Leadership Focus Magazine April 2018

THE MAGAZINE FOR NAHT AND NAHT ED EDGE DGE MEM D MEMBERS MBE ERS

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Issue 81 / April 2018 / £5

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LEADING TOGETHER Looking ahead to annual conference 2018

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | APRIL 2018

OPINION

ANNE LYONS: NAHT president 2017–18

A year to remember his is my final column for Leadership Focus. At the beginning of May, my term in office comes to a close and Andy Mellor will take over as president.

Before that happens, there is the small matter of NAHT’s annual conference to attend to. This year, we are pleased to return to Liverpool, a city that never fails to inspire and engage you whenever you visit.

I hope our annual conference’s programme will do just that, too.

We have Damian Hinds, the new Secretary of State for Education, coming to speak to us, and a large part of the event itself is devoted to continuing professional development (CPD) sessions.

I have been a head teacher for 23 years, and school leadership has never been more challenging or complex than it is today.

Running a school requires an extraordinary breadth of skills. I once heard it said that you need the soul of a poet and the work ethic of a coal miner to be a school leader. I think that’s pretty fair. To get the best out of everyone in your school’s community, you need to be able to command their trust and respect with passion, vision and warmth. But sometimes you just need to roll up your sleeves and haul the damn thing and everyone in it the last few yards to the finishing line. There will be moments when you will feel like there is nothing you can’t do. And plenty more when you feel like nothing you do is working.

While the hefty business of leadership is filling your day, it can be nigh on impossible to make time and space to develop and invest in yourself and your teams.

Finding the money is also a big problem. Our data suggests that

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seven out of 10 school leaders are reducing their investment in CPD to avoid a deficit budget. That might be a necessary short-term measure to keep you in the black, but ultimately, it will cost the school system dear. As our current secretary of state says: “There can be no great schools without great teachers.” CPD is an essential part of the picture, but school budgets are at breaking point, and there’s no question that this is having a negative impact on access to training and development opportunities for staff.

NAHT’s CPD offer at this conference includes workshops on human resources, restriction and restraint, health and safety challenges in schools, and promoting good mental health and well-being. If you miss annual conference this year, you’ll be pleased to know NAHT’s programme of conferences and training continues year-round. Just check our freshly updated website for all the details.

In this issue, you will hear from two education secretaries. Our current overlord is Damian Hinds, and on page 27, he writes about his ambition to develop the skills and status of the profession. He follows

Above: Anne Lyons

I once heard it said that you need the soul of a poet and the work ethic of a coal miner to be a school leader.

in the footsteps of many others who have often cast long shadows over the education landscape long after they leave office. One such person is Kenneth Baker, the man behind inset days, which are 30 years old this year. I hope you enjoy reading his reminiscences on page 14 and a number of case studies on the application of inset days on page 10.

Two areas in which the school leader’s job has changed immeasurably are school finances and children’s mental health. That is why I am particularly pleased that two big partnerships for NAHT are going from strength to strength.

On pages 22 and 23, you will find details of our unique professional development partnership with ISBL. And on page 21, you will see more about our charity partnership for 2018-19 with Place2Be, the organisation behind Children’s Mental Health Week.

The charity partnership is always the president’s choice, and I think it says a lot about Andy Mellor that he’s put the welfare of children right at the top of his agenda during his presidential year. It has been an honour to serve you all and meet so many of you during the past 12 months. I know Andy will do a great job when he takes over, and I look forward to supporting him in my year as immediate past president.

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CONTENTS

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

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Editorial Strategy Board: David Gilmore (chair), James Bowen, Tim Bowen, Nick Brook, Colm Davis, Guy Dudley, Kim Johnson, Steven George, Magnus Gorham, Steve Iredale, Anne Lyons, Helena Macormac, Valentine Mulholland, Julie Nash, Lara Newton, 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 Ltd, Headlines MediaHub, Radian Court, Knowlhill, Milton Keynes MK5 8PJ. www.headlines.uk.com Tel: 01908 393303 Email: nic.paton@headlines.uk.com

Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation: 30,151 (July 2015 – June 2016)

Yes, I do think inset days have contributed to raising standards.

And I do think that’s up to head teachers; they must have an idea of what they want to do.

Lord Baker

ISSN: 1472-6181 © Copyright 2018 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 | APRIL 2018

Contents

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

10 Inset days Leadership Focus speaks to Lord Baker about his legacy as education secretary.

16 National professional qualifications How an NPQ can help you with your career.

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CPD wall planner

18 Tackling fraud Find out why NAHT has joined up with SAFERjobs to protect its members.

20 Mental health skills gap James Brown from Mental Health First Aid England talks to Leadership Focus.

21 Place2Be Our chosen charity partner for 2018-19.

22 School business leaders Steven Gasser from ISBL discusses the need for professional development.

24 Nottingham Schools Trust We look at a pioneering trust-based model.

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27 Damian Hinds A special message from the new Secretary of State for Education to our members.

28 Meet Rachel Younger Leadership Focus chats to the activist representing our school business leaders.

30 Flipped quality assurance Liz Robinson from Surrey Square Primary School shares her experience.

34 Mentally healthy schools

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A new website supporting primary school staff.

36 Difficult staff conversations James Bowen, NAHT Edge director, provides 10 tips for school leaders.

38 Annual conference preview A look ahead to our sovereign decision-making forum.

40 Outdoor learning Making it work when budgets are tight.

41 Schools Assist Managing health and safety.

42 Wales Policy update from Rob Williams.

43 Northern Ireland Policy update from Helena Macormac.

44 NAHT Aspire Lead learning using NAHT Aspire’s Quality Framework for Learning & Teaching.

45 Mental well-being of school staff Addressing the issues.

46 Campaign updates Where do things stand around pay, workload and teacher training.

50 Your school’s community voice We explore Fiona Carnie’s new book.

52 A legal view Simon Thomas looks at unfair dismissal.

53 Paul Whiteman A view from our general secretary.

54 Top five advice topics Our most popular advice from the spring term.

56 Mental health conference Rona Tutt shares the main points from our conference.

57 Teenage brain conference 2018 Feedback from the day.

58 Conferences 2018 A look at a selection of our upcoming conferences.

60 Hand-picked training courses A focus on the key courses you may wish to attend.

62 The final word Susan Young on driving improvements through research.

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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 month’s news via publications@naht.org.uk

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Aspire to greatness – we’re now recruiting for the autumn 2018 programme ith ever-increasing financial and performance pressures, NAHT Aspire offers outstanding value to achieve school improvement. For less than the cost of converting to an academy, NAHT Aspire provides a two-year programme that brings immediate challenge and support while developing capacity through a sustainable model. Through working in networks, participating schools are encouraged to collaborate in setting their agendas for school improvement and supported by expert advisers.

NAHT Aspire has been delivering consistently high outcomes for partners irrespective of their starting position.

Since its launch in 2013, NAHT Aspire has worked with more than 160 partner schools.

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106 have been inspected – 77 per cent joining as requires improvement or worse Following inspection, 68 per cent are now good or better 24 schools joined as good Following inspection, 87 per cent are now good or outstanding.

The University of Derby has evaluated the programme, and it meets the internationally recognised Quality Management System standard (BSI ISO 9001). It embodies the five headline standards for continuing professional development set by the Department for Education. It is suitable for maintained primary schools, academies, trusts and local authorities.

We are now recruiting for our programme that commences in the new academic year. Visit nahtaspire.co.uk for more information.

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | APRIL 2018

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

The DfE accepts NAHT’s view that the system is not ready for mandatory reporting On 5 March 2018, the Government published its response to its consultation on reporting child abuse and neglect, and NAHT is pleased the Government’s decisions reflect the views we expressed in our submission.

The consultation considered proposals to change the law to introduce mandatory reporting, or a duty to act, whereby individuals, including teachers and school leaders, could face professional or criminal sanctions for failing to take appropriate action where child abuse was known or suspected.

The government has concluded that the case for the introduction of a mandatory reporting duty or a duty to act has not been made. As highlighted in our response, the Government found the evidence did not demonstrate that either of the proposals would sufficiently improve outcomes for children and that these additional measures could risk creating unnecessary burdens and divert attention from the most serious cases.

HAVE WE GOT YOUR CORRECT DETAILS? 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 important that we have your most up-to-date personal details, so we can contact you with important information regarding your membership. NAHT and NAHT life members can update their details online by visiting www. naht.org.uk/update-details, and NAHT Edge members can let us know of any changes by contacting us on membersupport@ nahtedge.org.uk 7

A stellar line-up of speakers for School Leadership podcast

Managing your NAHT communications – what you need to know At NAHT, we strive to ensure we’re only sending you the information you wish to receive, and it's important to us that you know what to do should you wish to stop receiving it. With the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) coming into effect next month, it’s even more important that you understand how you can opt in and out of our communications.

You can find a link at the bottom of the emails sent from us that allows you to change the communications you receive. This will give you a list of communication categories that you can manage, including news and updates, events and CPD, marketing and information from selected partners.

In addition, all members currently receive a copy of Leadership Focus magazine as

a benefit of membership. If you no longer wish to receive Leadership Focus, you can contact our membership support team by emailing mshipemail@naht.org.uk. They will be happy to change this for you.

On occasion, you may receive emails from us that specifically relate to your membership. This might be to remind you of your subscription renewal or regarding important changes to our terms and conditions. Often, you won’t see an unsubscribe option for these emails because we’re obliged to provide you with this information as part of your membership.

If you need any support with managing your preferences, don’t hesitate to contact our membership support team by emailing mshipemail@naht.org.uk.

We’re rather excited about who we have lined up for April’s podcast (due out soon).

Our special guests will be Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales and Fiona Millar, writer and journalist.

Jimmy and Fiona share with us why they visit schools to give talks to pupils and their thoughts on how schools can best prepare their pupils for the 21st-century workplace and participation in wider society.

And in case you missed it, March’s guest speaker was Mary Myatt, the author of the book ‘high challenge, low threat’. She explains how leaders can be both kind and humane while still maintaining the highest expectations of those they lead. Regardless of whether you have been in a leadership role for years or are relatively new to the post, you will learn plenty from listening to Mary’s insights.

The easiest way to listen to our monthly podcast is by subscribing on iTunes (just search for ‘school leadership podcast’). Alternatively, you can stream it directly by visiting soundcloud.com/naht-edge.

NEWS ROUND-UP

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

A bird’s eye view of Inspiring Leadership 2018 nspiring Leadership 2018 is just around the corner. Moving into its fifth year, the conference has quickly become a key calendar event for leaders across the country to meet, share ideas and get inspired.

This year, the Inspiring Leadership conference will be held at the ICC in Birmingham from Thursday 14 to Friday 15 June. The only event of its type in the education sector, Inspiring Leadership puts school leaders at the heart of the conference with a diverse line-up of speakers and ample opportunities to work with peers.

The event will cover a variety of themes, including innovation, leadership, partnerships and psychiatry. A carefully curated programme of thought-provoking speakers and practical masterclasses will give a fresh perspective on leadership both within and beyond the education sector. Inspiring Leadership 2018 aims to facilitate the perfect opportunity to meet peers, share experiences, and exchange views and ideas to take back to the workplace.

Delegates will also have unrivalled access to updates on technology, products and services to improve their work environment via the extensive exhibition.

The keynote speakers at Inspiring Leadership conference come with a wealth of stories; some have found their lives under fire and yet flourished, some have successfully challenged the status quo against all the odds and others have changed lives through the smallest of actions. This year’s keynote speakers include Prof. Steve Peters, a consultant psychiatrist specialising in the functioning of the human mind, Ross Morrison McGill, director of Teacher Toolkit and a TEDx speaker, Amjad Ali, a senior leader and loads more.

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Find out more about this year’s event, including keynote speakers and conference events, by following the event on Twitter using the hashtag #ilconf18, or take a look at the conference’s programme at www.inspiringleadership.org

Delegates enjoying last year's Inspiring Leadership conference

Supporting school leaders for life – NAHT’s national executive welcomes life members’ representation in a two-year pilot For more than a year, our life members’ committee has been working with colleagues to build a case to have direct representation on NAHT’s national executive. As the number of life members continues to grow, this is a real opportunity to represent their interests and experience on the national stage.

We are pleased to announce a two-year pilot is commencing from June this year, with one member of our life members’ committee being invited to join the the national executive.

Paul Whiteman, NAHT general secretary, commented: “Working lives are changing, and with that, they change our expectations of the institutions we rely on and develop. Trade unions and professional associations need to reflect the changes taking place, and I am pleased NAHT’s life members' committee is working with the rest of the union to develop our offering to all members further. I anticipate that some exciting ideas will come forward from this pilot.”

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | APRIL 2018

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INSET DAYS

“It was very y strange. When Margaret appointed me, I expected she was going to give me a list. She didn’t; she just said ‘go away and come back in about six to eight weeks’ time to let me know what you’re likely to propose’. I was amazed at that.”

So recalls Kenneth (now Lord) Baker of his first days as education secretary in Margaret Thatcher’s government in 1986. ord Baker’s legacy includes the introduction of the national curriculum via the 1988 Education Act. He was also responsible in the same year for inset days, or “IN-SErvice Training days” to give them their formal name, although they also became popularly known as “Baker days”, at least initially.

On page 14, Lord Baker recalls how these five extra days for training and development in the school year came about. But 30 years on, what impact have inset days had on the profession, in particular on sustaining and embedding teaching excellence and school improvement? Just as importantly, in the current climate of intense accountability, financial and day-to-day workload pressures, how are schools and head teachers nowadays using this “free time”?

And is their role, perception or value being diluted or changing as a result?

“The scale of change over the last few years has meant inset days have increasingly become more about compliance training and less about professional development.

Continuing professional development (CPD) is one of the things that has been cut and cut year after year,” concedes Valentine Mulholland, NAHT head of policy.

“Inset days are, too often, now focused on dealing with day-today demands – government’s changes, changes to the curriculum or assessment, and so on – so limiting the amount of professional development that people are able to do or access.

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“With the financial crisis, it is not just the direct cost of sending someone on a course. It’s also the admin of getting them released, organising and paying for the cover for their lesson, and so on. If you have to make cuts year-on-year then that will eventually have an impact on the quality of your staff.

“There has also been a decline in investment in school leadership programmes. There is still the national professional qualification for middle leaders, senior leaders, heads and executive leaders. But there are no longer any bursaries for these. The school business leader qualifications are equally important, but the Department for Education no longer funds them.

“The education landscape is changing so much that it is really important to encourage professional development and research using external input, and to develop your best practice.

But those opportunities to create professional space are under threat,” Valentine adds.

“For as far back as I can remember, inset days have been more about keeping up with government-led initiatives or strategies, or changes to the Education Act rather than CPD,” agrees Jill Kidwell, deputy head teacher at Oaklands School, a secondary school in Winsford, Cheshire.

“I started teaching in 1986 and so inset days arrived very early on in my career. Even then, as Baker days, they were all about implementing the national curriculum. After that it was all

Below inset: Jill Kidwell

about Ofsted – if Ofsted were to come tomorrow, what would it find? So they have rarely, if ever in my experience, been about training days for teachers or other employees; they’ve really been extended staff members’ meetings.

“We should always be thinking ‘what are the children getting?’

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | APRIL 2018

Our primary directive is, after all, educating children, so how are inset days impacting on the quality of the education we’re providing for our children? Too often, I don’t feel inset days are about improving the skills of teachers.

“I strongly believe for professional development to be effective, it has to be in place for at least two terms.

For example, we recently had a really inspiring motivational day led by a staff member looking at Bloom’s taxonomy. We went away and came back to it two weeks later at another staff members’ meeting to follow-up on it, which was really effective. But too often things just get presented and are then left behind because you suddenly need to look at grading or something else like that.

“You need to have a clear focus that you can come back to and, at the end of the year, see whether or not it has had an impact. You are not going to change the world sitting in a hall looking at a

PowerPoint; it is going to happen through dialogue and collaboration.

But a bad inset day can show a teacher very powerfully what the children feel like when they’re just being talked at all day. Just like everyone else, you’ll probably end up having a doodle and a little giggle,” Jill adds.

Nevertheless, even if there is some erosion at the edges, inset days are still hugely valued by the profession. It is also clear, as members show over the following pages, that despite all the pressures, head teachers are doing their best to protect the use of inset days as days for professional training and development, whether for teaching or other staff.

As Grahame Colclough, business and operations leader at Burnwood Community School, a primary school in Stoke-on-Trent, highlights: “In my school, inset days have always been about CPD, both for the teachers and our support staff.

CASE STUDY

Claire Evans is deputy head of Anderton Park School, a primary school in Birmingham “Historically, you were often able to use some of the time on inset days, especially at the beginning of the school year or term, to get into your classroom and put up displays, catch up on work and get prepared. But that has definitely now gone.

“Inset days now tend to be much more strategic.

We use two for statutory safeguarding training, normally right at the beginning of the school year. The beauty of these is that every single staff member attends, including the office and admin staff, cleaners and maintenance staff; it is not just the teaching staff. We often do training around things such as asthma, EpiPens and diabetes – all of which is hugely valuable.

“We try to ensure it is not just ‘done to’ training, where you sit in the hall for three hours being talked at. There will be questionnaires, question and answer sessions, handouts and lots of discussions.

We want it to be a meaningful process; we want to be able to show that we have improved people’s knowledge.

“We have had external guest speakers come in, often motivational speakers when we can afford it, although this has been getting harder to do. In the past, we might have sent two people off on a course for perhaps £500. Now, if the course is decent, we’ll be more likely to buy the trainer in or perhaps share the cost with a cluster of schools around us. Increasingly, we’re finding schools are getting together to split the cost of these things and, of course, gaining the advantage of networking and knowledge transfer.

“Inset days can be valuable for looking at a particular aspect of school improvement that you want to change. But there are so many pressures on every aspect of schooling. The pressure, therefore, is to make inset days as meaningful as possible for everyone. So, if you are focusing on, say, English, you also have to have something in place for other members of staff. It has to be brilliant for everyone.

“One thing we’ve done for the past five years is to use one of our inset days – in May – for a school well-being day, which has proved very popular.

Everyone is expected to attend, and you can choose from a range of different workshops, so things such as yoga, mindfulness, aromatherapy and even martial arts. Mental health and well-being are really important to us, but they also get people out of their comfort zone and level everyone out.”

WE USE ONE OF OUR INSET DAYS FOR A SCHOOL WELL-BEING DAY

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CASE STUDY

Liam Collins is head teacher at Uplands Community College, a secondary school in Wadhurst, East Sussex “When I started out in my career as a teacher, inset days often used to feel completely irrelevant. You felt it was something being done at the whim of the leadership team, something they felt was important or something that Ofsted was saying was important. You would just be sitting there listening to them telling you something for an hour.

Occasionally there might be something interesting, but it was all too often quite ad hoc.

“When I first moved into a senior leadership team position, I was probably just as guilty of that as everyone else. An inset day would often be about a particular method or topic so, perhaps, differentiation, assessment or learning a new part of the curriculum. We would be delivering training that was not necessarily that relevant or new, and that got worse when we were in the throes of graded lesson observations, before that came to an end.

“As a new head teacher, I began to think about the whole process. Our focus now is very much on gaps in the classroom; it is also very much a bottom-up rather than top-down approach. We very rarely nowadays have the whole staff come together to listen to something, and it is predominantly based around twilights. I just do not think it is useful to have everyone sat in the same room unless it’s for something like delivering safeguarding training.

“Everything is focused towards ‘what is it someone wants to achieve?’ And not just the teaching staff, of course. It could be the site team focusing on, say, PAT testing, for example. It will be about working with their line manager to talk about what the issue is and how they are going to achieve their goal or target in that area.

They are absolutely vital, and more so nowadays than ever. In fact, without them, I do not think we would be able to function.

“So much has to be crammed into those five days that it is hard to do everything you’d like. When it comes to things like safeguarding or prevent training, they need to be a whole-school activity – it is very hard to do it as a twilight – and so inset days are invaluable for that.

“We use our inset day on the first day back of the school year in September for that sort of safeguarding training,

CASE STUDY

“We have also introduced the concept of a ‘FedEx day’, where people have the freedom to ‘deliver’ on a project or goal that is entirely up to them. If your priority is clearing and tidying up the cupboard in your classroom that has been driving you insane, that’s fine.

“But everyone gets together at the end of the day to talk about how they’ve used the time to improve their teaching practice. Therefore, if all you’ve done is clean out a cupboard, you may feel a bit disappointed in yourself.

“We also have joint inset days with four other schools – just local schools that we work closely together with. That helps to keep costs down, and it is a great way to network and share knowledge. We are normally able to get a headline external speaker for those days, which tends to be more motivational. We also work to bring different faculties together.

“The fact we do most of it via twilights also means we can offer staff some extra days’ holiday during the year, which we tend to tack on to the Christmas holidays. This is probably controversial, but if it were down to me, I’d get rid of inset days completely. And what I would do instead is make sure CPD was being done as part of a teacher’s contract, so there was protected directed time for development.”

I DO NOT THINK IT IS USEFUL TO HAVE EVERYONE SAT IN THE SAME ROOM UNLESS IT’S FOR SOMETHING LIKE SAFEGUARDING TRAINING

as well as updating staff on any changes to government policy. It is just a way of bringing everyone together to plan for and focus on the year ahead,” Grahame adds.

“We have a high level of SEN, and so we need to make sure our support teams are fully briefed and know what interventions are needed in each class. It is very much not just about teachertraining days; it is about the whole school.

“The budgetary pressures we’re all under mean that CPD budgets are being stretched and stretched.

Marijke Miles is head of school at Baycroft School, a special needs secondary in Stubbington, Hampshire “I do think inset days have evolved. When I was first starting out as a teacher, they tended to be used as a way to respond to initiatives, such as the launch of a new scheme or idea.

Right: Grahame Colclough

For example, the ‘literary hour’ as an idea was very popular early on in my career, and so I remember a lot of time being spent on that.

“In my view, we have got much smarter at using this time. Time for all teachers is, of course, incredibly precious. You need to think every minute ‘how am I going to use this time to make the most impact?’ One way I think we have got smarter is by doing things more in smaller blocks,

often in twilight sessions or equivalent.

You can do things in smaller groups and in a much more targeted way. It is a huge luxury to be able to have

IN MY VIEW, SCHOOLS HAVE GOT MUCH SMARTER AT USING INSET TIME

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | APRIL 2018

CASE STUDY

We cannot really afford to send teachers on courses any more, for example. So it makes more sense to use the time for whole-school CPD; it is more cost effective to be doing work as a whole school, or even by joining up with other schools.

“In my opinion, I don’t think there are enough inset days; you have to squeeze so much in. We are a very large primary with around 100 staff. So it is difficult to get the information out there that people need, to inform people and to ensure everyone is upskilling where they need but also understanding where and how government policy is changing,” Grahame continues.

“I am old enough to remember pre-Baker days, and so remember their inception very well,” recalls Ruth Davies, head teacher at Waunarlwydd Primary School in Swansea.

“It was a great change and a pivotal moment. But in the early days, they were often more utilitarian and more set-piece events, where schools came together to address specific

your whole team together.

“This can be anything from behaviour management training through to internet safety care, or cognition and learning to something around harnessing technology. You can then build this around the different groups of staff and into different types of sessions or workshops. But there are areas where it would add value

changes in policy or direction.

“I think the quality of inset days is much determined by the extent to which they synthesise with a school’s improvement programme.

Whether that can effectively occur within five chunks of time during an academic year is an open question.

“The biggest change is the opportunity they afford colleagues to think and indulge in inquiry-led practice. It puts the onus and responsibility for professional development back into the hands of the profession, with much more of a focus on evidence-based learning and practice.

“In my experience, the most successful inset days have been ones that have not been tagged as something else. They are very much a driver for the school’s current priorities. I believe it really is important that school leaders think of inset days as tools, not an end in themselves, and that they are planned and accommodated within the school’s overall vision going forward,” Ruth adds.

to bring everyone together, for example, safeguarding.

“If you have very intense, targeted two-hour sessions, you are, I feel, going to get a lot more ‘bang for your buck’. You can also have linked insets – perhaps two lots of two hours, but both twilights rather than a full day.

Ideally, I’d love to have more of them and more CPD time. They can have such an impact.”

Adam Robins is deputy head teacher at Roding Primary School in Dagenham, East London “Inset days can be quite a powerful tool. If done well, they are one of the key ingredients for supporting school-led improvement. They can allow you to focus on different aspects of the school’s development plan, and (again, if done well) they can really enthuse staff and give them things to think about and take away.

“From my experience, some of the best inset days are when you get in an external person who can show you something completely new or remind you why it was you came into teaching. It is much harder to enthuse people in a twilight session after school in February, for example.

“One of the problems with inset days in recent years is they have become hijacked by the fact schools are so often playing catch-up around the latest government initiatives. If schools just use inset days to tick box x or show they’ve implemented initiative y, or whatever has come out that week, then I don’t think that’s the best use for them. If inset days are simply used to fight fires or whatever else is coming up, I think that’s wrong.

“I don’t think many teachers look forward to inset days, to be honest. They have to be relevant. They have to have a purpose. They have to offer something you can take away and act on immediately. And they have to offer something that is going to make a difference.

An inset day has to benefit the staff, the children or the school, otherwise what is the point?

“In many respects, what you can do with inset days is going to depend on what sort of school you are. If yours requires improvement, you’re really not going to have any option but to work on improvement and just drive forward what you’re being told to do. But if you’re good or outstanding, you can be more flexible and use inset days to focus on the specific areas you want to improve and invest in.

“Personally, I think it would be valuable to stipulate that some time within the inset day calendar should be dedicated to staff well-being and investing time and energy in your staff. The demands on teachers and the recruitment crisis are such that this is an area I feel schools do need to be looking at. They should be, first and foremost, looking at how to improve outcomes for children, but equally, there should be some time for investing in staff and recognising how hard everyone is working, especially in September and January when people have just come back.”

THEY HAVE TO BE RELEVANT, HAVE A PURPOSE AND OFFER SOMETHING YOU CAN ACT ON IMMEDIATELY

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INSET DAYS 14

CASE STUDY

Clare Majury is head teacher at Holywood Nursery School, in Holywood, Northern Ireland “In Northern Ireland, much like in England and Wales, we have a real funding crisis right now in schools. As a consequence, CPD has been very difficult to sustain; there has been a real reduction in CPD. “When I started in teaching, all schools were able to access funding to bring over trainers, work together across school sites or even go away on residential courses. But nowadays, inset days are very much more school based.

The fact the curriculum has changed so much also means there is less time for general CPD. “There are some inset days we do every year, for example, on safeguarding. One of the good things is that many of our staff are on parttime contracts or hours, and so they may not cross paths that frequently. An inset day is a great way to bring staff together as a team and share views.

“The inspection regime means all schools have to focus on quality, and a lot of schools do self-evaluate. But you really cannot do that unless there is some room for open discussion around the table and the sharing of ideas and feedback.

“Another issue with Northern Ireland is we’re into our seventh year of industrial action. As part of this, quite a lot of teachers are refusing to attend meetings or only willing to go to a limited number. So the inset day can become a way of coming together to focus on what actually needs to be done.

“If money were no object, I would like to be able to use them to take staff away to some form of staff development conference that would allow people to look at what areas they could improve on. When events do come up and if we can, we send a single staff member who then comes back and disseminates information, but it is not as good. If we had one of those with someone who was an early years specialist, for example, that could really give a kickstart to the year.”

WHEN I STARTED IN TEACHING, WE COULD BRING OVER TRAINERS, WORK TOGETHER ACROSS SCHOOL SITES OR EVEN GO AWAY ON RESIDENTIAL COURSES. NOWADAYS, INSET DAYS ARE MORE SCHOOL BASED

Interview with

ord Baker, thank you very much for sparing your time.

We’re looking back at 30 years of inset days, ‘Baker days’, and how they’ve changed and evolved.

When you were secretary of state, how did they come about? What were the discussions? And what was your motivation for bringing in inset days in the first place?

The motivation was very clear: that teachers are a profession. Many other professions have arrangements for their members to be brought up-to-date with the changes that occur. For example, in medicine, doctors have periods where they have to do catch-up training to keep in touch with what is happening.

It also happens in accountancy and the law to some extent.

I felt very strongly that a) teachers were very important as a profession, I look on them as a profession, and b) teachers needed something like inset days because things were changing a lot. When you consider what teaching was like just 100 years ago, or even when I went to school, we had pens, exercise books and ink monitors; there was nothing visual, and there were no machines or calculators.

It wasn’t quite slate and chalk, but it was an entirely different world.

The introduction of whiteboards and video, and the capacity of teachers to make PowerPoint presentations of their own; it’s now second nature in the teaching profession. But teachers have to learn it at some stage.

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Was there scepticism or any sense of ‘hang on, we’re going to give teachers extra time off when they already get six weeks’ holiday over the summer, etc etc’?

It was always intended that inset days should be at the beginning or end of term, so they were taken out of, as it were, the holiday time and did not disrupt the school.

Now, of course, many inset days are done half-way through a term, and that makes the parents very fed up. I don’t think that’s a good procedure, and I would encourage inset days to take place at the beginning or end of the term.

Was there much opposition you had to overcome, especially within government?

No. We talked to lots of the elements engaged in the education process and involved in teaching; the teaching colleges, those colleges that train teachers – my civil servants spoke to them. They spoke to unions as well. There was a great deal of consultation on it.

It improved the status of teachers in my mind because it made them more like another profession.

Do you feel inset days have achieved what you set out to achieve through them?

Yes, I think so. I think they have done. When I go round schools now – and I spend my life going round UTCs (university technical colleges) – I do see teaching being done in rather different ways. I see it being done in a much more cooperative way between the teacher and the student than in the past.

The relationship between the teacher and the student has changed quite a lot since I was at school, or even since I was education secretary. And I think that all helps. All teachers have to have very good communication skills of one sort or another, and some have those naturally while others have to learn how to do it.

One thing that has come out from speaking to NAHT members is a feeling that, with the intense financial, accountability and workload pressures schools are under, there is a danger CPD can get squeezed out; that schools can no longer use inset days in ways they might like. Is that something you have seen at all?

I hope schools and head teachers don’t think that. Training is always something you can push aside or make space for something else. But that is a mistake; I think people have to be updated.

Take computing: one of the things I would do now if I were still dealing the cards, which I’m not, is to ensure teachers in all teaching

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | APRIL 2018

h Lord Kenneth Baker training colleges are taught how to code because I think that is now so important in our digital age.

It’s not only how to use emails or how to do worksheets and all the rest of it; it is also the gateway to knowledge because you can have the knowledge of almost anything in the world at your fingertips.

Do you feel inset days have contributed to raising standards in schools? And what do you think should be the role of the head teacher in terms of communicating and modelling how inset days are used?

Yes, I do think inset days have contributed to raising standards.

And I do think that’s up to head teachers; they must have an idea of what they want to do. They must define exactly the sort of things teachers should know about.

Are you proud of the legacy of inset days?

Yes, I think they’ve worked well.

Teachers say to me ‘yes, we’re glad we have them’. I’ve not had anyone say to me ‘it was a mistake and we don’t need them’.

If you look back at your time as education secretary, what are you most proud of?

I think it was the best job I had in government, and I enjoyed it enormously. I was allowed to make very big changes. It was very strange. When Margaret appointed me, I expected she was going to give me a list. She didn’t; she just said ‘go away and come back in about six to eight weeks’ time to let me know what you’re likely to propose’. I was amazed at that.

I did say ‘I’ve got certain things I’d like to do – I’d like to get technical colleges off the ground, I’d like to have a go at making schools independent of local authorities and I am aware the curriculum needs a whole look at’. I went away and had lots of meetings with my civil servants, round the table with all the senior civil servants, even down to assistant secretary level – a great sort of teach-in for all of us.

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We developed a whole series of proposals. I think one of the most significant was the delegation of budgets for schools, which was an enormous change. It was at a time when I was being told by some people ‘don’t do it. Teachers don’t understand money, and it would be wrong for them to worry about it’.

I disagreed and said we must have some experiments and extend it.

We drew from those experiments the knowledge and extended it.

I also wanted to have technical colleges focusing on computing and independent from local authorities.

I am proud of that because that started the academy movement; it was the forerunner of academies.

I think the national curriculum was needed, and I think it has survived in pretty good shape since then. I don’t agree with EBacc or Progress 8, but that’s another story. I think having a national curriculum is important.

I think children should go through, in one of R A Butler’s phrases, ‘the common mill of education’. So I am proud of all those things.

I was also very pleased that Labour, when they came to

Above: Lord Baker

office in 1997, virtually accepted the lot. The only thing they changed was grant-maintained schools, but they brought them back as trust schools later.

Do you feel social mobility is on the right track, that as a nation we are adequately supporting children from disadvantaged backgrounds to fulfil their potential?

One of the things I am very proud of now is that UTCs are major agents of social mobility. I also think primary education has improved a very great deal. Lots of youngsters are leaving primary schools at a better level of reading and writing than they had. But something then goes wrong in 11-14 in lots of schools.

I am a very, very strong believer in social mobility. Education is the major agent of social mobility in the country; there is absolutely no question about that. The way you increase social mobility is to give youngsters employable skills. The very brightest children will come through any education system, quite frankly. The great challenge is to help all the rest.

NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

National professional qualifications – how they can help your career If you’re looking for a clear pathway to career progression and expert knowledge on how to implement long-term improvement in your school, a national professional qualification (NPQ) might be for you. It not only demonstrates your commitment to o personal development but also helps you to achieve the bestt outcomes for your pupils.

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LEADERSHIP FOCUS | APRIL 2018

or those aspiring to become a school leader, completing an NPQ is a great way to get ready to take on new responsibilities and challenges.

And if you are a serving school leader, the additional knowledge gained during the course will complement your existing practice and help you to gain confidence in your role.

Wherever you may be in your career journey, holding an NPQ will help you to identify your strengths and development areas, and in turn,

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Wherever you may be in your career journey, holding an NPQ will help you to identify your strengths and development areas, and in turn, it will make you a more confident and effective leader.

it will make you a more confident and effective leader. By the time you achieve your qualification, you’ll be well equipped to raise your pupils’ aspirations and attainment, and improve their outcomes regardless of their background.

With recent changes to qualifications announced last year by the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL), there’s never been a better time to study for an NPQ. These reforms were made to reflect alterations in school structures and increase assessmen nt rigour and quality.

There are NPQs available for all evels of sc chool leadership, and le they are suitable for those working in n primary y and secondary schools.

The time taken to complete the qualificatio on varies – for some, it can be as little as two terms, and fo or others, the process is longer (it can tak ke up to 18 months).

There are four qualifications available: 1 NPQML for middle leaders 2 NPQSL for senior leaders 3 NPQH fo or head teachers 4 NPQEL for executive leaders leading several schools (this is a new w qualification).

As the nam me suggests, the NPQ is a nationally recognised qualification, and the Department for Education (DfE) accrredits it. The department iss responsible for setting the benchmarrks and standards for th he qualifications’ assessment criteria, an nd it licenses approved providers to deliver the training.

Ambitio on School Leadership is one of these accredited prroviders. It offers NPQs for asspiring and serving middle leaders, senior leaders, head d teachers and executive le eaders through the Ambition NPQ Alliance, which launched in autumn 2017. Partn ners in the alliance include multi-acad demy trusts, teaching school allia ances and teaching schools – all of whom deliver highquality and impactful NPQ training.

Ambitio on draws on the extensive erience and best practice skills, expe

of its Alliance partners to design and deliver programmes that have a real impact. And its flexible approach to partnership means it tailors content and delivery to the local context and the needs of every school.

Kevin O’Neill from Ambition said: “We’re proud to have more than 50 partners encompassing more than 1,200 schools, including some of the biggest names in education.

We work with NAHT, Ark, Oasis Community Learning, the David Ross Education Trust, Outwood Grange Academies Trust and Dixons Academies Trust - who all serve on the Alliance’s steering group. We have also partnered with many other organisations, including the Creative Education Trust and the University of Chichester Education Institute.

We want to empower schools to be able to grow their leaders.”

Over the course of the programme, you’ll carry out an impact project and, depending on the level of your NPQ, a placement in a contrasting school. Ambition’s curriculum is developed with its partners, and each programme has a set of core modules that participants must work through. The modules are designed to accelerate your professional development and ensure outcomes for your pupils.

“We’re unique in that we invite all participants to complete a Viva. You’ll take part in a structured interview and present the findings of your impact project to an Ambition assessor.

The assessor will ask questions about your development and impact, so they can gain a deeper understanding of what you’ve learned and done over the course of the NPQ,” explained Kevin.

“There has never been a better time to begin studying for an NPQ. Not only have the programmes recently been updated by the DfE but the department has also allocated £10 million of funding if you work in a school in one of the Government’s opportunity areas five or six. Scholarships to undertake the NPQ with Ambition School Leadership are available,” he added.

Find and register your interest with the nearest Ambition NPQ Alliance provider by visiting ambitionschoolleadership.org.uk.

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TACKLING FRAUD

Tackling fraud and malpractice by recruitment agencies The UK’s government and law enforcement are working together through the charity SAFERjobs (www.safer-jobs.com) to tackle labour market exploitation, recruitment supply chain issues and recruitment scams. NAHT has joined up with SAFERjobs to protect its members.

AFERjobs was originally created by the Metropolitan Police, and it is now a registered charity with a House of Lords patron, a House of Commons sponsor and vast support from various government departments.

In the last 24 months, SAFERjobs has witnessed a 300 per cent rise in reports of labour market abuse. In July 2017, the now education minister said one in 10 job seekers had been affected by recruitment scams. SAFERjobs receives dozens of reports a day from job seekers or agency workers about unfair treatment, pay for services, or out and out scams. It believes these figures are just the tip of the iceberg.

And more recently, several fake recruitment sites have faced a crackdown on their exploits. Often these sites offer non-existent jobs to hopeful teaching staff all at a cost: pay for a training course, a police check or even the opportunity to have their CV written. This behaviour by such agencies is not only misleading to those applying for real job opportunities but also exacerbating the current recruitment and retention crisis faced by schools.

Recently SAFERjobs and the DBS launched a partnership to tackle fraud, including supply chain organisations fabricating DBS reference numbers for teaching staff who in fact have not been DBS checked. And the issues in the education sector supply chain go further than this, with supply staff being placed by agencies

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without the appropriate right to work, qualifications or references being checked. Sadly, there have been many safeguarding issues involving temporary staff, and while the majority of recruitment organisations operate in the right way, it only takes a minority to lead to serious implications for schools and pupils. Can you be confident your supply chain is not posing you a risk?

This is where SAFERjobs comes in. The initiative requires recruitment organisations to partner with SAFERjobs; it comes at no cost to the recruiter, but it does ensure the recruiter advertises SAFERjobs to workers so that people have a place to report any issue and get free help. In September 2017, the Metropolitan Police and the Rt Hon Damian Hinds MP announced that SAFERjobs had helped more than a million job seekers and agency staff. SAFERjobs also offers a place for schools to report any issue they have with recruitment agencies, and because SAFERjobs is supported by the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate, which is the UK’s recruitment agency regulator and part of BEIS, this information is used to drive intelligent enforcement within the sector.

So why have we joined up with SAFERjobs?

Quite simply, to protect workers from labour market abuse, provide schools with additional reassurances when using recruitment firms and improve standards in the recruitment

sector by capturing intelligence at a national level on potential recruitment sector abuses. There are estimated to be 18,000 recruitment organisations in the UK, so building a national intelligence picture is key to creating a safe and level playing field for all.

We’re calling on school leaders to require any supply chain organisation they work with to partner with SAFERjobs. It is free and ensures suppliers treat workers correctly because if they don’t, workers can report issues to SAFERjobs. We’re also asking school leaders to ensure their organisations report any compliance issue to SAFERjobs: whether that’s supplying workers without appropriate checks, DBS abuses, advertising jobs that don’t exist or breaching terms and conditions. Through its joint working, SAFERjobs shares this intelligence (as appropriate) with the police, Home Office, Employment Agency Standards and the DBS.

Read related articles

• Jobseekers being targeted by scammers, minister warns (article by the BBC) www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-40715655 • Partnership working to tackle fraud (article by the Disclosure and Barring Service) www.gov.uk/government/news/ partnership-working-to-tackle-fraud • SAFERjobs helps tackle employment fraud (article by the Metropolitan Police) http://news.met.police.uk/news/ safer-jobs-helps-tackle-employment-fraud-259185

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MENTAL HEALTH SKILLS GAP

Addressing the mental health skills gap The way we approach mental health in schools is changing.

For decades, safeguarding and students’ well-being were synonymous with physical health in our sector. But as we move towards equality in how we deal with mental and physical health, welfare in schools is rightly beginning to encompass mental well-being, too. And with research indicating that in every class of 30 pupils, up to three of the children may be experiencing mental ill health at any one time, it’s a muchneeded development, writes JAMES BROWN , non-executive director at Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England. herever you look, there are signs that mental health awareness campaigns are making a real difference in education.

The NSPCC has issued new safeguarding guidance on supporting children with mental health issues, the Government has published a green paper on children and young people’s mental health, and our Youth MHFA courses are helping to improve training approaches in schools all over the country. Even the content of PSHE lessons is under review in response to calls for greater emphasis on mental well-being.

These are all good first steps on the ladder to a mentally healthier education system; however, there’s still a long way to go. Recently, for example, of the 655 school leaders surveyed by mental health charity Place2Be, 44 per cent admitted that knowing the type of help needed was a real barrier to providing mental health support for pupils.

This tells us there is a lot more work to be done to improve awareness of care pathways and strengthen links to services. Alongside this,

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Above: delegates at one of the training seminars

Learn more about Youth MHFA training at mhfaengland.org/organisations/youth Curious about becoming a Mental Health First Aid instructor? Find out more about available training at mhfaengland.org/instructors Interested in signing up for the Youth MHFA in Schools programme? Visit mhfaengland. org/mhfa-centre/schools-programme

there’s also a need to enhance approaches to prevention, so both young people and staff receive support, where possible, to stay mentally healthy in the first place.

Aside from the need for better resourced services, a key challenge that lies ahead is achieving all of this in a way that helps rather than hinders the work of our school staff.

Giving teachers and school staff the most up-to-date knowledge and tools to both support themselves and perform their roles effectively is an important way of balancing these needs while also supporting retention and recruitment. This doesn’t mean giving staff additional responsibilities or training them to be therapists. Rather, it’s about giving them the skills and confidence to be that first point of contact and manage situations that we know many are already dealing with without adequate training.

Youth MHFA is a robust evidencebased training course that thousands of schools in England have been using to address the mental

health skills gap among their staff.

Introduced in England in 2010, Youth MHFA trains school staff to spot the signs and symptoms of mental health issues in young people. And it equips school staff with the knowledge and the resources to broach this difficult topic of conversation and guide students to additional support. That support could range from encouraging safe and recommended self-help strategies to signposting someone to specialist mental health charities, schoolbased counselling or Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

In line with a focus on resilience, the course also emphasises the importance of personal well-being and teaches participants how to look after their mental health and how to support others to do the same.

As a result, staff members trained in MHFA not only report an increase in confidence around helping young people but also in how they support themselves and their peers.

This kind of training is something schools and local education authorities can ultimately use to empower their communities. As stigma around mental illness erodes and awareness of fostering positive well-being increases, it’s crucial that school leaders take the initiative to keep up with this culture change and support the development of our profession through innovative, evidence-based training. The mental health challenges we face will require a considered, collaborative and patient approach, but mental health training is one important thing we can provide right now to build mentally healthier schools and ensure staff and students are not just safe but also thriving.

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | APRIL 2018

Supporting mental health in schools We’re delighted to announce Place2Be is our chosen charity partner for 2018-19. We look at the charity’s inspirational work to provide emotional support to children in schools. chools are on the front line when it comes to pupils’ mental health. Below are just a few real scenarios that school leaders have shared with Place2Be – a children’s mental health charity that works with school communities to provide emotional support, advice and training.

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The phone rings. It’s the local hospice informing you that the cancer of a child’s parent is now terminal and the child has no other suitable relative to care for him. The parent has not accepted the terminal nature of the diagnosis, and the child only knows that mum is not well

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It’s lunchtime. There is a crash from someone dropping a plate in the school’s dinner hall.

A young pupil dives under the table because their experience tells them a loud bang equals a bomb not too far away

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A longstanding member of staff, who had been with the school for 35 years, dies suddenly. Her loss is felt across the whole school community.

Research shows that half of all adults’ mental health issues begin before the age of 14 and, on average, three children in every classroom have a diagnosable mental health issue. That’s not counting the many other pupils who may be facing

One participant said after the training programme: “I was able to have ... the most constructive conversation I have had with health professionals because I felt confident to speak with authority and experience to access the help I needed for my student.”

challenging circumstances – bereavement, family breakdown, exam stress or bullying to name but a few.

Pupils cannot thrive in school if emotional issues are overwhelming them, and teachers cannot teach effectively if pupils are distracted. A survey published last year revealed that 93 per cent of our members thought that pupils brought more worries into school than they did five years ago, and teaching staff have to manage issues for pupils that go beyond their professional role.

There is much that schools can do to build a culture of openness around mental health, encourage children to share their feelings, identify potential problems early and enable children to access support in a safe and familiar environment without the stigma often attached to other mental health services.

However, teachers should not need to be mental health experts, and schools should not have to cope with these pressures alone.

Place2Be is a charity that is committed to working in partnership with schools to raise awareness and increase understanding of children’s mental health. As well as providing mental health support services directly to almost 300 primary and secondary schools across England, Scotland and Wales, it also provides resources and training for teachers and school leaders.

When I have a big problem and I don’t want to tell the teacher, I come for a different person to talk to. It makes it clearer, and I know what to do if it happens again.

(Seven-yearold girl)

Developed from more than 23 y years of front-line experience in schools, Place2Be offers t two flagship Mental Health Champions programmes that C combine expert consultation, c advice and training to build a understanding, skills and knowledge in schools: 1. Mental Health Champions – School Leader supports school leaders to bring about strategic change to create ‘mentally healthy’ schools 2. Mental Health Champions – Class Teacher develops the knowledge and skills of teachers to support their pupils’ mental health needs.

Donate and help make a lifetime of difference to children in schools During the last school year, 40,375 children and young people booked an appointment to speak to Place2Be about whatever was on their minds.

As a charity, Place2Be relies on donations to continue its vital work.

By supporting them, you will be helping to ensure more children and young people can access high-quality mental health support when and where they need it most.

Find out more about the charity’s work or donate at www.place2be.org.uk.

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SCHOOL BUSINESS LEADERS

What next in the career of a school business professional?

Here STEVEN GASSER , executive director of professional development for the Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL), discusses the changing role of the school business professional and the need for professional development. t was an immense privilege to be asked to join ISBL in October 2017. My career before that was within the engineering and manufacturing sector where I had been responsible for supporting the development of many engineers, graduates and apprentices at various stages of their careers – hopefully, setting them on the way to professional registration and a rewarding journey through their chosen occupation.

Many people are inquisitive as to why I chose to come across into the education sector.

I had some awareness of the role played by the school business community, but like many outside of the profession, I was probably unaware of the breadth, depth and importance of the position. That changed when I became a parent governor at my daughter’s high school and I saw at first hand the skill, expertise, energy, enthusiasm and commitment that is consistently demonstrated by school business leaders.

The passion I saw convinced me to apply for the role at ISBL, and now I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues at the institute, our active members and fellows,

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practitioners, trade unions and other professional bodies within the sector to provide opportunities for professional development.

Before I start to outline some of my thoughts on professional development, I think it’s essential that we take a moment to reflect on the definition of a profession.

This is an important reference point because it will help to underpin ISBL’s commitment to focus on professionalisation and the continuous improvement of practice.

According to Wikipedia, a profession is defined as follows: “When any trade or occupation transforms itself through the development of formal qualifications based on education, apprenticeship and examinations; and the emergence of regulatory bodies with powers to admit and discipline members, and some degree of monopoly rights.

“Professions enjoy a high social status, regard and esteem conferred upon them by society.

“This arises primarily from the higher social function of their work,

I was probably unaware of the breadth, depth and importance of the position.

which is regarded as having a special and valuable nature.

“All professions involve technical, specialised and highly-skilled work.

Training for this work involves obtaining degrees and professional qualifications. Updating skills through continuing education is required through training.”

Those few paragraphs above should provide a firm basis for confirmation that school business practitioners must see themselves as being a profession. The vast strides made by the sector to produce professional standards, short courses, qualifications, training and apprenticeships cement the importance and prominence of the role. This is a fantastic achievement as we remind ourselves that bursars began to emerge in the state sector in the late 1990s, with NASBM publishing a set of professional standards that underpin the

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dev velo opment of th he professsion n in 2015. Fin nallly, the crea ation of IS SBL L, in n 2017, demonsstrates a determina atio on to provid de qua ality assura ance and co onfi fidence e to o th he sector that pro ofesssionallisattion n is key to success.

So, no ow thatt we ca an demon nstrate thatt th he sc chool bussine ess practittioner e as a proffesssional, can operrate erattive e that they y loo ok to it’s impe plan, exec cute e an nd evalluatte th heir evellopmen nt. prrofessionall de al de evellopmen nt can be Prrofessiona split ou ut into tw wo distin nct are eas: nal 1. Initial profession developm ment (IPD D) 2. Continuing g professiiona al dev velopmen nt (CPD).

IPD D no orma ally takes place at th he sttartt of a proffessiional caree er. It allowss th he scho ool bussiness prac ctitioner to id dentify y the e un nderpinning g kno owlledge and skillls required d to bu uild d a career in n th he se ector. Typic cally, this cou uld be com mpre ehen nsively deliverred by the dep ploym men nt of one of th he ne ew apprentticesship p prrogramme es de evelloped for sc chool busiiness profe essio onalls.

Thesse specially y con ntex xtualised d pathwayss will develo op and ex xamine the e knowledge e, sk kills and beha aviours req quired by th he ro ole of school business prrofessionalls. IP PD pro ogra ammes are gen nerally linearr in the eir deplo oyment, and d they aim to o develo op levells of autono omy and

respon nsibility with the su uppo ort of a lin ne man nager and d a coach.

CPD is a process of building g, mainttaining and enha ancing you ur knowled dge. It helps you to plan your deve elopme ent, review what you have lea arnt and d evaluate e the efffec ctive eness of yourr activity. ur co omm mitmen nt to CPD is You ecause the ac ctivities imporrtant be you choo ose e willl help to unde erpin your validitty and compe etence nesss leaderr. as a school busin You u can unde ertak ke CPD in a variety of ways – work k-ba ased learning, sh hort course es, form mal stu udy program mmes, sec cond dments, ements, or mentoring and d pllace coac ching g can all be options. It is nott alw wayss formal and d linear, and d it relattes to le earning a ne ew skill or ndertak king a ne ew task. un

The future for this profession is bright – the key is sustainable professional development to support it.

Th he proce ess of plan nning g your develop pme ent, regard dless of the stage at whic ch yo ou find yourrsellf in your caree er, is imp portant. ISB BL recom mmends th hat prac ctitionerss deploy an effective e, ussefull tool called the professiona al de evelo opment cyc cle. This too ol will help practtition ners o pla an, do, recorrd and review w to their dev velopment activity in a systtematic and structurred way.

For mo ore in nform mation on th his app proach, visitt www.isbl.org.uk/ professionaldevelopment.

Onc ce yo ou identtify an nd se ecure the re esou urcess required d, you sh hould develop it furrtherr by using g the e systematic appro oach h to trainiing (SA AT). It is widelly use ed in n the indu ustry, and it will help you to de eterm mine the exact learning requiirements or de evelopment opportunity th hat yo ou need. This approac ch drives the usser to take a forensic view of the processs by en ncouragin ng involvemen nt and participattion from m subject matte er expe erts. This consultattive approach willl prov vide a stru uctured method for the devellopment of training or learning g opp portu unities. e the e train ning has been And once de elivered, you sh houlld eva aluate the imp pact of it. Traiining is an investmentt, not a cost, an nd to se ecure addition nal investment in the e future e, you should measure and demo onstra ate the impactt of the trainiing no ot on nly on you but also your depa artme ent orr organisation. If the re esult of th he traiining has led to incre eased d effectiven ness, efficiiency or imprroved d prac ctice then the ch hance is you willl be successsful in sec curing future funding.

In the changing world d in wh hich we work k, continued invesstmen nt in personal devellopment is vital. This susttained support will help school busiiness practitioners to keep pace e witth new w legislation and new practicess, and d ensurre the status and d profile of the sc chool business proffessio onal will con ntinue to gro ow.

We willl see leaders eme erging with a ran nge off purp pose-develop ped and well-receiv ved qu ualifica ations, who o can demonstratte a lev vel of compe etence and capab bility equivalent to th hat of their peers from m other profession nal sectors. The futurre for this profession is bright – the key is sustaiinable professionall developme ent to suppo ort it.

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NOTTINGHAM SCHOOLS TRUST

Nottingham Schools Trust 24

NAHT has long held a position that all schools should be collaborating with other schools in some way or another, and sharing strengths and expertise to deliver the best for their pupils.

Increasingly, schools are joining forces in multi-academy trusts, but academisation is not the only model available for schools, as a pioneering trust-based model in Nottingham is successfully proving. ottingham Schools Trust (NST) is a collective of 30 primary and special schools within the city of Nottingham that got together to create a formal trust-based governance structure.

It allows them to focus on school improvement and generate economies of scale while maintaining their independence, discrete identities and access to the local authority’s support and expertise.

The trust was formed last September, with its board of trustees elected the following month. It has as its motto ‘run by schools, for schools’ which, highlights trustee and NAHT national secretary (organising and campaigns) Rob Kelsall, pretty much sums it up.

“The idea is that they work together as a group of 30 schools. It is a bit of circling the wagons, really; creating our own school company that

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offers the best of both worlds,” he tells Leadership Focus.

“The trust works closely with Nottingham City Council, which has been very supportive. More widely, this shows there is a viable alternative to academy status.

The schools have created their own school company under the guise of a trust, but they all continue to operate as local authority-maintained schools.

“It has enabled the schools to cement relationships they already had and then build new ones on top, and it has allowed them to focus on school improvement across the trust,” Rob adds.

Rob is at pains to emphasise that while the trust does offer a viable alternative to academisation, it is not about promoting an anti-academies agenda.

“As the trust was being formed through 2017, there were a number of converter academies in

Nottingham that were watching what we were going through with some interest. We now have three trust members that are converter academies,” he points out.

So, how does the trust work, what benefits does it bring and, naturally in the current climate, what does it cost? Our panel overleaf outlines more details on the trust’s structure and how it operates.

But NST co-chief executives Pat and Sarah Fielding, also co-head teachers of Haydn Primary School in the city, take up the story.

“Back in late 2016, a significant proportion of secondary schools in Nottingham city were already academised. Most others were looking at a range of structural options,” explains Pat. “In Nottingham, we are very fortunate because we have a council that is extremely intelligent in its view of education; education is prioritised right from the top, and we did not

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | APRIL 2018

want to lose that. Equally, there was a cohort of schools within the city that were in favour of working in collaboration on school improvement, and so this trust seemed to be a viable option,” he adds.

“The heads within the trust are totally inter-connected and ready to be both challenged and supported.

This is unquestionably one of the key strengths of the trust. Each school is a member, and each is represented by one of its senior teachers or chair of governors.

There is a board of trustees, and Nottingham City Council holds a seat. The schools retain their governing board, and the day-to-day management and activities of the schools do not change,” adds Sarah.

“The trust primarily focuses on school improvement. There is also an element of driving efficiencies and economies of scale, but that is secondary to the primary goal of school improvement,” she continues.

Each school pays a subscription to the trust, which is currently set at £5,100 per year. What do they get in return?

“We have a tremendous base of skilled and expert practitioners that we can call on across the schools. We have, for example, now established a phonics network and a range of core subject networks across the trust. There is also a science network about to launch, and we have significant expertise in our accredited group of moderators. We can look at all the

schools, how they are performing in terms of local governance and pupils’ outcomes, what the key drivers for improvement are, and whether the schools are sustaining that improvement,” explains Pat. “We are also working to create a suite of common policies and supporting documentation. Two of our head teachers within the trust are also leading a head teachers’ induction group for newly appointed heads.

“Each school is in receipt of five visits a year from our eight school improvement advisers together with access to a range of development programmes and school-to-school support.

Creating opportunities for schoolbased staff to deliver strands of work on behalf of the whole trust can also be a great way to motivate and retain people.

“We have a website that acts as a central resource bank. It will continue to evolve, and all schools, together with the local authority’s education department, receive a termly progress report,” he adds.

Above and below: Children get the chance to be involved in various activities.

The trust primarily focuses on school improvement. There is also an element of driving efficiencies and economies of scale, but that is secondary to the primary goal of school improvement.

While it is still relatively early days, the majority of schools within the trust are now judged good or outstanding, with just a minority judged as requiring improvement. There have been three Ofsted inspections of schools within the trust since September.

All have signalled that the trust is having a positive impact.

Finally, could it work elsewhere?

“Obviously all schools will need to look at their circumstances and what is the best option for them,” says Sarah. “There are many different structures out there. But financially, this is a template that could easily be taken up by others. One of the important things is to consult with schools and the local authority to find out what it is they need and want, and to be really clear that this is not a soft option. It is not about simply circumventing other options; importantly, it focuses equally on both challenge and support.

“Throughout the process, communication and intelligent negotiation between schools and the local authority are paramount.

We were fortunate to have had the support and encouragement of our corporate director for children and adults, Alison Michalska and by our portfolio holder for education, employment and skills, councillor Sam Webster,” she adds.

“Probably the most radical thing about the trust is that it enables schools to maintain their autonomy and freedom,” agrees Rob. “We think it is unique – I certainly have not heard of any structure like this across the country. It is 100 per cent focused on the city of Nottingham and its children; it is a trust run

by Nottingham city’s schools for Nottingham city’s children. We think it is a tremendous model.”

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NOTTINGHAM SCHOOLS TRUST 26

NOTTINGHAM SCHOOLS TRUST A company limited by guarantee

What is the Nottingham Schools Trust?

Nottingham Schools Trust (NST) is a collaboration between 30 schools (27 primary schools and three special) within the city of Nottingham to focus on pooling resources, skills, expertise and knowledge so as to improve education for the children of Nottingham.

It has been established as an alternative to the multi-academy trust model, but it is not antiacademisation; in fact, three of its members are converter academies.

The trust is a company limited by guarantee that’s run by a board of trustees and an appointed chief executive officer.

Every school that joins the trust contributes to and benefits from the trust, but otherwise retains its day-to-day management and governance structures.

Who does the trust employ?

It employs co-chief executive officers, and it receives administrative support and the support of a local authorityemployed project manager. It also has a network of school improvement advisers who work with schools within the trust to an agreed suite of documents, and it can call on a wide pool of skilled practitioners working in trust schools.

How is the trust funded?

Three revenue streams fund the NST. First, each school within the trust pays a yearly subscription, which is currently £5,100. Second, the trust receives some funding from Nottingham City Council.

Third, it works to tap into national funding streams.

What are its priorities?

What is its governance structure?

Performance and standards committee

MEMBERS INCLUDE: • School representation (one per member school) • Council portfolio holder for education

BOARD OF TRUSTEES – NINE IN TOTAL • Chair (one) • Education representative (three) • Councillor (one) • Skills based (four)

Chief executive officer

Schools and single academy trusts

Trust functions

School improvement

Business arm

• Advisory team • Consultants • S2S support • TSA partnership

• Finance lead • Project management • Admin support

Individual schools with own HT/GB

What do schools get for their subscription?

• School-to-school support. This may be delivered in small blocks of time rather than full or half-day activities • Access to enhanced school improvement advisory and challenge and support services (including visits five times a year from school improvement advisers) • Better risk assessment, analysis and intervention • Teaching and learning consultancy support • Access to clear, agreed trust policy-sets • Access to more CPD • Access to a range of networks focused on teaching and learning • Termly reports that can be disseminated throughout the school or to parents.

NST has outlined eight core priorities, although the overarching priority is simply school improvement. These are as follows: 1. Supporting and developing safeguarding 2. School improvement and quality assurance 3. Support for vulnerable schools 4. Improving school governance, including supporting new head teachers 5. Improving succession planning, recruitment and retention within its schools 6. Creating and sharing common datasets and knowledge 7. Establishing common policy-sets, for instance, in areas such as health and safety, pupil premium and HR 8. To explore and maximise efficiencies and economies of scale.

Finance audit committee

What practical benefits have trust schools seen so far?

In just eight months since NST’s formal launch, there is a wideranging programme of activities focused on school improvement and designed to respond to the needs of its member schools, for example, an established phonics network.

Most schools with the trust are now judged good or better (83 per cent, of which 24 per cent are outstanding), with 17 per cent requires improvement.

There have been three Ofsted inspections of NST’s schools since September. All inspection reports have signalled the NST has had a positive impact on teaching, learning, assessment, outcomes, leadership and management, and CPD.

Could this model work elsewhere?

NST has cautioned that other areas of the country are, of course, going to be different. Therefore, any model may need to be adapted to reflect local priorities and challenges. The trust’s leaders also consider themselves fortunate to have had the strong and energetic backing of their local authority.

In principle, the trust model is seen as an alternative to, not a replacement for, academisation.

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | APRIL 2018

The key to education is the person standing at the front of the class In this issue of Leadership Focus, newly appointed Secretary of State for Education DAMIAN HINDS writes a special message for NAHT members on the importance of developing the professions of both teaching and school leadership. t is a real privilege to be writing to you as Secretary of State for Education. We are fortunate to have the best generation of teachers and leaders our country has ever seen.

There can be no great schools without great teachers to motivate children, make knowledge meaningful and inspire curiosity.

My top priority is to make sure this remains an attractive and fulfilling profession. I am, therefore, particularly pleased to be writing in this edition of Leadership Focus because I believe a profession as vital as yours must – like other esteemed professions – be built on a foundation of ongoing, highquality professional development.

This is key not only to supporting every child to fulfil their potential but also to providing career progression opportunities that can attract and retain the best teachers.

To do this, teachers and leaders need to have the time to invest in their development properly, and I am aware of what teachers tell us about excessive workload.

I am determined to crack this paramount issue and welcome the continued support from NAHT on this important area of work.

I want to make sure all teachers can access high-quality training, mentoring and ongoing professional development.

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This is at the heart of the Government’s recent consultation on strengthening qualified teacher status and improving career progression. We are seeking to improve support for early career teachers, increase access to highquality professional development and provide a clearer framework for career development pathways – not just for traditional leadership roles but also for those teachers who want to stay in the classroom.

I will be responding to the consultation this summer, and I look forward to continuing to collaborate with you to make these aims a reality.

Of course, much of this depends on you, our school leaders, and ensuring you also have the development opportunities needed to support your staff. The reformed national professional qualifications my department has recently introduced will help by providing a quality development offer for leaders at all levels across England, with funding set aside to help teachers and leaders take these qualifications in the areas that need them most. I also want to ensure aspiring leaders from under-represented groups have the opportunity to progress into leadership roles, so we can make the most of all our talented teachers, whatever their background – and

our recently launched leadership equality and diversity fund aims to do this.

Ultimately, I want to support the teaching profession to lead its development and improvement, and so it is vital that like other professions, teaching has an independent professional body committed to championing the profession and improving education standards. The Chartered College of Teaching aims to do just that through sharing research-informed practice via a termly journal and its chartered teacher programme (CTeach), which I was delighted to see launched in January as an accredited, career-long, professional development pathway that recognises the knowledge, skills and behaviours of excellent teachers.

It is clear to me that the success of our schools is down to our teachers and leaders, and the high hopes and dedication you show for all of your pupils. I will work with you to support and develop teachers better throughout their careers because, above all else, the key to education is the person standing at the front of the class.

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MEET RACHEL YOUNGER 28

Meet Rache l at our scho ol business lead ers’ conferen ce in Birmingha m on 19 June 2018. For m ore informat ion and to book, vi si t nahtsbl2018 .eventbrite.c o.uk

Meet the activist representing our school business leaders RACHEL YOUNGER has been a member of NAHT since 2010, and two years after joining, she started to get involved in her union at a branch and regional level. In 2013 she was co-opted as a member of the school business leaders’ council and then stepped up to national executive in 2017. She also became NAHT’s North West regional president - the first school business leader in this post in any region. We asked Rachel to tell us what she wants to achieve as your representative and her five top tips for those new to the school business leader role.

Why did you decide to get involved with your union?

At the beginning, my involvement at branch level was on a temporary basis, but I soon discovered I enjoyed understanding more about how the role of each school fitted into the wider system in Blackpool and beyond, and being in a position to represent the views of school leaders within that.

My involvement on the school business leaders’ sector council gives me opportunities to influence our policy direction and, at times, provide direct input to the Department for Education to shape national policy.

I’m sure most colleagues will be familiar with the concept of the circle of concern/circle of influence.

This is the key reason why I am involved with NAHT: it gives me the chance to widen my circle of influence on important education issues.

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What would you like to achieve for our school business leader members as chair?

NAHT has inclusivity for all members at its heart, and I

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genuinely feel respected by all of my NAHT colleagues as a peer professional. Sadly, I am aware there are school business leaders in other parts of the country who haven’t had the same positive experiences, so it is key that we continue to raise their profile in our organisation and maximise their capacity and impact for change.

What’s the best thing about your job?

The kind of skills needed to be a school business leader would easily transfer to any sector or industry.

But it’s a conscious choice to work in schools because we help to improve the educational experience of pupils and shape their lives – not in the same way as teachers do, but in a way that is complementary to this. And it’s bit of a cliché, but I love that every day is different.

Q

Best advice you could give to a new school business leader?

Be clear about the job you are applying for. Does the school want a school business leader or administrator despite what the advert says?

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JOB TITLE: Business manager SCHOOL: St Nicholas C of E Primary School, Blackpool UNION ROLES: Blackpool branch secretary, North West regional president and school business leaders’ sector council chair.

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Believe in yourself and know you can allow yourself time to grow into the job. You will do the job in your image, not that of an influential role model Learn as much as you can about what the other staff in the school do, especially those in the classroom. This will help you to focus your energy in the right direction because you’ll understand the priorities of the school much better To feel fulfilled in your post, know how your work supports the work of the school in shaping children’s futures Network. It can be a very isolating role, so this will help to keep you sane, to improve your knowledge and you to know where you can go if you need ideas or a sounding board.

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Not all NPQ courses are the same It’s time for a fresh approach Real Training g’s NPQ courses are innovative, flexible, delivered purely onlinee with 1-2-1 tutoring with a fo ocus on personal developmeent, inclusion and improving g outcomes for all Strengths-baased approaches to hip and change leadersh managem ment informed by positivve psychology

Call now 01273 35 80 80 stuart.curry@realgroup.co.uk realtraining.cco.uuk/npq

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FLIPPED QUALITY ASSURANCE

Leaders owning what matters LIZ ROBINSON , who co-leads Surrey Square Primary School in Southwark, shares her experiences on flipping quality assurance from a top-down to bottom-up self-evaluating model.

s a school leader, it is easy to feel browbeaten by the combination of constant change and high-stakes accountability. For more than a decade, I have been head of a primary school serving a challenged community in South East London.

I have learned the critical importance of finding core confidence in my vision and values to ensure we run the school as we believe we should. I have led four Ofsted inspections, each with significantly different frameworks and expectations. As such, I have sincerely experienced these challenges first hand.

What profoundly influenced my views during this period was becoming a mother. This highly personal take on the purpose of education (balance of knowledge, skills, competency, socialisation and exam performance) gives me a visceral experience on what

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school could or should be.

However, schools face a colossal challenge: the view of what it means to do a good job varies hugely (eg test scores, communication skills and active citizenship). The flux and variation have eroded the capacity and confidence of school leaders to shape and define their vision, and do what they believe to be right.

When speaking to other school leaders, I ask them about their strategic vision for their schools. Ofsted usually comes out as the first response.

Internally referenced vision – owning what matters

Those who are heavily ‘externally’ referenced lack confidence and need the views of others to reinforce, support or challenge. Conversely, ‘internally’

My perseverance journey YEAR 1 I will give it a go with the support of someone I trust I can ask for help I can say why something is hard I can come up with possible solutions I can ask for specific help I will give it a go independently I accept that I will make ‘juicy mistakes’ I can listen to feedback I can learn from my juicy mistakes (I understand failure is important) I recognise the feelings that come with ‘giving it a go’ I make positive choices about my feelings when I’m giving it a go I can celebrate mini successes I recognise when others find it hard to persevere/give it a go I can support others to persevere I am an ambassador for perseverance I can lead others on their perseverance journey

TOTAL

YEAR 2

referenced individuals have the confidence to act with autonomy, trust themselves and their ideas, and hold their view about who they are and are not. It must be responsible and based on evidence and experience. It’s not a whim, and it’s not an ideology.

It’s time for more school leaders to develop such a vision. We must: • Be disciplined in understanding the needs of those we serve • Do all we can to meet those needs • Know that part of our role must also be to demonstrate the effectiveness of our approaches to all stakeholders.

And we need to find the confidence, courage and humility to be real leaders.

Our mission at Surrey Square

‘Personal and academic excellence everyone and every day.’ We believe a strong academic core is a necessary but not sufficient outcome for our pupils, and so the ‘and’ is key because it demonstrates our absolute commitment to excellence in both spheres of development. For us, ‘personal excellence’ is defined by our seven core values: respect, enjoyment, compassion, responsibility, perseverance, community and excellence. To demonstrate each of those values in the way you conduct yourself is to show personal excellence, as is the ability to use the values as a tool for reflection, correction and learning when things go wrong.

Left: Table from the 'my core value journey book' created by the school to help pupils keep a record of their development in personal excellence.

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | APRIL 2018

‘Everyone and every day’ expresses deeply held beliefs about equity (we are all bound by these expectations: parents, leaders and governors) and integrity (doing it every day, not just for show). We also use this to surface the fact that ‘every day’ is hard; we know creating and sustaining this excellence is even harder, especially to sustain it over the years.

that children make, and are quicker to identify specific areas of need.

School-level accountability: ‘flipped quality assurance’

Our approach:

Despite every moment of externally imposed accountability that school leaders may experience, the most shocking thing for me is the extraordinary extent to which many of us go on to create exactly those same conditions within our institutions – I’m talking about ‘top-down’ processes of internal accountability, usually known as ‘monitoring’. Even Ofsted gives you the opportunity to evaluate your performance before working with you to establish the accuracy of those judgements.

We thought about what we wanted to achieve with our approach. This includes the following: • An accurate understanding of daily practice across the school to inform professional learning, staffing and support priorities • Greater pride, motivation and commitment from all staff to do their best all the time • Greater honesty and openness between staff and leaders about development needs • Greater confidence in staff to articulate where they are being successful and have practice to share • More effective processes to reduce workload for all staff.

The effect of working in this way has been truly profound. Staff are proud to articulate and share the progress

We redesigned our approach and abandoned top-down ‘monitoring’ to create a bottom-up self-evaluating ‘quality assurance’ model. We found a way for teachers to take responsibility for their practice and explicitly link their learning to their understanding of where their practice needs development.

The ‘flip’ for us was to shift the assessment of this from the leaders to the individual teachers. Simple selfassessment formats are the basis for a meeting and provide an opportunity for

Taking control – measuring success our way

We adopt three approaches to drive our internally referenced vision at a pupil, school and inter-institutional level. In this article, we’ll look closely at two in particular.

Pupil-level accountability: measuring personal excellence

Many schools acknowledge the need to develop personal skills in their pupils.

However, very few set about teaching and assessing these skills with any rigour.

There are understandable reasons for this: we do not have anything close to an agreed framework in this area. However, if we are committed to our ‘internally referenced’ vision that this matters, surely we should be finding ways to do this, with something approaching the consistency and effort we afford to academic performance.

• To timetable weekly teaching sessions • To establish planning formats, resources and expectations • To establish a progressive scale of skills for each value, and produce an attractive assessment record for every pupil • To establish pupil-level progress tracking for early identification of concerns and intervention planning.

the teachers to show other colleagues evidence to support their judgements.

We have seen a marked change in both the efficacy and effect of quality assurance. We find teachers are now highly attuned to their practice and make accurate assessments of their strengths and the things they need to work on. The changes have resulted in teachers feeling more respected, less scrutinised and in the driving seat of their learning.

Conclusion

“In education, we tend to turn out conformists, stereotypes, individuals whose education is ‘completed,’ rather than freely creative and original thinkers… Why be concerned over this?... In a time when knowledge, constructive and destructive, is advancing by the most incredible leaps and bounds… Unless individuals, groups and nations can imagine, construct and creatively revise new ways of relating to these complex challenges, the lights will go out.”

– CARL ROGERS Carl wrote these words in 1961. I think they stand as a strong call to action for school leaders today. We must find ways to embody what we believe to be right and true, resist the (natural) tendency to conform, and make sure the way we treat those in our schools is how we want to be treated. We must keep learning at the heart of what we do – learning for adults as well as children – and creating environments where it is safe to share openly, collaborate and gain knowledge from one another.

Education leaders must create principled, thoughtful and effective approaches that ensure accountability and quality assurance are serving the right purpose; namely, that every child in every school has access to an education that nurtures their potential and enables them to thrive.

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GDPR for school leaders > MANCHESTER

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Exclusions and parental complaints half-day briefing > SHEFFIELD

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National offer day (for primary schools)

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April

Pull me out and stick me on the wall

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Retirement or working longer: present and future options > BIRMINGHAM

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For the full list of NAHT’s professional development courses and conferences, visit nahtevents. eventbrite.com

NAHT’s annual conference 2018 > LIVERPOOL

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School business leaders’ conference 2018 > BIRMINGHAM

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Appraisal and difficult conversations > BIRMINGHAM

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Effective workforce deployment > MANCHESTER

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Early years mastery > BIRMINGHAM

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Developing your school’s mental health provision > LONDON

19th

International literacy day

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september

GCSE results day

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A level results day

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august

SCHOOL LEADERS’ PLANNER: 2018 National awareness dates Key school event dates

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An introduction to executive headship > LONDON

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Early years mastery > LONDON

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GDPR for school leaders > LONDON

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Exclusions and parental complaints half-day briefing > NEWCASTLE

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GDPR for school leaders >SHEFFIELD

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Exclusions and parental complaints half-day briefing > CAMBRIDGE

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JUNE

An intro to income generation and grant writing > LONDON

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Academisation – the starting point > LONDON

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Summer school census day

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Deadline for academies to submit budget forecasts to the Education and Skills Funding Agency

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Assessing pupil progress > LONDON

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JULY

Exclusions and parental complaints half-day briefing > BRISTOL

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HR essentials for the school leader > LONDON

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Assessing pupil progress for those working below the standard of national assessments: life beyond the Rochford Review > LONDON

26th

European day of languages

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Jeans for genes day

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Child development in the early years > LONDON

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Appraisal and difficult conversations > LONDON

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Professional development courses and conferences KEY >

MENTALLY HEALTHY SCHOOLS 34

Mentally Healthy Schools

We look at a new website that brings together expert advice, guidance and resources to help primary school staff support their pupils’ mental health and well-being.

ental health is now firmly on the agenda – and we increasingly recognise the vital role schools play.

With one in 10 children experiencing a mental health issue, such as anxiety or depression, and half of all mental health problems starting before the age of 14, schools clearly have a crucial part to play in supporting the mental health and well-being of their pupils.

But how do we equip school staff with the knowledge and confidence to understand the issues?

A new website – www. mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk – developed as part of the Heads Together campaign aims to do just that by providing a one-stop shop

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with information and quality-assured resources for primary school staff.

The website is a partnership between the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, Place2Be (chosen charity partner of incoming NAHT president Andy Mellor) and YoungMinds, with expert guidance from the Centre for Mental Health. NAHT has been involved from the outset, facilitating early consultation with school leaders and offering advice and guidance.

The Heads Together campaign, spearheaded by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, has been playing a pivotal role in successfully challenging stigma.

The campaign is now supporting

practical projects to help people in schools, workplaces and the armed services to talk about and get help with their mental health.

At the launch in January at Roe Green Junior School in Brent, the Duchess of Cambridge talked of her hopes for the site: “Teachers see our children as they grow, learn and play, and as they build their social skills that will make the difference to their futures. You are uniquely placed to help children speak out about their mental and emotional challenges, and direct parents and carers to the right support.

“I am all too aware, however, of how much we ask our teachers to take on. Teachers want to help, but they don’t have the time to go hunting for the best information and advice out there. You need resources you can trust. And you need to have easy access to them at all times.

That is what this pilot is all about.

“Please let us know what works, what doesn’t and what else you would like to see. This project has been a collaboration from day one. It will only succeed if we continue to work together.”

The role of schools

Good mental health helps children to learn and explore the world by allowing them to express and manage a range of emotions, build self-esteem, manage behaviour, maintain good relationships and deal with change. There is strong

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | APRIL 2018

schools that draws together qualityassured and useful information and resources into one place. We encourage all primary school leaders and their teams to bookmark it.”

Quality assurance

evidence that school programmes that promote social and emotional skills can improve mental health and academic attainment, which leads to enhanced opportunities in life.

Place2Be chief executive Catherine Roche explains: “Schools can play a vital role in promoting mental health and identifying early on the children who may need extra support.

Staff are well-placed to recognise changes or problems, and piece together the jigsaw of what might be undermining a child’s mental health.

“This new site will help school staff to develop the skills and confidence to take the next steps: to understand mental health issues better, be aware of the factors that might undermine a child’s well-being, identify the simple things schools can do to develop children’s resilience, spot when a child may be beginning to struggle, and when they might need extra advice on how and where to access resources. We are not expecting staff to become mental health experts, and there is clear guidance on what to do if any staff member has a concern about a child’s well-being.”

Pilot

The Mentally Healthy Schools website is for all primary school staff in England. There are longer-term plans to expand the site for staff in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Much of the content, however, is relevant to all primary schools.

Currently, 50 schools are involved in the pilot; during which time, an independent evaluation and review will take place. In response to some requests for early access, the pilot site is now available to all schools.

Content

The website includes jargon-free practical information and qualityassured teaching resources with easy to digest top tips.

The site has four main sections: Teaching resources – focuses on schools’ abilities to promote and build pupils’ good mental health with a range of quality-assured teaching resources. It includes assembly and lesson plans, PSHE resources, small group work and whole-school programmes to develop the foundation skills for good mental health Risks and protective factors – explores how schools can identify which children might face greater risks and shares resources to protect them and build their resilience.

Areas covered include family breakdown, bullying, academic stress, transitions and vulnerable groups Mental health needs – focuses on children who are struggling or mentally unwell. It helps schools to understand their role and how they can help to promote pupils’ recovery. Areas covered include the anxious or worried child, challenging behaviour and trauma Whole-school approach – helps school leaders to develop an environment that supports children and staff to thrive. It includes sections on leadership and improvement, engaging with parents, supporting staff members’ well-being and understanding the wider landscape of support.

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Above: The website includes jargon-free practical information, teaching resources and top tips.

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There are also sections on what is mental health and how to start a conversation with a child or parent.

Sarah Hannafin, NAHT senior policy advisor, has been closely involved in the site’s development: “School leaders have been clear that they need access to high-quality resources to help schools’ work in supporting children’s mental well-being. This new website will be a fantastic practical resource for

Opposite and below: Duchess of Cambridge.

The website is the result of extensive consultation with education and mental health experts. A rigorous quality assurance process has been put in place with NAHT members, clinicians, teachers and sector experts to ensure the content and resources are well evidenced, clinically sound and relevant. The site features more than 650 different high-quality resources, which have been selected from almost 2,000 reviewed items. It will continue to evolve, and new resources will be evaluated to make sure it remains up to date and useful.

Claire Thomson, a former head teacher and one of NAHT’s quality assurance advisors, commented: “The website is proof that there is so much help out there and now people know where to look for it. The site should enable everyone in a primary school to widen their understanding and make a difference.”

Developing and supporting staff

The site can be used for the induction of new staff to develop a shared culture and understanding of children’s mental health and what schools can do to help. Resources can also be used to contribute to CPD and broader training for school staff and senior leadership/governors.

The site has a specific section for school leaders, and we encourage you and your staff to take full advantage of this new resource. You don’t have to register to use the site, but if you create an account, you can develop a library of useful links and resources. Share your ideas and comments on the site by visiting www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk.

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DIFFICULT STAFF CONVERSATIONS

Navigate difficult conversations with staff 10 TIPS FOR SCHOOL LEADERS Guilty of avoiding difficult conversations? Don’t duck the issue. NAHT Edge director JAMES BOWEN looks at how you can achieve a positive outcome for all. s a leader, handling difficult conversations is a fact of life. Handled well, they can be a force for good and a catalyst for unleashing excellence in your team.

However, in such high-stakes, emotionally charged moments, it is easy for things to take a turn for the worse quite quickly. The following advice is designed to help you plan for and navigate such conversations to maximise the chances of a positive outcome for both parties.

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Don’t avoid it

Few people actively enjoy difficult conversations. This is hardly surprising – they wouldn’t be called difficult otherwise!

While there is always a temptation to avoid tackling the conversation you know you need to have, this should be resisted at all costs.

Not only will an important issue remain unresolved, which could hold your team back, but it will also continue to play on your mind while the other person often remains completely in the dark.

It is not reasonable to expect someone to change if they are not even aware there is an issue in the first place. Tackling a difficult conversation means that you can start to move things forward and, in most cases, they are often nowhere near as bad as you expect them to be.

Professional, not personal

Your fundamental aim in any such conversation should be to communicate that the issue is entirely professional and not in any way personal.

It is about the quality of their work, not their value as a person. As Mary Myatt says in her book ‘high challenge, low threat’: “The underlying message is that ‘you’re OK but this aspect of your work needs addressing’.” (To hear more, download the March episode of our School Leadership podcast – available on iTunes and Soundcloud.)

To achieve this, keep the conversation focused on specific examples where their work or conduct has been a cause for concern, and try to avoid generalising phrases, such as ‘You always…’.

Clarity is key

The person you are speaking to needs to be really clear about exactly what your concern is. Quite often, in a well-meaning attempt to sugar-coat a difficult message, we end up skirting around the issue.

To avoid this, you can rehearse delivering the key message in unambiguous terms. This doesn’t mean being unkind or impolite – far from it – but if you can’t sum the issue up in one sentence, there is a strong chance it won’t be received as you intended.

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Listen and engage

It is critical that you invite the person to a meeting to discuss your concerns and share their perspective on the issue.

And, if you are going to ask for their view, you then need to listen very carefully to their response and avoid jumping to conclusions or interrupting them.

Seeing things from their perspective may not necessarily change your view of the situation, but it should help you to understand the underlying cause and, therefore, improve the chances of finding a solution.

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | APRIL 2018

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Avoid a zero-sum game mindset

These conversations shouldn’t be about a winner and a loser. In the very best conversations, once the issue has been raised, there should be a sense of joint problem-solving.

While this is not possible every time, the aim from the start should be to find a way forward that both parties feel comfortable with. This may require a bit of give and take, but ultimately, it increases the chances of a positive long-term outcome.

Be prepared, but remain flexible

You cannot expect to walk into a high-stakes conversation without any preparation at all and for it to go well. In fact, such an approach is a recipe for disaster.

Thinking through what it is that you want to communicate and how you will do this can make all the difference. You may even want to consider in advance what the likely responses will be.

However, this comes with a big word of warning: preparation is important, but you need to remain flexible and able to respond to how the conversation develops.

An inflexible approach or sticking too rigidly to your ‘script’ gives the impression that you are not listening or engaging with the person you are speaking to.

Let silence do the heavy lifting

As Susan Scott points out in her book ‘fierce conversations’, there are times when we need to let silence do the heavy lifting in difficult conversations. Many of us will feel deeply uncomfortable with silence, especially in oneto-one conversations.

However, try to avoid the very human temptation to fill the silence. It may be that the person you are speaking to needs some time to process what is being said and formulate a response.

It is also highly likely that they will be dealing with a whole range of emotions. As uncomfortable as it can feel, silence can be just as important as the words being spoken in these conversations.

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Location, location, location

Think in advance about where you are going to have this conversation.

Confidentiality is really important when dealing with tricky issues and should be a primary concern. Is there a quiet space where you can speak and know you will be uninterrupted?

It may be that the person you are speaking to will feel more comfortable in their space rather than coming to your classroom or office.

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Timing is everything

Consider when the best time of the day is to tackle the conversation. Some leaders avoid having these conversations before the start of the day.

This is because it can feel unfair to ask a teacher to engage in such a conversation and then go straight into a day working with the children.

The end of the day has the added benefit of giving people more time to reflect and consider what was said.

Establish a way forward

Bringing these sorts of meetings to a close can be really quite difficult. The aim should be to explore various options and solutions together before agreeing on a way forward. It is also vital to agree a time and date when you will get back together to review how things are going.

The best leaders are prepared to have these sorts of difficult but important conversations with colleagues. They know that it is entirely possible to remain kind and polite, and to communicate a genuine sense of care and concern for the person they are speaking to while also addressing the issue at hand with real clarity.

You won’t get these conversations right 100 per cent of the time, but by being prepared to have them in the first place, you are significantly increasing the chances of your team being highly successful.

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ANNUAL CONFERENCE PREVIEW

NAHT’s annual conference: leading together Spring is conference season when school leaders from all sectors and regions join us at our sovereign decision-making forum to decide how we will operate for the next year. And we’re expecting more than 400 members at the ACC in Liverpool from 3 to 5 May this year. f you haven’t been to conference before, you may wonder what we get up to for three days under one roof. On top of a vibrant exhibition, lively debate, impassioned speeches, challenging policy-making and the chance to hear from our national officers and guest speakers; conference also offers the perfect opportunity to network and share ideas.

It truly is an event not to be missed, and for the first time, we’ll be running 10 workshops on an eclectic mix of topics. So not to limit this great opportunity just to elected representatives from the regions and branches, everyone is welcome to join us for the Friday. Those who do attend this special professional development day will also get to hear directly from education secretary Damian

Hinds, NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman and incoming NAHT president Andy Mellor.

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Workshops 1

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Below right: Irish dancers from annual conference 2017

Big names that have graced the conference floor 2017

> Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn

2016 > Education secretary Nicky Morgan

2015

> Conservatives’ Nicky Morgan, Labour’s Tristram Hunt and the Lib Dems’ David Laws

2014 > Education secretary Michael Gove

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8 9 10

Primary assessment policy – where are we now and what next?

Latest policy issues in technical qualifications and apprenticeships The teacher recruitment and retention crisis – what’s it all about?

Human resources ‘made simple’ Working effectively with your manager to ensure successful outcomes Mental health and well-being in your school International teacher framework – bringing top overseas teaching talent to your school Restriction and restraint in schools Health and safety challenges in schools Exploring the approach to integrated curriculum-led financial planning.

Not to forget the trade union side of conference, our AGM will take place on the Thursday and we’ve also dedicated the whole of Saturday to motions.

Each year we receive a large number of motions from our branches and regions. It’s a true test of stamina evaluating and grouping them together, but motions offer a chance for members to call for change and shape how we work, and each one passed at conference forms part of our policy for the year ahead. This year, the spotlight will be on funding, school structure and well-being (for both pupils and staff).

And if all that wasn’t enough, our opening ceremony for the event each year always kicks off in style. Last year, the audience was captivated by a troop of Irish dancers bursting with energy and enthusiasm from then incoming president Anne Lyons’s primary school in London. This year, an award-winning choir from incoming president Andy Mellor’s primary school in Blackpool will give an uplifting and inspirational performance.

I’m coming! Bo ok your worksh op place at naht .org.uk/PDday20 18.

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | APRIL 2018

ar’s The theme of this ye ther ge to g in conference is lead

Who’s who at conference?

General secretary – Paul Whiteman President – Andy Mellor Vice president – Judy Shaw Immediate past president – Anne Lyons Treasurer – Judith Stott.

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> rule change that means there is now a seat on our national executive for school business leaders

2013 > motion to affiliate to the TUC

2015 > endorsement of

the regional review, including a reorganisation of seats on national executive and more autonomy for regions in deciding on priorities.

Keep up to date

Whether you’re attending conference this year or looking to stay up-to-date with the latest news from afar, all NAHT members will receive a daily email round-up of the activities, and we will be uploading all the latest news to our website and Twitter channels. Please join in on the conversation using our dedicated Twitter hashtag #NAHTConf.

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Conference by numbers

789

1,874

Hotel rooms booked

(across four nights)

Biscuits nibbled

Cups of caffeine consumed

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1,138

Chairs sat on

(across all rooms used)

3,308

Number of exhibitors

432 Total number of

attendees under one roof (on the busiest day)

Figures from annual conference 2017

Ahead of the event, Andy Mellor told us: “Traditionally, presidents take a sabbatical from their school and spend a lot of time travelling, representing the association at a local, regional and national level.

Before I get on the road, I’m looking forward to a special performance by the choir from my school. If you’re joining us in Liverpool, you’ll also see the posters that my students have designed. These things will be a great reminder of the wonderful people I’m leaving behind to spend the year campaigning on their behalf.”

It’s also the first conference for Paul Whiteman as general secretary after stepping into Russell Hobby’s sizeable shoes. We asked him for his thoughts on annual conference and what to expect.

“This is my first annual conference as NAHT general secretary, so if you are coming to join us in Liverpool for the first time, you are especially welcome,” said Paul.

“This is our biggest event of the year, and it’s a great opportunity to meet other school leaders and discuss the big issues facing education today,” he added.

“We’ve worked hard to come up with some great CPD workshops to give you something to think about while you’re here and plenty of new ideas to take back to school with you,” he explained.

The presidential cycle sees elected members move up in office each year, from vice president to president and finally to immediate past president.

This year, we say farewell to Kim Johnson as he moves out of office after his three-year term, we thank Anne Lyons for leading the way through another challenging year in education at the helm of the association, we welcome Judy Shaw into the fold as she starts her role as vice president and we celebrate the inauguration of our new president for 2018-19 Andy Mellor.

Notable motions from recent conferences

OUTDOOR LEARNING

Supporting outdoor learning when budgets are tight LOUISE EDWARDS , chair of the Association of Heads of Outdoor Education Centres (AHOEC), considers how school leaders can identify opportunities for affordable outdoor learning. utdoor learning isn’t a subject or a topic; it’s a way of teaching. In one way or another, I think we all recognise the value and benefits of outdoor learning for our children and pupils. This may vary slightly for different schools and school leaders.

But the evidence now overwhelmingly supports the fact that well-planned, progressive, high-quality outdoor learning experiences can have a significantly positive impact on areas such as health and well-being, self-confidence and selfesteem, resilience, character development, enjoyment of learning, pupil progression, and behaviour and attendance.

The message is clear: getting children and young people outdoors to learn is fantastic, and it can set them on a pathway to happy, healthy and environmentally sustainable lifestyles. These benefits are being recognised by Ofsted, the UK Government’s select committee on education and skills, local authorities and many others.

However, as school budgets come under increasing pressure, we need to dispel the myth that outdoor learning can only be delivered in wild open spaces by highly specialist providers often wearing a lot of fleeces. You can deliver outdoor learning to children and pupils in a number of different ways as well as on residential visits:

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• On a regular basis in the school’s grounds by teachers • In areas within walking distance of the school using parks, woodland and green spaces • On day visits to local outdoor learning providers.

A progressive outdoor learning curriculum would encompass all of these methods, and a coordinated approach to this can ensure a school is getting the absolute most out of it in terms of outcomes and benefits.

A simple outdoor learning policy will help to focus a school on the overall vision and purpose for using outdoor learning, and it can also join up all of the various outdoor learning experiences on offer. There are lots of resources to help you with this from an organisation called Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC). For more information, visit www.lotc.org.uk.

As set out above, at a time of budget pressures, you may want to consider how to undertake a model of regular outdoor learning delivery in your school’s grounds by teachers. This approach, if done well, is an affordable, inclusive, sustainable and effective way to achieve fantastic outdoor learning outcomes.

In 2016, Natural Connections published a report on a four-year research project delivered by Plymouth University called transforming schools through outdoor learning. This research looked at the best ways to support schools to understand the benefits of outdoor learning and how to embed it in the curriculum in a sustainable way. Learn more about the project by visiting www.plymouth.ac.uk/research/oelres-net/ transforming.

It concluded that there are five key tools to the successful implementation of schoolbased, teacher-led outdoor learning:

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Get the whole school on board with outdoor learning. Outdoor learning needs to be supported by senior leaders, governors, and a knowledgeable and enthusiastic outdoor learning lead who can inspire others Collaboration and networking: create opportunities to meet and discuss ideas around outdoor learning with enthused, excited and inspired teachers from other schools Develop your school’s grounds and make use of local spaces for outdoor learning. You do not need extensive grounds to create engaging and exciting outdoor learning experiences. It is about looking at what you do have and making the most of it Continuing professional development for staff is crucial. Teachers’ confidence and skills can be major barriers to teaching outdoors, but there are excellent resources and training opportunities available to support teachers with this Demonstrate successful learning when working outdoors by developing creative ways of evidencing and evaluating outdoor learning lessons.

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Competing pressures mean that opportunities for children and young people to value and enjoy nature and the outdoor environment are under threat, and yet all of the evidence shows that it is hugely important. Having a whole-school approach that recognises the benefits and value of outdoor learning is a good starting point.

Find out how your pupils can start their adventure through high-quality outdoor learning by visiting www.ahoec.org.

Looking for good teaching resources on outdoor learning?

Visit www.lotc.org.uk.

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | APRIL 2018

Schools Assist

How to ensure health and safety is properly managed.

From our partners at Strictly Education

esponsibility for health and safety reaches far beyond school governors or the management team at a school, academy or multi-academy trust (MAT). Even if a member of staff does not have a specific role, they still have a general duty of care towards students and colleagues.

However, management does have a particular responsibility to ensure every member of staff understands the importance of getting health and safety right every time.

The scale of the task – of complying with complex regulatory requirements and ensuring all staff have the right training and resources across a range of activities and multiple sites, both on and off campus – is a challenge.

One of the pillars of a robust health and safety culture is to ensure the right information is available to everyone with a health and safety responsibility in an easily understandable and applicable format.

Strictly Education – an NAHT Assured partner, and specialist service and solution provider to MATs, academies and schools – now offers a simple and costeffective solution; Schools Assist is an online portal that gives subscribers unlimited access

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to a range of health and safety resources.

Schools Assist is an online health and safety management system that’s tailored specifically for the education sector to help managers comply with legislation and promote best practice in every area by making information easier to access.

As a strategic partner of NAHT, Strictly Education is offering all NAHT members an introductory discount when they sign up to the Schools Assist online portal. To register, call 0330 123 2548.

What can Schools Assist offer?

The Schools Assist online portal is a user-friendly resource that offers subscribers unlimited access to an extensive pool of information, which is broken down logically into manageable chunks.

There are separate sections for premises, people, procedures, risk planning, disaster recovery, work equipment, and food and kitchen safety, with a range of useful resources: • Primary legislation, policy and procedures, including best practices • The responsibilities and necessary competencies required for each key health and safety role • Downloadable documents and

form templates • A comprehensive list of sectorspecific risk assessments and guidance notes • A critical alerts service warning of changes in legislation or codes of practice • A technical helpdesk that supports the portal during business hours.

Schools Assist offers a practical and comprehensive resource that is updated and available when needed. It is designed to equip every member of staff with the tools to do their duty, from the manager with responsibility to make sure staff are properly informed and carrying out safe work practices to the fire warden with specific duties at the ‘coalface’.

The result is a school or academy that is both conducive to learning and a safe environment for visitors, staff and students.

Strictly Education is a strategic partner of NAHT, and it provides a wide range of payroll and finance, human resources, premises, technology and school effectiveness services under the NAHT Assured brand.

• For more information, visit www.strictlyeducation.co.uk, email enquire@strictlyeducation.co.uk or call 0330 123 2548.

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WALES

Wales – policy update ROB WILLIAMS , director of policy at NAHT Cymru, provides a summary of the work we’re doing in Wales to protect, support and empower our members.

Funding

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NAHT Cymru has campaigned to put school funding at the fore of political debate. Our members consistently commit to delivering the current all-encompassing educational reform, but they call for sufficient resources to ensure pupils receive the education they need and deserve.

A recent school funding event in Swansea – which saw more than 200 parents, head teachers and councillors come together to discuss the funding issues that schools in the area face – brought the crisis to the attention of the media, parent groups and the wider public.

Since then, activity and debate have grown in other areas. The Vale of Glamorgan Council wrote an open letter to the cabinet secretary about why we need a fairer, more equitable formula from the Welsh government. Its budget forum also wrote directly to parents via its schools.

Our call for school budget sufficiency, equity and transparency continues to gain momentum.

Apprenticeship levy

The apprenticeship levy brought in by the UK’s Treasury delivered another blow to maintained schools’ budgets.

All organisations with a salary budget of more than £3 million now have to pay a 0.5 per cent levy to the Treasury. In Wales, that money is taken from Welsh local authorities’ finances. We’re working with the Welsh government’s officials to produce guidance for schools on the potential opportunities to access training to reap some of the benefits from this lost budget. Once completed, we’ll share the guidance with members.

Targeted funding

We submitted evidence to the Children, Young People and Education Committee of the Welsh Assembly for its inquiry into targeted funding. For targeted funding to improve educational outcomes, we believe a number of factors need to be considered and acknowledged. We believe these are as follows: • Making sure education policies (and schools) don’t operate in isolation

Our call for school budget sufficiency, equity and transparency continues to gain momentum.

• Pooling cross-sector resources to maximise the impact within and beyond the school • Supporting cross-sector leadership to work collaboratively • Putting a strong focus on pre-school and early years • Investing in the development of quality teaching • Supporting the needs of the wider family and community to develop effective home-school links • Ensuring additional targeted funding isn’t consumed or diluted by an insufficiency of funding elsewhere • Developing accountability measures that encourage all stakeholders to seek equity and positive outcomes for all • Providing a clear purpose that will maximise educational outcomes related to aspirations, employability and future success.

Pay and conditions

Our talks with members formed the basis for our submission to the independent review of school teachers’ pay and conditions document (STPCD). We believe it’s critical the framework for devolved

pay and conditions in Wales strives to improve rather than undermine the current situation. In our response, we opposed any drift towards regional pay. We stressed the recruitment issues related to leadership positions and unreasonable workload, and we highlighted the need to reflect the new professional teaching and leadership standards in any plan for Wales.

Our members have shared growing concerns regarding newly created leadership roles during school reorganisation (eg head of school and head of campus) that don’t exist in the STPCD. We’re calling for clarification to ensure consistency, equity and transparency are in place during any reorganisation processes.

Estyn review

In our submission to Professor Graham Donaldson’s review of the inspectorate in Wales, we expressed the concerns of many.

For the wider education reforms to be successful, Estyn’s approach to inspection needs radical change. The current approach potentially inhibits the creative and innovative approach required to embed the curriculum and assessment policy at a classroom level.

We believe a peer review, self-evaluation model that’s externally quality assured

by Estyn is best to develop a true selfimproving school system.

We also believe Estyn requires space to work with the profession and create a cultural shift to reboot a school-led improvement process.

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | APRIL 2018

Northern Ireland – policy update HELENA MACORMAC , director of policy at NAHT(NI), shares a summary of the work we’re doing in Northern Ireland to resolve the highly challenging educational climate for our members caused by a budget crisis and long-term industrial action. We will continue to provide a compelling, authoritative voice during these fractious times to achieve positive outcomes for both our members and the pupils they teach.

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Education Authority agrees to pay principal and vice principal increments thanks to NAHT(NI) intervention A delegation of NAHT(NI) regional executive met with the employers in midFebruary to discuss progress with the ongoing trade dispute.

We again expressed our disappointment at the continued withholding of paperwork forwarded by boards of governors for principals and vice principals who are progressing on the leadership range following their successful completion of the performance review and staff development (PRSD) scheme for 2016-17.

We reminded the Education Authority that we had received a legal opinion on the matter, and we would take action accordingly.

Following our intervention, the Education Authority plans to issue an apology to the principals and vice principals affected and pay the increments due to them. We anticipate the official release of this notification shortly.

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As the budget crisis deepens and the political talks fail, NAHT(NI) calls for schools to receive more funding Over the past year, there have been a number of high profile announcements of additional funding for education; however, schools have not received any additional funding in their budgets, and the situation continues to worsen.

In mid-January 2018, more than 630 schools received news that their budgets had not been approved, which plunged them further into financial crisis.

With pupil numbers set to rise and the prospect of a functioning local assembly looking less likely, we believe the Westminster government must intervene to ensure there is enough money in the education budget for every child.

We continue to campaign for fair funding for schools. We have held a series of high profile public meetings, and we continue to meet with senior civil servants and politicians. Our most recent public meeting attracted prominent media attention because the Education Authority raised concerns over our public liability insurance to hold the event. This action left us with no choice but to move the meeting to a nearby hotel, and it prompted outrage from local politicians who contended that it was important that the public should have the opportunity to discuss the impact of school cuts. The Education Authority’s actions will not deter us, and we plan to continue our series of meetings.

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NAHT(NI) engages in intensive talks to bring an end to industrial action and ensure a fair pay and workload agreement for school leaders NAHT(NI) continues to be the only one of the five main teaching unions in Northern Ireland not taking industrial action. We contend that the seven years of industrial action taken by other unions have had a significant impact on many schools.

In an attempt to end the impasse, the education employers began intensive talks in late February between the teaching side and the management side.

We will continue to engage in these talks to push for a fair resolution that will protect our members and prioritise the education of children. We will also continue our series of talks with the employers to ensure the findings of our workload survey shape the direction of any future agreements and they give full consideration of the implications of proposed changes to our members’ terms and conditions.

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NAHT ASPIRE

Lead learning using NAHT Aspire’s Quality Framework for Learning & Teaching The Quality Framework for Learning & Teaching (QFLT) gives schools:

• a shared, practical language to talk about good and outstanding teaching • a tool for selfimprovement, coaching and performance management • a means to target professional development across the school.

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The QFLT is organised within six elements of best and researchbased practices: 1. Assessment for planning and learning 2. Strategies for learning and the application of subject knowledge

The QFLT is a key component in the very successful NAHT Aspire programme, and it has been tried and tested in more than 500 schools.

3. Climate for learning and lesson organisation 4. Use of resources 5. Support for learners 6. Professional standards and conduct (the teacher standards mapped against the other elements of the quality framework).

The elements are broken down into 35 themes, each with descriptors that explain what teaching and learning looks like from ‘outstanding’ to ‘inadequate’ and what learners will be doing in the classroom when teaching is good and outstanding.

The QFLT comes with: • Suggested implementation models • Introductory materials for staff, including a ‘Getting Started’ guide • Orientation videos • Teacher self-review and learner review templates • T-GROW coaching guidance.

Want to explore how NAHT Aspire’s QFLT can be used to develop excellence? Attend one of our short courses on ‘developing excellence in learning and teaching with NAHT Aspire.’ Book your place at

www.naht.org.uk/courses

Every school user has a login to the digital platform to access the resources and save their progress.

How much does it cost?

<100 pupils on roll – £350 initial set-up fee (£120 fee each subsequent year) 101 – 180 pupils on roll – £450 initial set-up fee (£160 fee each subsequent year) 181 – 500 pupils on roll – £550 initial set-up fee (£200 fee each subsequent year) 501+ pupils on roll - £650 initial set-up fee (£240 fee each subsequent year)

To find out more or make an order, call 0844 809 9219 or email info@nahtaspire.co.uk.

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | APRIL 2018

Mental well-being of school staff Over the autumn and spring terms, the Schools in Mind network at the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families travelled the full breadth of England to deliver valuable workshops to school staff on children and young people’s mental health. But what emerged from these sessions is the growing desire to talk about and address school staff members’ mental well-being, too, writes JAIME SMITH , programme director at the mental health charity. hrough these workshops, we feel fortunate to have met many teachers, school leaders and support staff with a genuine interest in mental health, and a desire to learn how to identify pupils who may be struggling and what to do to ensure those pupils receive appropriate support. And understandably, at almost all of these workshops, we found there’s a huge appetite to talk about the mental well-being of staff too.

The Government’s December 2017 green paper shines a welcome light on the importance of prevention and early intervention in children and young people’s mental health, and it calls on schools to act as vehicles for change. Among the green paper’s key proposals is the appointment of a designated senior lead for mental health in every school. This designated lead would have oversight of a whole-school approach to mental health and well-being - encompassing not only how to support and engage pupils on mental health and well-being but also how to support staff members with their mental well-being.

The mental health and wellbeing of school staff are crucial

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issues, ones that have featured prominently in news and comments in recent months. A survey of the UK’s education professionals, commissioned by the Education Support Partnership in 2017, found 75 per cent had experienced behavioural, physical or psychological symptoms related to their mental health, which they believed was linked to their work. Almost a third of respondents felt stressed most or all of the time during the weeks preceding the survey compared with 18 per cent of the UK’s employees.

Worryingly, this figure rises to 37 per cent for senior leaders.

In light of these statistics, the proposals laid out in the green paper to encourage action to support the mental health and wellbeing of those working in schools sound welcome. But we know schools are under a great deal of pressure. And we also know that good work to support the mental health and well-being of staff is already taking place in schools and colleges around the country.

At the Anna Freud National Centre, we want to capture this good work, and as such, we have started a conversation to find out the kinds of

Above: Jaime Smith.

well-being initiatives school leaders, teachers and support staff value. We want to learn what is important to staff in a well-being initiative, what is feasible in the context of limited resource, the kinds of investment required and what the benefits can be when they are working well.

Over the summer term, we will open up this conversation using a broader consultation, which we warmly invite you to be involved in.

We appreciate that all schools are different; we hope to bring together approaches to support staff members’ well-being from a diverse range of settings, so all those who consider our results find something that might be a suitable fit in their school.

Details of the consultation will be available through our Schools in Mind network at the start of the summer term. We encourage all those who work in schools to join the network; learn about our child mental health events, resources and training; and make your voices heard as part of this consultation.

You can join the free Schools in Mind network at www.annafreud. org/what-we-do/schools-in-mind.

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CAMPAIGN UPDATES

Campaign updates The first few months after the arrival of a new secretary of state are always a bit uncertain. What will their priorities be, and to what extent will they engage with or be prepared to listen to the profession?

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Damian Hinds’ article (on page 27) will certainly help to introduce him to the profession and NAHT will, as ever, continue to work proactively with him and his team at the Department for Education (DfE) to

Recruitment and retention

Statistics from UCAS in January suggested English, maths and science teacher training applications had all dropped by a quarter since last year, which is more evidence – if more were needed – of the ongoing recruitment and retention crisis facing the profession.

NAHT’s leaky pipeline report in November also clearly illustrated the extent of the recruitment and retention crisis in education, and how the teacher supply pipeline is leaking at both ends. As NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman has also put it: “At present, the Government is failing to recruit enough new teachers and doing nowhere near enough while too many experienced teachers leave prematurely.”

So, what can be done? There are no easy answers, but this crisis comes back to interlocking and

articulate the issues and challenges facing head teachers.

But, to an extent, a new face at the DfE’s Sanctuary Buildings is unlikely to change the landscape markedly overnight, meaning that NAHT’s campaigning work around pay, workload, and teacher training and development will continue apace. So, where do things stand at the moment?

overlapping crises around workload, pay, school funding, and teacher training and development – all of which are at the heart of NAHT’s current campaigning agenda.

Workload

Remember back to October 2014 and the launch of then education secretary Nicky Morgan’s ‘workload challenge,’ which was designed to, as she put it, “reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and paperwork in schools and support teachers to get on with what they do best – inspiring young people to reach their potential”?

Has anything changed or improved since then? There has certainly been a welter of activity by the government: surveys, action plans, protocols, pamphlets and posters have all been published.

But NAHT’s position is that, in reality, too little has changed or improved on the ground.

Therefore, tackling excessive

“The number of teachers leaving for reasons other than retirement is also up, from 25,260 in 2011 to 34,910 in 2016, which is quite a significant increase – in fact, essentially a 50 per cent rise,” argues NAHT head of policy Valentine Mulholland. “Latest data shows 43,380 new teachers came into the profession in September 2016, but it is deeply worrying that 42,830 left, despite the fact that we’re facing increasing numbers of pupils. It is a killer figure, and we have a very serious problem facing the profession.

“The workload of teachers and school leaders has shot up while, at the same time, pay has fallen behind. Workload is, we think, the biggest driver, but pay is a real issue too,” she adds.

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | APRIL 2018

is very important, but who is going to take it on when all it will mean is that their workload will grow even more?” explains Valentine.

Pay and funding

In January, NAHT urged the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) to recommend a significant increase in pay for all teachers and school leaders, arguing the case for at least a five per cent rise to begin restoring pay levels for the profession following the government’s decision in September to lift the one per cent public sector pay cap.

This followed a joint submission

by NAHT and other teaching unions, also in January, urging the STRB to address the decline in teachers’ real pay over the last seven years.

NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman said: “Teachers in our schools work longer hours for less money compared with their peers around the world. Today’s graduates are attracted to other professions, and current teachers are leaving in search of other

workload continues to be a major advocacy and lobbying priority, highlights Valentine Mulholland.

“Workload has reached unmanageable levels for many teachers and school leaders.

Our biggest priority remains the recruitment and retention crisis,” she points out.

“Workload continues to be a really big issue in terms of engaging with the DfE about what is now happening. Fundamentally, however, there’s a danger that the DfE seems to be just tinkering around the edges. The issue remains the accountability regime compounded by the funding crisis.

“Because the accountability system is punitive, leaders feel they have to take a belt and braces approach where they have to be able to expect and anticipate everything, especially if they have had a less than good inspection in the past or expect an inspection.

There is still a real climate of fear.

Our members know they can lose their job over one poor inspection.

“Deputy and assistant heads are often the ‘squeezed middle’ in this. As a result of budget cuts and leadership teams being cut, the pressures on school leaders are intense; many of whom, because of the recruitment and retention crisis, are being forced to take on more teaching responsibilities on top of their already heavy workload. If we burn out our assistant and deputy heads, we will not have the head teachers of the future,” Valentine continues.

Changes such as the new requirement for schools to have dedicated “careers leaders” in secondary and a designated mental health lead are simply pilling on the pressure – financial and workload – still further, she adds. “These are just adding to the burden on existing staff; there is no extra funding for this whatsoever. The mental health lead role, for example,

Workload continues to be a really big issue in terms of engaging with the DfE about what is now happening.

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CAMPAIGN UPDATES 48 careers. It’s clear that pay is a significant factor. The government must make the changes necessary to ensure we have a workforce that can deliver the best education for all.”

Paul’s comments were backed up with evidence submitted to the STRB in March, which also highlighted the extent to which pay, workload and progression are all intertwined as issues. As Valentine makes clear, without action to tackle these issues in the round, and especially the wider funding crisis, paying teachers what they deserve could create other issues.

“Schools and school leaders have been left in an impossible position. Offering any more than one per cent will tip some schools into the red,” she explains.

The joint submission with ASCL, NEU and UCAC called for a five per cent increase from 2018 across all pay point allowances. “We have been making the case as one voice. The biggest challenge is that it must be fully funded; it must not be expected to come out of existing school budgets,” highlights Valentine.

Our view at NAHT is that we need to be inducting and supporting teachers better in their first years.

There can often be something of a cliff edge after the end of the NQT year. During their NQT year, teachers get a lot of support and benefit from a reduced timetable.

But after QTS, it can be very different and very difficult.

“Five per cent is required to reflect rising costs and to begin to restore pay levels that have been eroded - this mean they are in fact down 11 per cent in real terms since 2010. Most school leaders want to pay their staff fairly; they want to be able to recruit and retain the best people. But they are dealing with the challenge of a declining budget in real terms,” explains Valentine.

Teacher training and progression

In January, NAHT, ASCL, NEU and Voice set out to the new secretary of state Damian Hinds 10 key, inter-related proposals that, they argued, need to be addressed by the Government if it were to

staunch the profession’s teacher recruitment and retention crisis (see panel on the opposite page).

Some of these, around workload and pay, have been highlighted already. But there are also ongoing issues and concerns over teacher training and development. In the first quarter of the year, the government consulted on plans to reform qualified teacher status (QTS) to allow for an extended two-year NQT through to QTS induction period to create a more structured careers framework, and to bring in stronger mentoring provision for new teachers.

NAHT has been working closely with the DfE since last autumn on these plans and, naturally, fed into this consultation. As NAHT senior policy adviser Ian Hartwright points out, the broad principle behind the government’s reforms – to support new teachers better and make a teaching career more sustainable, especially early on – is positive.

“Currently, a quarter of all teachers leave the profession within three years of qualifying, and more than half (52 per cent) within 10.

So, we need to make the years post qualification more manageable and sustainable for newly-qualified teachers, both in the context of QTS but also more widely.

“Our view at NAHT is that we need to be inducting and supporting teachers better in their first years. There can often be something of a cliff edge after the end of the NQT year. During their NQT year, teachers get a lot of support and benefit from a reduced timetable. But after QTS, it can be very different and very difficult,” he says.

“Much like the Government, we’re arguing that it may be better to extend the QTS period – perhaps by ensuring teachers only achieve full QTS at the end of their second year post training rather than, as currently, at the end of their NQT year. In essence, it’s a bit like having ‘P plates’ for new drivers, so you have something that shows you are qualified to teach, but you are still relatively new to the profession.

“However, there is an issue here. First, there is a question about how could this work in the

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | APRIL 2018

context of the current high-stakes accountability and inspection regime? Second, the DfE has been talking about perhaps achieving ‘QTS provisional’ after the first year and then ‘QTS full’. But how would parents take to their children being taught by a ‘provisional’ teacher?

So, while we don’t disagree with the idea in principle, we are arguing for something like QTS part one and part two, much as you get in a profession such as accountancy or law.

“The DfE is talking about change coming in from this September and so while there is a real urgency to it, it would not in reality impact schools until the following September (2019). There is also the question that given this was something launched by the previous secretary of state, how supportive will the new secretary of state be?” Ian adds.

Another area that needs to be addressed is CPD and career development, both for those who want to progress into leadership and management positions but also for those teachers who simply want to become, and stay as,

exemplar teaching practitioners in the classroom.

“We need to be looking at better career pathways that can sustain teachers through their careers,” explains Ian. “For example, at the moment, there is not much available in the way of progression for someone who just wants to be, and stay as, a really good teaching practitioner rather than becoming a leader.

“We need to be looking at ways to keep teachers of all ages in the profession. How can we make teaching a sustainable career over 30 or 40 years? There are incentives to bring people into teaching, but not enough to keep or retain them. There is a real debate to be had around career longevity,” he adds.

The Education Select Committee in February mooted the idea of annual entitlement for teachers to CPD, with the government releasing specific “targeted funding” for CPD. Properly funded, this would be something supported by NAHT. “Workload and work-life balance are the key things driving

people out of the profession,” explains Ian. “We need to look at the potential for non-leadership career pathways, perhaps more professional qualifications, credits or mentoring incentives.

Or perhaps it could be around designing or assessing the curriculum, or being able to develop relationships with research-based organisations?

Schools could build up reservoirs of excellence. But, once again, there needs to be clarity around who pays for this.

“Finally, we’re talking about the possibility of sabbaticals – perhaps every 10 years, and the DfE has talked about every seven years.

Teachers would, of course, have to put together a proper proposal, but it would help with issues such as burnout, and personal and professional development. But, again, there is the question of funding,” Ian adds.

The 10 solutions to the recruitment and retention crisis, as proposed to the new Secretary of State Damian Hinds by NAHT with NEU, ASCL, Voice and UCAC. • Simplify the routes into teaching • Enhance developments on ways of reducing teachers’ workload • Establish short and medium-term plans to raise the salaries of teachers • Review and revise the accountability systems and their impact on schools, teachers and school leaders • Develop a career strategy for teaching from pre-entry to leadership • Urgently review and revise the teacher supply model and the allocation of initial teacher training places • Ensure there is full geographical coverage of initial teacher training provision in all parts of the country • Review and revise the financial support packages for initial teacher training and loan reimbursement • Take forward recently started work on flexible working • Develop national programmes to recruit returners, career changers and teachers from overseas.

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YOUR SCHOOL’S COMMUNITY VOICE

Listening to your school’s community voice In her new book, educationalist FIONA CARNIE explores how teachers, students and parents can have more of a say in the education system. Here she gives our members an exclusive look at some of the themes covered in ‘rebuilding our schools from the bottom up,’ which was released earlier this spring. e live in a democracy, and yet schools in England offer precious little opportunity for those who are affected by decisions to contribute to making them. This is a strange omission given the central role that schools should play in the development of a democratic society.

Enormous changes have taken place in the last 30 years; changes that have resulted in an increasingly centralised system where the voices of those who teach, those who learn and those whose children go to school have become marginalised.

There is widespread concern among educators, academics and parents that these changes are not in the best interests of children.

As things stand, school students have little chance to contribute to decisions about what they are going to learn and how they are going to learn it. Parents are not routinely involved in school decision-making – even on issues that affect them. The majority of teachers have little say in what or how they teach, and they are not able to contribute to discussions about the direction of their school.

Of course, there are a number of schools doing excellent work in terms of listening to their students,

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Perhaps it is time for each school to establish a community council to agree on a vision and their values.

teachers and parents. However, schools that have a strong students’ voice are not necessarily good at collaborating with the parents.

Schools that work hard to build parental involvement don’t always put the same effort into student or staff engagement. And those schools where teachers feel they have a real voice don’t automatically value the views of their students or parents. It is often the case that there is little interaction between representatives of these three groups in discussion about the school’s policy and decision-making.

Sometimes these groups will pull in different directions because the priorities for teachers, parents and students will not necessarily align.

All the more reason for dialogue because you can then discuss, address and mould differences into policies that gain the support of the school community as a whole.

Without such a process, it is hard to build an active school community.

In theory, a school’s governing body should be the place where the voices of these different groups come together, but this does not appear to happen as a matter of course.

How then can we listen attentively to all of these voices and bring them together into a strong and powerful school community voice? Young people often have a clear sense of what helps them to learn. Teachers as professionals know how best to support their students. And parents have much to offer in terms of helping their children and the school.

Furthermore, schools will be strengthened by reaching

Right: Fiona Carnie

‘Rebuilding our schools from the bottom up: listening to teachers, children and parents’ by Fiona Carnie is published

by Routledge (2018).

out to their local communities, and involving local people and organisations in the education of the young. Schools on their own cannot offer the breadth of experiences and opportunities that constitute a rounded education.

Perhaps it is time for each school to establish a community council to agree on a vision and their values, and then assess the extent to which it is achieving its aims and objectives.

Such a body would provide a space to discuss the different perspectives and experiences.

Professor Stephen Ball from University College London argues: “We need to reconnect education to democracy and work towards a relationship between schools and their communities.

“We should recognise the centrality of education to larger projects of democracy and community building. This is about communities, parents and students having a say in deciding what, how and by whom they are taught – and whether, how and when they are tested, among other things.”

By working together in our communities, we can challenge the democratic deficit and rebuild our schools from the bottom up. As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child. It is time to engage the village.

#ILConf18

Come to...

Inspiring Leadership Conference 2018 14 –15 June at the ICC, Birmingham Get ready for another thought-p provoking g, empowering and above all, inspirring two days, as Inspiring Lead dersh hip – the conference for lead ders in education – is back. Our line up of compelling keynote spea akers, masterclass maestros and workshop experts will continue to be announced over the upcoming weeks.

Inspiring Leadership 2018 so far…

Spencer West Come to Inspiring Leadership this year and listen to the amazing Spencer West redefining possible. With his trademark humour and humility, Spencer spins a spellbinding story of the challenges he faced after losing his legs from the pelvis down at age five, to when he climbed, and summited, Mount Kilimanjaro using his hands and wheelchair.

Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh The nail-biting finale to the Rio 2016 Olympic hockey final provided one of the most memorable moments of the Games for British fans. For the scorer of the

winning penalty (Helen) and the longserving team captain (Kate) it was the pinnacle of two international careers stretching over 15 years. Come to Inspiring Leadership this year and listen to Kate and Helen share their lessons in overcoming setbacks, building a winning culture, teamwork and leadership. The first same-sex married couple to win gold in the same team also reveal how the team changed, life in the Olympic Village and their views on inclusion and diversity.

Michael Fullan Come to the Inspiring Leadership conference this year and listen to the latest leadership insights from the internationally renowned author, speaker and educational consultant Michael Fullan. A worldwide authority on educational reform with a mandate of helping to achieve the moral purpose of all children learning. Michael is making a rare visit to the UK this year to join us at Inspiring Leadership.

Go to inspiringleadership.org and click ‘Book Your Place Now’ Supported by

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A LEGAL VIEW

A legal view

NAHT solicitor SIMON THOMAS looks at unfair dismissal t is rare, as occurred in February 2018, for an unfair dismissal claim to reach the Supreme Court – the highest appeal court in the UK – and rarer still that it concerns the dismissal of a head teacher.

The facts are that the head had a close friendship with a man who was convicted of making indecent images of children. They were not partners and did not live together, but they owned property together, went on holiday together and the man was a named driver on her car insurance.

The man was sentenced to a three-year community order and made subject to a sexual offences prevention order, which included a provision forbidding him to have unsupervised access to children.

At the time of her appointment, she knew of his arrest, but at that point, he had not been convicted.

She did not tell the school about her friendship with him; at the time of her appointment, about his arrest; or subsequently, about his conviction.

The school, with the local authority’s support, instituted disciplinary action and concluded it should have been obvious to the head that she needed to disclose her friendship to the governing body once it had become clear the man was to have been charged and convicted of a child sex offence; her role as head teacher was to assist the governing body in discharging its functions, one of which was child protection. The panel decided she was guilty of gross misconduct and that dismissal was the appropriate sanction.

It said that had she accepted her error, it would have considered an alternative sanction to dismissal. She appealed the panel’s decision without success.

She took her case to the Employment Tribunal claiming unfair dismissal.

The relevant test for whether a misconduct dismissal was fair is whether the employer: • believed the employee was guilty of misconduct; • had reasonable grounds to sustain its belief; and • had carried out a reasonable amount of investigation into the matter.

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The Employment Tribunal cannot therefore ‘rehear’ the case and substitute its opinion for the opinion of the employer. But if the Employment Tribunal judges either that the basis of the employer’s belief was not genuine or reasonable, or that the decision that dismissal was the appropriate sanction was not reasonable, then the dismissal will be ruled unfair.

The Employment Tribunal found the original dismissal fair. They did find the appeal process was flawed, which rendered the dismissal unfair, but they reduced compensation by 100 per cent for contributory fault. So to all intents and purposes, they ruled it fair. They said: “It is not surprising the obligation to disclose this particular information is not to be found expressly set out in the claimant’s contract of employment.

We consider it is obvious that for a head teacher to have failed to disclose such information to her governing body, whether it is expressed in her contract of employment or not, is a matter of misconduct.”

She appealed to the Employment Appeal Tribunal, the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, all of whom upheld the decision. Just as the Employment Tribunal cannot substitute its opinion for the opinion of the employer, neither can the appellate courts simply substitute their preferred outcome for that of the court or tribunal below. Appeal can only be on a point of law (which could include a perverse judgment).

At all stages, she lost, and it was a particularly forthright judgment. Lady Justice Hale ruled that ‘there clearly was’ a duty to disclose.

Despite losing at every stage, the case does raise some interesting points: • The law of contract does not generally require an employee to disclose to an employer or prospective employer matters that might be unfavourable to the employee. He or she cannot lie, and they must comply with any express contractual or other legal duty of disclosure. But there was

no suggestion here that there was an express contractual duty to disclose. Rather, that it was ‘obvious’ owing principally to the general safeguarding duties of a head teacher. There is, however, no clear guidance as to what should and what need not be disclosed • At the time, the much discredited ‘disqualification by association’ regulations were in force (although not, at that time, generally applied in schools). It was accepted they did not apply in this case, but Lord Wilson commented (in support of his ruling that the dismissal was fair) that “they illumine the democratic judgement about the danger posed to children by such an offender in operating through his close associates” • Although eight of the nine judges who heard the case at its various stages ruled against the head (that her dismissal was fair), the one dissenting judge was Lord Justice Elias. He’s one of the most experienced employment judges in the country and former president of the Employment Appeal Tribunal who (while being outvoted 2:1 in the Court of Appeal) said: “In my judgment, there was simply no evidence that justified a reasonable employer concluding there was even the potential for enhanced risk to children at the school. As a consequence, there were no reasonable grounds for sustaining the belief in the reason for dismissal.”

Our advice teams are regularly asked to advise members on disclosure issues. Although the answer is not always straightforward, this case illustrates the dangers of withholding relevant information in the context of safeguarding. And irrespective of whether there is a legal duty to disclose, a failure to disclose can damage the relationship between employer and employee.

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | APRIL 2018

OPINION

PAUL WHITEMAN: general secretary 2017–18

Future vision y first annual conference as general secretary is fast approaching. And there is much to discuss. When I stand up in front of you all at the beginning of May, I am sure I will feel some apprehension, but mainly pride in the members sat with me in the hall for all the success you have created in the year. I will also be reassured by the huge impact NAHT has had on government’s policy since we last got together in Telford.

In that time, we’ve had a general election and a new name at the top of the Department for Education (DfE). In that time, NAHT has remained focused on our five key campaign priorities, and I am happy to say they are still the right ones in 2018.

We continue to press the Government on school funding, and we are making progress. Just as the quality of a school cannot exceed the quality of its staff, the quality of the system is never going to continue to improve without sufficient investment.

I’m pleased to see Damian Hinds acknowledging this. Now he must do something about it.

Our new education secretary has also committed to tackling one of the curses of taking a job in a school: workload. As far back as 2014, when the ‘workload challenge’ was launched, there has been an acceptance that teachers are overworked.

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In 2016, the teachers’ workload survey’s report identified that 93 per cent of respondents felt workload in their schools was a fairly serious problem, and 52 per cent cited it as a very serious problem. The 2017 teachers’ survey by the DfE found that teachers are working an average of 54 hours a week and school leaders are working 60 hours a week.

Our leaky pipeline report revealed that of those NAHT members aware of staff that have left the teaching profession for reasons other than retirement, 84 per cent said the reason for this was workload pressure.

We have been talking about this for an awfully long time.

Enough talk.

We cannot let another year slip by without finding a solution to the issue of staff burning out because they are overworking. If we’re honest, how does that kind of system help children?

A giant leap forward on this matter would be for the government to be honest about just how much it contributes to unnecessary workload. The constant policy change is taking its toll on teachers.

An unnecessarily aggressive inspection regime is also a huge factor. Schools have improved beyond the need for our current accountability regime. We need a new direction. That is why I am

Above: Paul Whiteman

NAHT has remained focused on our five key campaign priorities, and I am happy to say they are still the right ones in 2018.

pleased to see NAHT leading the way with a new commission on accountability. The hearings and evidence sessions are underway.

Expect to see a full report from the commission in September this year. We will shape the debate on accountability just as we have done for assessment.

Pressure from the Government and pressure from Ofsted are both bigger contributors to workload than anything a school leader asks their teams to do. And remember, school leaders are shouldering plenty of workload themselves. A routine 60-hour week is no way to live.

One thing is for sure: if your working week is 60 hours long, you’re not left with any time to devote to developing your skills and knowledge base. This is bad for the long-term health of the school system, and it’s bad for the pupils in your care.

As I have said many times, on a good day, a career in education is among the best jobs in the world. In this issue of Leadership Focus, and if you can join us in Liverpool too, we aim to make sure that being part of the NAHT family means you’re well supported, well protected and well motivated to continue to make the best of the best job in the world.

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TOP FIVE ADVICE TOPICS

TOP

e advice resources 1

GDPR - what you need to know and do now

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into force on 25 May 2018, and it will replace the Data Protection Act 1998. Our updated guidance is a helpful prompt to ensure you are dedicating the right time and resources to meet the regulator’s framework. It looks at subject access requests, data breaches, consent, privacy impact assessments and much more. Wherever your school is on its GDPR journey, we’re here to support you along the way and help you form a plan of action to achieve compliance.

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Teachers’ Pension Scheme (England & Wales) – members’ contribution bands 2018-19

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Saving for your retirement nest egg is important. But did you know that the teachers’ pension salary bands, against which your pension contribution is calculated, change in line with a three per cent increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) from 1 April 2018? For most of our members, there will be no change whatsoever. However, some may find that they fall into a lower salary band, which reduces the amount of pension contributions they pay. Make sure you take a few minutes to read our advice to determine whether any of the changes apply to you.

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A guide to British values and how to apply them

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At all times, we’re here to help you in every way we can. We provide a wealth of support to all our members. You can find the answers to many of your day-today school management questions in our comprehensive online knowledge base. Each term we look at some of the most challenging situations for our members. Below is a summary of our most popular advice topics from the spring term.

Resignation: in the heat of the moment and other matters for school leaders

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We all do things in life that we regret, but what are the consequences of acting rashly? When an employee storms out of a meeting and says “That’s it. I’ve had enough, and I’m off,” the employer is often left wondering whether they can treat this as a legitimate resignation (especially, because it may suit them to do so).

The short answer is no. Our advice will guide you through this tricky situation and provide brief details of a couple of recent cases that have come before the tribunals.

The teaching of British values in schools aims to give pupils and students a chance to explore, understand and respect our broad community; it also creates a sense of cohesion by highlighting how differences between children and adults can be valued and respected.

Our guide on British values will help you to understand how they can be delivered through the curriculum. It looks at the use of citizenship and PSHE to help you cover this subject and outlines the role played by Ofsted in measuring the effectiveness of British values across the inspection framework. Finally, the paper touches on schools’ prevent duty and how this can also help to support children who may be vulnerable to radicalisation and extremism.

Teachers’ Pension Schemes – individual records/ benefits statements

Are you aware of the recent and imminent changes to your individual pension record and benefits statement? Our guide goes through developments such as a new easier system that allows you to see how much your pension benefits are currently worth online and how from April this year employers will be required to submit monthly returns. Our guidance also provides a timely reminder to check if your salary or service history on your statement is correct or complete. If not, you must contact your employer at that point in time because it is their responsibility to rectify the error.

EXPERT ADVICE ON THE PROFESSIONAL OR MANAGEMENT ISSUES YOU FACE IN YOUR ROLE

Many of our members tell us that the wealth of the advice produced by our experts is worth the cost of membership alone. Each week we provide a new, researched and evidencebased guide to help you manage the key issues in your school. Make sure you open our e-newsletters to get your copy of the latest advice guide.

Our NAHT members can find these advice documents and much more at naht.org.uk/advice.

Our NAHT Edge members can find these and other specially tailored advice documents at naht.org.uk/ naht-edge/help-and-advice.

We hope that you never need us, but if you do, call us on 0300 30 30 333 (option one). Alternatively, email specialistadvice@ naht.org.uk.

*Terms and conditions apply

...AND RECEIVE A £50 YPO SCHOOL VOUCHER FOR EACH NEW MEMBER YOU REFER

MENTAL HEALTH CONFERENCE

A review of our mental health conference NAHT past president RONA TUTT shares the main events from our joint conference with the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

uesday 30 January was the day when NAHT and the Royal College of Psychiatrists held a successful inaugural conference on ‘collaborative approaches to the mental health of children: from issues to interventions’. On the same day and by a strange coincidence, the Education and Health Committees held their first joint oral evidence session to scrutinise the scope and implementation of the Department for Education’s green paper on transforming children and young people’s mental health provision.

This saw our general secretary sitting alongside Dr Bernadka Dubicka, chair of the child and adolescent faculty at the college, as witnesses.

The conference took place at the college’s spacious venue near Tower Bridge in London.

The 200 delegates at this sell-out event included school leaders, psychiatrists, researchers and other health professionals.

Opening the conference, Professor Barry Carpenter explained that although the Duchess of Cambridge had been rerouted to Scandinavia instead of being able to attend, she and Prince William had written to say they wanted to hear the outcomes from the day. This would help to inform the work they have been doing with our association and other organisations on Mentally Healthy Schools (see more about this new website on pages 34 to 35).

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The first keynote speaker was Baroness Claire Tyler who, as chair of the Values-Based Child and Adolescent Mental Health System Commission, produced the 2016 report on what really matters in children and young people’s mental health, which had helped to shape the conference. She referred to the involvement of our past president Tony Draper who had been a member of the commission, which illustrated another link the association has built up with the college.

The next keynote was delivered

by Dr Francesca Happé whose talk was entitled mental health, autism and girls. Francesca began by referring to the work of the National Forum for Neuroscience and Special Education (NFNSE), and the Autism and Girls Forum – both of which are served by NAHT. During her talk, which was both informative and thoroughly up to date, she mentioned her research into the thousands of ‘lost girls’ who remain undiagnosed and concern for their vulnerability, with one of them telling her “I’m prey in a world of predators.”

Members of the NFNSE chaired the eight workshops that followed.

The workshops were based on psychiatrists and researchers giving an account of the latest research in their field and school leaders explaining how they had

Above: Rona Tutt.

It was striking at a time when there are so many pressures on schools, there was a waiting list of school leaders wanting to attend this conference.

used this knowledge to improve classroom practice. The workshops covered the following areas: • Self-harm • Anxiety in primary pupils • Anxiety in secondary students • Attachment • Delivering resilience and well-being • A mental health and well-being curriculum for primary schools • Values-based systems • Evidence-based practice.

The final keynote of the day was

by Professor Dame Sue Bailey who gave a snapshot of the work of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition that she chairs. She referred to three overlapping principles for improving young people’s mental health in schools and colleges: A better balance between attainment and well-being Better support for children and young people when needed Better mental health training and support for staff.

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To round off the day, NAHT president Anne Lyons thanked the college for hosting the joint conference. She referred to two of the themes that were flagged up throughout the day: The need for practitioners to know more about the interventions available and the research that underpins them The need to adopt a wholeschool approach to mental health and well-being.

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It was striking that, at a time when there are so many pressures on schools, there was a waiting list of school leaders wanting to attend this conference. Those who did attend were very positive about the opportunity to gather ideas about how to be a mentally healthy school for the benefit of both pupils and staff.

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | APRIL 2018

Capturing the teenage brain conference 2018 riday 9 February marked an exciting debut for NAHT with the launch of our brand new secondary conference. A success from start to finish, the event brought secondary practitioners and sector experts under one roof to share best practice and unlock new ways to engage secondary students in learning.

The conference kicked off with oodles of enthusiasm with a warm welcome from Julie Nash, our secondary council member and school development officer. Julie greeted delegates with the vision for the day: “I hope you leave this conference refreshed and full of zeal; zeal to feel confident and able to understand, support and apply strategies that at times seem beyond our comprehension, and a zeal to capture that teenage brain!”

Dr Andrew Curran, a paediatric neurologist, outlined the importance of considering attachment theory in pupils and ourselves as educational practitioners. He emphasised the importance of forming a secure attachment style. Bringing neuroscience to the fore, Andrew provided insightful commentary on adolescent brain development and its effects on behaviour - both in and outside of school.

Sarah Kendrick from Place2Be talked about the importance of developing a whole-school approach to mental health. She highlighted the alarm bells for school leaders to look

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out for and the primary mental health challenges that face adolescents, including depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, the onset of psychosis, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide. Sarah stated that school staff must first look after their mental health to be able to promote positive mental health among students.

The morning speeches were concluded by NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman who affirmed the association is shining a light on the critical challenges currently facing school leaders to government. Once again, the significance of the mental health of school staff was made clear.

“Look after yourselves as much as you look after the children in your care,” said Paul.

Practical advice was also a staple of the day with a wide selection of workshops on subjects ranging from the impact of peers on adolescent development – a neuroscientific perspective to warm pedagogy.

Professor in psychology and education, Guy Claxton provided a thought-provoking conclusion to the day. He set out the learning power approach and emphasised the need for children to default to a ‘learning mode’ state in which they learn from mistakes. Guy made the bid for the significance of ‘learning mode’ to be embedded into the culture of the classroom and the school. He closed by setting out the school leaders’

“It was a truly brilliant conference.

It was very inspiring and had so many great speakers. I wanted to attend all the workshops.”

“An absolutely fantastic day. The keynote speakers, in particular, were all inspirations and definitely provided both food for thought and information that can go back to change practice at school.”

SEE WHAT OUR DELEGATES SAID

Below: Delegates hear from the stellar line-up of keynotes.

roles of learning power and the key tasks that can be undertaken to make positive changes to the teaching and learning culture in school.

Reflecting on the successes of the day, Julie Nash said: “The main learning for me was the concept of potential; that all too readily, schools articulate that they are there to support pupils and students to reach their potential.

“But as Andrew and Guy both asked, how do you know what that is? Who determines it? And how do we know when we have reached that potential?

“It made us question our philosophy on assessment and how we use this to track and monitor progress and determine potential. We were encouraged to consider this and ask what we need tracking data for.

What was its real purpose and what would each pupil’s individual progress look like? Should we reflect on our assessment policies and principles?

“And really, the main point from all of the speakers and workshop hosts was how important positive relationships are for our young people and how this builds not only resilience but also physical, neural pathways that nurture and develop the adolescent brain.”

Save the date: our next secondary conference will take place on 8 February 2019. We hope to see you there.

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CONFERENCES 2018

Conferences

2018 School business leaders’ conference 19 June 2018 in Birmingham 58

Our annual school business leaders’ conference comes to Birmingham this summer, and it promises an impressive line-up of keynote speakers and a choice of workshops focused on school business leadership. The conference’s theme is ‘empowering leaders in challenging times,’ and it aims to provide you with the skills, knowledge and confidence to deal with the latest issues.

It features Stephen Morales, chief executive at the Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL), Tony Foot, director

of the education funding group at the Department for Education (DfE) and Paul Whiteman, NAHT general secretary as the keynote speakers. It offers an excellent opportunity to meet other school business leaders and engage in a range of topics relevant to you.

There’s a chance to submit your questions ahead of a Q&A session with Tony Foot. And the evening before conference, we’re asking our thriving community of school business leaders to come together for a networking event.

WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND? • Learn from experienced professionals at the bespoke workshops • Network with like-minded colleagues • Discuss and assess best practice for your school • Feel empowered to take ownership of your role in the school • Be inspired by our renowned keynote speakers.

Share the experience with your colleagues and receive a group discount by booking together (available for bookings of three or more delegates).

COUNT ME IN!

Find out more and book your tickets by visiting www.naht.org. uk/conferences.

“Our aim is to cha alleng ge, sttimulate and inspire you to underttake your role with renewed vitality. You will have e the opp portun nity to he ear fro om experts and prractittioners, ass welll as natio onal figures who will updatte us on the challengin ng times that we fac ce,” Rache el Younge er, school business leaders’ representtative.

(R Rea ad more aboutt whatt Rachel wants to achieve ass your representativ ve and her five top tips for those new to th he sc choo ol bussiness leader role on page 28).

8 LEADERSHIP FOCUS | APRIL 2018

Early years conference 2018 Are e you an early years school le ead derr? Now in its se econd yearr, our early years conferrence will take plac ce in Londo on on Frida ay 5 October 2018, and itt promises an interesting g and varie ed program mme along th he them me of ‘right from the starrt.’’

Early yearrs is a unique e and d vital phasse of educatio on, and if we ge et it right from m the e sta art, we hav ve creative, co onfid dentt, cu urious children who o are e fully y en ngaged in ning.. It would d be wrong their learn to unde eresstima ate the impact it coulld ha ave on pupils’ later learning outco ome es.

Jud dy Sh haw, chair of NAHT’s early yea ars sector council, said: “Those of us working in the early years and leading in schools and early years settings play a crucial role in the lives of our children and their families. Simply put, we lay the foundations of learning to come.

We set the tone…”.

This conference is dedicated to exploring the challenges for those working in early years, and it will

prov vid de yo ou with an opportunity ore the latest in evidenceto explo base ed re esea arch and new initiatives n pe edag gogy and practice. in Con nfirmed keynote speakers inc clude Gill Jones, Ofsted’s early educ cation deputy director and Julia an Grenier, a head teacher in East London and national leader of cation. educ Ou ur conference will also offer a varie ety of inspiring workshops on de range of topics, including a wid work king with parents, learning to se elf-regulate, outdoor leaning, messsy maths: an outdoor and playful approach for early years, and much more.

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per cent of last year’s delegates would recommend this conference to a colleague.

“This year’s conference promises to be another inspirational and highly practical event. It’s an excellent opportunity to hear from those shaping early years policy at a national level and update your professional knowledge by attending the workshops on offer.

As always, there will be plenty of ideas you can take back and implement in your setting almost straight away.”

JAMES BOWEN, NAHT EDGE DIRECTOR

Specially commissioned workshops on offer

Our workshops on a range of topics will give you practical ideas, advice and information that you can use to further improve your setting.

• Ending the endless reorganisation • Maximising the contribution and impact of teaching assistants • Centralisation of services - when is it a consideration and is it worth it?

• School business leaders’ pensions • The specific challenges of school business leadership in special schools • Exploring collaboration models and opportunities between schools - whether maintained or academy • Getting the most out of your due diligence • What Kipling said: creating resilient leaders • School business leaders’ pay and recognition within a fragmented education system.

I’m coming! Find out more and book your tickets by visiting www.naht.org.uk/conferences.

SEE WHAT OUR DELEGATES SAID ABOUT T LAST T YEAR R’S CONFEREN NCE

Best contin nuing g professio onal dev velopment I have had in ages! I cam me away feeling invigorated and d ready to take on the world.

As the first earrly ye ears conference organised by NAHT T, this s was a resounding success. There were so many quality speakers we didn’tt get th he chance to hear because we were spo oilt for choice.

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HAND-PICKED TRAINING COURSES

Hand-picked training courses eveloped and led by expert facilitators, our courses are innovative, challenging and explicitly designed for senior leaders, and they are open to everyone (ie members and non-members).

Our courses cover a variety of subjects from leadership

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and operational management to funding, inspection, accountability and much more.

In the centre of this issue of Leadership Focus, we have provided a handy pullout wall planner to ensure you know exactly what is coming up when and where.

For occasions when standard courses may not ďŹ t your requirements, we also offer tailored training â&#x20AC;&#x201C; this value for money option cuts the cost of the commute and sees us come to you to deliver the course at your venue of choice.

LEADERSHIP FOCUS | APRIL 2018

STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP OF SEND 8 June 2018, London

T There is less than one year remaining before the sp special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms must be fully implemented. This is putting a great deal of pressure on both schools and local authorities, and special educational needs coordinators (SENCos) have to manage a greater workload to ensure their schools are legal and compliant. At the same time, our schools are experiencing budgetary constraints, an increase in the number of pupils with complex SEND and a workforce that has not been trained to meet their pupils’ needs.

Suitable for new and aspiring SENCos, members of the senior leadership team or anyone that line manages a SENCo in a mainstream setting, this course covers the new SEND code of practice 2015 and looks at the strategic role that SENCos now play in school.

Throughout the day, delegates will have an opportunity to discuss the current educational climate in light of support for pupils with SEND and gain further knowledge and skills to manage some of these challenges back in school.

Course facilitator: Lorraine Petersen OBE

BEING OFSTED READY

18 October 2018, Birmingham

S Suitable for senior leaders in primary, secondary and special schools, this course is designed to bring leaders up-to-date with Ofsted’s common inspection framework. The course will help you to understand how inspection works in practice and each major aspect of the framework.

During the course, you will look closely at the evidence required to make each judgement and the criteria for making the judgements. You will also discover how strategic planning can be successful and consider the new elements and changes of emphasis, so you understand Ofsted’s expectations.

Course facilitator: Philippa Ollerhead, MA Edu leadership and management, NPQH “As a head teacher, many of the courses on offer just make you think slightly differently about the way you do things.

Very rarely do I come back with a whole list of ideas that will improve the way we run our school while enhancing our provision. I like that your advice and suggestions weren’t just about the dreaded visit but also sound school improvement strategies,” a delegate from the Being Ofsted ready course.

APPRAISAL AND DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS 15 June 2018, Birmingham

As a staff appraiser, you have A ad additional responsibilities to support colleagues who may be experiencing difficulties and make recommendations for pay progression for all teachers on all pay ranges.

If you are conducting appraisal and looking to build your skills around holding staff to account, this interactive course provides you with the chance to practise your skills and gain confidence in handling difficult conversations effectively and objectively.

During this bespoke course, you will consider the importance of emotional intelligence, explore how to prepare for the difficult conversation and practise how to hold these conversations in a supportive group.

Course facilitator: Dr Christine Greenland Ed.D, MA, FCIPD

EXCLUSIONS AND PARENTAL COMPLAINTS

These half-day briefings, launched in light of new statutory guidance that came into effect on 1 September 2017, will guide you through the exclusion process and the things that matter when you intend to exclude a child under your control.

The session will also offer practical advice and support for dealing with parental complaints, including the importance of having a robust and clear procedure, building confidence in dealing with challenging behaviours, resolving matters effectively and how to manage persistent/serial complainants.

We’ve run several briefings already this year. Here are the last remaining dates, so you won’t miss out: • 8 June 2018, Cambridge • 22 June 2018, Bristol.

Facilitators: Dr Juliet Starbuck (exclusions) and NAHT regional officers (complaints)

H ESSENTIALS FOR THE HR SCHOOL LEADER 21 June 2018, London

This course will ensure you become confident to lead and manage the employment life-cycle, including advertising, avoiding discrimination, equal o opportunities, job descriptions and person specifications.

With our step-by-step guide, you will leave the course with a better understanding of the formal processes involved in managing disciplinary and grievance procedures. You will also get an opportunity to reflect on a number of scenarios and examples to build confidence and develop management strategies.

Course facilitator: Marie Hames, LLB, BVC, QTS

We have a wide range of courses available. Browse the options available to you at www.naht.org.uk/courses.

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THE FINAL WORD

SUSAN YOUNG: education columnist

Driving improvements through research nterviewing Vanessa McManus is an interesting experience: as she discusses how her school uses staff members’ research to drive improvements, she makes notes to follow up on ideas the conversation has sparked.

“It is so frustrating that some schools and leaders aren’t giving these opportunities to their staff. It’s as if everything has to move towards them, and as leaders, they define their schools’ priorities and delegate who’s responsible for each task and specific roles,” says Vanessa, head of Gatley Primary in Cheshire.

She adds: “To me, we need the approach of defining a school’s priorities together, and we need to allow people to make decisions about those they would like to pursue to drive their practice and which they want to research. We need professional development about how to do this in a way that is about letting go but also being in the know about the practice in your school.”

Vanessa, who cheerfully admits “we’re weird,” is clearly doing something right with her team. The Sunday Times named Gatley Britain’s 28th best school, and she says: “I am convinced it’s because of the way our children learn. And that’s because we’re constantly getting staff to think how to do things better.”

So what’s going on? Three years ago, they teamed up with Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) and encouraged teachers and TAs across their teaching alliance to run classroom randomised controlled trial research projects.

Vanessa, then associate head, led the project, which was initially “a very steep learning curve” before participating staff realised difficulties were part of the process.

They began to see it as CPD, which made them enliven and question their practice. It also empowered them to see what

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worked and why, and to demonstrate that to their school leaders.

The project has “gone from strength to strength” as staff gained confidence and deepened their skills, and the schools identified research associates (RAs) – staff who facilitate school improvement.

The latest project teams RAs and specialist leaders of education (SLEs) together and puts them into a different school to discuss a priority with teachers. “They are not coming in from a position of expertise – it’s not like people coming in saying ‘have you tried this?’ It is a more level playing field: a discussion among peers with two strangers.

They quickly build a relationship and trust, which facilitates discussion and provokes critical thinking.

There is an enthusiasm to get back to the classroom and trial things to bring back for the next discussion, and I am so excited about it,” explains Vanessa.

To support this, Vanessa is leading a project that helps school leaders to let go with MMU academic Linda Hammersley-Fletcher, and they will be presenting a paper on their work at the BELMAS educational leadership conference in July. “It’s knowing when to support or interject at the right moment. We, as heads, need that skill development,” she adds.

Above: Susan Young

It can only work - people live and breathe it, shaping improvements through conversations and day-today practice. It’s a process, not a programme

The success of different initiatives will be shown in research results, but Vanessa can see the benefits already. “The SLE and RA working with us say it is the best professional development they’ve ever had.

They have been pushed outside their comfort zone because they are working on early years, which neither of them have taught; it’s enabled them to ask questions that got the group thinking and get back to fundamentals.

That’s having a big impact.

“The meetings are good CPD because everyone has an equal voice, everyone’s opinion is valued and everyone values disagreement, which means there have to be compromises on finding the right way for the children,” she says. Not having an end goal motivates them to get to the crux of what’s happening.

“It’s not ‘I know the answer because I’m experienced’ – there’s no identified expert at the table,” she adds.

Vanessa knows her staff members’ skills would make them attractive elsewhere, but she says: “I’m not one of those people who thinks it’s a compliment for people to get promotions elsewhere – I think I haven’t done enough to create the opportunities for them to stay.”

Would she recommend the research approach to other schools?

“Yes. It can only work – people live and breathe it, shaping improvements through conversations and day-today practice. It’s a process, not a programme,” Vanessa concludes.