Final word
The power of trust
Mary Bousted Joint general secretary, National Education Union neu.org.uk facebook.com/ national education union NEUnion
THIS will be my last column. Kevin and I are coming to the end of our five-year term as joint general secretaries. So, it is a time for reflection, and it is in this spirit that I write these final words. I have been a leader, in various organisations, for over 30 years: in schools, in higher education and in two unions, the ATL and as joint general secretary of the NEU. Effective leadership is always challenging. There is never enough time to achieve all that you want to do. The unexpected always takes up too much of your time. People management is often difficult and stressful. It can feel impossible for leaders to find the time to be strategic, particularly when they routinely work hugely excessive hours and are frequently exhausted by the scale and number of obstacles and challenges they face. Empowering teachers So, what to do? How can leaders be most effective? In my experience one quality forms the basis of effective leadership – and that is trust. Leaders who trust their colleagues to do a good job create the conditions for their staff teams to thrive. Trust is empowering. As a teacher, I loved working in one school where my opinions were sought by the head, and where my expertise in
“Teachers who feel respected for their professionalism are more likely to engage their pupils in learning activities that transform their previous understanding.” 22
lead. The magazine for NEU Leadership members
my subject was valued. I thrived in this school and progressed in my subject knowledge, my approach to pedagogy and my career. It can be very difficult for leaders to give trust in our education system where schools are subject to a rigid and oppressive accountability system. International comparisons show that leaders in England’s schools spend far more of their time than their international counterparts monitoring teacher performance, and far less time working with teachers, collaborating with them to develop teaching and learning approaches. I understand the forces that push leaders towards monitoring teachers. And of course, adequate monitoring is essential if leaders are to be confident that their staff are doing the right things at the right time. But excessive monitoring creates a toxic culture and it stifles teacher professionalism. According to the OECD, teachers who feel respected for their professionalism, through careful attention being paid to their professional views, are more likely to engage their pupils in learning activities that are interesting, challenging and transform their pupils’ previous understanding. These teachers feel more able to teach in ways which demand pupils’ attention and require their active engagement in learning. And teachers who work in a culture of trust and empowerment report higher levels of job satisfaction, which is such an important part of the decision they make at two, five and ten years into their teaching careers – to stay in or to leave the profession. Time for change Keeping teachers and leaders in the profession is the most important way to raise education standards. So it is of huge concern that the latest Government figures reveal that the rate of teachers leaving the profession before retirement is greater now than it has ever been. In the last academic year 44,000 teachers left the school state-funded sector, 8,000 more than the year before. This represents one in ten of all qualified teachers. And leaders are leaving too – their number rose to over 2,300, the highest rate since the Conservatives came to power. It is no surprise that the number of unfilled teaching vacancies is now at an all-time high, and that governing bodies are reporting that they are simply unable, even after repeated advertising, to fill head teacher vacancies. I have a strong sense that even the politicians are belatedly realising that things cannot carry on like this. And about time, I can hear you shouting! But of one thing you can be sure. Your union, the NEU, understands, values and supports the work done by all of its leadership members working in the most difficult circumstances, and it always will.