LEADERSHIP F O C U S NAHT Education Conference p22 Small schools p34 The magazine for members of the NAHT November/December 2013 • £5
Issue #61
Mentoring support from Mosaic p38
Matters of size Titan primaries: schools just keep getting bigger
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See if you can save on your home and car insurance today. Call 0800656 97 16*** We’ve got education covered *Available to new customers only. Offer may be withdrawn at any time. Policies subsequently cancelled within 4 weeks of cover start date or with payments not up to date will not be eligible to receive offer. Gift Certificates will be sent by mail within 6 weeks of the commencement date of your policy. £30 Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates available to customers taking a new car insurance policy. £30 Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates to customers taking out a new combined buildings and contents policy or a contents-only policy. Buildings-only policies do not qualify for this offer. Not available in conjunction with any other offer. We reserve the right to offer alternative Gift Certificates of the same value in the event that Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates are unavailable. **Amazon is not a sponsor of this promotion. Amazon, Amazon.co.uk, the Amazon.co.uk logo, and the smile logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Amazon EU SARL or its affiliates. Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates (“GCs”) may be redeemed on the Amazon.co.uk website or affiliated website Javari.co.uk towards the purchase of eligible products listed in our online catalogue and sold by Amazon.co.uk or any other seller selling through Amazon.co.uk. GCs cannot be reloaded, resold, transferred for value, redeemed for cash or applied to any other account. Amazon.co.uk is not responsible if a GC is lost, stolen, destroyed or used without permission. See www.amazon.co.uk/gc-legal for complete terms and conditions. GCs are issued and © 2012 by Amazon EU Sarl. ***Lines are open 8am-6pm Monday to Friday, except bank holidays, 9am-12.30pm Saturday. Calls from UK landlines are free. Calls may be recorded and/or monitored. Insurance underwritten by Aviva Insurance Limited. Registered in Scotland No. 2116. Registered office: Pitheavlis, Perth, PH2 0NH. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. CFPMPA0164 04.2013
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EDITORIAL WE N A T I O N A L P R E S I D E N T
D
oes size matter when it comes to the number of pupils in a school? In this BERNADETTE HUNTER edition we look at the opposite ends of the scale from small primary schools (page 34) to the increasingly large schools that are springing up in some areas to manage the growth in demand for places (page 30). You can read about innovative ways school leaders are developing their structures to manage change and because of the number of government initiatives due for implebring about improvements for learners. mentation on that date. The recent announcement on free school As I travel round the country meeting colleagues, I am struck meals for infants (page 9) was another addition to a long list. We by the similarity in issues you are grappling with. It doesn’t seem are talking to the DfE about how all these things can be managed to matter how large or small your school is, whether it is urban on top of the already large burden of pressures. We welcome your or rural, faith or community, the most pressing issues you face comments on these issues too and will pass them on. continue to be Ofsted, curriculum and assessment, and pay and On a more positive note, you can read about some inspiring performance management. The results of our membership surprojects that promote understanding and cooperation between vey (page 13) show that you think we are doing a good job of supfaiths (page 46) and provide mentoring programmes to support porting you with these and other issues. Thank you to everyone vulnerable young people (page 38). Finally, if you are fundraising who responded. We appreciate your feedback because it helps at school this Christmas, please consider supporting the work of us to continue to improve our services to you, our members. our charity partner, Family Action (page 10). Your support can We’re keeping our eye on the weather for 1 September 2014. make a great difference to families in hardship. Thank you. Although it may seem a long way off we predict a ‘perfect storm’
WELCOME
MANAGING CHANGE
Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation: 27,712 (July 2012-June 2013)
ASSOCIATION / EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES NAHT 1 Heath Square, Boltro Road, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH16 1BL www.naht.org.uk Tel: 01444 472 472 Editorial board: Russell Hobby, Bernadette Hunter, Gail Larkin, Steve Iredale, Stephen Watkins, Lesley Gannon, Magnus Gorham, Paul Whiteman, Clare Cochrane and Caroline Morley @nahtnews @LFmagNAHT
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Accept Visa payments to make your life easier. It’s quicker than banking a cheque and better for cash flow as funds are usually received within 2-4 business days. It also offers parents more payment choice and flexibility, allowing them to pay in person, over the phone or online 24/7. So to make payments for school fees, uniforms, trips or clubs easier for everyone, swot up on how Visa could help you and your school. To find out how your school can accept Visa, visit visa.co.uk/schools
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CONTENTS
EN
EWS
EF
EATURES
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Let’s shape the future Olympic sprinter Darren Campbell was one of the speakers at the 2013 NAHT Education Conference.
22 ‘I want you to be extraordinary’ The keynote speakers at NAHT’s Education Conference in Bradford set out to inspire delegates, says Susan Young.
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Lord Sutherland to lead assessment commission NAHT has launched a commission into assessment that will help to set clear, consistent guidelines on how pupil progress should be measured.
26 Banishing the misery bears The 2013 NAHT Cymru Conference had an upbeat air, with a theme of: ‘For leaders, for learners, for the whole child’. Anna Brychan reports.
Early GCSEs unite unions NAHT and ASCL have joined forces to criticise the government’s sudden decision to limit schools’ ability to enter students for GCSEs early.
30 Class of the Titans The number of primaries with more than 800 pupils is growing. Hashi Syedain looks at the challenges this brings.
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Free school meals whet appetite Government plans to offer free school meals to all children from reception to year two met with cautious approval.
10 Benefits of long hours Schools that stay open all year around can help to cut truancy, boost exam results and support working parents. 11 Remembering Sir David Hart David Blunkett, the former secretary of state for education, was one of the speakers at Sir David Hart’s memorial service, which was held in October. 12 Free schools ‘not the answer’ Providing enough primary school places to meet growing demand will take funding and resources, not just a few more free schools. 13 NAHT ‘is value for money’ The latest poll of members brings plenty to cheer, including high levels of approval for the association’s training programmes and campaigning work. 14 Legal victories for NAHT Simon Thomas, the association’s senior solicitor, outlines some of members’ recent successes.
34 Small is beautiful Daniel Allen reports from Cornwall on the challenges that school leaders face in small schools. 38 Raising aspirations Mentoring programmes like Mosaic’s offer school leaders an opportunity to reverse negative attainment trends for minority ethnic girls in primary schools, says Rachael Billington. 42 Strength in numbers A regular meeting of school business managers in Stoke-on-Trent puts suppliers on the spot as attendees combine forces, reports Peter Crush.
EV
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15 Partners If you’re looking for quality staff, then Eteach may have the solution. Meanwhile, Aviva is offering gift vouchers and savings on home and car insurance. 17 Rona Tutt’s column The DfE could save time, money, effort and heartache if it listened to the profession instead of assuming it has all the answers. 19 Russell Hobby’s column NAHT is taking a proactive stance on behalf of members at a time of ‘immense change’ in education, writes the association’s general secretary. 22 Best of the blogs The latest insights from the NAHT website’s bloggers, Warwick Mansell, Susan Young and Rona Tutt. 49 What’s new? The latest books and resources for school leaders, plus information about forthcoming events. 50 Susan Young’s column Susan speaks to Robert Campbell, principal of Impington Village College, about the impact the ‘Impington experience’ is having.
46 Faith in the future National Interfaith Week takes place in November. Aisling Cohn from the Three Faiths Forum shows how schools can overcome religious insularity.
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NEWS FOCUS
NEWS IN EDUCATION • ASSESSMENT COMMISSION • GCSE CHANGES • FREE SCHOOL MEALS • LEGAL UPDATE • SIR DAVID HART
WE N E W S F R O M T H E W O R L D O F E D U C A T I O N
EDUCATION CONFERENCE
Let’s shape the future BERNADETTE HUNTER AND OLYMPIAN DARREN CAMPBELL OPEN THE NAHT EDUCATION CONFERENCE
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School leaders are facing a period of unprecedented change, said NAHT president Bernadette Hunter in her opening speech at this year’s education conference, held in Bradford and London. But, despite the ‘continual denigration’ of leaders and the storm of political initiatives, schools ‘continue to be havens of hope and humanity’. “And that’s because of you,” she told the audience. “Because of the care and compassion you show to your pupils and the leadership you give to your staff and your communities.” Events such as the
conference are an opportunity for members to remember that they are doing a good job and to remain ambitious about what else they can achieve. She said: “School leaders know what is best for education. We must take back the agenda and make it our own.” The president was followed on stage by double Olympic medallist Darren Campbell, who said: “The biggest lesson I’ve learned – and please spread this message to any troubled children – is that it’s not about where you start, it’s about where you finish.” Conference report: page 22
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Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw’s
‘Reasons for UK social breakdown’ Following the publication of the Ofsted report on the quality of social care, Sir Michael said that child abuse and neglect were not the fault of local authorities alone
Lord Sutherland to lead assessment commission
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Problems exposed in child abuse scandals are being deepened by “pussyfooting around” and “making excuses” for bad parents.
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SMART STAT Number of meals children should be taught to cook at school, according to The Great British Bake Off host Mary Berry
NAHT has launched a commission into assessment that will help to establish the fundamental principles of good assessment. The commission, which will be chaired by former HM chief inspector of schools Lord Sutherland and observed by representatives of Ofqual, Ofsted and the DfE, is expected to report in early 2014. “The Commission on Assessment Without Levels is a really important piece of work for NAHT,” said Bernadette Hunter, the association’s president. “We are demonstrating that we are taking back control of issues in education.” Gail Larkin, NAHT vice president, agreed. “We are not just saying that we disagree with something. This is about providing real research, real evidence and offering a real alternative.” NAHT launched the commission in response to the government’s announcement that levels will no longer be part of the new national curriculum. Bernadette said: “That decision has left the potential for chaos in the system. Schools may no longer have a common language with which LORD SUTHERLAND of to talk about children’s progress.” Houndwood is a crossbench The commission has three central aims: peer who joined the House to establish a set of principles to underpin of Lords in 2001. He was HM chief inspector of schools national approaches to assessment and create between 1992 and 1994 consistency; to identify and highlight examples and his other posts have of good practice; and to build confidence in the included vice-chancellor of assessment system by securing the trust and the University of London support of officials and inspectors. and vice-chancellor and NAHT general secretary Russell Hobby said: principal of the University “Schools should be able to have confidence that of Edinburgh. His particular when they invest in developing or acquiring an interests include education assessment system, it will be used and accepted – and the application of IT by officials, recognisable to other schools and to education; health services and medicine; science and effective in supporting teaching and learning. technology; and social That’s what the commission aims to achieve; security and pensions. clarity, consistency and best practice for pupils.”
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Town planners are also criticised: “Filling areas with betting shops and fastfood outlets does not help to support troubled families and troubled children.”
Tristram Hunt new shadow secretary Tristram Hunt (pictured) has replaced Stephen Twigg as the shadow secretary of state for education, following a reshuffle in early October. Before being elected MP for Stoke-on-Trent in 2010, Mr Hunt combined his commitments as a history lecturer at Queen Mary University of London, with work as a broadcaster. NAHT general secretary Russell Hobby welcomed Mr Hunt’s appointment and said he looked forward to working with him in the future. He said: “I am sure we will be able to develop a good working relationship with him. The shape of education is changing rapidly and I am certain school leaders will want to make their case to the opposition, as well as to the government, as we approach the general election.” Gail Larkin, NAHT vicepresident, also welcomed the change: “I found Stephen Twigg to be a good listener but it could be difficult to ascertain his actual views. He could also have done more to challenge government policies.”
Primary Futures partnership set for launch Up to 16 schools will pilot the ‘Primary Futures’ raising aspirations project, a partnership between NAHT and the Education and Employers Taskforce, which is set to launch this November. The initiative, led by former NAHT president Steve Iredale, will connect primary schools with local employers and their employees who will be encouraged to talk about their jobs and the importance of literacy and numeracy. For example, a visiting doctor might read to pupils from her favourite book and then explain how developing her literacy skills helped her to reach her career goals. More information will be available following the launch at www.educationandemployers.org.
PHOTOGRAPHY: GUARDIAN / PA
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NEWS FOCUS
OPEN LETTER
Early GCSEs unite unions NAHT and ASCL, the country’s two largest school leadership unions, have joined forces to criticise the government’s sudden changes to early exam entry in an open letter to parents. The action came in response to the decision to limit schools’ ability to enter students early for GCSEs – a decision that was announced after schools had already planned their school entries for the year. The change means that only a pupil’s first attempt at a subject will count in future league tables. NAHT president Bernadette Hunter told LF: “We are concerned that once
again the government has made changes midstream that have an impact on young people at a very important time. We would urge the government to be cautious about continuing to make these changes when pupils are in the middle of their studies.” In the letter, NAHT and ASCL explain to parents that, for the third time in two years, secondary heads have had to change their GCSE plans because of a sudden announcement from the government. The letter says: “It seems that barely a term goes by without another sudden
change to GCSE exams. Worst of all, these changes are often made in the middle of students’ courses of study, making it impossible to plan properly or to focus on learning rather than constant administrative change.” A spokeswoman for the DfE said: “Some schools,
having ‘banked’ a C grade in maths a year early, then enter pupils for other exams to ‘game’ the league table system, instead of continuing with maths to 16. This is bad for the pupils and is another strong reason to make the change we are announcing.”
the UK’s largest skills and careers event during November at Birmingham’s NEC. Find out more at www.theskillsshow.com.
NEWS IN BRIEF Breakthrough at last in school league tables
NAHT special general meeting in Leeds
Schools minister David Laws has announced changes to league tables, which will now focus on improvement, not just those reaching five A*-C grades. Russell Hobby, NAHT general secretary, said: “This represents a significant step in the right direction. For the first time, league tables will value the achievement and progress of every child equally, rather than just those who are on the C/D borderline.”
NAHT is to hold a special general meeting in Leeds on 29 November. The meeting will consider how the association can appeal to the next generation of school leaders. Invitations and information packs were sent to branch secretaries and officials in October.
Gay Teachers Association, will celebrate its 40th anniversary next March. The organisation, which campaigns for equality, safety and visibility in education for all lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people is keen to get in touch with people who have worked with them. www.schools-out.org.uk
March anniversary call out for LGBT teachers
The Skills Show: 14-16 November at the NEC
Schools Out, the charity which began life as the
More than 75,000 people are expected to attend
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Bett show: 22-25 January at Excel Bett is the annual showcase for the school technology community, bringing together 35,000 educators and ICT professionals every year. Next year’s event will be held at London’s Excel Centre. Find out more at www.bettshow.com.
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PRISON EDUCATION Ofsted inspectors have been critical of education and training in English prisons, with a single prison rated ‘outstanding’ and only a third rated ‘good’.
Free school meals whet the appetite but questions remain
Heads urge scrapping of phonics test School leaders have expressed disappointment at further changes in the administration of the controversial phonics check for six-year-olds. The DfE is expected to withhold the official pass mark in future because of concerns teachers are giving pupils a helping hand to pass the test. An analysis of this year’s results showed a spike at 32, the mark that pupils needed to pass. NAHT general secretary Russell Hobby said: “The screening check is widely seen as a tick-box exercise, imposed by the government. It comes far too late to provide a useful diagnosis of need and it can hold brighter children back as they attempt to decipher nonsense words purely to perform for the test. “In a recent survey of our members, NAHT found that more than 92 per cent of respondents would scrap the phonics test or make it nonstatutory. It is the teaching of phonics that raises standards, not the testing.”
PHOTOGRAPHY: CORBIS / GETTY
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SMART STAT
50CM
Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg made a surprise announcement in September that the government will fund a free hot school lunch The distance that classmates of for every child in reception, year one and year two in English statethe opposite sex funded schools from September 2014. must maintain at a NAHT general secretary Russell Hobby confirmed the association’s Hangzhou school to deter romances support: “We are sure it will benefit pupils, parents and schools. School leaders and teachers know the benefits to children’s learning and development that come from good nutrition. Schemes such as this are good investments for the future.” However, he also warned: “It is essential that schools have the capacity, kitchen facilities and staff to provide healthy and nutritious meals to all pupils on a daily basis. We hope schools will be given the help and support they need to deliver such an ambitious and well-meaning project within a relatively tight timeframe.” Feedback from NAHT members has confirmed general support, but there is serious concern in some schools about delivering this by September 2014, especially in schools that no longer have catering facilities, or where the increase in uptake will be significant. Members have also raised concerns about what this will mean in relation to using free school meal eligibility as a proxy for the pupil premium or in relation to Ofsted inspections. Without any reason to indicate that they are in receipt of benefits, schools are fearful that few parents would confirm their eligibility. E The Children’s Food Trust offers schools a wide range of help and advice, including the logistics of maximising dining and food preparation space capacity and advice and support to procure or extend catering contracts. www.childrensfoodtrust.org.uk
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MIND YOUR LANGUAGE Beginning sentences with ‘basically’ and ending them with ‘yeah’ has been banned at London’s Harris Academy to improve students’ chances when attending interviews.
Government to consult over facility time The government should bear in mind the positive contribution made by unions when it undertakes its consultation into facility time – paid leave for school union officials – and leave unions to organise their own time. Gail Larkin, NAHT’s vice-president, said schools that pulled out of facility time arrangements would be making a mistake. She told LF: “The cost of helping a colleague who is in trouble and needs assistance is much higher than that of facility time. It is also short-sighted of local authorities not to promote it.” Many of the schools pulling out are secondary schools rather than primary, she said.
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CHILD PROTECTION The Ofsted annual report on social care said 20 local authorites were ‘inadequate’ for protecting children. Chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw singled out Birmingham as a ‘national disgrace’.
CHARITY PARTNER
Benefits of long hours The government is encouraging more schools to stay open all year round in a bid to boost exam results, cut truancy and support working parents. To help schools meet this challenge, a new guide from Family Action, NAHT’s charity partner for 2013/14, highlights how offering activities and childcare outside normal school hours and during the holidays can drive up pupils’ educational attainment as well as provide a valuable service to parents. The No Limits! guide, along with a series of case studies, features a number of schools that have overcome obstacles to offer effective and affordable wraparound provision (8am to 6pm, 50 weeks a year) including breakfast clubs, after-school clubs and holiday programmes. The guide covers staffing, costs, venues and the law. It also shows the positive impact these services are having on schools, pupils, parents, carers and their wider communities. Programmes have been found to contribute to better GCSE results, attendance and to improve school relations with local communities. Other benefits include increased roll numbers over time, reduced inequalities and increased school income. Pat Morgan, programme manager at Family Action, said: “Setting up a comprehensive range of breakfast and after school clubs and holiday activities may seem like a huge commitment to some head teachers, but the schools highlighted in this guide demonstrate how obstacles can be overcome and amazing improvements recorded. We would like to see all schools now
move to provide additional activities at the earliest opportunity and we are keen to support them in this.” NAHT members can download the No Limits! guide and sign up for Family Action’s Learning Exchange e-bulletin, which is produced twice a term, at the Learning Exchange website. It is designed to provide up-to-date information, resources and guidance to schools in England that already offer, or wish to offer, high-quality, affordable and flexible wraparound childcare. www.learning-exchange.org.uk E Leaflets and a set of assemblies for primary schools on the theme of ‘Ready to learn’ are available on NAHT’s website. NAHT president Bernadette Hunter told LF: “The first two leaflets, produced in association with Family Action, have been very well received by members and the public. We would also like to encourage schools to take part in a fundraising ‘wear anything’ day to raise funds for the charity. Schools could consider adopting it as their Christmas charity or in lieu of Christmas cards or concerts.” www.naht.org.uk
Young artists respond to conflict Drawings and paintings by primary school pupils are to be published in a new picture book, The Day the Bombs Fell. The book’s November launch is the culmination of a UK-wide illustration competition launched by disaster relief charity ShelterBox, NAHT’s charity partner from 2011-13. The competition gave teachers and children the opportunity to discuss conflict and how it might affect families and communities. It coincides with ShelterBox’s campaign to raise awareness of the plight of Syrian refugees, in particular children who have been affected. One pound from the sale of each copy of The Day the Bombs Fell, which costs £4 from the website below, will go towards providing shelter for Syrian refugee families. www.shelterboxshop.org.uk
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NAHT’S SEND CONFERENCE WE Special schools: specialist
and alternative provision Family, friends and colleagues remember Sir David Hart On 8 October, around 160 of David Hart’s family, friends and colleagues gathered to celebrate the former general secretary’s life at a memorial service held at Church House in Westminster. Speakers included David Blunkett, the former secretary of state for education, as well as John Swallow and Rona Tutt, both past presidents of NAHT, while children from the St Saviour and St Mary Overy choir sang four songs. “Just occasionally in life, we may be lucky enough to meet someone who is exceptional,” said Rona Tutt in her speech. “Sir David was one of those people. During his time as general secretary, he transformed NAHT so that it became the largest association for school leaders in Europe, and one that is recognised as speaking with authority on the education of children and young people.” David Blunkett, who was secretary of state from 1997 to 2001, said after the service: “Having ‘seen off’ 12 secretaries of state over 27 years I counted myself lucky to have been able to do business with David over the four years I was education secretary. Above all, I was able to have a sensible dialogue with him. He recognised that we were all driving the agenda of higher standards and equality of opportunity for all children. David had real leadership skills, too, as well as a deep commitment to the education service.” During his time in office, Sir David had dealings with four prime ministers, 12 education secretaries and 27 NAHT presidents. He died in March at the age of 72.
British Empire Medal award for Kent NAHT life member NAHT life member Barbara Letchford was awarded a British Empire Medal by the Lord Lieutenant of Kent at a ceremony at Penshurst Place in September (pictured). Barbara was formerly a branch and regional representative for NAHT. Her award was for services to education.
PHOTOGRAPHY: NAHT/BARRY DRIFFIELD
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When and where is it? On Thursday 20 and Friday 21 March 2014 at the Hinckley Island Hotel in Leicestershire. What’s the big idea? It’s all about the issues and developments that are currently affecting specialist schools and mainstream schools with specialist provision. The guiding principle is ‘implementing the changes; improving outcomes’. Who are the keynote speakers? On Thursday, Professor Barry Carpenter will lead two sessions on children with complex learning difficulties and disabilities. The first will look at the specific needs of these children, while the second will explore how practitioners can meet those needs. On Friday, journalist Dean Beadle will share his experience of growing up and living with Asperger syndrome, including some of the difficulties he faced at his mainstream school and how he overcame them. I want more detail about the programme The conference starts at noon on Thursday with refreshments and networking before Bernadette Hunter, NAHT president, and Paul Williams, chairman of the NAHT SEND committee, open proceeedings. Other speakers include Russell Hobby, NAHT general secretary, and former president Rona Tutt. Attendees can also attend up to three seminars from a selection of 12 topics: An update on inspection focussing on pupil progress What’s it like to be a special teaching school? A new landscape for SEND: the Children and Families Act 2014 SEND policy and practice beyond the legislation Everything you wanted to know about commissioning but were too afraid to ask Reasonable use of de-escalation, restriction and restraint: improving policy, guidance and practice Leading outstanding alternative provision and the conversion of PRUs to AP academies Beyond school: the role of FE Special academies and free schools: the end of the game or new beginnings? Better than expected outcomes: a resilience-based approach to mental health needs in school The three trusts: the Autism Trust, the Communication Trust and Dyslexia SpLD Trust Our experience and learning of a tailored online safety programme for pupils with special educational needs What else will I gain? The conference will offer all attendees the opportunity to engage in discussions and debates on issues that will affect your school, including inspection, pupil progress and commissioning services. It’s also a great chance to raise any concerns about challenges facing your school, or any other issues, with the general secretary and to meet 30 suppliers of educational resources and services. Who should attend? School leaders and SENCOs from all schools and academies, including special, mainstream, residential, independent, PRUs and alternative providers. Where do I sign up? Find out more at: bit.ly/NAHTsend.
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NEWS FOCUS JARGON BUSTER WE Raspberry Pi
£30 computers PRIMARY PLACES
Free schools ‘not answer’ Funding and resources are needed if the government is to properly manage the growing demand for primary school places (see ‘Titans’ feature, page 38). The opening of 93 new free schools – announced by the DfE in September – will not be enough to deal with the shortage, school leaders have said. Nearly half of school districts in England will be over capacity by 2015-16, according to research by the Local Government Association. The government has had plenty of warning of a coming problem, said NAHT general secretary Russell Hobby. “It has not been hard to see the school places crisis coming – local authorities, schools and
data on birth rates have indicated for years the problem was there. “We have long argued that the quickest and safest way to tackle this pressure on numbers is to allow good schools in areas of need to expand under a carefully coordinated plan. “What is not efficient, especially when budgets are tight, is pouring money into free schools randomly located across the country, whether there is excess demand in that location or not.”
Schools need careers help Careers guidance in schools is not good enough, according to an Ofsted report published in September. Three-quarters of the schools it surveyed were not meeting their duty to provide effective, impartial careers advice, the report said. NAHT general secretary Russell Hobby said that schools needed support to provide such services. “The infrastructure and funding for independent careers advice has been cut away, stranding schools and letting down young people,” he said. “Schools need support on careers guidance, access to specialists and a national framework for delivering it. Otherwise they can struggle to track the latest developments in the job market or to be fully impartial about options between ages 16-19.”
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BRITAIN HAS BAKED its millionth Raspberry Pi, the tiny computer that sounds like a treat, but is actually a £30 ICT powerhouse designed to transform the way children understand and interact with computers. One million have now been manufactured in the UK, with more produced by factories overseas. The idea came about in 2006 when four researchers at the University of Cambridge’s computer laboratory began to worry about the decreasing number of A level students applying to study computer science – and the drop in how much they knew when they arrived for their interview compared with applicants a decade earlier. The problem, the researchers realised, was that the way in which young people interacted with computers had changed. In the past, hobbyists spent time experimenting and learning how to program on a Commodore 64, BBC Micro or Spectrum ZX, but the modern ICT curriculum focused on using Word and Excel rather than ‘fiddling around under the hood’. Several years and a number of different designs later, the Raspberry Pi Foundation now offers two models of Pi, each the size of a credit card but perfectly capable of everything from running a spreadsheeet to playing high-definition video. BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED. Nor is anything else, for that matter. You’ll need to plug your Pi into a television or monitor and a keyboard – and buy a power supply and SD card – if you want to use it as anything more than a conversation piece. Once you have done that, however, pretty much anything is possible. The developers hope that children will use them to learn how to program. The foundation supports Python and Java – two common education programming languages – but the Pi itself can be used with a huge variety of other languages. IS IT WORKING? They’re certainly proving popular; more than 1.75 million had been sold by early October. However, it is not entirely clear that the Pi has transformed education in the way its creators hoped, despite 15,000 Pis being given away in a collaboration with Google, according to the BBC’s Rory Cellan-Jones. He says: “One of the issues is training ICT teachers – after all, the bare board Raspberry Pi looks quite intimidating to anyone whose main experience has been taking students through the intricacies of Microsoft Word rather than programming.” But there are still some good examples of creative cooking with Pis, even if uptake is not yet as high as hoped. For example, Norton Community Primary School in North Yorkshire used a Raspberry Pi to build a device that times pupils as they run laps and lets them compare times on a special website, while secondary pupils at Dalriada School in Ballymoney designed an automatic pill dispenser for people who are elderly or too ill to manage their own medication. And three students at William Howard School in Cumbria nearly managed to send one into space when they used it to power a high-altitude weather balloon that made it as far as 31,865 metres above the surface of the Earth. www.raspberrypi.org
PHOTGRAPHY: ALAMY / ISTOCK
25/10/2013 10:07
NEWS FOCUS
MEMBER SURVEY
NAHT ‘is value for money’ The proportion of members who say NAHT offers quality services, provides value for money and is an effective voice in the media has increased since 2011/12, according to the results of the latest member survey. Alongside this, 90 per cent of members said they would recommend NAHT membership to others – an increase of four percentage points on the previous survey. One of the biggest rises came when members were asked whether the association is successful in negotiations, with 68 per cent of respondents agreeing – a rise of seven percentage points since the last survey. Clare Cochrane, director of commercial and member services at NAHT, was pleased with the results.
TRAINING AND EVENTS The number of members using NAHT training courses has increased, while satisfaction levels are high: 97 per cent described the course they attended as relevant to their role, 89 per cent said NAHT’s training offered good value for money and 86 per cent said they were likely to attend another course soon.
“We had a 35 per cent higher response rate and we saw satisfaction levels with individual services rise across the board. We were especially pleased to see the figures for those who would recommend NAHT to a friend have gone up. “It’s a difficult time for our members, but they feel very positive about our services.”
COMMUNICATIONS School leaders aren’t all hooked on social media yet but the proportion of members using Facebook, Twitter and similar has risen from 11 to 23 per cent. However, there has been a slight drop in the number of members accessing the NAHT website, from 82 per cent in 2011 to 77 per cent this year. Members are happy with how
often they are contacted, with 92 per cent calling the frequency ‘just right’. POLICY AND CAMPAIGNS This core aspect of NAHT work is taken very seriously by members, with 97 per cent rating it as important. Satisfaction remains high, at 83 per cent. INCLUSIVITY Lesley Gannon, NAHT’s head of research and policy development, told LF: “The equalities group was pleased to see an increase in how supportive and inclusive our black, minority ethnic, lesbian, gay, bisexual and disabled members feel we are.” E To get involved in your local area, search for ‘local NAHT contacts’ at www.naht.org.uk
Schools receive bespoke services in NAHT Assure pilots The three pilots of the NAHT Assure service are proving a success, with 22 contracts already in place and more than 100 expressions of interest. The pilot areas are in Wales, Yorkshire and the West Midlands, although schools in other areas have signed up. Assure is NAHT’s school support service, which offers competitively priced payroll, human resources, property and health and safety
PHOTOGRAPH: GETTY
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services. It is part of NAHT’s wider agenda to take back control of standards and services and sits alongside the Aspire and Instead school improvement initiatives. John Randall, NAHT’s commercial marketing manager, told LF: “The programme came into being for two reasons. There’s the widespread demise of services from local authorities because of financial cutbacks and also concerns that schools are no
longer getting the specialised school-focused service they’ve had previously. “NAHT is committed to supporting schools. Our success in Wales is particulalry pleasing because Welsh local authorities have quite strong structures but the involvement of our branches and regional officer has seen many schools – primary and secondary – sign up to Assure, particularly HR and health and safety.” To deliver Assure, NAHT
has partnered with Strictly Education, which works with more than 1,000 schools in more than 100 local authorities. John said: “NAHT doesn’t have the infrastructure to do this alone, so we needed to work with a strategic partner. NAHT has been instrumental at all stages in the quality assurance and the development of the content. The services are designed specifically for schools.” bit.ly/LFassure
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25/10/2013 13:30
NEWS FOCUS
LEGAL UPDATE
Legal victories for NAHT A significant service provided by NAHT’s representation and advice department concerns members under threat of dismissal who feel they have been discriminated against, or that their employer has not complied with the terms of their contracts, writes NAHT senior solicitor Simon Thomas. Support is provided by NAHT regional officers in connection with employers’ disciplinary and grievance procedures. If members are dismissed or the dispute is not resolved then it may be referred to NAHT’s legal department to consider whether there are grounds for legal action. Recent cases in which NAHT has successfully taken legal action on behalf of members include the following:
psychological injury can be such an injury. Our member was awarded more than £30,000 compensation.
SICK PAY The Burgundy Book provides that where absences arise from accidents, injury or assault at work there is an entitlement to an additional six months full [sick] pay. In a case we brought for a member whose employer had refused to pay the additional six months full pay, the judge found that
UNFAIR DISMISSAL Our member was dismissed for a restraint that the employer decided was inappropriate. The employment tribunal judge found that the employer’s investigation was flawed and that dismissal was not a fair sanction and awarded our member more than £50,000. CONTRACT Our member was offered and accepted a job, resigned from his post and then the job offer was withdrawn. After court proceedings were commenced, the case was settled for more than
£10,000. Fortunately, our member had secured alternative employment, albeit at a lower salary. In these cases compensation will normally be limited to a sum equivalent to the net salary the member would have received during the notice period [less any earnings from alternative employment]. There also needs to have been a clear offer and acceptance of the new post to give rise to a contractual entitlement. RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION In a claim brought for one of our members in Northern Ireland, the industrial tribunal decided that the exemption that permits employers to discriminate against teachers on the grounds of religion did not apply to principals.
EMPLOYMENT LAW CHANGES Changes in employment law have reduced protection for employees in England and Wales (but not Northern Ireland). UNFAIR DISMISSAL QUALIFYING PERIOD OF EMPLOYMENT For employment commencing on or after 6 April 2012, the period of continuous employment needed before an employee can bring a claim for unfair dismissal has increased from one to two years (in some specified cases, such as dismissal for whistle blowing, no qualifying period is required). For dismissals where the termination date falls after Monday 29 July 2013, the maximum compensatory award in most
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types of unfair dismissal case is reduced from £74,200 to 52 weeks’ pay or £74,200, whichever is the lower. EMPLOYMENT TRIBUNAL FEES For claims started after 29 July 2013, fees have been introduced for tribunal claims. For most claims, the fee for the claimant on starting a claim is £250, followed by a hearing fee of £950. If the claim is successful it is expected that the tribunal will usually order the respondent (employer) to pay the fees.
WHISTLE BLOWING There has been a change to the definition of ‘protected disclosure’. Since 25 June 2013, a disclosure must be in the public interest to be protected. This change is intended to prevent employees bringing whistle-blowing claims arising out of disputes with their employers as opposed to matters of public interest. If you need professional advice, call NAHT on 0300 30 30 333.
PHOTOGRAPH: PLAINPICTURE
25/10/2013 10:08
MEMBER BENEFITS
PARTNERS WE M E S S A G E F R O M A S C H O O L P A R T N E R Looking for quality staff? Eteach offers the perfect solutions We understand how challenging running a school can be and we know that staffing is crucial, which is why we have the perfect solutions. Eteach Jobs: A fixed-price premium licence does the hard work, all year round, with a dedicated career site that promotes your brand, culture and values; an award-winning applicant-tracking system; dedicated account management; and free access to talent pools and unlimited job postings. Eteach Recruit: Eteach specialises in providing teaching, support and management staff to schools and nurseries, with a minimum of fuss. We ensure that pre-planned bookings run smoothly and last-minute supply cover is handled easily. Eteach Appoint: Exceptional leaders get exceptional results and our team has the experience, expertise and contacts to help you identify the right candidate. We work with more than 6,000 schools and last year advertised 45,000 education vacancies to 745,000 registered candidates, who make five million job searches and 700,000 site visits each month. Our CEO was a teacher and our technology and industry innovations are designed with schools in mind, ensuring that you save money and time, while having access to great candidates. E Get in touch: eteach.com / info@eteach.com / 0845 226 1906
WE M E S S A G E F R O M A M E M B E R P A R T N E R Gift vouchers and savings on your car and home insurance Aviva works in partnership with NAHT to offer home and car insurance that’s made for you. Speak personally to Aviva about your home and car insurance to get a great deal on cover that fits your needs. You’ll get a £30 Amazon. co.uk gift certificate* if you take out a new home insurance policy and a second certificate if you also take out a new car insurance policy via our call centre.** To see if you can save on your home and car insurance, call 0800 656 97 16.*** *Amazon is not a sponsor of this promotion. Amazon, Amazon.co.uk, the Amazon.co.uk logo, and the smile logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Amazon EU SARL or its affiliates. Amazon.co.uk gift certificates (GCs) may be redeemed on the Amazon.co.uk website or affiliated website Javari.co.uk towards the purchase of eligible products listed in our online catalogue and sold by Amazon.co.uk or any other seller selling through Amazon.co.uk. GCs cannot be reloaded, resold, transferred for value, redeemed for cash or applied to any other account. Amazon.co.uk is not responsible if a GC is lost, stolen, destroyed or used without permission. See www.amazon.co.uk/gc-legal for complete terms and conditions. GCs are issued and © 2012 by Amazon EU Sarl. **Available to new customers only. Offer may be withdrawn at any time. Policies subsequently cancelled within four weeks of cover start date or with payments not up to date will not be eligible to receive offer. GCs will be sent by mail within six weeks of the commencement date of your policy. £30 Amazon.co.uk GCs available to customers taking a new car insurance policy. £30 Amazon.co.uk GCs to customers taking out a new combined buildings and contents policy or a contents-only policy. Buildings-only policies do not qualify for this offer. Not available in conjunction with any other offer. We reserve the right to offer alternative GCs of the same value in the event that Amazon.co.uk GCs are unavailable. This offer is limited to education professionals only. ***Lines are open 8am-6pm Monday to Friday, except bank holidays, 9am-12.30pm Saturday. Calls from UK landlines are free. Calls may be recorded and/or monitored. Insurance underwritten by Aviva Insurance Limited. Registered in Scotland No. 2116. Registered office: Pitheavlis, Perth, PH2 0NH. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.
WE NAHT
partner contacts NAHT is committed to negotiating a wide range of high-quality, value-added benefits and services for its members. If you have any comments on the services provided by our affinity partners, contact John Randall, NAHT’s commercial marketing manager, at john.randall@naht.org.uk.
SERVICES FOR SCHOOLS ETEACH Online staff recruitment 0845 226 1906 Email: info@eteach.com www.eteach.com TEMPEST SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHY 0800 328 1041 (quote ‘NAHT’) www.tempest-schoolphotography.co.uk GL ASSESSMENT Pupil wellbeing assessment 0845 602 1937 www.gl-assessment.co.uk GL PERFORMANCE Kirkland Rowell Surveys 0191 270 8270 www.kirkland-rowell.com THE EDUCATION BROKER Staff-absence insurance 0845 600 5762 www.theeducationbroker.co.uk
SERVICES FOR MEMBERS ROCK Travel insurance 0844 482 3390 www.nahttravelinsurance.co.uk AVIVA Home, contents and motor insurance 0800 046 6389 www.fromyourassociation.co.uk/NAHT CS HEALTHCARE Private medical insurance 0800 917 4325 (use code 147) www.cshealthcare.co.uk GRAYBROOK INSURANCE BROKERS Professional indemnity and public liability cover 01245 321 185 Email: enquiry@graybrook.co.uk www.graybrook.co.uk/naht-members MBNA Credit card services 0800 028 2440 www.mbna.co.uk SKIPTON FINANCIAL SERVICES Independent financial advice 0800 012 1248 Email: sfsnaht@skipton.co.uk www.skiptonfs-naht.co.uk
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 l LEADERSHIP FOCUS
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21/10/2013 15:12
OPINION
VIEWS IN EDUCATION • RONA TUTT • RUSSELL HOBBY • BEST OF THE BLOGS
WE V I E W F R O M A P A S T P R E S I D E N T
A
nother academic year is well underway and already school leadRONA TUTT ers are turning their attention to the unprecedented changes lined up to hit schools in 2014. So far, the secretary of state for education shows no sign of realising that the constant churn in the education system can be at odds with raising standards. IF ONLY THE DFE WOULD WORK Earlier this year, Michael Gove said: “Lest anyone think we have reached WITH SCHOOLS INSTEAD OF a point where we should slacken the THINKING IT HAS ALL THE ANSWERS pace of reform – let me reassure them – we have to accelerate.” changes to GCSEs and A levels and the constant tampering His statement shows how distant the DfE is from the turwith testing makes year-on-year comparisons fairly meaningbulence it causes. Of course, it is understandable that those in less. The statement by the prime minister that he is sending a positions of power feel an urge to make their mark, because clear message to children that “if you fail English and maths they never know how long their party will be in control or GCSE, you’re going to have to take and re-take them until you whether they, as individuals, will survive the next prime minpass” shows again the enormous gap between rhetoric and isterial reshuffle. But the way to make an impact is not by seereality. Some learners could study until they reach their nineing how many changes can be forced through. ties without having the capacity to meet this particular challenge, although they may have other strengths. Facts of life If only the DfE would work with schools instead of thinkThere are a couple of facts of life that appear to have escaped ing that the expertise and experience lies in the hands of Mr Gove’s notice. First, having too much change is likely to ministers and their civil servants, there would be a colossal destabilise any system and be counterproductive, particularly saving of waste – the waste of bringing in changes that have if it does not appear that anyone is taking on board the comto be changed again because in practice they do not work; the bined effect of all those changes. Second, to ensure that any waste of time and energy spent trying to get to grips with the change is for the better, the DfE needs to draw on the experichanges that have been foisted on schools without a reasonence of those who understand what will and will not work able timescale; and the waste of money all this involves, at in the classroom. Then, they need to test the changes with a time when budgets are becoming tighter. It is remarkable them before they are introduced nationally so that they stand how schools have managed to move forward despite the cona good chance of delivering the improvements in education stant turmoil. we all want to see. The first secretary of state who makes a serious attempt to It is also rather sad that as successive governments have work with schools and who has the humility to accept the come in with the intention of reducing bureaucracy, every inhelp of school leaders will be the one who really makes his or itiative brings in an additional workload, even if further down her mark on education. the line they have positive outcomes. Currently, schools are preparing for highly significant changes. The revamped national curriculum and getting rid Rona Tutt is a retired head of levels could be an opportunity to see the back of league tateacher and a bles, but instead the DfE seems to be coming up with an even past president of NAHT more convoluted way to hold schools to account. The radical
VIEWPOINT •
WHAT A WASTE
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OPINION
EE “Recent submissions cover school organisation, primary assessment, gas masks and pensions”
A
utumn is one of the busiest seasons in the trade union calendar. RUSSELL HOBBY The government likes to launch consultations before the end of summer term and they all have to be submitted in September. Recent submissions on your behalf cover school organisation, primary assessment, gas masks, pensions, a college of teaching, school places, school surpluses on academy converAT A TIME OF ‘IMMENSE CHANGE’ sion, whistle blowing, asbestos, govNAHT IS TAKING A PROACTIVE ernance, uniforms and leadership pay. STANCE ON BEHALF OF MEMBERS Yes, really: gas masks. Then there are party conferences. improvement’ to ‘good’ – is going well; we are already getting We spoke alongside David Laws at an event in Glasgow and our first ‘good’ judgements. This terms also sees, in a secret attended a session on the future of assessment at Labour in location, the first pilot of Instead, the peer-review process we Brighton. Each party is planning its manifesto for the next announced at our annual conference. We are also rolling out election. NAHT needs to talk to them about how to make a the Leadership Compact, which defines a healthy two-way rebetter stab at it next time round. We have no political affilialationship between employers and school leaders. We are also tion – our constitution does not allow it, nor would we want it. set to meet at a special general meeting to discuss new ways to organise ourselves to ensure that we appeal to both current A plan up our sleeve and future generations of leaders. We also had a significant consultation with the School The government also likes to ensure we don’t get bored. UniTeachers’ Review Body. We argued the case for the reform of versal free school dinners for infant-age children was one such teaching and learning responsibilities and for taking more acinitiative: we are working with the DfE to help them undercount of challenge and complexity when determining senior stand the impact on capital expenditure and on registration for leadership pay. I think both arguments were heard. My confree school meals. A sudden change to entry requirements for cern is that the current government’s default response to any GCSEs was another: causing major disruption to planning for problem is deregulation. The complete deregulation of senior exams in secondary schools for the third time in a row. pay could have the opposite effect to that intended – reducing It is a time of immense change. Some of these changes apsalaries for those who work in the poorest communities. We pear cynical and hasty; some are to correct the mistakes of have argued strongly in favour of retaining some structure. previous decisions. I hope this update shows that NAHT is We also have a plan up our sleeve to protect members if there responding with energy and agility. More than this, I hope it is more deregulation than we might wish. We should know shows we don’t just react to the government, but setting out the broad outlines before the end of term. our vision and working towards it without seeking permisWe’ve also made rods for our own backs by developing a sion. This is what it means to be a union of leaders. range of proactive projects. These are part of our agenda to If you would like to get in touch about this issue, or anycrowd out political interference by taking back ownership of thing else, please email generalsecretary@naht.org.uk. standards, demonstrating that the profession has the will and the capacity to regulate itself. These lay the groundwork for a different relationship between government and the profesRussell Hobby sion in a future Parliament. Aspire – the school improveis NAHT general secretary ment pilot programme to help 30 schools get from ‘requires
VIEWPOINT •
SEIZE THE INITIATIVE
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BEST OF THE
BLOGS OECD’s latest education data raises questions Warwick Mansell The headlines were damning – ‘Schools go backwards: pupils are worse at maths and literacy than their grandparents’ is a typical example – but just how fair was media coverage of the OECD’s latest figures, asks Warwick Mansell. His blog approaches the question by acknowledging that this sort of international data can be opaque and difficult to interpret. Indeed, the report itself acknowledges this, he points out. “Interpreting differences in results among countries is… a challenging task, particularly as the Survey of Adult Skills covers adults born between 1947 and 1996 who started their schooling from the early 1950s to the early 2000s and who entered the labour market from the early 1960s to the present day,” the report says. “For this reason, the results of the Survey of Adult Skills should not be interpreted only, or even primarily, in
light of current policy settings or those of the recent past... “The opportunities to develop, enhance and maintain the skills assessed will have varied significantly between countries over this period, and among different age cohorts within countries, depending on the evolution of education and training systems and policies, the path of national economic development, and changes in social norms and expectations.” In other words, Warwick says, interpreting this particular study is even more complicated than usual. With that in mind, he raises a number of questions about the way in which it was covered by the mainstream media. For example, the report is clear that the differences between countries surveyed are relatively small – an important fact when considering rankings. Then there are possible anomalies in the data itself, including that it shows no gender difference in literacy results, in contrast with numerous other studies.
Susan Young dives into the debate around the Al-Madinah free school in Derby and calls its damning Ofsted report ‘a car crash’. “Ye Gods,” she begins. “I’ve read a few damning Ofsted reports in my time, but the verdict on Al-Madinah bears comparison only with that on The Ridings, the Yorkshire secondary school where pupils rioted in front of a film crew.” The report includes a handful of positive statements but the problems it highlights are ‘many and extraordinary’, including that most of the primary teachers had no teaching experience. “The interim principal is a very brave man, to take on this lot. I take my hat off to him, and wish him the best of luck,” she concludes.
E www.naht.org.uk/welcome/newsand-media/blogs/warwick-mansell
E www.naht.org.uk/welcome/newsand-media/blogs/susan-young
HAVE YOUR SAY Free technolgy resources available from Intel Dear editor, I work for Naace, a charity that works with everyone interested in the advancement of education through the most appropriate use of technology. As a membership organisation we offer support, guidance and resources directly to schools. With huge amounts of money invested in technology, it is important that the appropriate level of professional training and resources is made available to schools to support them. Naace, in collaboration with one of our partners, Intel, has developed a new training programme that will help practitioners learn about strategies and pedagogies for engaging learners with 1:1 technology. Intel has donated the programme to us as part of its CSR policy and the programme is freely available to Naace members. We’d like to make schools aware of the benefits of the programme and how they can access the resources, which look at a range of issues, including developing digital resources, personalisation of teaching and learning and classroom practice that harnesses 1:1 learner access to devices. NAHT members can find more about the programme at: www.naace.co.uk/cpd/intel1to1. Aga Kelly, relationship development officer, Naace
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VIEWS IN EDUCATION • OECD DATA • AL-MADINHA • SEND • INTEL RESOURCES
Where is a broker when you need one? Susan Young
Heading for a high-profile year for SEND Rona Tutt Rona Tutt’s latest blog is an overview of the Children and Families Bill, the draft SEND code of practice and a recent meeting of the Special Education Consortium. Writing about the legislation, she says: “The information on how School Action and School Action Plus is to be replaced by a single category [which] will need to be watched carefully in case it is a way of reducing the number of pupils with SEND rather than introducing a better way of meeting their needs.” E www.naht.org.uk/welcome/newsand-media/blogs/rona-tutt-specialeducational-needs
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3URIHVVLRQDO 'HYHORSPHQW www.naace.co.uk/pde $FFUHGLWDWLRQ IRU VFKRROV www.naace.co.uk/schoolimprovement *XLGDQFH UHVRXUFHV DQG VXSSRUW www.naace.co.uk/membership $ 6XSHUE $QQXDO &RQIHUHQFH 27th - 28th March, De Vere East Midlands Conference Centre www.naace.co.uk/events/conference2014
21/10/2013 15:11
NAHT EDUCATION CONFERENCE
‘I want you to be extraordinary’ Susan Young reports from NAHT’s Education Conference 2013, where delegates were inspired by a series of highquality speakers
Shonette Bason Wood: ‘career anecdotes interspersed with nuggets of advice’
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ANDY COPE HAS a question for school leaders. “What if, as a head teacher, your only reason to get out of bed was to inspire? You’d walk differently and talk differently. All with positivity. I can’t think of anything in your position that it’s more important to do.” Andy, a former teacher and author of The Art of Being Brilliant, is an expert on happy people, based on his own ongoing doctoral research: and he’s a firm believer that not only can we lift our own moods to operate on a better level, but inspire others to do the same. His method involves a few simple strategies and lots of laughter. Two hundred school leaders at NAHT’s education conference in Bradford offered the perfect audience for him to spread the message. “The job you do is the best job in the world but also one of the toughest. I’m going to remind you to do some stuff, which if you put into practice – with clear and simple principles – will change your life for the better. I can’t think of a better audience and I think you all need it pretty badly,” he said. The happy subjects of Andy’s studies have, as he puts it, a golden glow like the child in the Ready brek adverts. They are in the two per cent of people who routinely rate their energy at the high end of a nought-to-ten scale, in contrast to the vast majority who score around three during the months October to February. “That’s just above dead,” he explained helpfully, describing them as “mood hoovers”. For most pupils, school staff could be the only people with high energy levels that they see, he said, adding: “I don’t want you to be like everyone else. I want you to be extraordinary.” How to do this? By now the audience was hanging on his every
PHOTOGRAPHY: UNP
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The importance of body language: ‘happy people expert’ Andy Cope
word. Posture was important, he said. Instead of dragging yourself out of the car on Monday morning, he said, stride “like your best self. Your whole entrance is different. It’s a tiny detail but it makes a big difference. “Spend the first four minutes out of bed each morning being grateful that you don’t have toothache – because others will be affected by your mood,” he said. “I could not believe how awesome I felt when I started doing that. I had twice the energy of anyone else. I loved feeling good. I thought I’d better keep going, so the next year I added thinking about my kidneys, too.” His other exhortations are: “don’t get home and compete for who’s had the worst day”; and “catch your staff being good and praise them”. The result? “You, striding purposefully into work spending the first four minutes inspiring people and bringing to life the Ready brek glow. That’s leadership.” At least two of the conference workshop leaders fitted the Andy Cope criteria for dispensing happiness and advice. Early years specialist Shonette Bason Wood (pictured, left) told career anecdotes interspersed with nuggets of advice and the research that informs her practice, while actor Dave Keeling had the audience crying with laughter. E
WE Humour in learning
Dave Keeling’s tips Smile: it will produce dopamine,
the ‘happy hormone’ Improvise more in lessons Improve pupils’ emotional response
to learning by making them happy and engaged – when they want to learn, then behaviour takes care of itself Happy relaxed people don’t kick up a
fuss: scared petrified, anxious people do. We can change the way people feel about themselves forever in education. It’s an emotional response. School can be the worst experience of your life, or the greatest
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NAHT EDUCATION CONFERENCE WE Olympic medals: the power of positivity Positivity earned council estate kid Darren Campbell not one, but two Olympic medals, which he pulled casually out of his back pocket while telling the conference delegates his life story – about overcoming many obstacles, some of his own making – to fulfil his dreams. Campbell, sharply besuited with a single diamond earstud, described his upbringing by an inspirational single mother on a council estate that was troubled by guns and car crime. “My mum told me I could achieve anything I put my mind to. What I put my mind to was always negative,” he said. At high school, he was labelled a trouble maker because of his home estate. The turning point came when Campbell watched Carl Lewis win Olympic Gold. “Sport gives young people the ability to dream... The next day, I told my teachers that I was going to go to the Olympic Games. They said ‘kids like you don’t.’ From that day, I went to school with a different attitude.” The path was not easy. Campbell was disruptive in school, but helped by two teachers, one of whom encouraged him to behave by “whacking him with a size 11 trainer,” while the other enabled him to compete in an important race by driving him to his own home to take a missed exam. “Teachers are like Simon Cowell. You hold people’s aspirations and hopes in your hands. You have to take on board their different attitudes and mentalities,” he said. A litany of setbacks before he won his first Olympic medal included car crashes, his own attitude and injury. Perseverance won him his gold. “Life is about dreams and not giving up on dreams,” he said. “One night, I realised it wasn’t about the medal, it was about the dream and the journey. And also that you have the power to make other people’s dreams come true. The biggest lesson I’ve learned – and please spread this message to troubled children – is that in life, it’s not about where you start, it’s about where you finish.”
W “I teach outdoors because research says socially deprived children’s learning accelerates outside,” joked Shonette, relating the story of the Ofsted inspector who only rated her ‘good with some outstanding’ because she didn’t make the children wash their hands often enough. Getting the whole room to ‘dance’ with their fingers in PlayDoh to a pumping beat, Shonette explained that the last thing children’s brains learn about is their hands. “I remember saying show us your other hand... and they didn’t know they’d got one. How can you write if you don’t know you’ve got two hands?” “The early years are really important, it’s all about brain development. Therefore, we should focus on movementbased pedagogy. For me, it’s teaching about play, but ‘play’ isn’t the word to use. The year six teacher says ‘you’re just playing’, but in early years it’s all about movement-based learning – that’s what play is – but you’ve got to strike a balance. “It’s vital for early years teachers to find ways to show pupil progress, breaking down the early years foundation stage requirements, rather than using daft phrases like ‘exceeding expectations – that would be a level 2c.’” Nearby, Dave Keeling was making a room full of school leaders laugh until they cried – a rare sight these days. He’s not the first to observe that humour is an incredible tool in education, but he supports it with theory, practice and a constant stream of jokes. The most important thing he’d learned since leaving school, said Dave, was that opportunity leads to experience, which leads to learning something. “That’s it, whether it’s good bad or indifferent. Most of us do the same thing over and over again and it leads to the same result, but essentially it’s the opportunity to evolve. “Imagine the experience and skill here today and see if you can make the most of it. Great heads are brave heads. Courage is the mastery of fear – we are all scared, but let’s do something about it. We just need to find a way to navigate
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around it. False expectations seeming real, that’s what most of our fear is.” He said that in a world where young people might have 14 jobs in a lifetime they would need to be flexible, adaptable and approaching the world brave enough to have a go, with their skills and confidence developed. “If we want kids to do this we have to be more courageous and confident. Blaze a trail. Remember: change, passion and humour.” And, finally, he exhorted: “You can’t polish a t**d... but you can roll it in glitter. So get rolling!” A rather different style of workshop came from Tim Oates (pictured, above right), who wanted to help school leaders consider how to access research more effectively. “It’s a very exciting time as we’re bombarded with policy changes. How do we use research? What research is valuable? How do we get to what works?” Both politicians and press cherry-picked research, he said, but no more than in the past. However, ministers didn’t want
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Delegates get to grips with Play-Doh, part of Shonette Bason Wood’s presentation
WHAT DELEGATES SAID: Reasons for attending the conference included team-building days, supporting a new challenge, seeking inspiration, and simply having enjoyed a previous event. “We’re using it as a leadership development day – it’s really useful for a new leadership team.” Amanda Robson, acting head teacher of Fearnville Primary in Bradford, who also brought her two assistant head teachers along. caveats. “They want a degree of certainty that in some ways the research community is unwilling to give,” he said, going on to add that prominent findings in one context turn out not to yield the expected benefits in another: findings needed to be seen in context, whether setting, streaming, bullying or phonics. Tim’s favourite joke for ministers, he said, was: “If you put all the education researchers end to end they still won’t reach a bl**dy conclusion.” There was also a serious problem of ‘paradigm wars’ in the research community, where something being heralded as promising might only work in its original context. He added: “England isn’t Japan, it’s not Alberta. We can’t learn everything from other countries. If you talk to Finnish people about why they have such a tradition of literacy, they say ‘it’s dark up here, we used to read a lot before TV and radio.’ Hell is a factor. Three hundred years ago unless you read the Bible they couldn’t experience the sacraments and thought they would go to hell. That’s the Finnish experience: how can we experience that in our country? It’s clearly absurd. They’ve gone down a different pathway.” What was needed was policy learning, not policy borrowing, he said. “Learning everything is silly, learning nothing is silly, learning something is sensible.” Additionally, different factors could pull against each other to stop innovations working, he said, citing the ‘incoherence’ of focusing the last year of primary schooling on narrow tests, rather than deep and expansive learning. “Analysis helps you understand why if you want to implement something in pedagogy these other things may pull you in a different direction. It’s a powerful way of looking at the world,” he said. Closing the day, NAHT general secretary Russell Hobby was determined to keep things upbeat. “We started on a good note with Darren Campbell (see above left) so we can’t end on a low note of government policy. Let’s try to find positive aspects within it and ways the profession can respond.” Reminding his audience that ten years ago just half of chil-
“Andy Cope was inspirational. I am going to try to do the four-minute thing, at home as well, as that seems to have an impact on school. He was really good and very funny.” Christine Moran, head teacher, Poplars Farm Primary School, Bradford. “I really enjoyed Dave Keeling. I want to investigate humour as a tool for learning and try to use it to encourage each individual to learn and personalise their learning using it. It’s not just about targets, but about using their sense of humour to appeal to them.” Rachel Wells, head teacher, West Heslerton C of E Primary, Malton, North Yorkshire. “It’s been the best day conference I’ve been to. We’ve heard from two brilliant keynote speakers and been to excellent workshops.” Trevor Smith, head teacher, Chapel-en-le-Frith C of E primary, Derbyshire. “I was inspired by the keynote speakers. It’s a positive message that schools need to help staff and children reach their potential. You can do anything if you are positive.” Ratna Kelsang, head of Kadampa Primary School in Etwall, Derbyshire.
dren left primary school with the expected level of English and maths, and more than 80 per cent do now (“compare that with the FTSE over the same period,”) he knew school leaders did not want to stop there. “The next 20 per cent will be harder, the children for whom the current system is not working. We need to experiment, we need space and confidence. We need to try out new ideas,” he said, adding that the profession would need to be proud of itself and confident in its own ability. “We don’t need government to do that, we should talk to parents about their aspirations for their children’s education. They do trust us.”
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Anna Brychan reports from NAHT Cymru conference 2013 where an upbeat tone aimed to enthuse the delegates
Banishing the ‘misery bears’ WHEN WE WERE deciding on this year’s conference theme, we opted for a resolutely upbeat tone. Why? Because despite the deluge of criticism and constantly changing education landscape, our members have kept hold of what drew them into the profession in the first place: their absolute commitment to give the best possible chance in life to all the pupils in their care. So, our conference proudly proclaimed itself to be ‘for leaders, for learners, for the whole child’, a reflection of members’ determination to celebrate the importance of nurturing and developing the talents displayed by each child. NAHT Cymru members know what the headline concerns are: too many pupils leave primary schools with inadequate reading and numeracy skills; examination results in secondary schools have been improving, but not as quickly as we would like. We know too that investment in education in Wales has been insufficient for more than a decade. This has also been the year of tests, the literacy and numeracy frameworks, the curriculum and assessment review and the Hill report on the delivery of education services in Wales. NAHT Cymru has engaged fully with all these developments. We have concerns about tests; certainly we feel that they play no useful role in the foundation phase. We have been far more positive about the literacy and numeracy framework. This is a potentially powerful tool in determining pupil performance and, critically, helping pupils, parents and teachers to plan for the next stage of a pupil’s skill development. We are hopeful too that the curriculum and assessment review consultation due this autumn will open a genuine debate about how to allow Ruth Davies: head teacher of Waunarlwydd Primary School in Swansea and NAHT Cymru president
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PHOTOGRAPHY: TEMPEST
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The politician’s view: The Welsh minister for education and skills, Huw Lewis
schools the freedom to innovate and inspire children while creating more space for teachers and pupils to properly secure progress in literacy and numeracy. Trust in schools must go hand-in-hand with a finely defined accountability structure. At conference, we decided to tackle all these issues from the point of view of the people involved in making all this work: pupils, teachers, head teachers and families. We started by welcoming NAHT general secretary Russell Hobby, who reminded delegates that they must not let the political noise around education crowd out what they know to be important – the pupils. Head teachers are valued and trusted people in their communities; it is time that they made their voices heard above those who prize soundbites above substance. This was a timely reminder as we welcomed three school leaders who are on a sometimes challenging, occasionally bizarre but ultimately rewarding school improvement journey. Liz Robinson, head teacher of Surrey Square Primary School in
EE “Her parents doubted the wisdom of her decision when they saw the barbed-wire topped walls of the school on a dark, wet winter’s night”
Southwark, was appointed to her post at the age of 29. Her parents doubted the wisdom of her decision when they first saw the barbed-wire topped walls of the school on a dark, wet winter’s night. Liz too had moments of wondering as she saw cigarette smoke billowing from the staffroom windows, witnessed the plight of a solitary goldfish in a murky tank in reception and heard teachers claim that some children were too badly behaved to learn.
Cooperation and respect Liz banished the smoking, cleaned the tank and told it as she saw it: if the children can’t behave, we must teach them how. If children have rarely witnessed the values of cooperation and respect (for themselves and others), how will they learn unless they are taught? The central tenet of Liz’s thesis was that values matter. Her values are not a woolly wish list of hoped-for behaviours that current policymakers would yearn to sweep aside in favour of rules, rigour and ratings. They are a demanding set of behaviours and attitudes that must be modelled in the adults and taught to the pupils. It clearly works. Eight years on, Surrey Square Primary School is oversubscribed, academic results are excellent and the values of the school are shared by all. Claire Price is head teacher of Chepstow Comprehensive School in Monmouthshire. Her school faced entirely different challenges when she took up her post. The school serves a relatively affluent area; free school meal numbers are low but the school was not doing as well as it should. Aspiration was lacking and some of the structures were unusual, to put it mildly. Almost every member of staff had a teaching and learning responsibility when she arrived, for example. Part of Claire’s answer was to take the conversation outside the school and into E
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NAHT CYMRU CONFERENCE
W the community. Parents became engaged in the school’s journey and the school, its staff and pupils became a more visible, engaged presence in the wider community. Chepstow school pupils now play a part in running the local food bank for example. Aspiration, inspiration and community values will, Claire believes, translate into better results and the shaping of citizens ready to play their full part in their communities. Chris Britten is head teacher of Ashgrove Special School in the Vale of Glamorgan. He drew sighs of exhausted recognition from delegates as he read the top lines of a series of communications he had received from local authorities and others. The paperwork was high on jargon but singularly low on content or any apparent connection to anything that might make an actual difference to pupils. Chris threw the pile into the air as if it was confetti; school improvement is not about paper, it is about people. His school, too, was struggling when he arrived. The task of moving forward seemed daunting in the early days. But in every struggling institution there are plenty of people who will come alive when a vision is articulated to them that they can readily link to actual pupils, to real families and communities who want the best for all their children. So, Chris described his vision and began to illustrate it with small but significant changes to the school environment: less gloom, more celebration of pupil achievement. And, as he put it, ‘the doers got together and got going’. His school has now received an ‘excellent’ Estyn inspection and will merge with two other special schools in the area in a new building specifically designed to offer pupils the best opportunity to succeed. Chris invited his audience to consider what kind of leader they wanted to be and illustrated the choices with a YouTube clip of ‘misery bear’ (bit.ly/LFmiserybear). His audience agreed that although there were days when they, like the bear, were sorely tempted to stick a Post-it note on their monitor begging someone to shoot them, there were
EE “In every struggling institution there are plenty of people who will come alive when a vision is articulated to them” 28
Clockwise from below: Jon Gower, NAHT Cymru director Anna Brychan and Chris Britten
far more days when they knew that they had, as the new NAHT Cymru president Ruth Davies put it, ‘the best job in the world’. What became abundantly clear, though, was that there are some qualities school leaders simply cannot do without – optimism, resilience and an ability to be positive (or at least project positivity) even when surrounded by the misery bears. That takes some doing.
Inspire and energise ‘Misery bears’ were effectively banished from the conference hall as poet, broadcaster and writer, Jon Gower got up to speak. His contribution had nothing to do with data or accountability; he explicitly promised not to utter the word ‘framework’. He talked about poetry and his plan to invite well-known people to go into schools to recite their favourite poetry to pupils and to invite those pupils to create space for poetry in their lives. Jon was accompanied by his partner in this enterprise, Ali Anwar, an Iraqi who is fast achieving ‘national treasure’ status in Wales. He arrived in Swansea in the mid-1960s as a refugee from Baghdad. Within weeks, he found himself holding an aerial out of an attic window while his landlord broadcast programmes for a Welsh-language pirate radio station. He never looked back and has been a feature of Welsh cultural life ever since. His passion for our poetry is infectious. Jon’s recitation of an Icelandic poem, which beautifully evoked the way language describes a culture and a nation’s history, felled an audience of head teachers, not usually considered the easiest gig in town. Several have already signed up to get Jon and his poets into Welsh schools. So, the school leaders described a school improvement journey that had little to do with form-filling, policy-drafting, testing or data – though they all did some or all of those things. Jon Gower reminded delegates of what really matters. What they all described was relationship-building with pupils, parents and the wider community and a tireless commitment to drive a school forward, to inspire and energise. Their success shows in the examination results their pupils achieve but the more intangible work – shaping and inspiring the engaged citizens of the future – may be the biggest prize of all.
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COVER FEATURE
Class of the Titans Hashi Syedain looks at the UK’s growing number of ‘Titan’ primary schools with more than 800 students. What benefits and challenges do they bring for school leaders?
WE Benefits of size Cost savings - bigger schools make
economies of scale with no loss in pupil progress Specialist teachers/coaches can be
brought in because of the large pupil numbers Having so many leaders/adults can
lead to ‘a very buzzy atmosphere’ More adults equals more flexibility
when it comes to staffing challenges It’s easier to attract and retain
quality staff as there are more opportunities for promotion
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THERE IS SOMETHING about the idea of an intimate community of children, with a handful of teachers guiding them through their primary years in a ‘village school’ atmosphere that appeals to the British psyche. And yet a ten-year baby boom that started in the early 2000s has caused a massive increase in demand for primary school places that has not been met by new school building. The result is that existing primaries are expanding to the point where some have more than 1,000 pupils. Indeed, with the demand for primary places set to rise until 2016/17, the majority of children in some urban boroughs can expect to be educated in so-called Titan primaries – those with more than 800 pupils – as a matter of course. “In Barking and Dagenham, we had 1,100 more reception pupils starting in September than year sixes leaving in July,” says deputy council Leader Rocky Gill. Seventy per cent of primaries in the borough have expanded and four have more than 800 pupils, including Gascoigne, the largest primary school in the country. Does this matter? We haven’t really asked the question, says John Howson, director of Data for Education and senior research fellow at Oxford University’s Department of Education. “The idea of Titan prisons created a huge furore, but with primary schools it’s come with barely a ripple. How are we going to educate this huge
ILLUSTRATION: GILES MEAD
25/10/2013 10:15
WE Tips for
school leaders Create units within units
(schools within schools) – so that children feel safe and part of a group Be visible – in the playground,
at lunchtime, take assemblies Make contact with pupils
- take storytime, and lead projects with children Keep reception pupils on
the ground floor – it means they don’t need to use busy stairways or navigate around the whole building Space is often tight, so stagger
assemblies, breaks and lunches to keep numbers down Communication is more
difficult, so hold regular briefings, use message boards and TV screens around school
EE “Taking a year group on a trip – something we like to do – involves six lots of 35 people. That’s a lot of coaches”
bulge? Is it better to build new schools or expand existing ones?” asks John. “It’s happened without a debate.” Like many teachers, parents and education specialists, John worries that big schools are bad for small children. “My concern, particularly with the youngest, is not the learning space, but the social space – moving around the school and the community aspect. The sheer numbers can be overwhelming.” NAHT president Bernadette Hunter, who leads a relatively large primary with 670 children, acknowledges the issue. “You need to work harder at family feeling by creating units within units so that all children feel safe and part of a group.” But that doesn’t mean that small schools are better than large ones. “The success of a school is down to the leadership and having the structures that ensure every child is known, valued and has a place,” she says. That may be easier in a school with a couple of hundred children, but isn’t impossible in one with 1,000 or more. When you speak to heads who lead Titan primaries, it’s clear that the business of creating a socially cohesive unit and ensuring that every child is known, is something they think deeply about. “Keeping contact with the children is a challenge,” says Mark Trott, head at Ocklynge Junior school in Eastbourne, which has almost 850 pupils. “I’m around the place a lot, I try to be in the playground before and after school, I eat lunch in the E
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COVER FEATURE WE Does size matter? What is considered a big school is strongly culturally determined. The world’s largest school in Lucknow, India, has 47,000 pupils across 20 sites and in many Asian countries primaries with thousands of students are not uncommon. Even in places where you might not expect huge numbers, there are schools that we would consider massive. Ocklynge Junior school in Eastbourne is partnered with a primary school in Jamaica, that despite its quaint name, Half-Way Tree Primary, has 2,000 children on roll. Conversely, in Finland, where schools go from six to 16, it’s rare to find a school with more than 500 pupils. James Wetz, until recently director of Human Scale Education, says that in smaller schools it’s easier to put relationships at the centre of the school, to ensure that each child is known, and well known, and to create a pedagogy in which children are profoundly engaged. “We would argue that the relational load of a teacher [the number of children they see] should be 75-90 children a week and for a child, five to six adults a week,” says Wetz. The problem with a large school is that you become concerned with the systems that maintain it, whereas in a smaller setting you are more likely to be able to adapt to the needs of each individual child.”
W school, take an assembly once a fortnight. I front up a lot of activities, so the children know me. But it is a challenge and it’s a different relationship to what you have in a small school,” he says. Kevin Baskill, head at Christchurch Primary in Redbridge, which has expanded from three-form to five-form entry over the past two years, stays in touch by working on projects with the children. “I take the four-year-olds for story time, I take assemblies. All the children see me every week. They all know me and I know them all visually, although I don’t know all their names.” As for looking after the smallest children, at Christchurch all 150 reception pupils are on the ground floor together, so that they don’t have to use busy stairways or negotiate the whole building. Playtimes are staggered. “It’s about making schools within school,” says Baskill. “It’s still run like a primary. We don’t have departments, like secondaries. All the teachers understand the full journey from reception to year six.” Other challenges include logistics and infrastructure. “Taking a year group on a trip – which we like to do – involves six lots of 35 people. That’s a lot of coaches,” says Mark Trott. Lunch, meanwhile, takes 90 minutes in staggered sittings and if there’s one piece of potential new policy that brings Mark out in a cold sweat, it’s the prospect of free school meals for all primary children. “We serve 350 meals currently, which is about 38 per cent of the children. I have no idea how long it would take us to serve lunch if we had more than double that number,” he says. The issue of facilities and infrastructure is at the heart of the challenge for big primaries. Invariably, the schools started smaller and grew over time, because space was available. But, generally speaking, there isn’t scope for the common spaces and facilities to grow to match the increased population. Indeed, if anything, parts of playgrounds or car parks have been sacrificed to make way for extra classrooms and there isn’t a hall big enough to bring the whole school together. “I’m at absolute capacity,” says Mark
Trott. “We need either another sports hall or another hall.” And yet, for all the challenges, Titan primaries have several potential advantages over their smaller counterparts. Aside from the cost savings (“We’re the lowest funded school in East Sussex,” says Mark. “We cost about £3,000 per pupil, compared with almost £7,000 in some other schools”), size brings opportunities and attracts expertise. Performance, meanwhile, compares well with the average. Of the 25 largest primaries in the country (see table, right), each with more than 800 children, 21 (84 per cent) are rated by Ofsted as ‘outstanding’ or ‘good’ (six and 15 respectively), compared to 76 per cent of all schools. “We have 43 teachers here. That gives you a lot of flexibility. If I have a problem, I can usually find a solution within the staff team. And you can train people up and have specialists, without overloading anyone,” says Mark, who was previously head at a very small school. “We have very strong sports provision. We employ fully qualified sports coaches, because we’re big enough to put together a nice part-time job for them,” he says. Kevin at Christchurch agrees. “You have so many adults and leaders in a big school, it creates a very buzzy atmosphere,” he says. “I have a staff of 150 teachers, teaching assistants and lunchtime staff. If everyone has one great idea, that’s a lot of good ideas coming through.” Size also offers flexibility in allocating resources. Christchurch has a drama studio and a 20,000 book library. It hires a local theatre for the school play. The school has
EE “We have very strong sports provision. We employ fully qualified sports coaches, because we’re big enough to put together a nice part-time job for them” 32
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WE DID YOU KNOW? In Greek mythology, the Titans were the Gods who ruled before the Olympians (Zeus, Hera et al). In the first generation of 12 Titans, the males were Oceanus, Hyperion, Coeus, Cronus (the leader and father of Zeus), Crius, and Iapetus. The females were Mnemosyne, Tethys, Theia, Phoebe, Rhea, and Themis. The Titans were overthrown by the Olympians in the Titanomachy, or War of the Titans.
tion with the staff team, so that everyone knows what’s going two deputies, one assistant head and 27 teachers with responsibilon. “It’s definitely more difficult,” agrees Kevin at Christchurch. ity areas. The ability to delegate is key, says Kevin, and managing “Getting everyone together is hard. We have weekly briefings, a large staff group brings its own challenges, but conversely it’s screens around the school and message boards, and our staff easier to attract and retain high-quality staff, because there are room is large enough for us all. But ease of communication is always opportunities for promotion. “The year group is the key something you lose.” operating group and each year has a lead who’s dealing with a lot of things a head would do in a smaller school,” says Kevin. Despite the challenges, neither Mark nor Kevin would want to Both Mark and Kevin emphasise that, for a head, the job of go back to a much smaller school. “I wouldn’t like less than three leading a very large primary is entirely different to that in a -form entry. I like children to feed off each other,” says Kevin. smaller school. Neither of them teaches and both have to be Mark is even more bullish. “The key thing, whatever the size, is very good people managers and organisers. “You have to learn resources,” he says. “If I had purpose-built facilities, I’d have no very quickly what you can and can’t do,” says Mark. “In my last problem with a primary school of 1,200 pupils.” school I did almost all the assemblies and spent a third of my time teaching. Here I do hardly any assemblies and I don’t teach. I’d struggle in front of a class now, but I do a lot of lesson SCHOOL AUTHORITY PUPILS observation and I do know what a good lesson Gascoigne Primary School Barking 1066 looks like,” he says. Barclay Primary School Leyton and Wanstead 1036 One question that troubles John Howson at Data for Education is how to make sure there Elmhurst Primary School West Ham 993 is a leadership pathway to ensure there are Durand Academy Vauxhall 976 enough people who want to run schools in Essex Primary School East Ham 972 general and large schools in particular. “We’ve Sandringham Primary School East Ham 946 struggled for the past 25 years to ensure a Christchurch Primary School Ilford South 943 steady supply of primary heads. A deputy in Wilbury Primary School Edmonton 942 a Titan primary either has to become head in Uphall Primary School Ilford South 938 another Titan or lead a smaller school and take Pinkwell Primary School Hayes and Harlington 928 a pay cut,” he observes. Geoff Southworth, visiting professor at the Ripple Primary School Barking 915 Institute of Education, and an expert in priNewbury Park Primary School Ilford North 902 mary school leadership, describes the role of Starbank Primary School Birmingham, Hodge Hill 886 head in a very large primary as one of executive Churchtown Primary School Southport 885 chairman. He did a study of leadership in small, Central Park Primary School East Ham 883 medium and large primaries a few years ago Nelson Primary School East Ham 882 and, despite sharing the cultural disposition Sudbury Primary School Brent North 870 towards small primary schools, found himself Warren Road Primary School Orpington 842 very impressed by the large ones. “They were very well organised. Leadership was shared Cuckoo Hall Academy Edmonton 841 and distributed and the heads and senior Wembley Primary School Brent North 840 teams were very aware of the need for school Balfour Primary School Brighton, Pavilion 839 to remain personal for every child. They kept a River Beach Primary School Bognor Regis and Littlehampton 839 sense of self and place for every child by ensurOcklynge Junior School Eastbourne 837 ing other people in the school were doing that.” Woodnewton A Learning Community Corby 837 The challenge most often cited to Geoff Highfield Junior and Infant School Birmingham, Hodge Hill 833 during his research was that of communica-
TOP 25: UK’S BIGGEST PRIMARIES
SOURCE: DFE PHOTOGRAPH: PA
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SMALL SCHOOLS
Small schools tend to offer good value for money and produce good academic results, yet still face challenges to their existence. Daniel Allen reports from Cornwall
OF ALL THE CHALLENGES facing head teachers of small schools, mustering a team for the local swimming gala is less significant than most. But for Lee Bacchus the annual event exemplified the difficulties inherent in trying to sustain a school with few pupils. Lee is executive head teacher of St Teath and St Breward schools in north Cornwall, which federated in 2011. Before they joined together, the two schools fared poorly in the swimming gala, usually finishing joint bottom. The relay race was a particular problem for St Teath because there were only two children in year six and the race required four. St Teath’s solution was both touching and slightly comical. Lee explains: “One child would swim to the other end. The second would dive in and the first one would be running back down the side to do the third leg.” The two schools now put out a joint team and – with parents from one school cheering on children from the other – and results have improved. “Those sorts of things really bring communities together,” says Lee. Small schools, usually but not exclusively in rural areas, are finding that collaboration is a solution to many of the problems that confront them. With pubs, post offices and shops closing in droves in country villages, schools are often equally vulnerable, despite the loud assertion by the National Association for Small Schools (NASS) that they are “assets, not liabilities”. St Teath and St Breward community primary schools have 76 and 44 pupils respectively. The numbers are small but are on the rise. When Lee was made head teacher of St Teath in 2007 it had 39 children; St Breward had 26. “Our school population has increased at St Breward because we have made a determined effort to get the community back in,” he says. “It’s simple things like inviting the parents in for
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Small is beautiful school meals or open mornings. We send school councillors to speak at parish council and carnival committee meetings. Essentially, we’ve just engaged with the community again.” At St Teath, numbers have grown for other reasons. “There’s been a population growth in the Camelford area so we’ve benefited from that. We’ve also made good links with a nearby pre-school so it’s become largely assumed that if children go there, they’ll apply for a place at St Teath.” The two schools federated when the head of St Breward retired. She approached Lee beforehand and asked whether he would be interested in becoming executive head of both E
PHOTOGRAPH: JAMES RAM
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Lee Bacchus: executive head teacher at St Teath and St Breward schools
l EE “Both schools were in precarious positions. By being, at the time, a soft federation, then eventually a harder federation with one governing body, we were putting ourselves in a stronger position to see the schools into the future” NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 l LEADERSHIP FOCUS 35
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SMALL SCHOOLS WE It’s not about structure,
it’s about quality Challenges around the funding and the viability of small schools continue, according W schools. There was no immito NAHT president Bernadette Hunter (pictured). “As an association we would nent threat of closure to either but encourage collaboration as a way of supporting a small school,” she says. Lee felt the warning signs were The form that collaboration takes is best decided locally, she argues. “Schools must there. “Nothing was made explicit do what’s best for their communities. It isn’t only about structure. It’s about the quality but both schools were in quite preof leadership and management, and about relationships developed within the school carious positions. This was a way and with the community.” of strengthening the possibility of She adds: “There are co-operative schools, there are us surviving long term. By being, multi-academy trusts and hard and soft federations, and at the time, a soft federation, then we believe that any of these models can work providing they eventually becoming a harder are promoting collaboration and cooperation, they meet the federation with one governing needs of the local community and they have high quality body, we were putting ourselves teaching and learning.” in a stronger position to see the The largely informal collaboration that exists between schools into the future.” small schools is reinvigorating them, Bernadette suggests. In practical terms, as well as It encourages the sharing of expertise and makes sense in a joint governing body, the two terms of economies of scale and procurement. schools share some committees, She also points out that it isn’t appropriate for the very some staff such as a sports cooryoungest children to have to travel long distances to go to dinator, staff training days and, school. “Their needs are better met in the their local area,” she says. of course, a head teacher. When Executive headship is a challenging role, however, and requires particular skills, he was head of St Teath alone, particularly of co-ordination, and that must be reflected in the pay of executive heads, Lee was in the classroom as well. says Bernadette. “As an association, we are pressing the government on that.” That part of his role has now been removed. “I’ve replaced my teaching commitment with a proper focus on headship at both schools now,” he says. His Two pairs of schools within the partnership are federated, time is split evenly between the two schools, but the regular with one currently on its own. Tom says that operationally there is little difference between partnership and federation. journey between the two is no hardship. “I’m driving from the “If we plan things for the partnership then all the schools are Atlantic coast up to Bodmin Moor, it’s not a bad drive.” involved. But in terms of the management, staff at the schools On the other side of Cornwall, Tom Harman is executive that are federated are employed by the federation, which head of five small schools on the Lizard peninsula, which means I could deploy them across either of the two schools. between them have about 220 pupils. Since the fifth primary joined the partnership in the summer an assistant head has So we can share, for example, a teaching assistant between the been appointed who also oversees all the schools. “I spend a two schools of the federation. We can’t do that in the partnerday a week in each school,” says Tom, “and the assistant head ship because staff in the individual schools are not employed teacher is the same. Then within each of the schools we have by the partnership. It’s a subtle difference in that respect.” a designated lead teacher who is there all week.” But the schools are looking to become a multi-academy trust. “That would strengthen governance and then all staff would be employed by the trust,” says Tom. Does being head of five schools bring five times the stress of being head of one? He laughs. “Sometimes. Lots of things you can replicate or streamline. The pressure comes when I have to go to three different governance meetings and three lots of committee meetings. And we have five Ofsted inspections. I’ve had four in two years.” Over in north Cornwall, Lee says St Teath and St Breward schools were fortunate in that when they first considered joining forces they were able to plan the partnership thoroughly. “The greatest advantage we had over some other executive headships in Cornwall was that we had loads of time to plan it. We had a good seven or eight months to introduce the concept
EE “Pressure comes when I have to go to three governance and three committee meetings. And we have five Ofsted inspections”
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WE The NASS on small schools: “We have never seen an inspection report on small
to the staff, parents and communities and to have plans drawn up about how the transfer was going to happen. Everybody got to know each other and we had a really good plan of action. “What we see in some other places where executive headships have been forced upon people because of an emergency situation is that it hasn’t worked because there hasn’t been time to put the plans into action.” When he took on the second school Lee says that both communities understood why partnership was necessary and the benefits it would bring to the children. “We had backing from the start, but if it had been forced on them, with both communities being very protective of their schools, it might not have worked so well.” Despite many examples of small schools pooling resources and in doing so appearing to secure a more stable future for themselves, NASS says rural schools still face a “gathering cloud” of closure. In We Need More Small Schools – New Vision for Education, produced earlier this year, NASS argued that decision makers and many parents had been misled by erroneous assertions that small schools are too costly or are detrimental to children’s best interests. Furthermore, the document said that federations were increasingly being imposed under penalty of closure if the schools concerned did not federate. “Such federations can result in governors using existing powers to close individual schools without any of the tough rules faced by councils,” it said. Federation, where it is not a local choice, is “potentially a stealth route to closure”, the document suggested. Surely, though, without formal collaboration tough financial times will herald the end for many small rural schools because they are simply unsustainable. Not so, says NASS information officer Mervyn Benford, who argues that most cost analyses of small schools are crude and do not show the real picture. “All they do is take the number on the roll and divide it. But the realities are different from that.” NASS produces reams of evidence, national and international, to support its claim that small schools are cost efficient. Also, says Mervyn, there are considerable benefits for children being taught in local schools even where pupils are few. “This model of education is highly creditable when taken in the round. There is no evidence that there’s any number below which it becomes unviable educationally. But that’s hard to sell to the rest of the profession. There’s a sort of blockage that small schools can’t possibly do the job properly. Yet, in fact, failings are very rare.” A “wholesome family ethos” and its effect on pupil perfor-
schools across the UK that does not judge them good or better value for money.” “A study by Dijon University of 50 rural schools that
had been reduced to 28, showed that after ten years under the new pattern transport costs had almost overtaken the cost of keeping all 50 open and that as 50 schools they had obtained better results. This French study confirms our UK academic evidence.” “In its 1999 comparative study Ofsted recommended
a place for small schools in national provision as a whole because of their academic achievements and contribution to their communities. It reported that quality of teaching was better in small schools and they had proportionately more good teachers. Ofsted data supplied to NASS in 2007 showed schools under 51 on roll having the most ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ grades for teaching, and 51-100 came next.”
mance is another positive attribute of many small schools, he argues; so positive, in fact, that NASS would like to see the small-school model adopted more in urban areas – with schools serving just a few streets rather than whole estates or districts. But insecurity of tenure remains a deterrent for some heads who might otherwise be attracted to small schools, Mervyn suggests. Leadership models are changing, however, and he quotes examples of small schools with part-time head teachers. Other developments are also altering the landscape for small schools, he argues, such as opening the doors to parents who choose to educate at home but who want their child to experience one or more days a week at school. Tom Harman agrees that being an executive head teacher requires a change in approach. “It’s not a traditional model of headship – and I say that with experience of a traditional model of headship.” Being in charge of any more than two schools demands very careful consideration of leadership and management structures, he says. “When we moved from four schools to five it was just too much, which was why we appointed an assistant head. It was becoming increasingly difficult to give each school their fair share of my time.” Lee Bacchus advises head teachers of other small schools embarking on a collaborative venture to go for “quick wins” to gain the support of parents in each community – joint quiz nights, for example. “We put the PTAs together to come up with ideas for fundraising as a joint venture,” he says. Detailed presentations to key stakeholders also helped. “The parents, as well as staff, could see the potential benefit of us working together,” he says. Especially when the next swimming gala came round.
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PRIMARY MENTORING
Diverse benefits: Mosaic’s mentoring has been shown to open doors for both mothers and their daughters
Raising aspirations Mentoring programmes like Mosaic’s offer school leaders an opportunity to reverse negative attainment trends for minority ethnic girls in primary schools. By Rachael Billington 38
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BACK IN JUNE, Maria Miller MP, the minister for women and equalities, announced new government measures that were designed to encourage girls and their parents to be more ambitious about their education and careers. The measures were based on a Women’s Business Council report, Maximising women’s contribution to future economic growth, which asserted: “Women should not just try to fit into the economy, they should be shaping it.” Investment in the futures of girls and young women has the potential to deliver tremendous returns, whether in terms of fulfilled potential, lasting economic independence or economic growth. Young girls must therefore be supported and encouraged to broaden their horizons when it comes to subjects and career choices by both the education system and their parents. One initiative working in this area is Mosaic, which is part of Business in the Community. Its vision is for all young people to be supported so that they can realise their potential. Mosaic has a primary school programme where its mentors work mostly with young girls and their mothers, and also a secondary school programme where group mentoring of girls and boys is supplemented with workplace visits and inspirational outside speakers.
PHOTOGRAPH: DEMOTIX
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WE Mosaic… was founded by HRH The Prince of Wales in 2007; supported more than 5,000 young people in the last
academic year; worked in 140 schools and institutions; is supported by more than 900 volunteer mentors; mentoring programmes target the most deprived
areas in England; and Mosaic mentors are often from a wide range of
organisations and include those that have worked in businesses, central and local government, life coaches, academics and senior lawyers.
Mosaic’s primary school initiative aims to raise the aspirations of girls aged nine to 11, as well as empower their mothers, so that they are better able to help their daughters fulfil their potential. The eight- to ten-week programme seeks to equip young girls with the skills to connect education to work at an early age through female mentors from professional backgrounds acting as role models. Girls learn that they can aspire to careers in a range of different sectors, while mothers participate in lessons that teach them the importance of education and how to support their daughters through school and beyond. In weekly hour-long sessions, the girls cover themes such
as confidence, communication and role models, while their mothers look at themes such as citizenship and understanding the British education system. To complement the sessions, mothers and daughters are provided with resource booklets that they can refer to throughout the course and beyond. A university visit is included in the programme so that the girls and their mothers gain valuable exposure to higher education. Leigh Junior School in Birmingham is now in its third year with Mosaic and it was the focus of a programme on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour recently, which explored ways to inspire and encourage young girls. Leigh student Humaira, aged nine, was asked what she had taken from the experience. She replied: “Before the programme, I wanted to be an artist, but we talked about trying new things so I tried fashion design and now I think that is my passion.” Humaira’s mother Shazia also spoke movingly about how she had left school in Pakistan aged 12. She had wanted to study, but wasn’t able to. She now wants her daughter to go to college and perhaps go on to university to fulfil her potential and live her dreams. E
EE “Unlocking the talent and realising the full potential of every young person, whatever their background or circumstance, is a cause close to my heart. It gives me great joy to see the sense of selfworth and belonging Mosaic provides by extending that much-needed helping hand to those of our diverse communities who need it most.” PRINCE CHARLES, FOUNDER OF MOSAIC NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 l LEADERSHIP FOCUS 39
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W Opening doors Last academic year, head teacher Hazel Pulley signed up Parkfield Community School in Birmingham for Mosaic’s primary mentorHazel Pulley The head teacher ing scheme. The aim was at Birmingham’s Parkfield to work with ten girls from Community School says: “What struck us was how key stage two and their brave the mothers were.” mothers. Parkfield had almost 100 per cent attendance from the mums in the group, a figure that highlights how valuable the programme is to the mothers. With successful outcomes from the programme, Hazel immediately signed up for current academic year, with the aim of supporting 15 girls and their mothers next spring. Hazel heard about Mosaic at a meeting with her cluster of 12 local schools. Mosaic’s lead regional manager, Annalisa Lockett, was giving a presentation and what she had to say resonated. Hazel told LF: “We’ve been seeing progress for girls in key stage two slow down dramatically year on year. They start off well, full of enthusiasm for their new school setting and for the curriculum, but something gets in the way.” Demographic data for Parkfield Community School illustrates the challenges. A figure of 96.8 per cent is quoted on the DfE website for pupils who have English as a second language. Hazel adds: “The evidence suggests that girls’ progress slows down at this stage because of cultural reasons. Our school is a wonderfully diverse community; we do recognise however that some of our ethnic minority groups do seem to encourage boys to aspire more at this stage.”
Further evidence of this comes from conversations Parkfield staff have held with parents, who are clearly interested in the progress of their daughters, but not as much as they are in the progress and achievement of their sons. Conversations with parents also highlighted the knowledge gap regarding awareness of the British education system for both sexes, with opinions ranging from: “I don’t know where my child will go to university,” to “All kids go to university, don’t they?” Hazel says: “We believe it is patchy engagement with parents around girls’ education, combined with a lack of informed knowledge about what is available for any child, that is to blame for progress slowing down for our girls at key stage two. “When I heard Annalisa speak at our cluster meeting about the importance of engaging with the girls and their mothers, I was so excited. This is something I feel passionately about as
EE “By working with girls and their mothers, with the support of schools and our teams of mentors, we can seek to reverse any negative trends that might exist and work together towards our common goal: the very best for the students.” JONATHAN FREEMAN, NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF MOSAIC 40
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WE Independent evaluation
and the hidden benefits of mentoring Mosaic’s vision is for all young people to be supported to realise their potential. a school leader. The only way to With the help of volunteer mentors acting as role models, it aims to bridge the reach these girls, and to reverse aspirations-attainment gap. By linking young people with inspirational role the trends we are seeing, is to models in this way, the initiative boosts confidence, ability to cope with challenges engage with their mothers at the and long-term employability in the young people it supports. same time; which is a key compoMosaic’s programmes have been nent of Mosaic’s programme.” independently evaluated by Demos, During Mosaic’s first year at the leading research organisation, Parkfield, 22 per cent of mothers which described them as “very well and students were Bangladeshi, run and both the mentors and mentees 33 per cent Somali, 33 per cent reported significant benefits in taking Pakistani and 11 per cent from part”. In the Demos evaluation, 98 per a mixed background. Mothers cent of Mosaic’s mentors said they would were aged 32–49, and one-third recommend mentoring to others and were single parents. 96 per cent said they would consider Hazel says: “What struck us mentoring with Mosaic again. about the mums who took part The Demos research also showed was how brave they were. Most the following outcomes: had lived in the UK for less than 20 • ten per cent improvement in likelihood of mentees wanting to go to university; years and here they were, invest• seven per cent improvement of mentees’ view of the likelihood of gaining a ing in their daughters’ futures and university place; spending time working towards • ten per cent increase in mentees’ views that they would be happier in 12 months’ understanding what options time; and exist and what their role might • those with poor initial views about school showed noticeable improvements be going forward. I call it: ‘Lookpost-programme. ing through windows and opening Mosaic’s work has been recognised by a number of organisations. In April, doors.’ These mums can all look the schools programmes received independent accreditation through the forward with well-informed eyes Approved Provider Standard (APS) of the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation. and open the door on their daughIn July, Mosaic was also awarded the Prime Minister’s Big Society Award. ter’s future learning.” the girls and their mothers, their personal testimonies pushing But what is the specific role of the school leader in this? Hazel home the message: “If I can do it, so can you.” says: “No new idea will really work if the head isn’t behind it. Hazel says: “For me, it is the very act of mentoring that is so School leaders are key to the success of any new initiative, they powerful. By giving up their valuable time and coming in to the have to be the energy behind the idea. When the school leader school, from their work or studies, these mentors demonstrated supports something, it says to staff: ‘This is good, the head wants to the girls’ mothers that they, and their child, are worth the this, it fits with our school’s vision and she’s here with us.’” effort; worth giving up time for and worth investing in. In practical terms, Hazel supported the team of Mosaic “We’ve now seen the beginnings of peer mentoring from the mentors who went into Parkfield, ensuring a room was always mothers themselves at Parkfield; those who took part in last available for the mentoring, resolving any logistical issues year’s programme are encouraging the new intake. This is why that arose and providing invaluable encouragement to the the act of volunteering means so much.” mentors themselves. She adds: “A key aspect of leadership is being the motivator, If you would like to invite Mosaic into your school to support the driving force that makes things happen. I really wanted this your students, contact Kim O’Reilly, head of operations at programme to succeed, so I became the ‘go-to’ person to make Mosaic on kim.o’reilly@bitc.org.uk or 020 7566 8734. it work. Another key aspect of leadership is to know when to disappear. I made it happen, then let the more-than-capable team get on with it.” The role of the Mosaic mentors in the process at Parkfield cannot be overstated. Mentors came from a local housing assoMosaic website www.mosaicnetwork.co.uk Behind-the-scenes primary school mentoring bit.ly/LFmosaic ciation, a firm of architects and the civil service. There were Woman’s Hour on Mosaic primary mentoring bit.ly/LFmosaicR4 also three undergraduates. The mentors gave confidence to both Mentor Frahana Rashid’s blog bit.ly/LFmosaicblog
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FURTHER INFORMATION
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BUSINESS MANAGERS Members of the Stoke-on-Trent SBM Assocation: Gayle Palmer, Grahame Colclough, Lisa Lancaster and Mandy Colclough
A regular meeting of school business managers in Stoke-on-Trent puts suppliers on the spot as attendees combine forces for their schools. Peter Crush reports 42
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PHOTOGRAPHY: PETER CRUSH
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Strength in numbers “NO SEX TILL after April it is then,” declares one school business manager (SBM), mischievously, to her colleagues. To a chorus of polite laughter, the remark breaks the tension around a topic that is clearly worrying the group: illness insurance for staff on maternity leave. “We have three teachers – out of a school of 12 – on maternity leave,” recounts another. “It’s never been made clear to me what level of insurances we need to ensure that they – and us – are sufficiently covered.” She asks: “What is the fine detail around insurance protection and do we also need to cover the replacement staff?” The ensemble, of around 40 gathered at Burnwood Community Primary School, is the latest meeting of the Stoke-on-Trent SBM Association, a group school of business leaders and administrators in the North Staffordshire area who, right now, are on the hunt for answers to just one of the thorny issues they face. Being lightly interrogated is guest speaker Jo Taylor, business development manager from The Education Broker (an NAHT partner organisation) – which works with SBMs on the intricacies (and complexities) of staff absence insurance. The reason for the earlier exclamation is the speaker’s revelation that with some commercial insurance policies (those not paid by local authorities), staff who need illness cover
may find that they are not protected because of exclusion policies that require them to have been in the scheme for a whole year first. It’s detail like this that the eager crowd, which meets for half a day each term (soon to increase to a full day), digests hungrily and discusses immediately with their neighbour. It’s not difficult to see why. With each member responsible for the management of school budgets running into millions of pounds, reducing risk by ensuring their schools are compliant with employment law is just one area among many in their job descriptions that they simply cannot get wrong. The value of such meetings becomes obvious immediately. “Business managers are often the first port of call for head teachers,” says Grahame Colclough, SBM at Burnwood Community Primary School, chair of Stoke’s SBM Association and local executive member of NAHT. “With so much change happening it’s essential we congregate to share best practice, meet new suppliers and network for our own professional self-development,” he says. “Running a school like a business and our involvement at every stage of the school’s service means SBMs have never been more important.” A clear aim of this, and other regional meetings, is the credence it gives their role and the profile-raising it brings SBMs within their own schools. But it’s not just a talking E
EE “The benefit is being able to network without the local authority agenda – doing stuff that benefits us, and our schools” MANDY COLCLOUGH, SCHOOL BUSINESS MANAGER, ABBEY HULTON PRIMARY SCHOOL
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Grahame Colclough talks to Mandy Colclough
BUSINESS MANAGERS
W shop. What is also evident is that being an SBM is also a vocation, with improving their contribution to their school’s senior leadership team a clear priority of all the members. “What we care about most, is helping schools make savings, because every pound we save is a pound that can go straight back into the children,” explains Mandy Colclough (no relation), SBM at Abbey Hulton Primary School, Stoke-on-Trent. “There’s a sense that we’re all in NAHT believes that SBMs play a pivotal role in school life, usually undertaking this together too,” she adds. “None significant responsibilities. That is why membership was opened up to SBMs of us wants to reinvent the wheel in 2009. More than 1,000 now enjoy the benefits of NAHT membership and each time we do a project, so if – through a representative on NAHT’s national executive and also a school we’ve done something well, we feel business manager focus group – the association listens and consults about the it’s our duty to explain it to others, professional needs of SBMs. Where NAHT has a significant number of members, or give our peers in other schools it is seeking local recognition agreements with local authorities. The chair of the information they need.” the Stoke-on-Trent group, Grahame Colclough, is a member of NAHT, as are This collective responsibilseveral other members. ity doesn’t just extend to sharing Find out more at: bit.ly/sbmNAHT advice. The association is now strong enough, and critical enough of suppliers, to be able to have a real influence on who gets business from them in their area. is a bear pit that suppliers are queuing up to risk a mauling. It’s very much a case of suppliers beware – poor service, A product or service shown here can save suppliers months technical problems, issues to do with price and performance of doing demonstrations on the road. “We’ve got to the point are all discussed and shared, and those who have had probwhere we can charge suppliers to pitch to us now,” says Grahame. “For this meeting, I had to whittle down requests lems don’t mind sharing it. “Suppliers now know not to get up from about ten suppliers. “They realise the buying power our noses,” jokes Mandy. “We evaluate and choose suppliers our members have. They want to get in front of us.” not just on cost, but service,” she adds, and among the issues Joining The Education Broker at Burnwood is the Arena brought up at this meeting were why service levels with catering services were not up to standard, and how much Group – a supplier of electronic records management storage profit they were making from tuck-shop services to children. software. But, as Grahame explains, the pitch isn’t just for their purposes: “Suppliers are chosen deliberately because So valuable are the potential prizes, that the SBM meeting
WE SBMs and NAHT
EE “I was one of the first members, years ago when heads were less familiar with the role of support staff. I didn’t think the association would take off, but its impact has been so dramatic and positive” GAYLE PALMER, SCHOOL BUSINESS MANAGER, HAMILTON INFANT SCHOOL
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WE SBM statistics
90 per cent: The percentage of they can discuss topics that affect our members,” he says. “For us, the ability to tease answers out of experts on issues we’re grappling with is equally important.” Out of Arena’s presentation some data security issues emerged around BS10008 compliance – the increasingly important standard dictating the correct storage of pupil records, including what SBMs need to do to ensure their systems have the correct audit trail systems in place that would be admissible in a court of law. This includes everything from being able to ensure the data management system can record who makes amendments to documents, and when and who has the appropriate access to them. With the system on show costing £9,500 (with a £995 a year maintenance fee), it’s not money SBMs can find by putting their hand down the back of the staffroom sofa. But it is in relation to cost that the group is also evolving too – by slowly moving to practice a group buying model, able to collectively bulk-buy on behalf of members at reduced rates. Individually, members were already starting to do this. Jolene Page, school business partner, Our Lady’s RC Primary, Stoke-on-Trent, says: “I invited a number of SBMs together to look at a virtual learning system – and through this we were able to negotiate a 20 per cent discount.” As an official buying group, the SBM Association is starting its bulk-buying role in a small-scale way: “We’re starting with paper supplies,” explains Grahame, “including securing a deal for 100 per cent recycled and wood-free paper for members.” He adds: “Not only have we been able to reduce our buying costs, but finding a preferred supplier like this helps schools honour their environmental responsibilities. Wood-free paper doesn’t go damp if stored for a long time either.” Dealing with a few pence off the price of paper might appear to be an obsession with minutiae, but Grahame argues it’s this level of detail that makes the SBMs so valuable. “Our role is evolving all the time,” he says. “What we’re doing is showing the impact we can have on a school’s ability to function. It’s probably an underestimation to say we can take 30 per cent of a head teacher’s work away, and it’s small things like this that add up to the total impact SBMs make.” At the entirely other end of the scale, the meeting also featured the experiences of Teresa Phipps, school business director at The Coleshill School, who had been through the process of becoming an academy. Members were hit with the full tour de force of what this involved – everything from setting up governor working parties, dealing with the legal conversion process (including lease agreements, covenants, registering the trust as a business with Companies House), dealing with unions, re-checking and certificating CRB checks, revaluing the pension scheme (and getting members to increase their contributions to it by five
secondary school that now have access to an SBM
80 per cent: The percentage by which the benefits of the national SBM programme have exceeded the costs
52 per cent:
Of head teachers say their SBM has helped create greater community engagement
42 per cent:
The percentage of SBMs that have worked with local businesses to source extra income (Source: National College for Teaching and Leadership)
per cent), having to re-register with exam boards, rearranging insurances (as it was no longer supplied by the council), and outsourcing payroll and other services. “It’s an exhaustive process, but the overview you get of your school and the role you take in making the change is unbelievable,” Teresa said: “It’s hugely empowering too; it really puts the SBM at the heart of the school.” The good news is that membership of Stoke’s association (and others throughout the country), doesn’t purely depend on job title. “We’re not just open to fully-fledged SBMs,” says Grahame. “We want aspiring SBMs to learn too, and are open to business administrator roles and even senior administrative officer roles too.” Mandy adds: “Years ago, when I first started going to these events, our jobs were thought to be glorified bursars. Through the work of the association we’ve been able to reposition ourselves as being at the heart of school management. We’re collaborative, supportive and helpful to each other. We’re at the point where we only want the best for our schools.”
EE “In previous roles, I haven’t felt like I was part of the leadership team, but now I do” JOLENE PAGE, SCHOOL BUSINESS PARTNER, OUR LADY’S RC PRIMARY
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INTERFAITH WEEK
Safe and inclusive spaces allow students to share
National Interfaith Week takes place in November. Aisling Cohn of the Three Faiths Forum shows how schools can overcome religious insularity
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OFSTED’S RECENT REVELATION that more than half of English schools are failing students on religious education (RE) suggests that it’s time for leaders in education to take a close look at what makes good teaching on religion and belief. The report stated that in an increasingly globalised and multicultural environment, six out of ten schools are not realising the subject’s full potential. Ofsted’s report, Religious education: realising the potential, emphasised the subject’s importance in a multicultural context. At the Three Faiths Forum (3FF), a charity that works to create understanding between people of different faiths and beliefs, we have been aware of the dangers of not teaching the subject properly for years. Having worked in schools for the past eight years, we know that the humble RE lesson is one of the few forums that allows young people to take a close look at questions of identity, culture and belief, and the role they play in our society. The importance of examining these issues and developing confidence to interact across different cultures cannot be overstated in our diverse society. Not all teachers will have the necessary training or
PHOTOGRAPHY: 3FF
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WE Talking points When creating a safe and inclusive space for students to share, the following tips may be helpful: Seize the opportunity Listen carefully and actively
to whoever is speaking Show respect to the opinions,
beliefs and feelings of others Don’t speak for others and avoid
generalising “Oops!”/“Ouch!”- give
permission to young people to voice their feelings, eg: ‘Ouch that hurt!’ or ‘Oops! Can I please start that question again?’
experience to address these issues in a way that removes misconceptions and challenges stereotypes, rather than reinforces them. Equally important is the ability to instil in students an attitude of curiosity and openness, rather than fear and hostility, to cultural and religious difference. In order to equip young people with the skills for confident communication in an often complex and diverse world,
3FF trains volunteer speakers from a variety of backgrounds – including Jews, Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists and humanists – to go into schools and share a short snippet of their personal narrative. For the young people participating in the ‘encountering faiths and beliefs’ workshop, this may be the first time they have had an opportunity to meet and to ask a Jew, ‘what does it mean to be kosher?’ or to a Christian, ‘what are your views on sex before marriage?’ or indeed a humanist speaker about their views on life after death. A pile of dusty textbooks at the back of the classroom can’t do justice to these questions but a real-life encounter with somebody can. Young people can ask our speakers anything they like – no questions are off limits. We believe that even the most controversial questions often come from a place of genuine curiosity and have the potential to provide young people with great learning opportunities. Crucial to unlocking that potential is setting a ‘safe-space agreement’ and making people aware of the principle of ‘dialogue, not debate’, which encourages an attitude of understanding and curiosity rather than an adversarial interaction (see talking points, above). We also encourage our speakers to respond using ‘I’ statements, talking about what ‘I’ believe and do, and to avoid making generalisations about what ‘all Muslims’ or ‘Christians in general’ are like. We also teach speakers to include a spectrum of views in their answers, highlighting to young people the diversity that exists within traditions. Not all Jews, for instance, practise their faith the same way (if, indeed, they are religious at all). If we don’t highlight the human element, how people from a tradition relate to and practise their belief very differently, we may just end up E
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INTERFAITH WEEK THREE FAITHS FORUM Promoting positive attitudes: the faith school linking programme
W substituting one stereotype for another. We also recognise the importance of promoting these positive attitudes beyond the school gates. To achieve this, 3FF has been running a faith school linking programme for the past five years, working with more than 50 schools. This provides opportunities for school leaders, teachers, students and parents to get to know each other and work together. At a Catholic school in West London, where the intake of students is almost 100 per cent Catholic, the teachers were keen to develop partnerships with other local schools so that their students would meet others from different backgrounds. 3FF set up a link between them and a Sikh primary school last year. Teachers commented on how the link helped students to feel confident in their own identity, as they had the chance to share this with others for the first time, “outside their Catholic bubble”. Seeing the value of the partnership with the local Sikh school, the head teacher was adamant that all students from year five should be able to take part in this opportunity. 3FF then set up parallel links with a local Jewish and Muslim school this year. The students now have the opportunity to build friendships with students from all three backgrounds. We understand that this process isn’t always easy, but we must create the conditions that make positive relations possible. In these safe environments, teachers and young people can meet and work together on activities such as sport, music, drama or art. This allows for conversations and dialogue to begin, which encourages curiosity and respect among the young people participating. A year eight student told us recently: “I don’t really mix either at school or at home. Everything is provided through my mosque. So meeting others through this link really matters to me. My mum is really looking forward to hearing and learning from this project, too.” Parents have also been very positive: “It has been an extremely valuable experience for my son. It has really opened up his world and has taught him so much,” said one. Another stated: “These children will be adults and these adults will be in the world. Because of the school linking programme they will be able to engage comfortably and they won’t have all these fears and stereotypes.” National Interfaith Week takes place 17-23 November and at 3FF, we’re busily preparing for our annual head teachers breakfast at Parliament to discuss the role of school leadership in the context of interfaith and intercultural work.
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The Three Faiths Forum (3FF), works to create understanding between people of different faiths and beliefs. 3FF reaches more than 10,000 people each year in its work to build positive relations between communities and individuals at many levels of society. This includes teachers, students, artists and professionals, political leaders and upcoming leaders who are still at university. www.3ff.org.uk www.interfaithweek.co.uk
National Interfaith Week is 17-23 November, 2013
We work with school leaders from a broad spectrum of backgrounds and we recognise the crucial role they play in helping young people make sense of the often complex and diverse world we live in. As one primary head teacher told us last year: “The breakfast was an exciting and excellent opportunity to meet heads from other schools, to share thoughts and to clarify common issues arising in schools. It created a platform and a place to network with senior managers, to share ideas and to discuss the role of interfaith and intercultural activities in our schools. I personally think that this opportunity for heads to meet together will encourage harmony between our institutions, giving us the opportunity to support pupils under our care and help them understand different faiths and beliefs.” While National Interfaith Week only comes around once a year, 3FF’s schools department works year-round to develop and deliver programmes that help school leaders, teachers, parents and young people have those important conversations about faith, belief and identity.
Aisling Cohn is a former RE teacher and the schools manager at 3FF
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WHAT’S NEW WE T H E L A T E S T B O O K S A N D R E S O U R C E S
From my Heart By Dr Neil Hawkes. Crown House, £14.99 Dr Hawkes begins by inviting readers to draw a self-portrait in the blank space next to his photograph. “You see, this book is about more than just reading a text: it is about you and me and the relationship we can develop through the exploration of values which this book provides,” he writes. The book includes a variety of reflective exercises designed to get people thinking first about their own values and then about the ways in which they can implement valuesbased education. “This enables everyone involved to flourish personally, academically and socially,” he says. www.focus-education.co.uk
Science Learning Challenge Curriculum
If I was Big and Strong
By Clive Davies. Focus Education, £210
This is a digital book on the subject of bullying and friendship. It’s available as a Kindle ebook and an interactive Apple iBook. The story – in poem form – is that a little boy watches a bigger boy pushing other children around. He decides to write a letter to this boy, explaining to him that this display of meanness could make him lonely, and also to offer a hand of friendship. The book is intended to stimulate a discussion around the misuse and re-direction of power, which can be a difficult subject. It’s aimed at children aged five to eight. littleeric.co.uk/books
By Matt Pain. Little Eric Publishing, £2.49
This approach (book and CDrom) to delivering the curriculum has been described as being for ‘intelligent schools’. It requires teachers to create ‘wow’ moments and to invite children to think of their own questions to delve deeper into each theme. There are also regular opportunities to help children apply literacy and numeracy skills. The publishers claim every attempt has been made to bring science to life by taking starting points from the children’s context. www.learningchallenge curriculum.com
DIARY DATES World Science Day for Peace and Development
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
This day was created by Unesco and is held annually on 10 November. Its aim is to renew commitments to science for peace and development and to stress the use of science for the benefit of society. www.un.org/en/events/ scienceday
“I call on all governments to make good on their pledges to end all forms of violence against women and girls, and I urge all people to support this important goal,” says UN secretary-general Ban Kimoon, regarding 15 November. www.un.org/en/events/ endviolenceday/
World Toilet Day
World Aids Day
The press release for this 19 November diary date states: “World Toilet Day has become an important platform to demand action from governments and to reach out to wider audiences by showing that toilets can be fun and sexy as well as vital to life.” You have been warned. www.worldtoiletday.org
World Aids Day is held on 1 December each year and is an opportunity for people to support the fight against HIV. Around 100,000 are currently living with HIV in the UK and globally an estimated 34 million people have the virus. It’s estimated that more than 25 million people died have from Aids. www.worldaidsday.org
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WE T E L L U S A B O U T Y O U R S C H O O L We ’d love to share your stories with LF re a d e rs . Ema il Su s a n E educationhack@gmail.com
FINALLY… M
ission statements are almost obligatory these days, but how often are they mere statements, as opposed to being the school’s absolute mission? At a conference this summer, Robert Campbell, principal of Impington Village College in Cambridgeshire, managed to explain his school’s new underpinning framework in a threeminute TeachMeet session. Three months on, Robert has time for a fuller explanation of what’s been titled the Impington Experience (IE). It’s a highly visible presence in the school’s corridors and classrooms, with eye-catching posters outlining its seven principles: challenging, enjoy and engage, high expectations, excellent progress, inclusive, differentiated and clear direction. Each principle is supplemented by practical expectations. For example, ‘enjoy and engage’ means: “teaching and learning should be a pleasure for all. Excellent relationships, warmth and kindness underpin our practice. Classrooms are bright, tidy, cheerful and orderly.” It’s equally clear for a new year seven student as for the most experienced head of department. And it’s not just words, the IE underpins both lesson observations and the new pay and performance policy. Robert explains that while a 2012 Ofsted inspection had rated Impington as ‘good’, with 30 per cent of lessons ‘outstanding’, a further 30 per cent were ‘satisfactory’, with, a “lack of challenge and progress”. So, when the new vice-principal for teaching and learning arrived in January, he set to work with interested teachers to create a framework for lessons based on – but not confined by – the official teaching standards. Robert says: “Together, they came up with a draft for consultation, people fed back, they consulted further, shaped it more, and got it to the point where it was a fairly full set of statements about what we want in each of the lessons, what students should have and what teachers should aspire to teach. Then, we put up posters [see right] and gave it a big marketing push around the college.” That wasn’t all. Lesson observations don’t cite the Ofsted framework, but IE standards instead. Evaluation forms check teaching against
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SUSAN YOUNG
MISSION: POSSIBLE the seven principles and feedback concentrates on this. “At the time staff were getting feedback, it coincided with changes to pay, so we said let’s go a step further and actually include the IE in our new pay policy,” adds Robert, pointing out that teachers have been involved fully throughout. “From next year, if they want to be on the upper scale, their teaching will need to be outstanding in terms of IE principles. We’ve reached the stage where we’ve got a series of statements that live and breathe in classrooms, underpin feedback, lesson observations, evaluations of teaching and learning. And it’s linked to pay progression as well.”
‘Not just guff’ However, as Robert concedes, this is an innovation that will take time to bed in. “With time, we’ll find out where it’s going, and whether engagement and enjoyment are high across the school and by faculty. There will be analysis of feedback from lessons, students and lesson observations, then development and refinement will follow.” So, has Impington ‘borrowed’ the current political doctrine that policies should be conveyed through a ‘story’ to engage with voters? “It might have been at the back of our minds,” says Robert. “I’m an English teacher, so I find it natural to tell stories. I didn’t want it ending up like the posters you see in a waiting room, that are just a lot of guff. I wanted to make it a more potent and an established part of what we do in school rather than just more messages. “We thought we were creating a framework but it’s more powerful than that, and that’s what’s exciting. We can be really positive that this is what we’re about as a team.”
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Implementing the changes; improving outcomes
Supported by
Special schools, specialist and alternative provision conference Implementing the changes; improving outcomes
Thursday 20 March – Friday 21 March 2014 The Hinckley Island Hotel, Leicestershire Twelve topical and practical seminars led by acknowledged specialists
Following the success of this year’s event, NAHT’s 2014 conference for special schools and mainstream schools with specialist provision will examine the key issues, challenges and opportunities that will affect the delivery of special educational need and disability services for years to come. In direct response to feedback the conference will provide an opportunity to network with colleagues, share good practice and debate issues that you are currently facing. The conference is aimed at school leaders and SENCOs from all schools and academies – mainstream, special, independent, residential, PRUs and alternative providers.
Eminent and respected keynote speakers include: O O
Professor Barry Carpenter OBE O Dan Beadle Dr Rona Tutt OBE O Russell Hobby
Visit www.naht.org.uk/send2014 for the latest information and to book your place
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