Please email naht@redactive.co.uk or telephone 020 7880 7666 with any additions or changes AVON Beatrice Murray Tel: 0117 962 0573 or Daphne Spitzer Tel: 0117 950 4936

LONDON BOROUGH OF SUTTON Janet Overell Tel: 01737 556 684

BATH, NORTH EAST SOMERSET & WEST WILTSHIRE Anna Grayson Tel: 01225 742 877 Email: annagrayson@icuknet.co.uk

LONDON Don Crispin Tel: 020 8651 5330

BOLTON Brian Essex Tel: 01706 221 028 Email: essexbrian@hotmail.com

Across

Down

1 Sachet filled with pain. (4) 3 Change 32ac receding. (4) 6 Drink with stylish rococo additive. (5) 10 Headless cleaner pursued by a girl playing this. (9) 11 French girl about to ape. (5) 12 Helen’s city mixed with lay for nobility. (7) 13 Farm labourer is likeable and left out. (7) 14 Eat up your eels or there will be consequences. (4) 16 Bagged emotional rotter.

(3,3) 18 Sorbet is nice though pointless. (3) 21 Check-up turning to cat. (3) 22 Stud in birthday suit club. (6) 23 NAHT Life compilers and editor are finished. (4) 25 11, 21 imitator. (7) 27 This rose will never be the 22ac version. (7) 29 No ops for this lovely activity!

(5) 30 Low pitch tart invited mashup with colon. (9) 31 Near a public centre. (5) 32 Ebbed water from 3ac. (4) 33 This can be carried out inside hospitals. (4)

1 Earthborn swirls to offensive. (9) 2 Laurel’s silent partner. (5) 4 Countless churning over help for this cowed girl. (9) 5 March with mother held in a carriage. (5) 6 Plan a camping arrangement. (8) 7 Some panic when they get involved with businesses. (9) 8 Derby track found in reorganised 25d (5) 9 Its alright back to the French animal. (5) 15 Hear poems that communicate. (9) 17 Revered dinner she cooked up. (9) 19 Duck beneath the bed clothes. (9) 20 Snake votes ‘no’ citing Canada. (8) 24 Clever Ms interprets art. (5) 25 Price a Spanish resort. (5) 26 21ac back it is taken for granted. (5) 28 Begin looking in Los Angeles city for Violet. (5)

NAHT CYMRU Carys Brown Tel: 01656 650 685 Email: carysbrown@gmail.com NORFOLK Jill Wigy Tel: 01603 432 115 or Bill English Tel: 01362 850 433

BRADFORD Pamela Reader NORTHERN IRELAND Tel: 01535 631 628 Email: Les33pam@talktalk.net Dr Desmond Hamilton Tel: 028 9076 0731 BURY (LANCASHIRE) Email: desmondhamilton@ Dorothy Bailey Tel: 0161 766 btinternet.com 3972. Email: dorothoy.bailey NORTH EAST @ntlworld.com Eric Fisk Tel: 01669 620 112 CORNWALL Email: cloudcottage@fsmail.net Christine Williams NORTH WEST Tel: 01288 355 075 Email: chriswilliams04@btinternet.

Stephen Hyde com or Jan Allen, Tel: 01253 825 415 Email: Tel: 01872 863 090. Email: stephen.hyde@sky.com bullseyeallen@btinternet.com NORTH YORKSHIRE COVENTRY & Sue Lonsdale, York.

WARWICKSHIRE Tel: 01904 744 209 Yvonne Rich Email: sue.lonsdale@tiscali.

11 Field House, Priory Road, co.uk Kenilworth, Warks CV8 1RA NOTTINGHAMSHIRE DONCASTER Robert Tristram Mike Townsend Tel: 0115 926 3909 Tel: 01302 728 032 Email: rtristram2@sky.com Email: mickayt@tiscali.co.uk OLDHAM ESSEX Ossie Millar Moreen Healy Tel: 01245 472 Tel: 0161 624 7268 773 or Helen Jackman Tel: 01277 822 247 SURREY & SOUTH EAST Auriel Rankmore GWENT Tel: 01252 326688 John Granger Email: rankmore@deepdene.

Tel: 01633 769 684 Email: cdr-i.net john.granger@ntlworld.com WAKEFIELD (two groups) KENT & MEDWAY Recently retired heads: Jean Pilcher, 34 Sandown Colin Moran Drive, Rainham, Kent ME8 Tel: 01924 240 494 Email: 9DU. Email: jeanpilcher@ cmoran@nahtwf.force9.co.uk hotmail.com Senior retired heads: LEEDS Alwyn Peel Email: alwyn. peel@ntlworld.com Peter Spencer Tel: 01943 872 722 WESSEX LINCOLNSHIRE Ralph Cooper Tel: 01202 513 101 Gini Smith Email: vasmith@ hotmail.com or Malcolm Shore Email: ralphandcarole. cooper@ntlworld.com Email: berilldon@aol.com

Compiled by Life members Gale Freshwater and Anthony Hunt.

Answers to the crossword can be found on page 3.

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