leadership focus may 2016 issue 73

THE MAAAGAZINE FOR NAHT AND NNNAHT EDGE MEMBERS

Leadingthe WayAspire – from pilotto national project

FOCUS

Inside InsteadThe road to successfulevaluation

Perfect partnersBuilding relationshipswithin the community

The funding voteReferendum impactsfor EU money

Issue 73 / May 2016 / £5

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LEADERSHIP FOCUS | MAY 2016OPIN

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ASSOCIATION AND EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES

NAHT and NAHT Edge1 Heath Square, Boltro Road, HaywardsHeath, West Sussex RH16 1BLwww.naht.org.ukwww.nahtedge.org.ukTel: 0300 30 30 333

Editorial Strategy Board:Christine Milburn, Nick Brook, Tony Draper,Lesley Gannon, Steven George, David Gilmore,Nicky Gillhespy, Magnus Gorham, ChrisHarrison, Russell Hobby, Kim Johnson,Gail Larkin, Helena Macormac, StephenWatkins, Paul Whiteman and Rob Williams

@nahtnews#NAHT2016

TONY DRAPER: NAHTpresident 2015/16

Let’s work togetherll too quickly my year as presidentis drawing to a close. It hasbeen inspiring and while I’m

keen to get back into my school andsee the children again, there seems somuch unfinished business. So I wishour new president, Kim Johnson everysuccess as he takes up the post I’veproudly held for the past 12 months.

The ‘to do’ list is a long one, but let’s startat ‘A’ with ‘academies’ and ‘assessment’.The government’s plan to turn all schoolsinto academies by 2022 creates risks andopportunities for all of us. Let’s be clear –NAHT supports any school that chooses totake this route. The key thing is the elementof choice. My school is converting at themoment and Kim’s school is already anacademy. But forcing all schools to convertis wrong. It won’t be appropriate for everyschool, and it won’t guarantee successin the ways the government says it will.

Most of the schools that will be forcedto convert are primary schools. And yet,over 80 per cent of primaries are alreadyrated ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’. So whatproblem is conversion supposed to fixexactly? The plans have caused argumentsin Parliament, within the government andfrom its supporters. Many Conservativecouncillors and council leaders agreewith school leaders, teachers, parentsand governors. The government needsto convince us of the merits of its planif it wants our support. As things stand,they are not winning the argument.

In some respects, if all schools become

academies it will kill the government’sargument stone dead. Great schools willbecome great academies. But a changeof structure won’t address the realreasons why schools struggle – budgetcuts; the recruitment and retentioncrisis; accommodating rising numbers ofchildren in the same space; overworkedstaff; relatively low pay; and policyoverload. If full conversion happens, theseissues will still be unsolved. What willthe government do then? Will we haveto wait until 2022 for the answers?

NAHT’s message is to not rush in. Mostprimaries will want to retain their currentstatus, because they are already doing agood job. Don’t take actions you believe arewrong for your school. Instead, think aboutbuilding and strengthening your bondswith other schools. That will be essentialin the tough times ahead. There are manyother ways schools can collaborate andimprove that deserve to be acknowledgedand valued. We believe that our highlysuccessful Aspire programme now deservesgovernment recognition and support.

Assessment remains a major issue. It’sa mystery why the government wants toproceed with the debacle that this year’sKey Stage 2 SATs have become. Despitethe mess, we’ve maintained a reasonableposition on assessment and we’ve workedhard to help the DfE see sense and changetack. We achieved a change of date forthe submission of Teacher Assessment,an agreement that data can change upto 30 June, and that schools will get

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Member of the Audit Bureauof Circulation: 28,060(July 2014–June 2015)

EDITORIAL TEAMEditor: Nic PatonPublisher: David Gale

SALES DIRECTORIan CarterTel: 0207 183 1815

Leadership Focus is published on behalf ofNAHT by Headlines Partnership PublishingLtd, Headlines MediaHub, Radian Court,Knowlhill, Milton Keynes MK5 8PJ.

www.headlines.uk.comTel: 01908 393303Email: [email protected]

ISSN: 1472-6181© Copyright 2016 NAHT

All rights reserved: no part of this publicationmay be copied or reproduced, stored in aretrieval system or transmitted in any form orby any means including electronic, mechanical,photocopy, recording or otherwise without theprior written permission of the publisher. Whileevery care has been taken in the compilation ofthis publication, neither the publisher nor NAHTcan accept responsibility for any inaccuracies orchanges since compilation, or for consequentialloss arising from such changes or inaccuracies, orfor any other loss, direct or consequential, arisingin connection with information in this publication.Acceptance of advertisements does not implyrecommendation by the publisher.

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

Tony Draper

adequate notice of moderation visits. Theexpected standard is the equivalent of a4b with no need to use tick boxes nor theexemplification materials. In response toour demand for clarification, the Ministerwrote to Regional Schools Commissionersand Ofsted stating they should not makejudgements based on 2016 data alone.Without pressure from NAHT, thesechanges would not have happened.

We welcome the government’s promiseto work with the profession to considerits next steps, but we are clear that apiecemeal approach to individual tests willnot work. It’s what got us into this messin the first place. We need a coherentapproach to assessment from start to finishacross all ages, methods and subjects.

Please sign the NAHT Assessment Pledgeand help us keep up the pressure for change.

I hope you enjoy our new-look LeadershipFocus, and I wish Kim all the best as hetakes over the reins as president. I’m surehe’ll do a fantastic job for all of you.

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CONTENTS

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LEADERSHIP FOCUS | MAY 2016

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7 News roundupThe latest from acrossNAHT and NAHT Edge

10 Member benefitsMake the most ofNAHT’s services

12 Evaluating for the futureOur Instead peer-reviewservice goes fromstrength to strength

20 Aspiring to successWhat you say about the AspirePartner Schools Programme

27 Russell HobbyMessage from thegeneral secretary

28 AcademisationAre there any good ideasin the White Paper?

34 ConferenceThe lowdown on ourannual conference

38 Perfect PartnersOne school’s success storyin relationship building

42 The funding voteWhat would ‘Brexit’ meanfor schools accessingEuropean funding?

46 A legal viewNAHT senior solicitor SimonThomas takes a look atmembers’ legal support

48 Our new charity partnerIntroducing the Familyand Childcare Trust

52 Your professionaldevelopmentA comprehensive round upof the best CPD around

54 The final wordThe coastal school withhigh aspirations

Contents

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COMMENT KIM JOHNSON: incoming president

Leading the way

s you read this, I will still besettling into the first few days ofmy new role as NAHT national

president. For the next 12 months,I will be working with our branches inEngland, Wales and Northern Ireland,meeting as many members as possible,discussing the key challenges we faceand aiming to keep NAHT at the centreof the education debate. The themeof this year is ‘leading the way’. This isboth a rallying call to our 29,000-strongmembers who are active in school anda direct challenge to government tofinally stop tinkering with education.Leaders should lead, so teacherscan teach and children can thrive.

Whether you are currently in themidstream of tests, exams and teacherassessment, or are empathising withyour former colleagues from yourposition of retirement, what unites usis our mutual commitment to NAHTand our drive to making it a successfulvoice in education. We have boththe skills and the obligation to makesense of the system, to challenge therhetoric and nonsense, and then to poseanswers using examples of the bestpractice we have within our ranks.

The Aspire school improvementservice, our Instead alternative

inspection scheme, and our life-chances project, Primary Futures, areall evidence of our ability to do thissuccessfully. We are taking ownershipof standards in education by focusingon positive solutions and actions,rather than negative complaint.

It will be an interesting year for uswith the academy programme beingpushed so strongly by the DfE and RSCs.Some of you will have concerns overthe best way forward. While changesto school structures alone can’t solveeverything, we know that there aresome excellent practitioners withinour membership who run extremelysuccessful MATs and standaloneacademies, as well as those who have,in partnership with LAs, set up freeschools to add provision to their localcommunity. We need to embrace theirknowledge and working practices, to seehow their professionalism complementsthe provision within a community ratherthan cause competition that may wastescarce resources. There are also othermodels of school collaboration that areworking very well and these too needto be heralded and then explored.

In short, we know how we can makeschools work, so we should not shy fromrising to this new challenge. We can

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Kim Johnson

Our challenge this year isto ensure we do all we canto provide opportunities inour educational system thatrelease potential in all children

lead the way by shaping them to meetthe needs of our diverse communitiesin cities, rural and coastal areas. It’sabout getting the very best educationaland life opportunities for children andyoung people – particularly those withpersonal challenges and disabilities.

Throughout my career the focushas been taking on anything that issecond best and pursuing outcomesthat raise aspirations and create aplace for all in our educational system.One of my 17-year-old students witha learning disability once said tothe Children’s Commissioner, afterthumping the table enthusiastically,“Look! We just wanted to be treatedthe same as everyone else!”

His plea for an equitable systemand the opportunity to thrive andbecome a worthy citizen in the MedwayTowns was very clear, and passionatelyexpressed. We all have such childrenand young adults in our care. Ourchallenge this year is to guarantee wedo all we can to provide opportunitiesin our educational system that releasepotential in all children, whicheversector or stage of learning they are in.This is the approach I have held dearwhen working with some of our mostvulnerable learners in schools andacademies. It is the same drive thatbrought me into teaching and, after38 years, it is still as strong as ever.

I am looking forward to meeting youas I visit branches, regions and individualsettings this coming year. The joy ofevery day in our profession is that oflearning something new and of beingin the presence of those generousin spirit. Our commitment is to theireducation and to our local communities.

Enjoy this issue of Leadership Focus.

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LEADERSHIP FOCUS | MAY 2016NEW

SROUNDUP

e’re very pleased to welcome James Bowen,who started his post as director of NAHTEdge in early April. James has swapped from

being a school leader to leading NAHT Edge. He waspreviously head teacher of a successful school inHampshire and has held many leadership positionsincluding subject leader, deputy head and SENCo,so he really understands the issues that matter tomiddle school leaders. When we caught up with himin his busy first few days he said: “I’m delighted tohave been appointed as the new director of NAHTEdge. I’m really looking forward to meeting membersaround the country and hearing their views on how Ican best represent and support them. Their opinionswill be crucial in shaping our future direction.”

You can read James’s take on the government’sWhite Paper on page 32.

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Welcome newNAHT Edge directorJames Bowen

CHANGES TO OURNEWSLETTERS

Do you currently receiveone of our NAHT linkse-newsletters? We’ll soonbe changing our emailcommunications so all NAHTmembers receive a weeklyemail from us. These will stillfeature the latest news andinformation relevant to you.

This is part of our ongoingtransformation to improvehow we reach members.More news soon on how wewill improve other aspects ofour digital communication.

THE LATEST FROM ACROSS NAHT AND NAHT EDGE

GUIDELINES ON SBMS’PAY AND GRADING

New NAHT advice on payand grading is now availableonline to help our schoolbusiness managers (SBMs) getthe most out of local authoritypay evaluation frameworks. Aspart of the senior leadershipteam, SBMs deserve to receivesimilar pay and benefitspackages as other schoolleaders. This new advice willalso help heads to negotiateSBMs’ pay and job evaluationswith local authorities. Formore information, log on towww.naht.org.uk.

NEWS INBRIEF

IF YOU HAVE A NEWS STORY TO SHARE THEN CONTACT THE EDITOREmail: [email protected]

Students turned away frommental health servicesAlmost a quarter of students are being declined access to child and adolescent mentalhealth services (CAMHS), according to the CentreForum’s ‘State of the nation’ report.

Despite these cases being referred by concerned parents, GPs and teachers,23 per cent were rejected because the students’ conditions weren’t deemed to beserious enough or suitable for specialist mental health treatment.

NAHT Edge director James Bowen said: “Teachers and SENCos are in a keyposition to recognise mental health difficulties in the children they work with. Theymust be able to refer pupils to appropriate services for support.

“But all too often thresholds are set too high for referrals to be accepted, andwaiting times for services are excessive, leaving schools trying to support and managepupils’ mental health issues as best they can.

“School staff aren’t the qualified counsellors, psychologists and therapists thatthese children require, and school budgets can’t stretch to fund these services to theextent they’re needed.”

Get in touch and share your thoughts on this month’s news via the email [email protected]

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NEW

SROUNDUP

ducation and ChildcareMinister Sam Gyimah hasgiven Primary Futures

a resounding endorsement.Primary Futures is a jointinitiative of NAHT and Educationand Employers, a charity thatconnects volunteers with schoolsto talk to pupils about their job,career and the education route

Primary Futures getsgovernment recommendation

they took to get there. PrimaryFutures directly targets youngchildren in primary schools tosow the seeds of inspiration intheir early years. In a speechat the FASNA (Freedom andAutonomy for Schools NationalAssociation) conference SamGyimah said: “The governmentrecognises the importance of

exposing pupils to the world ofwork from an early age. That iswhy the government welcomesprogrammes such as PrimaryFutures that help to broaden theaspirations of young people froman early age.” You can find outmore about Primary Futures onthe NAHT website orwww.primaryfutures.org.

Now in its third year, the InspiringLeadership Conference will bereturning this summer to enthuseand galvanise school leaders fromaround the country. The eventhas been a runaway success inprevious years, and this year aimsto be no different, with WilliamHague, Matthew Syed and Dr BenGoldacre being just a few of thespeakers confirmed for 2016.

We hope you decide to join usfrom 15 to 17 June in Birmingham.Visit www.inspiringleadership.orgto book your place for theeducational event everyone’stalking about.

Top right: Matthew Syed, writer andOlympian. Above: Lord Hague of Richmond.

Inspiring Leadership Conference

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AHT recently supportedthe Education ResourcesAwards, which took place

on Friday 18 March in Birmingham.The awards, now in their 18thyear, celebrate the quality anddiversity of educational resources,establishments, teachers andthe most dedicated members of

Success at theEducationResources Awards

Developing Great Teaching ConferenceOur brand new conference for middle and senior leaders in the primary sector isheading your way. Working with the Teacher Development Trust and Oxford UniversityPress, we are bringing together school leaders and internationally renowned expertsto examine what constitutes effective professional development for teachers and whatapproaches lead to sustained school improvement.

Taking place in Cardiff on 21 June and again in London on 23 June, the conferenceis jam-packed with topical training, fringe meetings and opportunities to network withyour peers. Inspirational speakers include Joanna Hall, deputy drector for Schools atOfsted; Philippa Cordingley, chief executive of CUREE; Vivienne Porritt, director of schoolpartnerships UCL Institute of Education; and Professor Sam Twiselton, director of SheffieldInstitute of Education. Register your place today by visiting www.oxfordprimary.co.uk.

STUDENT OF THEYEAR AWARDS

Supported by the DfE,BIS, Mayor of Londonand various educationorganisations, thesenationwide awards celebratethe achievements ofstudents (aged between 16and 17) across a range ofacademic and vocationalsubjects. Entries can beput forward by any teacheror tutor. Deadline for 2016entries is Friday 24 June. Allshortlisted students, plustheir nominating teacherand a parent or guardian,are invited as guests to theawards ceremony, which isbeing held in September.Discover more about theawards and how to enteryour students by visitingwww.studentoftheyearawards.com.

FREE RESOURCESFOR TEACHING STEM

The National STEM LearningCentre houses the UK’slargest collection of STEMteaching and learningresources, providingteachers of STEM subjectswith free access to a widerange of high-qualitysupport materials. We arepleased to announce we willbe contributing to the STEMLearning Centre’s e-libraryby sharing our 2014report on assessment. Theonline eLibrary currentlyholds more than 10,000resources in fully searchablecollections. Take a look atwhat’s available atwww.stem.org.uk/resources.

NEWS INBRIEF

the industry. The two categorieswe supported were ‘EducationalEstablishment of the Year,’ which waswon by Parkfield Community Schoolin Birmingham, and the ‘Leadershipin Education’ award, which waspresented to Judith Carlisle, headteacher at Oxford High School.Congratulations to all the winners.

Below: HazelPulley (centreright) acceptsthe EducationResources Awardfor EducationalEstablishmentof the Year onbehalf of ParkfieldCommunity School.

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GOT AN IDEA FOR A FEATURE? THEN CONTACT THE EDITOREmail: [email protected]

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MEMBER

BENEFITS

For adviceCall 0300 30 30 333 and select 1

Email [email protected]

Monday-Thursday 8.30am-5.30pm,Friday 8.30am-5.00pm

24/7 personal and professionalcounselling helpline Call 0800 917 4055

Please remember to have your membershipnumber to hand when you contact us

Making the most ofyour membership

he full value of yourmembership goeswell beyond first-class

representation, support andprofessional counsel – although, initself, the depth and wealth of theadvice our expert advisers give tothousands of members every year isworth the cost of membership alone.

As well as the rich range ofservices provided centrally fromheadquarters – like legal advice,union representation, policyupdates and campaigning – thereis a huge amount of help availableto you at a grass-roots level.

NAHT and NAHT Edge membersare known for being supportiveof each other, and for workingtogether to achieve change.

With nearly 1,000 NAHT layofficials at work in all local authoritiesaround England, Northern Irelandand Wales, there is always supportimmediately to hand when youneed it. The majority of them areactively working in schools andcolleges, just like you, and othersare recently retired. So they reallydo understand the current issuesyou come across in your classroom,staffrooms and outside theschool gates. And they know thepersonalities in your local authorityand regional school board, as well asthe particular social and economicmake-up of your local area.

Collectively we’re a dynamiccommunity of school leaderswhose voice is heard and respectedby policymakers at the highestlevel of government. Here aresome of the ways our membersare benefiting from our influenceat all phases of education.

PrimaryFortified by members’ support ofthe Assessment Pledge, NAHT’scampaigning has significantlybenefited school leaders, teachersand pupils in primary educationby easing the impact of changesto teachers’ writing assessment atkey stage 2 for 2016. Our lobbyingresulted in the Department forEducation making three majorchanges to the rushed proposals.The deadline was returned to June,intervention will not be determinedby 2016 data alone, and weachieved written clarification ofexemplification materials. Wealso secured an instruction fromthe government that will preventregional school commissionersand local authorities from issuing

warning notices on the basis ofwriting results. And to be sure,we’ve created a scripted responsethat primary heads can follow ifchallenged by local authorities.

SecondaryOur campaigning inthe secondary sector isgoing to boost the futureprospects of thousandsof GCSE, AS and A Levelstudents by giving teachersa second opportunityto help them achievetheir best possible examresults. As a direct result ofNAHT’s contributions to aconsultation on final entriesto legacy exams, Ofqual hasagreed to allow students toresit legacy A and AS levels,regardless of the subject.And at GCSE level, studentswill be allowed two resits ofEnglish, English Languageand Maths, and one resit ofother legacy subjects.

Special educationneeds and disabilityWith the introduction of the SENDcode of practice in 2015, SENCOshave a strategic role in schools,often as part of the school’ssenior leadership team and middleleaders. To make sure our SENCOmembers remain up to date withthe latest SEND legislation andOfsted expectations, we havecreated a series of specialisedtraining courses and eventsincluding our popular annualSEND conference. We also workedwith the children’s mental healthcharity, Place2Be, during Children’sMental Health Week earlier thisyear, to raise awareness of thestate of primary school-based

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ARE YOU making the most of all the benefits thatcome with your NAHT and NAHT Edge membership?

Life and associate membershipMembership doesn’t have to end when you retire or leave the profession.Life members and professional associate members are entitled toretrospective legal support and representation for their career while afull member. They also continue to benefit from collective representation,access to the counselling and support line, and all the partnership offers,advice and publications available to full members.

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Membership gives you

National collective representation on behalfof senior and middle leaders at all phasesof education

Accurate advice on pay, conditions andoccupational pensions

Specially created CPD training programmes,conferences and events at preferential rates

Offers from carefully selected partnerorganisations at competitive rates, for school andindividual member services

Advice on education, management andemployment issues

Individual support and representation

Access to a 24/7 counselling and support line.

Membership gives your school

• Access to continually updated, topical and relevantresources and information about educationpractice, policy and research on the NAHT andNAHT Edge websites

• Print and digital publications and a library of onlineresources, including model policies

• Advice on education policy-making across all phasesof education.

Find out more

ADVICE www.naht.org.uk/advicefaqs

TAILORED TRAININGwww.naht.org.uk/tailoredtraining

CONFERENCES AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTwww.naht.org.uk/events

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENTwww.nahtaspire.co.uk

PARTNER OFFERS www.naht.org.uk/nahtpartners

NAHT EDGE www.nahtedge.org.uk/join

provision available to children withmental health problems, based onthe results of a member survey.

School businessmanagersWe believe that school businessmanagers (SBMs) and schoolbursars, with their specialisedcommercial and financial expertise,are critical to a school’s success.So it’s only right they shouldreceive similar pay and benefits toother senior school leaders. Butmany SBMs are still paid under thearrangements for local authoritystaff, not the ranges used forschool leaders. To correct this,we have created detailed adviceto help head teachers and SBMsnegotiate with local authorities toensure SBMs receive the salariesand recognition they deserve.

NAHT EdgeNAHT Edge was created tomeet the specific needs ofmiddle leaders who are jugglingclassroom responsibilitieswith management duties. Weprovide online advice and unionrepresentation that’s beentailored for middle leaders, togive them the peace of mind thatcomes from full union protection.Targeted policy updates, research,newsletters and blogs cover allthe issues that really matter formiddle leaders. And our tailoredprofessional development coursesand events provide valuableopportunities for middle leadersto network with peers, gainthe skills they need to workmore effectively in their currentrole, and support their careerdevelopment to senior leadership.

Every month we givephone advice and supportto 1,000members

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EVALU

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Insteadevaluating for the future

hree years ago, NAHTgeneral secretaryRussell Hobby launched

Instead, the NAHT School Reviewprogramme, with a passionateaddress to conference.

“Schools dance to Ofsted’stune but don’t really learnfrom the experience – theyare too busy defendingthemselves against it and thenrecovering,” he told delegates.

“Through Instead, heads andsenior management will be offereda chance to take ownershipof standards by inviting stafffrom other schools to challengetheir judgements and plans.”

Scroll forward, and the deepmisgivings felt by many schoolleaders about the politicisation ofthe inspection process under SirMichael Wilshaw, and the effectof this on professional moraleand educational performance,have not gone away. If anything,with the government reportedlylooking to the US and a freeschools advocate to be Ofsted’snext chief inspector, theseconcerns appear set to deepen.

More positively, Instead has notgone away and, in fact, is now setto step up a gear. The programmehas been running in pilot formever since Russell’s announcementand is now poised to be rolled outnationally, including in Wales andNorthern Ireland. And, although thepilots – some 30 schools in regionalclusters around the country – haveuntil now solely been primaries, thenational model will be appropriatefor secondaries as well.

As NAHT executive directorJohn Herriman explains: “Thefeedback from the pilots hasbeen hugely positive with thepeer-to-peer approach of Insteadbeing popular. Just because it ispeer-to-peer does not mean it

Tis a ‘soft’ approach; if anythingit is a more challenging result.

“Instead is the professionstepping up to the challengesbeing placed on schools as aresult of all the changes currentlygoing on in the sector.

“Our aim is for about 80-100 schools to go through theprogramme this year. It will bean incremental growth approachbecause we want to make sure wedo not lose the quality and rigourof the programme,” he adds.

Dr Ellie Johnson Searle,former NAHT programmemanager, stresses that, despiteits name, Instead should notbe seen by school leadersas instead of Ofsted.

“It is as well as; it is aboutproviding clear feedback fromyour peers. Whereas Ofsted is

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often about limiting judgementson this and on that, with Insteadit is about the full picture foryour school,” she says.

“It can apply to any schoolin England, Wales or NorthernIreland, so we are keen for schoolsin all three countries to comeforward and ask how it might workfor them. It is about offering a wayof regularly checking where youare as a school against a rangeof performance measures, acrossthe whole school; it is also not justabout assessment, it is about yourwider community relations, too.”

So, what is Instead andhow does it work? And,importantly, how might it workfor you and your school?

The £2,000 programme (seethe panel overleaf for a fulleroutline of Instead) is a peerreview and self-review processcarried out by schools in clusters(normally three). School leaders

visit each school in their cluster,interrogating and questioning eachschool’s strengths and weaknesses,with the whole process beingoverseen by a lead reviewer.

The process normally takesplace over the period of a termor more, and a bespoke 12-pagereport with action points is thendrawn up that each school canuse to help them drive forwardand sustain real improvement.

“The main benefit of Instead,to my mind, is that it is non-judgemental peer review; it isabout mutual respect, that eachschool is looking out for the other,”outlines Julie Nash, until lastSeptember head of Cape CornwallSchool at Land’s End and now alead reviewer for the programme.

“There are no overall judgementsor limited judgements; it is justabout your own school and theself-evaluation that you see inyour school.

Left: head teacherPaul Kilgallon haswelcomed beingpart of the WestMidlands pilot.

Above: headteacher TraceyColes has givenher backing toInstead.

What underpinsthe Instead programme isthe knowledge, experienceand expertise that sitswithin the profession; wewant the profession tobemore proactive about

‘owning’ this

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What is the Instead(NAHT School Review)programme?The Instead programmeis a peer review processthat aims to provide schoolleaders with an alternativeway of evaluating schoolstrengths and vulnerabilities.The process is entirelyseparate from Ofstedand participation is notdependent on your school’scurrent Ofsted grading.

It is intended to providea constructive alternative toother forms of inspection,supporting school leaders asthey evaluate their school’sstrengths and vulnerabilities.

What’s the differencebetween Ofstedand Instead?NAHT School Review is apeer-review process andmore of a partnershipapproach. It focuses on schoolperformance and, rather thanassigning a grade as Ofsteddoes, the outcome will beto signpost which aspectsof the school need to be:• Prioritised• Developed• Maximised• Sustained.

Evidence is provided tosupport and illustrate thefindings. Self-evaluation andreflection are key aspects ofthe review and report writingexercise. There is no overallgrade and it does not replacethe Ofsted inspection cycle.

Whowill I bedealing with?There are five key roles withinthe review process. These are:• Reviewer. Each schoolleader will assume therole of a reviewer in otherschools in their cluster.

• Lead reviewer. This willbe a person trained tooversee each review.

• Cluster representative.This will be a person toprovide local co-ordinationand additional support andguidance for school leaders

• Programmemanager. Theprogramme manager co-ordinates the administration.

• Programme board. Thisis an NAHT group thatoversees the programmeincluding the design andquality of delivery.

What will happenwhen I take part?Using a specially designedreview framework,

participants will:• Audit their own schoolusing a self-review form.This is an audit tool to helpinform discussions duringeach school’s review.

• Work in their cluster(usually three schools).They will then take itin turns to review oneanother’s schools.

• This means your schoolwill be reviewed and, inturn, be a reviewer. Everycluster also works withthe external lead reviewer,ensuring an independentperspective on the reviews.

Each review takes two days,plus some additional time todiscuss, draft and agree thereport. Schools negotiate thetiming of each review withthe lead reviewer and othercluster members. Overall,most clusters take justover one term to competea full cycle of reviews.

How do I make suremy review doesn’tclash with Ofsted?Once you have organised yourreview dates, you are advisedto make a scheduling requestto Ofsted. You can notify themof the dates of the review andask them not to schedule anOfsted visit on those days.

Who is the report for?The report is for the headteacher. It is their decisionwhether or not to share thereport with the governorsand/or the wider schoolteam or anyone else. Yourreport will only be read by:• The review team• You and anyone elseyou choose to sharethe report with

• The team at NAHT (as partof the evaluation and qualityassurance process), but noreports will be published.

Will I be trained?Yes. NAHT provides allschool leaders taking partwith training and all thenecessary documentation.

What does it cost?Participation in theprogramme costs £2,000.As participation is voluntary,no funding is available.

Instead is currently beingpiloted across the Midlands,the Isle of Wight andNorthern Ireland, but it is nowset to be rolled out nationally.

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

“It can be a very honest androbust evaluation – it is certainlynot a ‘warm bath’ and it can lead tosome quite difficult conversations.The idea is to be testing thatself-evaluation, but it is abouthonesty and peer review; it isabout respect of your peers. Youdo not usually get to see things asother people see them, with fresheyes and a fresh perspective.

“We tend to see a process ofcross-fertilisation between thethree schools that are workingtogether, even though they willall have different situations.It is also good for ongoingrelationships,” she explains.

Julie predicts the nationalprogramme is going to be popularamong NAHT members, especiallysecondaries. “I do not think thereis going to be a shortage ofparticipants. If anything the big issueis likely to be capacity. The structurefor secondaries is almost identical;there have just been a few minortweaks with the framework to makeit more relevant to secondaries.

“I’d strongly recommend anyschool leadership team, if you havean opportunity, to take part. It isa rigorous process and, in fact, Ireally wish it had been availablewhen I was leading my ownschool in Cornwall,” she adds.

A programme like Instead, basedas it is around a whole school

rather than individual members, isunusual for a trade union, concedesJohn Herriman. But in the currentclimate, and with the ongoingconcerns about the Ofsted-ledschool inspection regime, itis something NAHT has beenpassionate about getting rightand, now, embedding nationally.

“It is seen as representing verygood value for money by schoolsthat have taken part in the pilots;it is seen as generating verygood feedback,” he explains.

“This is new territory for atrade union, to get into schoolimprovement and support forschools rather than just supportfor individual members. But ourview is that the best form ofprotection for our members inthe current climate is for them tobe leading a successful school.”

“What underpins the Insteadprogramme is the knowledge,experience and expertise that sitswithin the profession; we want theprofession to be more proactiveabout ‘owning’ this,” enthusesNAHT deputy general secretaryKathryn James, echoing Russell’soriginal conference address.

“The profession has the right, andindeed the responsibility, to say ithas the experience and expertiseto report on and guide others; weknow what we are doing. So let’sget out there and do it,” she adds.

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CASE STUDYTracey Coles is head ofBlackwood Primary School inWalsall, West Midlands, whichhas 700 pupils.When we entttered the pilot, allthree of us within the Walsallcluster were dddeemed to be Goodschools, and we were betweenOfsted inspeccctions, Blackwoodhaving last beeeen inspected in 2011.

We had also had a localauthority minnni peer review, andI really liked ttthe philosophy ofwhat Insteaddd was offering; this isprofessional colleagues speakingtogether, aaalong with a leadreviewer. It is much more‘done wwwith’ rather than ‘doneto’ as yyyou tend to get withOfsteddd, which we can alsofind tooo be quite subjective.

TTThhheeere are elements ofOfsteddd that have merit,such aaas the self-evaluationframewwwork. But Instead’sframewwwork goes intothings in much greaterdepth. I got together with

the seniooor leadership teamand spent quite some time onit; we spent a day out of schooland quite a lot of twilight time togauge where we were againstthe main category areas.

Because it was three schoolsworking together, the level ofcandour and honesty broughtto the process was very high.With Ofsted you’re not goingto lay yourself bare, because

you’ll suddenly find you’rerequiring improvement or on theroute to academisation; there aretoo many political overtones.

With Instead it is just colleaguesworking together, so you canbe brutally honest; and it is adialogue not a pronouncement.I uncovered nuances I had notspotted before. For example, itbecame clear that some of theobservations senior leaders weredoing to support practice werecreating tension; there was a sensethat some senior leaders werestifling dialogue. It’s also led us toreview how we manage maternityleave and re-induction of staff.

They really did turn the schoolover, in a very open and honestway. I shared the findings ofthe report with the staff andgovernors, and it is now ‘our’document. The subjective views ofOfsted always get blasted around

This is so damngood I don’t knowwhyanyonewouldnotwant to do it

Above: assistanthead LucyMcFarlane andTracey spendtime with some oftheir 700 primaryschool children.

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the world and you have no come-back. So this, I feel, is somethingyou can use much more profitably.

The compiled report outlined theschool’s overall strengths, looked atour teaching and learning and whatit is about the school that enablespupils to be the best they can be.The language was constructive; itwas about identifying vulnerabilitiesrather than weak points, and theywere all framed as questions.

For example, one question raisedwas whether our targets for childrenwere being regularly shared, used,reviewed or fed back? Then, therewere some recommended actionsand suggestions about how we mightwish to develop that. As a result, wehave reviewed our age-appropriate

Below andright: Pauland deputyhead BarbaraBritton in theclassroom.

Above: assistantheads LucyMcFarlane andBecky Barber,head teacherTracey Coles anddeputy headsEmma Masseyand LindsayCharles.

target setting, something we didduring an inset day last May.

I think this is a cracking system, Ireally do. I think it is something youcould carry out between Ofstedinspections to help you bringtogether a whole raft of schoolimprovement initiatives. Our localauthority operates a cluster model,with eight schools in each cluster.By using Instead, three of ourcluster have been drawn togethermuch more closely. It has broughtus together as leaders as well.

Give it another couple of years,and I would like to do it again.It goes beyond and further thanthe Ofsted model; it is just sodamn good I don’t know whyanyone would not want to do it.

The feedbackhas beenaboutimprovement foreverybody

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Paul and deputy head,Barbara Britton.

CASE STUDYPaul Kilgallon is head of StBarnabas CE First and MiddleSchool in Pershore, Worcestershire,which has 345 pupils.When you’re sitting around thetable with colleagues it is mucheasier to say “I am concernedabout this” or “can you tell me whatyou think about that?”; it can be avery open, honest conversation.

I wanted a system that wasgoing to offer a meaningfulapproach to school self-evaluation.I went along to an initialpresentation about the projectand liked what I heard. I discussedit with the governors and spoketo other heads of local schools inpretty similar situations to ours.

We’ve been part of the WestMidlands pilot, and what I’ve likedabout it has been that it’s a verypositive, much less confrontationalexperience. You always feel as ahead teacher that there are issuesyou want to explore and thingsyou want to improve, but whenyou have those conversationswith your local authority orOfsted, it is often on a defensivefooting because you are tryingto justify what you are doing.

We had two days in each other’sschools, which meant six days outof school altogether. Prior to eachschool visit, we all completed aself-evaluation matrix. This was anopportunity to evaluate our school

against wide-ranging criteria andidentify the supporting evidencefor our decisions. It also allowedus to identify areas that could be afocus during visits to our schools.

Our approach has changed inseveral aspects as a result. Wefound that many of the areas forimprovement were shared acrossthe three schools. As a result,we have conducted a series oflesson studies across differentyear groups; implemented moreCPD for staff; we have looked atsharing policies around thingslike marking and our approachto feedback to pupils.

We have also been looking atparticular year groups acrossall three schools too, and how

we might do more CPD andmoderation together. I amsure the network relationshipthat has built up between theschools is going to continuemoving the school forward.

Being part of Instead hasgiven us a much more in-depthperspective of what we are doing,in a non-threatening process. Thisis not Ofsted, and it does not feellike Ofsted. The feedback fromstaff has also been very positive.Staff say that it has not feltthreatening and that the natureof the feedback has been aboutimprovement for everybody. Theongoing nature of the processmakes it a powerful tool tosupport school improvement.

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FIND OUTMORE…The Insteadprogramme iscurrently beingrolled out in theWest Country.Following asuccessfulReviewer trainingsession in Exeterin February, 21schools are nowbeginning theInstead process.

LUCY MARRIOTT – MIDDLE LEADERIt helped me to be better prepared as asubject leader for Ofsted and I will feel moreconfident in a future inspection. It was a non-intrusive process and felt like more of a professionaldialogue with an exchange of good practice.

CASE STUDYInstead was developed duringthe tenure of former presidentBernadette Hunter, head of WilliamShrewsbury Primary School inBurton upon Trent, Staffordshire.

Her school has 680 pupils and35 staff teaching. It is rated Goodwith Outstanding features byOfsted, with its next inspectiondue this summer. Last monththe school completed its ownInstead review process, andBernadette has also acted as apeer reviewer for the programme.

The key thing for me is thatthis is something that has beendeveloped by the professionfor the profession. The NationalExecutive worked up the idea andthe concept of a challenging, peerreview, evidence-based process,based around our own framework,and it was piloted by the profession.

It has been adjusted andrefined but the main thing is thatit is a completely different kindof professional review, and verydifferent from Ofsted. Insteadreally gets under the skin of aschool. It does, of course, examinedata but it is not just about data.It focuses on the activities of thepupils and the way the schoolserves its families and community.

Another important point isthat Instead celebrates a school’sstrengths and its vulnerabilities.There is a balance to an Insteadreport that I feel is important.

Although for us the process hasbeen very recent, I found it verythorough and very robust. Theteaching staff also welcomed theopportunity to have a professionaldialogue with reviewers aboutthe quality of learning, withreviewers who were able to bringcurrent thinking around bestpractice to these discussions.Our staff overall I think foundit a very positive experience.

The review identified a numberof things we are strong on as aschool as well as things we couldmove forward on. And it has givenus a lot of detail to work from.

For example, like many schools,we have been doing a lot of workrecently around developing ourown assessment systems, and Ithink this is one area we will belooking to work on and embed.

Being a peer reviewer has been aprivilege. To be able to go into otherschools and see their practice is areally useful exercise in professionaldevelopment for any head teacher;it just gives you a wider perspective.

Our next Ofsted inspection isdue in July and it has given usgreater confidence about it. It willalso be interesting to see howInstead can be used as part of theinspection process, how being ableto provide evidence of professionaldevelopment in this way can feedinto that process. I think that’s goingto be a very interesting next step.

Heidi Elsmore is an inclusion leaderand NAHT Edge member at WilliamShrewsbury Primary School.Our school recently took part in theNAHT Instead pilot. Despite beingtold that the aim of this process wasto provide a constructive alternativeto other forms of inspection andnot to be worried about it, I wasslightly nervous, as were many of mycolleagues. However, we understoodthe purpose and ‘threw’ ourselvesinto the process as we always do!

Being part of the leadershipteam, we worked together tocomplete the audit, to look at thevarious aspects of the school anddecide whether we thought thesewere areas we had to developfurther or a strength of the school.

This in itself was an incrediblyvaluable activity to undertake inthat it highlighted the positives,which are always nice to seedown on paper and, as a fairlynew inclusion lead, it helped toguide me in the right direction tofurther develop my role and thesupport I offer in school. Whenwe took this tool to the rest of the

teaching staff, it was helpful tohear their views; this highlightedwhere we needed to work onconsistency across the school.

Our school was the first schoolout of the three to be reviewed.The lead reviewer and the otherheads met with all the staff onthe morning of the first day. Itwas reassuring to hear abouttheir roles in their schools andhow they were ‘doing the job’ andunderstood the challenges we face.

The two days flew by and thebuzz around school was wonderful!The review team were approachableand supportive, and any feedbackgiven was constructive. I was askedto meet with the team to talk aboutmy inclusion lead role and myscience leader role. At the end ofboth of these meetings I felt listenedto and enjoyed sharing my workin these areas. I could have almostdone with longer as I felt in somecases, I only skimmed the surface.

Overall, I found the process tobe extremely beneficial. I felt wewere happy to have discussions,be honest and simply be our‘best selves’. If the team identifiedsomething that we needed towork on, it was not viewed as acriticism, but simply support!

Since the review, I have arrangedto meet up with the science leaderin one of the other schools tooffer my support and our staff arevisiting other schools to see ‘howthey do it’. This is a process thathelps us grow and learn, one thatall schools would benefit fromand not one to be nervous about.I would definitely do it again!

If you are interested inbecoming involved too pleasevisit the NAHT websitewww.naht.org.uk/naht-instead/

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If I’m being honest, I wasinitially quite cynicalabout it – I thought

‘what is this going to bring usthat we are not already doing?’.But it’s been one of the bestinitiatives I’ve ever done.”

So says Harriet Phelps-Knight,head of Janet Duke PrimarySchool in Basildon, Essex. Whatis it that has got such a ringingendorsement from a level-headed,highly experienced educationprofessional? The NAHT’s AspirePartner Schools programmethat, after being piloted in selectclusters of schools around thecountry, is set to be rolled outacross England, Wales andNorthern Ireland from April.

The association’s flagship schoolimprovement programme has,to an extent, simply been testingthe water for the past three years,with 32 Requires Improvement (RI)primary schools in four geographicalareas feeling their way and findingout what it might be able to do forthem. However, the programme isdesigned for all schools whatevertheir level of school performanceand is not exclusive to thoserequiring improvement.

The results have been startling,as the latest evaluation of theprogramme by Derby Universityhas made clear (see panel onpage 26). Nearly two thirds (63per cent) of the pilot schools hadbeen inspected by Ofsted duringthe pilot period and been upratedto ‘Good’, with more predicted tofollow suit.

Pilot schools also reportedtwice the improvement ofschools nationally for both

Aspiring tosuccess

21


progress and attainment, withgains comparable to those foundin sponsored academies.

The ambition now is to roll outthe programme to as many as100 schools, both primaries andsecondaries, across England,Wales and Northern Ireland. And,as NAHT deputy general secretaryKathryn James has emphasised,now it will be about schoolimprovement across the board,from RI right up to ‘Outstanding’.

“The pilot focused on RI schoolsand how they could be improvedor pulled up, with the focusbeing on generating sustainableimprovement over a three-yearperiod. But as the programmemoves to the next phase we wantto be attracting schools that are atall levels. We want schools that are‘Good’ and aspire to ‘Outstanding’and ‘Outstanding’ schools thatsimply want to get even better,”she explains.

“One of the key benefits ofAspire, to my mind, is that it istransferable and adaptable; itis definitely not one-size-fits-all. It also touches everything

in a school, so it is not justabout the senior leadership.It is for all the key leads andthe teaching staff. It involvesthe governors and the way thepupils relate to the teachers.”

Harriet’s school, with 630children and 150 staff, was like allthe others in the pilot, RI when itjoined. With an Ofsted inspectionnow due any day, she is confidentthe school team will be able todemonstrate real, measurableimprovement.

“It has been a really positiveexperience for us and I am hopefulour next Ofsted will be good. Weexpect to be able to demonstratebetter outcomes and better qualityteaching; most of all, I feel we are

Below: deputyhead ChristinaRowan andhead, HarrietPhelps-Knight,are advocatesof the Aspireprogramme.

21

xt phase we wantschools that are atnt schools that aree to ‘Outstanding’g’ schools thatet even better,”

y benefits ofnd, is that it isadaptable; itone-size-fits-s everything

teaching; most of all, I feel we are

It has beena reallypositive experience forus and I amhopeful ournextOfstedwill be good.We expect to be ableto demonstrate betteroutcomesandbetterquality teaching;most ofall, I feelweare continuingtomove the school forward

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continuing to move the schoolforward,” she says.

“It allows you to clarifythings and to define moreclearly what you already have inplace; what your core businessis and should be – which, ofcourse, is the children.

“To an extent, it refined whatwe were doing anyway, but ithas led to changes. For example,when we had achievement teammeetings, our groups met as yeargroups and so that tended to bethe focus of the discussion. Weare now much more focused onthe achievement of children andhow to drive individual outcomes.Instead of just having a meetingwith tea and biscuits at the end ofthe day, it’s now got a much morefocused and purposeful agenda.

“I don’t think, necessarily, thechildren are even aware of theprogramme, although they arecertainly involved in some of thechanges that have come from it.We have, for example, reformedthe School Council to make itmore focused on StudentVoice –rather than being a council – andlinked it back to learning. We’vealso reviewed and changed ourmarking policy, bringing in theviews of both staff and children.

“It has simply enabled us torefocus on children’s learning,and work more consistently asan organisation. We want to keepwith it as it moves beyond the pilotstage, and I have put in a proposal

to buy back some consultant daysthroughout the year; I definitelywant to stay involved,” Harriet adds.

Tim Nash, chief executive ofEdisonLearning, which delivers theAspire programme, argues: “Wehave seen some fantastic storiescome out of it from the schoolsthat have been involved. But thepilot has been focused around arelatively small number of schools,so the next stage is to spread thenet more widely.

“There will inevitably still besome schools in the category ofneeding to take things forward.But we want to be very clear thatthis is not a programme just forschools that are ‘Failing’. This is aprogramme that can help schools

Above: Children inthe library at WestBorough PrimarySchool in Kent.Inset: Harriettalks to one ofher pupils.

FACTS

AND

FIG

URES

Number ofschools inthe Aspirepilot

26 6Numberthat areacting ascase studies

WHAT IT COSTS

Schools taking part in thepilot were each required topart-fund their participation,with £5,000 provided by theDepartment for Education(DfE) plus £10,389 providedby each school per annum.

Some schools paidusing their pupil premiumfunding, although a few hadadditional financial supportfrom their local authorities.

The DfE agreed that,while the schools wereparticipating in NAHTAspire and making progress,they would be exemptedfrom any involuntaryexternal interventionand, more specifically,enforced academisation.

that are already ‘Good’, or even‘Outstanding’, to maintain theirlevel or even improve still further.”

NAHT executive director JohnHerriman agrees: “By workingtogether the schools can reallyfocus on what is going to help

Continues on p24

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CASE STUDYAshley Crittenden is head of WestBorough Primary School andNursery in Maidstone, Kent, whichhas 445 children and 65 staff.

We were put forward by our localauthority to join the Aspire pilotback in February 2013. We hadbeen through a number of initiativesover the years, some of which hadworked and some of which had not,and we were ‘Satisfactory’ under theold Ofsted framework.

For me, one of the main reasonsfor doing it was that, while I knewour data and practices werestrong, I wasn’t sure they would bestrong enough to avoid us beingforced into becoming an academywhen Ofsted next came round.As a result, we were thinking veryhard about the future of the schooland what was going to be the bestway forward for us.

When the option of joiningAspire came up, I saw it as a hugeopportunity to try something new,even though it was a pilot. The factit had the NAHT name behind italso struck me; it gave it weight.Another selling point was that theprogramme was made up of toolsthat Edison has used and refinedover many years; you are not beingasked to do something untested.So it was exciting.

We did the Collaborative QualityAssessment (CQA) and thatgave us a benchmark to workagainst. We then ran a seriesof observations and a varietyof learning and walkingactivities throughout theschool over the course ofa couple of days. It washugely comprehensive;unlike Ofsted, it wasnot just about the data.The consultants evenlooked into the schooltoilets because theywanted to know what theenvironment was like forthe children on a day-to-

Wenowhavea set of corevalues thatunderpineverythingwedo

day basis. We also felt we wereable to be completely honest withthe consultants because we werenot going to be judged. It toldme more about the school than Ialready knew, which surprised me.

For example, we had a missionstatement. But we also had avalues statement and a statementof school rules; there were allthese different things and nobodycould see the wood from thetrees. So we’ve put in place anew set of core rules or valuesbased around five words: equality,respect, responsibility, resilienceand challenge. We eat, sleep andbelieve in those words; they nowunderpin absolutely everything wedo in lessons or outside lessons. Infact, just this morning I was having ameeting with a parent who used twoof the words in the conversation!

The whole school now talkswith a different, more consistentlanguage; the five words are alsodisplayed prominently and we’veput some money behind ‘Good’

Number of geographical areas where Aspire has beenpiloted: the North (covering Nottingham, Derby andSheffield), the South (covering Kent and West Sussex), theEast (covering Essex) and the West (covering Bristol).

4

rebranding. We’ve rewritten thebehaviour policy to put these valuesat the forefront. We also have adifferent style of achievement teammeeting. It’s more action-drivenwith key members of staff leadingelements and much more of a focuson the achievements of individualpupils. We are not talking somuch about data or assessmentor information; we have cometogether as peers to talk aboutthe children. We have completelyrestructured how we teach mathsat early years, and completelychanged our Year 2 expectations.

The only disappointing part ofthe process has been that we wereinspected again by Ofsted abouta year ago. We had expected wewere going to have a much betteroutcome but, disappointingly, wewere still rated RI, although wewere now ‘Good’ for behaviour andOutstanding in early years.

But, to me, that says more aboutOfsted than it does our school, andI strongly feel we were unlucky withthe lead inspector. Part of Aspire isabout getting schools to ‘Good’ or‘Outstanding’ and, personally, I thinkanyone who walks through the doorof this school would say we are an‘Outstanding’ school.

I think and hope that being partof Aspire will prevent us from beingforced into becoming an academy.Our data now says we’re ’Good’;thanks to Aspire, we’ve seen asignificant shift in professionaland behavioural standards;we have much more effective,distributed leadership. I trulyfeel we should have been rated‘Good’ and that, if anything, we aremoving towards ‘Outstanding’.

Above: Childrenfrom WestBorough PrimarySchool.

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them to improve but also tosupport each other. Becauseof the fragmentation of theeducation market we have seenin recent years, we wantedto provide a solution for ourmembers, as school leaders, tohelp them make sense of thecomplexity now being created.

“It is about challengingassumptions and focusing onschool improvement and schoolchange; delivering more effectivelearning for children.

“If a school gets the goodoutcomes it should, that will helpwhen Ofsted next comes throughthe door. But it also needs to berecognised that it’s not a quick fixor something to do just to respondto Ofsted; it’s about long-term,sustainable solutions to improvethe system.

“What we are trying to do ishelp school leaders to betterunderstand the strengths of theirschools and the areas that needdevelopment,” John adds.

Indeed, Kathryn James suggestsschools should not even thinkof Aspire as a programme, aproject or an initiative at all, oras something that can be tickedoff as “done”. It has thepotential to be muchmore than that,if schools andschool leadersare willing toembrace it.

“In manyrespects, Ithink of itas a lifestylechoice ratherthan a schoolimprovementprogramme; it’ssomething you need tocommit to completely,” she says.

Dr Ellie Johnson Searle, formerNAHT programme manager said:“Aspire is for all school leaderswho are looking for strong,sustainable school improvementjourneys; it is most definitely notjust for RI. We have recruited‘Good’ schools that want tomove to ‘Outstanding’. It is aboutengaging in long-term, sustainableimprovement. It also sends animportant message in terms ofthe ‘coasting’ schools agenda.”

underpin what it was we neededto be doing to achieve ‘Good’.

Aspire has very much done that.It has really helped our middleleaders to develop their skillsand move the school on. One ofthe really positive points of theprogramme is that it exploreshow to get your leaders, at alllevels, to be working in moreempowered ways. It has changedour systems around how we holdmeetings and how we hold peopleto account; people are moreempowered within their roles,there is much more delegationand distributed leadership.

At one level that can make it adifficult journey for head teachers.Because you are empoweringpeople to take responsibility, tobecome more accountable forschool improvement, it meanssometimes the head teacher is notnecessarily required to be a partof leadership meetings, which canfeel peculiar. But it is about shiftingcontrol and respecting the skillsof your people who are cominginto leadership and responsibility

CASE STUDYJan Herbert is head of EastBorough Primary School inMaidstone, Kent, which has 421pupils and around 75 staff.

When I joined the East Boroughback in 2010 we were rated‘Satisfactory’, but by 2012 this hadslipped to RI. The fact was, however– and Ofsted recognised this – thiswas based on historic data thatwe could do very little about, andwe were ‘Good’ for leadership,management and behaviour. Soit was deeply frustrating anddisappointing.

In 2013 we were approached bythe local authority and asked ifwe would like to take part in theAspire pilot, with the processbeing jointly funded by theauthority. My initial reactionwas a bit sceptical. I knew ourleadership and managementwas ‘Good’ and I did not wantto start a programme thatwould derail the progress I felt

we were already making. So ithad to be something a bit special;it had to be something that would

The Aspire programme follows a structured,whole-school approach, with a focus onempowering staff to take responsibility for andembedding continuing school improvement.

It works through a combination of expertconsultancy support (via EdisonLearning), peersupport clusters and tools and mechanisms tocreate more distributed leadership styles.

It is designed around five core strands:leadership; assessment for learning; learningenvironment; pedagogy and curriculum; andstudent and family support. Alongside thesestrands, there is an element called ‘precision

pedagogy’, which aids subject leaders and classteachers to focus on the highest-priority pupils,skills and pedagogy.

There is a five-pronged development focus tothe programme:• Core values – these define the behavioursthe school feels are important in guidingexpectations and relationships and are ameans of helping their children to develop.

• Achievement teams – these consist ofteachers (and teaching assistants in someschools) who work together to share ideasand strategies to overcome pupils’ barriers

THE METHODOLOGY BEHIND ASPIRE

Above: JanHerbert, earlyyears leaderCharlotteMcClymont andthe youngestmembers of theEast BoroughLearning Council.

Below: Janbelieves Aspirehas really helpedher school.

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WHAT HAPPENSWHEN A SCHOOLJOINS ASPIRE?A Collaborative QualityAssessment (CQA) iscarried out to establish theschool’s current strengthsand priorities. Immediatepriorities might includeshort-term fixes, buildingleadership capacity,supporting middle leadersand teachers, and helpingschools ‘swimming in data’.

Schools then work inlocal clusters, with supportfrom EdisonLearning andan NAHT representative.

Heads meet first of all toget some initial ContinuingProfessional Development(CPD) and an understandingof what will happen next.Schools name a lead for eachof the five strands (see panelbelow), with the headteachertaking on leadership andsenior or middle leadersresponsible for the others.

Each set of leads meets atthe start of each term, gettingleadership developmentand building a network withcolleagues. Back in school,they work with those leadingother strands, with somedevelopment days which caninclude formal training but alsocoaching or planning support.

“It has been about puttingthe buzz back into the school,but also about offeringa degree of protection;enabling teachers and leadersto do their jobs better,building capacity within theprofession, encouragingnew leaders to come upthrough the system,” explainsTim Nash, chief executiveof EdisonLearning.

“It has been about how tomake the teaching profession,and school leadership inparticular, more attractive;how to make leadershipsomething people want todo, rather than somethingthat is perceived just tobe about immense risk.”

There are a lot of peoplenowmoving the schoolforward rather thanasmall group

roles. It also means, of course,that the school has become lesshierarchical and top-down; thereare a lot of people now moving theschool forward rather than a smallgroup as it often used to be before.

Another big change has simplybeen how we’ve changed thewhole ethos of the school. Likemany schools, we had a SchoolCouncil, but we realised the ethosthat underpinned it was not thatwell understood or communicated.It was a strapline that appeared onour prospectus and not much else.So we have developed a set of fivecore values that are much more ofa living reality.

These five core values are:aspiration; courage; responsibility;resilience; and respect. When youdrive into the school they aredisplayed on banners; we focuson one value each term with thechildren; we have made thesevalues a key part of our everyday,shared vocabulary, both for thestaff and the children. The childrennnhear these words being used andunderstand them very well. Wealso have trophies based aroundthem and a gold recognitionbooklet that is, again, aligned tothese values.

Aspire requires you as a schoolto work in a much more organised,collaborative way. We also now

to learning. The programme uses the ‘2-6-2’technique, which dedicates 10 minutes tofocus on a specific issue; two minutes forideas, six minutes to discuss, and a final twominutes to identify actions. The process isalso now being used by some governingbodies of the schools that have taken part inthe pilot.

• Termly learning conferences – these providea forum to discuss pupil progress wherebythe teacher, parent and child all contribute tothe process.

• Achievement statements – these are

a set of ‘I can’ statements mapping toyears 1-6 for reading, writing andmathematics. These aim to support teachersand children to assess and plan learning (andare part of the precision pedagogy process).

• The Quality Framework for Learning& Teaching (the QFLT) and peer-to-peer coaching – the QFLT provides a‘common language’ to describe ‘Good’ and‘Outstanding’ teaching and a focus forpeer-to-peer coaching. Common models usedinclude TGROW (topic, goal, reality, optionsand way forward).

work more closely with some ofthe schools in our cluster, whichhas again been very powerful.

We were inspected again in Maylast year and achieved a ‘Good’rating, which was really pleasing.We discussed Aspire with Ofstedas part of that process and whatwe had changed as a result. Aspirehas definitely helped me to movethe school forward. It is quite ademanding programme; youhave to fully sign up toit but, if you do that, itcan really move youforward. It reshapesthe way you thinkabout the schooland the structuresyou need to put inplace. It is definitelysomething weaaareee gggoooinggg tttooocarry on with.

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CASE STUDYSarah Foster is headof Lovers’ LanePrimary School andNursery in Newark,Nottinghamshire, whichhas 217 children and 30 staff.

We have really gone fromstrength to strength. When wejoined the pilot we were RI butin our last Ofsted, in December2014, we got a ‘Good’, and that’sin no small part down to Aspire.Aspire has helped us to buildand develop our staff; it hasalso helped us to create a newcoaching culture and model.

For me, the ‘wow’ moment waswhen Ofsted came last time: nomatter who theyy talked to, theppaassssiioonn wwaass tthheerree;; eevveerryyoonnee wwaasssinging from the same hymn sheet.TThheeyy rreeccooggnniisseedd oouurr tteeaacchhiinngg,data use and leadershipp. We’dgone ffrom bbeiing a bbiitt wobbbbllyttoo bbeeiinngg rreeccooggnniisseedd aass aa ssttrroonnggteam and we got there through

Above: Childrenfrom Lovers’ LanePrimary schoolhave benefitedfrom theprogramme.

WHAT DIFFERENCE HAS ASPIRE MADE?

partnership,working anddeveloping

with othersthrough Aspire

to get that beliefin ourselves.

We’ve also had a number ofstaff promoted into leadershiproles as a result – so it createdsomething of a headache in thesummer term – but Aspire hasgiven us the opportunity to grownew leaders. It has helped us todevelop leaders at all levels; wehave also developed our practiceas reflective teachers.

One of the great things aboutthe programme is that it’s notjjust about doingg it, but aboutuunnddeerrssttaannddiinngg wwhhyy yyoouu’’rree ddooiinnggit. You are able to securelycchhaalllleennggee eeaacchh ootthheerr aanndd ffoolllloowwupp; it helpps yyou to build an ethosoff proffessiionall priidde.

AAss aa hheeaadd tteeaacchheerr, tthheerreeis always something you can

improve. As staff change withpromotion or maternity leave, orjust from moving on, there arealways areas you can revisit. Weare determined to continue todrive towards ‘Outstandingg’ inaallll aarreeaass..

The Aspire programme has been evaluated and assessed at regular stagesby a team from Derby University throughout the three-year timeframe ofthe pilot.

With the pilot stage of the programme now complete, the university’s finalreport concluded that participants believed it had improved their schools,empowered teaching staff and built leadership capacity within the school.

In addition, the pilot school head teachers felt the programme to be costeffective and value for money; certainly when compared with the cost offorced academisation.

ITSKEYFINDINGSWERE:

195 per cent of surveyrespondents believed the

programme was either “veryappropriate” or “appropriate” for thewhole school.

288 per cent found the five-stranddesign covered all or most areas

of school improvement.

363 per cent of pilot schools hadbeen inspected by Ofsted and

rated as ‘Good’ over the course of theprogramme, with more forecast bythe end of the third year.

4Pilot schools in the programmehad made twice the improvement

of schools nationally

for both progress and attainment withstrong gains in mathematics at Level 5.

5Gains shown over the pilotperiod were comparable to

those found in sponsored academies.

6Both case studies and surveyrespondents (90 per cent) were

overwhelmingly positive about theirexperiences and the impact on thewhole school.

778 per cent believed Aspire hadprovided good value for money.

The evaluation team, led by theuniversity’s Dr Siobhan Neary, VanessaDodd and Dr Neil Radford, concludedof Aspire: “Participants believe thatit has improved their school, has

empowered teaching staff and builtleadership capacity. In addition, it iscost effective and has provided valuefor money when compared with thecosts of forced academisation.”

The fact that 63 per cent of thepilot schools (which had all been RIwhen entering the programme) hadachieved Good, and that this wasexpected to be 73 per cent by the endof the programme, was a significantachievement, the report concluded.

Another key outcome was thesense Aspire had contributed to theprofessionalisation of staff, includingclassroom teachers and teachingassistants. “Staff reported they havegreater responsibility for their workand what they do. In many schools thecoaching model has been particularlyeffective in driving this change,” thereport argued.

“Many of the schools on theprogramme have seen NAHTAspire as a transformativeexperience: it has changed theway the schools see themselves,improved progress, attainment andpupil behaviour and increased theconfidence levels of many staff.School stakeholders saw NAHTAspire as good value for money,”the evaluation team concluded.

FIND OUT MORE…Go to www.naht.org.uk or visitwww.nahtaspire.co.uk

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LEADERSHIP FOCUS | MAY 2016OPIN

ION

RUSSELL HOBBY: general secretary

All change

ome have compared it with thedissolution of the monasteriesin scale. I say every school,

but there is little evidence that thegovernment remembered about specialschools or nurseries when they madethe announcement. Or considered thesituation of isolated rural schools either.

I was reading David Laws’ memoirsof his time in office and came across hisassessment of the NHS re-organisationinstituted by Andrew Lansley: “So it wasthat a government that had pledgedto ‘stop top-down reorganisationsof the NHS’ began to embark on areorganisation that was ‘so big youcan see it from space’. What I thoughtcompletely daft were the massivechanges to the NHS commissioningfunction. This was designed toradically alter the organisation ofthe NHS across the whole country. Itwas immediately clear that it woulddistract top NHS managers from theirmain job of finding efficiency savings,while the reorganisation rolled on overtwo or three years. Many experiencedNHS managers would now leave.”

It feels like history is repeating itself.I have no problem with schools

choosing to become academies, but thismassive, time consuming and expensivestructural change offers precious littlebenefit for the massive toll it will exact.Indeed, the main arguments put forwardby the schools minister seem to amountto the proposition that the creation ofacademies has created such confusionthat the only solution is to create moreacademies. The only clear beneficiaries ofmass academisation are lawyers, uniformsuppliers and school sign manufacturers.

By some estimates it costs morethan £60,000 to convert a school toan academy. At a time of austerity, thismoney could be better spent on the

things that make a difference: ensuringenough places for every child, enoughteachers to stand in front of them,and enough money to put a roof overtheir head. It could pay for 15,000new teachers for example. Insteadof tackling these basic supply issues,ministers are focused on the detailof exclamation marks and expectingschools to solve the recruitment crisisthemselves (or ‘challenge’ as theyprefer to describe it). I respectfullysuggest that neither of us are playingto our strengths in this arrangement.

The topic of exclamation marksbrings me to the train wreck of primaryassessment in England this year. It is late,poorly explained, poorly designed andineffective. Using the weight of numbersand opinion provided by those of youwho have signed our Pledge, we havebeen chipping away at this situation.

Our most recent achievement wasan instruction from the government toprevent regional school commissionersand local authorities from issuing warningnotices on the basis of writing resultsthis year – even if those results pushthe school below the floor. This is a verysignificant concession and protection.We are now turning our attention tothe spelling, punctuation and grammartests, which are distorting teaching. Wehave already ensured their exclusionfrom the floor standards; we are nowlooking at how Ofsted uses them. Ournext priorities are the key stage onetests, multiplication tables, year sevenresits and the Rochford review results.

We can achieve some gains but overallwe need a better long-term approachto assessment that properly recognisesprofessional judgement. The Pledgegives us the weight to press hard for this.

With Welsh Assembly electionson 5 May, we are also calling for a

SRussell Hobby

Wewere promised a period of calm and stability to let the recentreforms bed in. We needed that period of calm and stability!Instead, we’ve been informed of the largest structural changeto education inmany decades with the suggestion that everyschool in the countrymust convert to an academy by 2022.

period of calm and stability in Wales.This will be a challenge with anynew administration almost certainlywishing to make its mark. However,with the education profession in Walesgiven the responsibility of designingan innovative new 3-16 curriculum;the huge implications for CPD in theWelsh government ‘New Deal’; andthe potential for radical changes toaccountability streams – including amajor overhaul of Estyn inspectionapproaches from 2017 onwards – I thinkpolitely requesting no new changes isthe only sensible, pragmatic approach.

There are also Assembly electionson 5 May in Northern Ireland wheremembers continue to face significantchallenges. The new Education Authority,that replaces five Education and LibraryBoards, has resulted in a large numberof school support officers availingthemselves of generous exit packages.School leaders feel isolated in thegap between an incessant drive forimprovement and rapidly diminishingsupport and structures. The impact ofreorganisation is also seen in provisionfor special educational needs wheresupport for the most vulnerablechildren is continually being reduced,with schools and school leaders underincreasing pressure to plug the gap.The Department for Education is keento promote accountable autonomy forschools, but we are pushing hard forthis to become resourced accountableautonomy. This will be our priority whenworking with the new Northern Irelandeducation minister post-election.

Our attitude as an association isto speak out and to always provide aconstructive alternative. It seems thisworks well.

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Are thereany goodideas in TheWhite Paper?

LESLEY GANNON, NAHTdirector ofresearch and policy development, takesa look at the government’s recentlypublished White Paper ‘Educational

Excellence Everywhere’

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Tackling teacherrecruitmentand trainingRecruitment and retention arepretty high on most school leaders’lists, so what suggestions doesthe White Paper contain? Well,there’s a commitment to moreflexible working opportunitiesand reduced workload; all ofwhich is welcome, but most ofwhich we’ve heard before.

There are free web tools and afree national jobs website. That willsave some schools a pretty pennyon advertising, but is unlikely tosolve a national recruitment crisis.

Thankfully there are somemeatier plans too. The NationalTeaching Service, something NAHThas previously supported, wouldsee over one-and-a-half thousandteachers and middle leadersdeployed to areas of greatest needacross the country. We’ll have tosee exactly how this allocation anddeployment will work out, and thereare issues for those with significantcaring responsibilities. However, forschools in areas that traditionallystruggle with recruitment,this could be of some help.

Initial teacher training (ITT) andqualified teacher status (QTS) arealso in for a shake-up and at firstit all sounds like good news. Therewill be new quality criteria for ITTproviders with a greater focus onsubject knowledge and evidence-based practice. More places willbe given to the most successfulproviders in the areas of greatestneed and allocations will be grantedover longer periods to allow forimproved planning. So far, so good.

QTS will be replaced with‘a stronger, more challengingaccreditation based on a teacher’s

he main proposal –universal academisation ofevery school by 2022 – has

been, I think it’s fair to say, poorlyreceived by almost everyone; fromteaching unions to Tory councillors.No one seems to know how onearth (let alone why on earth) at atime of financial austerity, we aregoing to find the funds requiredto undertake structural changeof this kind; especially when theevidence of success is, well, let’sjust say patchy. Still, NAHT hasmade its view clear on this one.We’re encouraging members tohold their nerve and not rush intoanything. Remember, this isn’tlegislation yet, it’s a proposal.

The big idea hasopposition. Whatabout everything else?The White Paper is overflowing withproposals, most of which have majorimplications for schools and collegesacross the country. The questionis, are any of them any good?

The first problem in answeringthat question is the fact that theWhite Paper, as is often the case, isheavy on ideas and light on detail.We can only guess how some ofthis will work in practice. Thereisn’t space here to discuss all ofthe proposals but here’s a quickrun through some of the headlines.

T

LesleyGannon

effectiveness in the classroom’.In the future, we are told fullaccreditation will only be achieved‘after teachers have demonstratedtheir proficiency – includingthe strength of their subjectknowledge – over a sustainedperiod in the classroom’.

On the surface, this all seems verysensible; more training where it’sneeded most and a longer periodin the classroom before we decidesomeone is ready to be recognisedas a fully fledged teacher. However,there are a few importantcautionary notes to make here.

New entrants to the professionwill not be required to undertakeany ITT. Instead they could juststart teaching and gradually maketheir way towards accreditedstatus over time. This is, accordingto the government, in orderto make it easier to get skilledexperts in shortage areas likecoding into our classrooms. It willcertainly mean that we have moreunqualified teachers than everbefore. And we have to questionhow many young people who arestruggling with student debt willfavour a year-long ITT programmeover the variety of short coursesand direct-entry routes thatwill inevitably proliferate.

Also, the revised accreditationprocess is not without itschallenges. Once a school believesa teacher has reached the requiredstandard for accreditation, theywill make a recommendation whichwill then be ratified by another‘high-performing school’. Whileon the surface, peer accreditationseems like a useful way to go, theprofession will need to be mindfulthat accreditation standardsremain consistent between multi-academy trusts (MATs) and largechains, so that accreditation hasequal validity wherever it is gained.

Luckily, the White Paper

Noone seems to knowhowon earth (let alonewhy on earth) at a time of financial austerity, weare going to find the funds required to undertakestructural change of this kind; especiallywhen theevidence of success is, well, let’s just say patchy

The White Paper,as is often the

case, is heavy onideas and light

on detail

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suggests we will have someindependent bodies to oversee theway this is all going. The Collegeof Teaching, independent ofgovernment is now a step closer toexistence and will produce its ownjournal, setting out the evidencebase for what works in theclassroom. The evidence-basedapproach is to be supported bymore investment in the EducationEndowment Foundation. TheNational College of Teaching andLearning is to get a revamp andreinvestment and we are to get anational standard for ContinuingProfessional Development.

What aboutschool leaders?The big good news story seems tobe the realisation by governmentthat high-stakes inspection is bad forhead teacher recruitment. The WhitePaper proposes further changesto Ofsted inspections, including an‘inspection window’ for new headstaking on schools in challengingcircumstances or new schools inchallenging areas. There is to be anew suite of national professionalqualifications in leadership

and middle leadership, and acommitment from governmentto work with the Foundation forLeadership in Education (in whichNAHT is a founding partner).

The importance of increasingdiversity in school leadershipfeatures quite heavily in the WhitePaper, where it points out theextent of the challenges, statingthat currently, only 3.2 per centof heads are from black andminority ethnic (BME) groups(compared with 7.3 per cent of allteachers) and at secondary, just37.1 per cent of head teachers arefemale (compared with 75.2 percent of all classroom teachers).

Schools will be supported todevelop leadership pipelines andencourage more BME, womenand LGBT teachers to considerleadership roles. This is certainlysomething that NAHT supportsand, along with NAHT Edge, willbe looking to provide supportfor all members of the schoolcommunity who are lookingto develop leadership skills.

Finally on the school leadershipfront, there are some big proposalson governance, where there is to

be a much greater focus on skillsand training and much less onparental representation. In fact, ifthe proposals go through, there willno longer be any requirement for agoverning board to have reservedseats for parent governors. That islikely to cause huge controversy,and no doubt will be furtherclarified in coming months. Lesscontroversial is the introduction ofa national database of everyoneinvolved in governance alongwith the power to bar unsuitableindividuals from governance.This is something NAHT has longrequested and will be pleasedto see being taken forward.

So there we are. I’ve yet to touchupon what the White Paper hasto say about those lighter topicssuch as funding, curriculum andassessment and of course thenational academies programme.These will be covered in the nextissue of Leadership Focus.

So what do you think, are there anygood ideas in the White Paper?We’d love to hear your views. Pleaseemail us at [email protected]

For occasions where standard ‘off the shelf’

training courses might not fit your requirements.

NAHTURALLYTAILORED TRAININGFOR OURMEMBERS’NEEDS

We offer value for

money bespoke training,

delivered to your

staff, at your venue of

choice by high quality

facilitators.

For more information please [email protected] or visitnaht.org.uk/events

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WWhhaatt ddooeess iitt mmeeaann ffoorr mmiiddddddddllee lleeaaddeerrss??

EEdduuccaaaaaattiioonnaalleexxcceelllllllleenncceeeevveerryywwhhhhhhhheerree

JAMES BOWEN, director ofNAHTEdge, gives his viewof the White Paper.

he issue of universal academisationhas understandably dominatedcoverage of the government’s

recent White Paper. However, there is alot more to the paper than just this oneissue. Measures to tackle geographicalinconsistencies in the quality of schools,further reforms to Ofsted inspections andchanges to how teachers gain qualifiedteacher status are just a few of the otherareas that are covered.

The paper can effectively be split into fouroverarching headings:

● Universal Academisation

● Recruitment & Retention

● Curriculum, Assessment& Accountability

● School Funding

A closer reading of the paper reveals thatwithin each of these areas there are a numberof specific proposals that are likely to impactmiddle leaders and NAHT Edge members.

TPay and conditions: Under the academy system, eachacademy chain is free to set its own pay and conditions forteachers and leaders. There is no requirement to stick to anationally set main scale, upper scale, TLR points, etc. This meansthat pay and conditions for middle leaders could potentially varysignificantly from trust to trust. While this will obviously impactall employees in a school, the impact on TLR payments andleadership scales will be of particular concern to our members. Itis important to note that those currently working in a school thattransfers from the local authority to become an academy will becovered by Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment(TUPE) arrangements – more details of which can be found onthe NAHT Edge website www.nahtedge.org.uk.

Increased Influence: Under the Multi Academy Trust (MAT)structure, there is an expectation that middle leaders will havegreater influence beyond their own schools. This could meansubject leaders taking on responsibility for their subject acrossa number of, or even all schools within the trust. For example,the paper talks about a subject leader taking the lead for theirsubject across ‘30 schools’ within their MAT. This would bringboth opportunities and challenges for middle leaders.

Universal Academisation

33


A closer reading of the paperreveals that within each of theseareas there are a number of

specific proposals that are likelyto impact middle leaders and

NAHT Edge members

Curriculum,Assessment &Accountability

SEND: Within the WhitePaper the government hasreiterated its commitmentto improve support forchildren with specialeducational needs anddisabilities in order toboost their attainment.In line with the new codeof practice, there is astrong focus on puttingchildren and parents atthe heart of decisions thataffect them. SENCOs havealready been workingto implement thesereforms in their schools.

Alternative provision: Thepaper also contains plansto reform the alternativeprovision system so thatmainstream schools remainaccountable for thisvulnerable group of pupils.

Higher-attaining pupils:There is a continued focuson schools stretching allchildren, especially themost able, and not justfocusing on bringingchildren up to a ‘minimumlevel’. We will have towatch closely how thisfits with the new progressmeasures that will comeinto force following thescrapping of NationalCurriculum levels.

Pupil premium: The government hasannounced that it will continue the pupilpremium and improve its effectiveness byencouraging schools to adopt evidence-based-strategies, drawing on evidence fromthe Education Endowment Foundation. Thiswill be of particular interest to memberswho take responsibility for pupil premiumprovision in their schools.

School Funding

Recruitmentand Retention

Qualified teacher status(QTS): The proposal is for QTSto be replaced with a morechallenging accreditationbased on a teacher’seffectiveness in the classroom,as judged by schools. TheWhite Paper states that,‘full accreditation will onlybe achieved after teachershave demonstrated theirproficiency… over a sustainedperiod in the classroom’. Ina large number of schools,middle leaders often act asmentors and play a key rolein supporting teachers in theearly stage of their careers.

CPD: There is a strong focusin the paper on improvingthe quality of professionaldevelopment for leadersat all levels. There is anexpectation that the numberof teaching school allianceswill grow in order to provide‘high-quality leadershipdevelopment activity’. Thepaper also states that thegovernment will continue tosupport targeted programmesfor developing middleleadership in schools facingchallenging circumstancessuch as the ‘High PotentialMiddle Leaders Programme’.

Formal accreditation: Thegovernment has said thatit will work with a rangeof external providers todevelop a reformed National

Professional Qualificationfor Middle Leadership andSenior Leadership. There isa commitment to workingwith the new Foundationfor Leadership in Education(which the NAHT is playinga lead role in establishing) todevelop a long-term strategyfor such qualifications. Thesewill continue to be voluntary.

Flexible and part-timeworking: As part ofmeasures to address ongoingrecruitment issues, the paperoutlines plans to encourageschools to create opportunitiesfor teachers to work flexibly,including through part-timework and job sharing. Ifsuccessful, this should makeit easier for middle leadersto combine their schooland family commitments.

National Teaching Service:The concept behind this is thatthe best teachers and middleleaders will be encouraged andsupported to move to work inschools in some of the nation’smost challenging areas. Thisscheme could see schoolsbeing able to request supportfrom ‘elite’ middle leaders forup to three years. The paperstates that these middleleaders will ‘receive a packageof support and a clear path topromotion’. The pilot for thisscheme is due to be launchedin the north west later thisyear. It will be interesting tosee how the logistics of sucha scheme are managed.

34

ANNUALCONFERENCE

ANNUALCONFERENCE

INNUMBERS

510Dinnersserved

3570Cups of

coffee drunk

1350Bottles of

water opened

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Conferenceseason

SPRING IS conference season when NAHTheadquartersgoes into overdrive to make sure everything is ready for theannual conference and AGM. This year we’re expecting to

welcome nearly 400 members at the ICC in Birmingham overthe conference weekend of Friday 29 April to Sunday 1 May.

16Motions tobe voted on

4517Biscuitsnibbled

25Past presidents

present

welcome nearly 400 members at the ICC in Birmingham overthe conference weekend of Friday 29 April to Sunday 1 May.

36

ANNUALCONFERENCE

Among the orders ofbusiness, workshops,networking and a speech

by the Secretary of State forEducation, Nicky Morgan,conference attendees can expect avery special guest speaker this year– David Cameron. No, not thecurrent prime minister and leaderof the Conservative party; the ’real’David Cameron.

David is an entertaining andengaging speaker with a uniqueview of the education landscape.His experience stretches fromthe classroom to leadershipof children’s services at localauthority level. He has contributedto the development of nationaleducational policy and itsimplementation in schools. Asthe lead on Scotland’s OutdoorsEducation strategy, Davidwas involved in the devolvedmanagement of schools initiativeand was a central player inScotland’s challenging Curriculumfor Excellence project. And hehelped draft Creative Scotland’smanifesto on learning and creativity.David is also a leading player inScotland’s Festival of DangerousIdeas, an annual education festivalaimed at challenging, provokingand generating ideas about howeducation could (and should) be.

With such an eclecticbackground and strong opinions,it’s sure to be an inspiring andthought-provoking session.Leadership Focus caught up withDavid to ask him what conferenceattendees can expect to hear.

Q LF: Can you give us a taster ofwhat you’ll be speaking about

at NAHT annual conference?David: I want to talk about theunacceptable workload thatschools and head teachers arefaced with and try to take a positiveapproach to dealing with that. It willbe a tricky balancing act betweenrealism and optimism, but willhopefully leave colleagues feelingthat their circumstances have beenrecognised, but also feeling thatthey have more energy, passion andideas to deal with them.

Q LF: What are you lookingforward to at NAHT annual

conference?David: I suppose that I amlooking forward to working for anorganisation that I respect and theopportunity to meet colleagueswho, I believe, are working to make adifference for young people. I hopeto learn a lot from conversations andfrom attending other sessions.

Q LF: What do you think arethe key issues in schools at

the moment?David: Clearly the recent WhitePaper and the commitment to forcedacademisation will be uppermostin people’s minds, and part of theimpact of that is the massive problemin recruitment and retention of staff.The best generalship in the history ofthe universe will be of little avail if youhave no troops. I also think that thereare massive problems in assessment.We are still not assessing all thatis important in terms of learning.The curriculum is being narrowed.Accountability is disproportionate …I could go on!

Q LF: What do you think thekey strengths of a good

school leader are?David: I think there aredifferent sorts of ‘good schoolleaders’ and I hate the way thatwe stereotype when we discussleadership. Michael Wilshaw canbe terribly guilty of this in someof his public utterances with hisclichés of ‘bruisers and battle-axes’ and intriguing references toClint Eastwood. For me, a goodleader offers clarity of purpose,demonstrates his/her values inhis/her behaviour, knows his/her strengths and builds teamsthat work with these. He/she isgenerous with his/her time andtrust and has a deep understandingof how schools in general, and his/her school in particular, work.

Q LF: Any predictions for 2016?David: I fear that it will get

worse before it gets better, but Ithink that we will begin to havesome grounds for optimism. Thereare clear signs that the currentgovernment has gone too far inits ideological commitments andhas divided its own supporters andalarmed parents.

Q LF: What advice would yougive to new and aspiring

leaders in education?David: Go for it! Despiteeverything, being a leader ineducation is a wonderful job.It really does offer the chanceto make a difference for youngpeople and we need people inpost who are committed to doingthat. Draw on the generosity ofcolleagues and be brave.

UESTION&ANSWERTen minutes with the‘real’ David Cameron

Despite everything,being a leader in

education is a wonderfuljob. It really does offerthe chance tomake adifference for youngpeople and we need

people in post who arecommitted to doing that

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LEADERSHIP FOCUS || MMAAYY 22001166

PRESIDENTS PASTAND PRESENT

+ Tony Draper, NAHTpresident 2015/16, isthe 115th president.

+ At the 2016 conferenceTony will hand over tothe incoming president,Kim Johnson.

+ Presidents always serve asvice president for a yearbefore taking office.

+ Past presidents are entitledto a personal vote at everysubsequent conferenceafter their year in office.

+ The first presidentwas Edward Bolus.

ELECTRONIC VOTING

Following the success of electronic voting at last year’sconference, the system has been enhanced this year. Everyvoting delegate will be given a voting card and electronichandset with a keypad to cast votes and let the President knowif they want to speak. The handset also doubles as a microphoneso delegates can stand at their seat instead of walking to themicrophone to address the conference.

LEAD AND LETTERED MOTIONS

In response to feedback from last year’s conference, a system oflead and lettered motions is being introduced this year, for example1a (lead motion), 1b, 1c, etc. Proposers and seconders of leadmotions will have a total of five minutes to give their speeches.

After that, anyone who proposed and seconded a letteredmotion can speak for two minutes. This will cut back

on the number of motions to be debated and givedelegates more debating time.

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

+ On Saturday 27 March 1897,the National Federation ofHead Teachers’ Associationwas founded at aconference at the ClarendonStreet School, Nottingham.

+ This first conferencewas attended by 14local representatives.

+ Nottingham became acity in the same year.

+ At the end of the firstyear, the association’smembership was 1,477, with12 affiliated associations.

+ Membership was initiallylimited to boarding schools.

GET INVOLVEDRead the latest reports

on debates anddecisions at Annual

Conference 2016 on theNAHT website

www.naht.org.uk

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yron Primary School is alarge primary school inGillingham, Kent, with some

525 children and 67 staff. Back in2014 it was rated ‘Inadequate’ byOfsted and, since then, it has beenon a turnaround/improvementjourney, including becoming anacademy, part of The WestbrookTrust, in January this year.

So far, of course, so similar tomany other schools up and downthe country. But one thing thatmarks Byron Primary out, is thepartnership it has forged overthe past two years with financialservices firm Vanquis Bank tohelp it on this improvementtrajectory, a partnership thathas in the past year alone beenworth £64,000 to the school.

“When I joined the school twoyears ago, there was already arelationship with Vanquis Bankin that it was funding one of theyear six residentials and someof its staff regularly came alongto support the trip,” recallshead teacher Jon Carthy.

“That initial partnership hadbeen borne out of the fact thebank operates a large call centrein the area, in Chatham, so anumber of bank employees havechildren at the school and manyhave previously been pupils atthe school. But it is also simplybecause, as an organisationVanquis Bank, has similar links withmany other schools; it is very activewithin local communities,” he adds.

That may well be the casebut, since Jon’s arrival, whichpretty much coincided withthe arrival of a new communityinvestment manager at the

B

Perfectpartners

bank, Annette Saunders, therelationship between the schooland the bank has, in Jon’s words,“gone through the roof”.

As he says: “I invited some ofthe management team, includingAnnette, to come to the school andwalk around and see everything wedo. They spent half a day with usand I showed them around, wartsand all. At that point the school wasin special measures and so I setout my vision for how I wanted tomove the school forward, how wewere embarking on a huge schoolimprovement journey that was goingto benefit the children and families,which they really bought into.

“The result has been amazing.The bank has fully funded thedevelopment of a new foundationstage playground; it has boughtlaptops for all the children andpurchased trollies for them; ithas renewed our library books;and it has continued to fund andsupport the year six residential.

“On top of this, we’ve hosted ourSchool Council at the bank’s officesand some of the children havegone up to London on the train tovisit its headquarters, at the ‘WalkieTalkie’ building in Fenchurch Street.That was real experience for thechildren; they got to spend an hourwith the managing director, theywere given lunch, and then got atour of the building’s Sky Garden.

“The bank also introduced usto the Outward Bound Trust andwe are now organising a five-dayresidential trip to Wales in theautumn. It has given advice toour governors and our businessmanager; it’s there on the end ofthe phone, which is just wonderful.

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The result has beenamazing.The bankhas fully funded thedevelopment of a new foundation stageeeplayground; it has bought laptops forall children andpurchased trollies forthem; it has renewed our library books

Jon Carthy withsome of his pupils

in the Sky Garden atVanquis Bank, basedin the ‘Walkie Talkie’building in Fenchurch

Street, London.

“For example, whenwe were going through

the academisationprocess, we were short of

a trustee and, while the bankrecognised that putting one ofits own people forward wouldprobably have over-stepped themark in terms of its relationshipwith us, it was very happy torecommend some people within

the financial services worldfor us to approach, which washugely valuable,” adds Jon.

What has the bank got back inreturn? Has it been a case of “yourchild’s education, brought to youin association with Vanquis Bank”?

Not at all, emphasises Jon. “Thebank is very clear it wants very littleback for all this. It’s quite happyfor us to name-drop the fact it’s

LET US KNOW YOUR VIEWS ON THIS ARTICLEEmail: [email protected]

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• Speak to your schoolgovernors aboutany contacts or linksthey may have

• Audit who are the bigemployers in your area,and who within themmay be the best namedindividual to approach

• Gauge what it is youwant to get out ofthe partnership

• Be very clear with thepartner what it is they willbe looking for in returnand whether there areany ‘lines in the sand’(for example aroundbranding, promotions orsponsorship) that both ofyou need to be aware of

• Think carefully aboutwhether there mightbe any reputationaldownsides associatedwith the partnership.

• Business in the Community(www.bitc.org.uk/)runs an initiative calledBusiness Class that linksschools with businesses

• The British Chambersof Commerce(www.britishchambers.org.uk)is also active in thisarea, through itsChamber Network

• It is worth seeing if thereare smaller networkingorganisations in your localarea. For example, there isa charity called Inspire!(www.inspire-ebp.org.uk)that works to linkemployers with schoolsin Hackney, Camden andIslington in London

• The Education BusinessPartnerships network(www.ebpnational.org.uk)also has useful links,although it tends tobe more focused ontraining and employmentlinks than schoolpartnerships as such.

our corporate partner but it isn’tlooking for any publicity or anythingspecific – branding and so on – fromthis. It does this because it fits withits policy, which is to put significanttime and resources into a few,select community organisations,especially ones that have a visionof where they want to go.”

Vanquis Bank’s Annette Saundersmakes the same point. The bank,part of the Provident FinancialGroup, employs around 1,300people, split between its LondonHQ, the operation in Chathamto a division in Bradford. As aresult, it supports the Royal DocksCommunity School in Newhamand Dixons Trinity Academy inBradford, as well as Byron Primary.

“Our ethos is that we want to tryand have grassroots, communityconnections wherever we havea footprint as an organisation.When I went to visit Byron it brokemy heart as we walked aroundthe school to see the state it wasin and the fact this was part of‘our’ community,” says Annette.

“But it was also clear Jon waspassionate about improving theschool and so we sat down andtalked about what it was wecould do to help; how it was wecould support him. I then spoketo our finance people and got themoney released. For us, it is simplyabout ‘doing the right thing’. It isabout inspiring the children andcreating a better environmentin which they can learn.

“But as an organisation we’vebenefited too. When the childrencame up to HQ, the positivity,the buzz, around the office wasamazing. It had a huge impact on a

HOW TO GET STARTED

USEFUL RESOURCES

Below: Childrenreceiving a talkfrom bank staff.

lot of employees. Some employeesalso follow the school on Twitterand get its newsletter,” she adds.

So, how as a school shouldyou go about ‘selling’ yourselfto potential community orcommercial partners? Annetteis adamant the worst way is torock up with a shopping list.

“It is about being flexible andadaptable and just simply trying toattract their attention. It might beat a networking event or throughyour local chamber of commerce; itmight be through contacts that yourschool governors have,” she advises.

“But what’s important is itmustn’t just be about the cash. Iget letters left, right and centreasking for money but often theyhave not thought about the biggerpicture. It really helps to articulatehow you feel we can get involved,how we can help and why thatwill make a difference; it mightbe whether our employees canhelp with trips or come in andread to the children. But it hasto be about the bigger picture,not just the money,” she adds.

Being very aware of theboundaries of the relationship,especially in terms of what thepartner organisation is wantingto get in return, is also important,advises Jon Carthy, eventhough in the case of Vanquisthis has not been an issue.

“For me, there is no downsideto this at all that I can see. Isuppose in any sort of partnershiparrangement it is very important forthe school to be clear what the quidpro quo is, whether it’s publicityor something more. But for us ithas all been positive,” he says.

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Wehave accessed two lots of€25,000. Thefirst was apartnershipwith schools in Estonia, Turkey, Italy andSpain, focused on opportunities for inclusion

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Thefundingvote

or most of us, how wevote in the Europeanreferendum on 23 June

will be a case of carefully weighingup a range of ‘heart versus head’questions about our ongoingrelationship with our continentalneighbours. But, for schoolheads and leadership teams,there will be another importantquestion to consider: what a votefor “Brexit” might mean for theability of their school to accesspotentially valuable EU funding.

As former NAHT president andnational executive member ChrisHarrison points out: “The biggestinternational funding source forschools, by millions of euros, is theEU. So this is quite an opportunemoment for the profession to bediscussing the potential benefitof EU funding streams as, if wecome out of the EU, schoolscould lose access to that.

“There used to be a wholeseries of Brussels-generatedfunding streams to support in-service training and professional

development. But about twoyears ago everything was broughttogether into one fundingmechanism, Erasmus+,” he adds.

Technically, it’s not a certaintythat if Britain were to crash outof the EU it would lose access tofunding streams such as Erasmus+.Countries that are outside the EU(such as Iceland and Switzerland)do participate in Erasmus+.But to do so they have agreedseparate contracts with the EU,and therefore, in all likelihood, theUK would have to follow the samepath and agree its own deal, butin a probable climate of politicalacrimony and uncertainty.

And Erasmus+ money is not tobe sniffed at, both in terms of thehard currency benefit it can bringto a school but (and probablymore importantly) becauseof the valuable educational,developmental and cultural benefitsthat can be gained from accessingthese funding streams, especiallyfor children with special educationalneeds and disability (SEND).

FNAHT incoming president

Kim Johnson, head at BradfieldsAcademy in Chatham, Kent,which provides specialist SENDprovision for students aged 4-19with a range of complex learningdisabilities and difficulties, isamong those whose school hasbenefited from Erasmus+.

“We have accessed two lotsof €25,000. The first was apartnership with schools in Estonia,Turkey, Italy and Spain focused onopportunities for inclusion. Thesecond one we led on with schoolsin Finland, Portugal and Turkeyaround developing our YouthPartnership work,” he explains.

“There is, of course, aprocess that you have to gothrough, there is paperwork,but it is quite straightforward.And the opportunity for theengagement and enrichmentfor students through the releaseof this capital is immense.

“For a child with disabilities,having the experience of travellingabroad and engaging with differentpeople can be just a massive thing.It makes them think of themselvesmore as individuals, rather thanindividuals with disabilities. Andas a school we now see ourselvesvery much as internationalcitizens, as international advocatesfor people with disabilities.

“The development effect onthe children’s self-confidence andself-esteem has been massive.Sometimes we are taking childrenaway from their families for the

When it comes to accessing Erasmus+funding, there are two Key Actions that are

most relevant to schools. Key Action 1 is focusedon funding related to the mobility of learners and staff and KeyAction 2 is focused on forging strategic partnerships.

Staff mobility can cover teaching assignments abroad or stafftraining for staff and leaders at all levels.

The UK national agency for Erasmus+ is the British Council(www.britishcouncil.org), though Ecorys UK (www. uk.ecorys.com)covers vocational education and training and adult education.

The eTwinning School Education Gatewaywww. schooleducationgateway.eu is a good first port of call as itadvertises mobility opportunities and strategic partnership requests.

• What do I want this money/project to achieve?• How will I achieve it?• What will be its impact?• How will I evaluate the activities and theirlong-term impact?

• How will I tell others about what we’ve doneor achieved?

KEY QUESTIONS TOCONSIDER BEFORE APPLYING:

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first time; some even stayedwith a host family, for many,again, a first-time experience.

“It can help to bring alive yourschool curriculum. We have hadparents come up and say ‘I wouldnever have dreamed my child couldhave engaged with something likethis’. It broadens their horizonsand helps them to becomemore themselves,” Kim adds.

Erasmus+ funding is dividedinto two main ‘Key Actions’explains Chris (see right for moreinformation), and there tendsto be a high success rate forapplications. Indeed, some 70per cent of primary schools thatapplied for funding under KeyAction 1 (in other words fundingrelated to the mobility of learnersand staff) were successful last year.

“That rate of success last yearmeans schools would be daft notto consider doing it,” Chris says.

Applications will normally bemade as partnerships betweenschools or organisations within theUK and Europe. There is a commonEU-wide application process, butthe agency for accessing Erasmus+funding in the UK is the BritishCouncil (www.britishcouncil.org).There are, however, valuableresources and advice availabledirectly through the Erasmus+website (www.erasmusplus.org.uk).

“In the days when localauthorities were mostly in charge,every local authority had their ownmodern foreign languages advisorystaff who were able to encourage

and help schools to apply. With thedemise of local authority control, itis down to the leaders in individualschools to recognise the potentialof what is available and encouragepeople to go for it,” adds Chris.

“When you are putting togethera proposal or bid it is usually acollaboration between two tothree different countries. Thefirst time you do it, it is, naturally,a bit of a trawl. But once youhave been through the processonce it is pretty easy, and theapplication lasts for 12 months.

“But it is not just about developingteachers, it is the support side,too – heads of departments,school leadership and areas suchas SEND; it is money the wholeschool workforce is able to access.

“Whether you need money fora village school with 10-30 kids ora huge comprehensive with 2,000-3,000, this is worth considering.For most schools, 80 per centof their budget goes on people,their teaching and other staff. I’dargue we need to be spending77 per cent on staff and the extra3-5 per cent on professionaldevelopment; but EU funding canhelp make up that difference.

“One of the problems withrunning a school is that you areincredibly vulnerable to beinginspected against your result.But if you can show you have aprofessional development ‘pot’,and that you are promoting andsharing best practice, that canact as a protection,” he adds.

KEY ACTION 1• You can make one application a year• An individual school or a local/regionalauthority consortium can make an application

• Projects can last one to two years• The aims of Key Action 1 are to: supportlearners; help develop teachers in their roles;improve the quality of teaching; share andimplement new ideas; improve languages; raisecultural awareness; make organisations moreinternational; bring schools, employers andorganisations together; and recognise the valueof different ways of learning

• Mobility activities for staff can last from twodays to two months, and are available to all staff

• These will normally be courses, training events,job shadowing, observation in a partner schoolor teaching assignments.

STEPS

1Write your European Development Plan. Thiswill need to consider questions such as the

development goals of the school and how theselink to the over-arching aims of Key Action 1.

2This will then be scored under the Erasmus+award criteria (out of 100), which is based

on relevance of the project, the quality of theproject design and implementation and impactand dissemination.

3Relevance of the project: what do youwant to achieve, how does your project

address the aim of that action, how it is relevantto improving learning?

4Project design and implementation: what isthe overall management plan and timetable,

what will be the key milestones, quality measuresand resources, what will be the budget planningand communication between partners?

5Impact and dissemination: who will itbenefit (short and long term), how will

you let people know about it, how will youevaluate your activities?

6The minimum score to secure funding is60/100, and the application will need to

score at least 50 per cent in each category.

KEY QUESTIONS TO CONSIDERBEFORE APPLYING:

• What are you planning to achieve, and why?• Who will benefit from your activities inthis project?

• How will you achieve it?• Who are your project partners, and why?• How will you evaluate your project anddisseminate the outcomes?

STEPS

1Address key questions about thepurpose of your project and the

structure of your project team.

2Link them to the horizontal/school’s priorities.

3Fill in the application form.This will then be scored under the

Erasmus award criteria (out of 100), whichis based on relevance of the project, thequality of the project design andimplementation, impact and disseminationand quality of the project team andco-operation arrangements.

• Relevance of the project: what doyou want to achieve, how does theproject address the priority, how is itinnovative?

• Project design and implementation:what is the overall managementplan and timetable, what will be thekey milestones, quality measuresand resources, what will be thebudget planning and communicationbetween partners?

• Impact and dissemination: who willit benefit (short and long term), howwill you let people know about it,how will you evaluate your activities?

• Project team and co-operationarrangements: how did you chooseyour partners, and why; roles andresponsibilities – who will do what?;how will you plan, communicate anddeliver the activities?

4The minimum score to securefunding is 60/100, and the

application will need to score at least50 per cent in each category.

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KEY ACTION 2• You can make one application a year• One organisation applies for funding in theircountry on behalf of the whole partnership

• Partnerships can be between schools only, orbetween schools and different organisations

• Projects can last between two and three years• Application funding is up to a maximum of€150,000 per year

• Projects can include individual or group mobilities.

YOUR APPLICATION MUST ADDRESS EITHER ONE‘HORIZONTAL’ (OR GENERAL) PRIORITY OR ONEPRIORITY FOR SCHOOLS.Horizontal priorities include:• Developing skills• Innovation, developing new methodologiesin learning or teaching

• Enhancing use of digital in learning or teaching• Supporting projects that facilitate the recognitionand validation of non-formal and informallearning and cross-EU skills and qualifications

• Help learners with disabilities or fromdisadvantaged backgrounds throughinnovative teaching methodologies.

Priority objectives for schools include:• Revising and strengthening theprofile of teaching professions

• Improving the attainment of youngpeople with low basic skills

• Improving the attainment of young people,especially those at risk of leaving school early

• Developing high-quality and accessible earlychildhood education and care services.

Dos and don’tsDO✔ Plan a project that has an impact on all

partners

✔ Actively involve partners in theapplication writing and projectplanning

✔ Clearly describe agreed roles andresponsibilities

✔ Use the application form to plan

✔ Look up the template eForm from theprevious year, as this will give you a

good idea of what to expect from thecurrent year’s form

✔ Clearly describe your plans andstrategy for delivery, say what yourpartnership will achieve and how

✔ Write your project summary first (eventhough it is at the end of the form)

✔ Specifically answer questions on theapplication form

✔ Check out www.erasmusplus.org.uk orits various social media channels orwww.britishcouncil.orgfor more information. Also go to

erasmusplus.org.uk/project-planningfor guidance on the application process.

DON’T✘ Apply late or leave it all to the lastminute

✘ Write your application in one go

✘ Write it all yourself

✘ Forget to include the attachments

✘ Forget the time difference between theUK and Belgium

✘ Hesitate to ask questions.

LET US KNOW YOUR VIEWS ON THIS ARTICLEEmail: [email protected]

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years) within which the teachermay not apply for the prohibitionorder to be set aside. NAHT hasrecently supported a member ina successful application to havea prohibition order set aside.

EWC on the other handdeals with capability casestoo and has four sanctionsavailable: reprimand,conditional registration order,suspension and prohibition.

here are separateregulators for Englandand Wales – the National

College for Teaching andLeadership (NCTL) in England;Education Workforce Council(EWC) in Wales. The GeneralTeaching Council for NorthernIreland has not yet establisheda disciplinary function.

The NCTL only deals with‘conduct’ and criminal offencecases and has only one sanctionat its disposal; that is indefiniteprohibition from teaching work.

When making a prohibitionorder the NCTL will specify aperiod of time (usually two or five

T

SIMON THOMAS, NAHTsenior solicitor, takes a lookat the scope of legal supportprovided for members.

NAHT LEGALSUPPORT FORMEMBERS ISPREDOMINANTLY INFOUR AREAS:• Regulatory proceedings

• Employment claims

• Personal injury claims

• Allegations of criminaloffences in the courseof employment.

Administration of tests caseswhich make up possibly athird of regulatory casesusually involve papers havingallegedly been altered. Theycan become quite technicalwith evidence of handwriting,ink types and indentations.

We have even had cases wherethe right answer has been replacedwith the wrong answer. Where theevidence shows that papers havemost likely been altered, there willoften have been a failure to adhereto the guidance on security ofpapers which means that although anumber of people may have had theopportunity to alter the papers, thebuck will stop with the person whowas responsible for the security.

We have represented a number ofmembers who have, despite denials,been found to have either altered

REGULATORY CONDUCT CASESTEND TO COVER ALLEGATIONSRELATING BROADLY TO FOUR AREAS:• Administration of tests

• Financial issues

• Ill treatment of children

• ‘Bullying’ of staff.

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papers or failed to have compliedwith security requirements. Moreoften than not, maladministrationof tests will result in a prohibition.The lesson is to comply with thesecurity requirements to the letter.

There are some similaritiesbetween criminal law andregulatory law. One is if the‘accused’ admits the offence andshows remorse, or what the NCTL/EWC like to call ‘insight’, andcan convince the panel that theconduct is unlikely to be repeated.In these cases they are treatedmore leniently and may escapeprohibition for conduct which, ifdenied, would lead to prohibition.

The lesson is to follow thesecurity requirements to the letter.

We handle claims for membersas employees in employmenttribunals, including unfair

FIND OUT MORE…If you need professional legal advice you can call 0300 30 30 333

dismissal, discrimination,whistleblowing and pay disputes.

Unfair dismissal claimsoften focus on the employer’sinvestigation leading to thedismissal. Employers have a widediscretion in determining ‘guilt’ orin deciding whether dismissal is theappropriate sanction. However, ifthe investigation is conducted withthe aim of proving guilt (rather thana balanced gathering of evidencepointing to innocence or guilt) itmay result in a dismissal being unfair.

Discrimination cases ofteninvolve disability (usually

concerning allegations of failures tomake reasonable adjustments oftenrelating to return to work aftera period of sick leave) or returnto work after maternity leave.

Despite the change in thelaw and the introduction of the‘public interest’ requirement inwhistleblowing claims, we arestill handling a number of claimsfor members and have recentlyachieved a settlement for amember who resigned after hewas bullied for making disclosuresrelating to safeguarding andfinancial issues about the head.

He had less than two yearscontinuous employment so wouldnot have been eligible to bring anordinary unfair dismissal claim.However, if a dismissal (includinga constructive dismissal – wherethe employee resigns) is becauseof whistleblowing then there isno requirement for two years’continuous employment.

The member managed tomitigate his loss by obtainingalternative employment and so

the settlement figure of £20,000was sufficient to cover the lossbetween his resignation and thestart of his new employment.

Personal injury claims are mainlytripping and slipping claims,including falls attributable to suchthings as ice, water, potholes in carparks, shiny concrete and peas!

However, employer’s liabilityfor personal injury only ariseswhere the employer was at faultin some way; for example, if theywere in breach of a statutoryprovision or were negligent.

Employers are not liable forthe actions of children and, inthe absence of negligence bythe employer, the only source ofcompensation for injuries sustainedin assaults by children will beeither compensation orders madeby the criminal courts (whichare only made if the assailant isconvicted and tend to be modest)or through the Criminal InjuriesCompensation Authority (CICA).

The victim of an assault may beeligible for a CICA award, even if theassailant is not prosecuted, whichmay be because they are underthe age of criminal responsibility(10) or because the schoolhas dealt with it as an internalbehaviour management issue.

For the victim to be eligible forcompensation, the assault musthave been reported immediatelyto the police even if there is nopossibility or likelihood of a policeprosecution. Immediately, generallymeans within 48 hours. A cynicmight say this requirement isdesigned to reduce the number ofclaims and cost to the public purse.

NAHT, through its externalsolicitors, also provides supportand advice and, where appropriate,representation at the police stationand in court for members accused ofcriminal offences allegedly committedin the course of employment.

They are mostly accusationsof dishonesty (fraud/theft)or allegations of assaults onchildren. Most members accusedof criminal offences for whomwe provide support are eithernever charged or are acquitted.

For the victim to be eligible forcompensation the assault musthave been reported immediatelyto the police even if there isno possibility or likelihoodof a police prosecution

Parental gui

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CHARITY

PARTNER

he Family and ChildcareTrust (familyandchildcaretrust.org)

campaigns for affordableand accessible childcare, andbetter support for parents. Itcarries out a range of lobbyingactivities with government,

T

NAHT’S CHARITY PARTNER FOR 2016 IS TO BE THE FAMILY AND CHILDCARE TRUST

Above: TheTrust presentinga Families FirstQuality Awardto ThurstonCommunity Collegenear Bury StEdmunds, Suffolk.

conducts research and providesinformation, advice and support.

However, one of the keyattractions for NAHT in makingthe charity its partner for 2016is the Trust’s Families FirstQuality Award accreditationscheme, which schools

can gain to show they aredemonstrating excellence inproviding information, adviceand assistance to local families.

As NAHT incoming presidentKim Johnson has made the point,the hope is that partnering withthe Trust will encourage more

dance is key

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schools to revisit and improvetheir working relationships withparents, and go through theprocess of gaining accreditation.

“The reality is parents canbe our greatest support or ourmost difficult adversaries. Schoolleaders have a real responsibility

to ensure that parents, inturn, are taking responsibilityfor their children,” he says.

“It is also about how we asemployers better engage withour staff, who of course willoften be parents themselvesand may have children at the

school; and how we becomemore family-friendly for staff.

“One of the award’s strengthsis its ability to look at every detailabout how to make yourselfmore family-friendly; what is itwe need to do on a day-to-daybasis to engage with parents?

L-R: PheobeMercer, JackWills, NAFISofficer, HelenWilson, principal,Grace Long andScott Taylor.

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PARTNER

Below: The Bridgeschool in Ipswichreceives an award.(L-R) Will Tucker,NAFIS officer,Adrian Ilott, chairof governors,Frances Gander,vice chair ofgovernors, LizGerrie, governor,and Odran Doran,head teacher.

Left: Family andChildcare Trustchief executiveJulia Margo withParliamentaryunder secretary ofstate for childcareand educationSam Gyimah ata recent eventabout changesto childcaresupport, hostedby the Trust.

Below: The charitypresents a FamiliesFirst Quality Award toThurston CommunityCollege near Bury StEdmunds, Suffolk, thefirst secondary schoolto receive the award.(L-R) Will Tucker,NAFIS officer, HelenWilson, principal,Patrick Chung, mayorof St Edmundsburyand Robert Lenko,chair of governors.

“During this year we will beworking with the Trust to helpensure schools have policiesand practices in place that arefit for purpose, that adviceand support is available toleadership teams, and thatthe quality of their parent-teacher support is improved.

“To my mind, this partnership,is an enormous opportunity.When schools come to beingjudged by Ofsted, one of thebig issues is around parentalengagement within the school,so this is a way potentially toshow that. The Families FirstQuality Award is a badge thatshows your engagement withparents,” Johnson adds.

“This partnership is reallyabout continuing, and deepening,the work we are already doingwith schools,” agrees RebeccaGriffin, head of communicationand campaigns at the Trust.

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The reality is parents can be our greatest supportor our most difficult adversaries. School leaders havea real responsibility to ensure that parents,in turn, are taking responsibility for their children

Above: Parentsfrom Owler Brookschool in Sheffieldinvolved in theTrust ParentChampionsscheme.

“The Families First QualityAward accreditation scheme isalready very popular with schools;it is about encouraging excellencein the way local authorities, thevarious agencies and schoolsall work and communicatewith parents and communitiesaround early years’ provision.

“Schools are becoming muchmore engaged with outcomes forhome learning and making sureparents know about what localservices are available and howthey can access them. There is

already a requirement by Ofstedto be doing this anyway, and sowe’re hoping our partnership willhelp schools to more effectivelybuild and show the evidencethey need in this context.

“We hope this partnershipwill enable us to talk to moreschools and work with moreschools; we hope to be ableto reach out to schools toshow them the work we doand how our various schemescan, in turn, work for them. Itis really exciting,” she adds.

LET US KNOW YOUR VIEWS ON THIS ARTICLE. Email: [email protected]

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NEW COURSE

Recruitment andretention within theteaching professionSchools in all phases of educationare finding the recruitment andretention of teachers and leadersto be problematic. A recent surveyof our members found that 79 percent who had advertised vacancieshad reported problems recruiting forthem. This one-day course will lookat ways in which the profession canattract high-quality teachers andleaders, and retain them to provideoutstanding learning opportunitiesfor all pupils. 2016 dates nowavailable for London, Manchesterand Birmingham. Book today.

> 15 NOVEMBER – LONDON

NEW COURSE

Ensuring curriculumand assessmentcoherence: the pivotalrole of key stage 3This new course examines the placeof key stage 3 in a coherent system ofeducation and looks at how schoolscan establish a robust curriculum and

assessment framework linking keystage 2 to the requirements of GCSE.

It will provide an analysis ofaccountability measures impactingkey stage 3 and how these might beaddressed and support schools indeveloping a coherent curriculum,assessment and recording systemacross and within key stages.

> 5 OCTOBER – MANCHESTER> 15 NOVEMBER – LONDON

NEW COURSE

Improving progress:avoiding coastingAre you concerned about the possibilityof being judged a ‘coasting’ school?Our new course will help you developa clear understanding of your currentprovision through self-evaluation as wellas the strategies you should undertakein order to improve your progress.Two dates are currently available for2016. Click to book and learn more.

> 8 JUNE – LONDON

Exploring AcademyStatusThis comprehensive and practicalcourse presents you with a uniqueand impartial overview of the

pros, cons and consequences ofmoving towards academy status.

The course will help you tounderstand the key issues aroundconstitution, governance and financeas well as the implications formanagement. It will direct you towardssources of information and supportshould you want to take things furtherand guide you to key considerations foryour deliberation and decision making.

> 16 JUNE – LONDON> 22 JUNE – LEEDS> 21 SEPTEMBER – LONDON> 16 NOVEMBER – LEEDS

Decoding mental healthThis course is led by internationallyand nationally renowned speakers inthe field of SEN and neuroscience,Professor Barry Carpenter, CBE, OBEand Dr Rona Tutt, OBE. It providesan opportunity for participants tolearn more about what is meant bymental health; why it is importantto understand what neuroscientistsare discovering; and what it tellsus about how to help children andyoung people with mental healthneeds to engage with learning.

26 MAY – BIRMINGHAM

FeaturedcoursesOUR COURSES are innovative, challenging and designedspecifically to meet the needs of senior leaders. Our aim isto help you and your senior management team develop yourpersonal and professional skills through courses that are:

• DEVELOPED AND LED BY EXPERT FACILITATORS• QUALITY CONTROLLED• FOCUSED ON THE IMPACT OF EDUCATION POLICY ON PRACTICE• INTERACTIVE AND PACKED WITH INFORMATION.

We have a range ofcourses available.

Full details and bookingforms are available on

our website.www.naht.org.uk/trainingcourses

This is one of thebest courses I have

ever attended -informative, tailoredto individual needs,concise yet detailed,andall delivered ata good pace bya

friendly course leader.The course has leftmy schoolwith lots

of important pointersaheadof an inspection

- but actually justwith somegood ideas

generally abouthowwe operate andevidence the good

work thatwe knowweare doing. Whetheryouare expectingOfsted soon or not,

this is a courseworthattending!”

David Whitehouse, actingdeputy head teacher, Broomhill

Bank School (West)

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LEADERSHIP FOCUS || MMAAY 2016

SCHOOL BUSINESSMANAGEMENTCONFERENCE22 JUNE, BIRMINGHAM

This year we have launched our firstschool business management conferencewhich has been developed for all schoolleaders who are involved in the businessside of their schools. Featuring keynotespeakers education secretary The RtHon Nicky Morgan, Dominic Herringtonregional schools commissioner, RussellHobby NAHT general secretary andValentine Mulholland, NAHT policyadviser, you will be able to choose froma range of workshops including thelatest update about the national fundingformula; demystifying the finance worldfor academies; attracting, recruiting andretaining top talent; and mindfulness:enhancing wellbeing.

DEVELOPING GREATTEACHING CONFERENCE21 JUNE, CARDIFFAND 23 JUNE, LONDON

NAHT and NAHT Edge, in partnershipwith Oxford University Press and TeacherDevelopment Trust (TDT), are bringingtogether internationally renownedleading experts and school leaders tosupport effective professional learningfor sustained school improvement.

Developed to help share understandingof the recent review into effectiveprofessional development published byTDT in 2015, this conference gives headteachers, other senior leaders and middleleaders a chance to engage with leadingexperts in this field, and consider whatmodels and approaches lead to sustainedschool improvement.

In your first headship you will face bothexcitement and challenge and it will beimportant to continue to invest in yourown skills and to find time for reflection.

Time for reflection and developmentis hard to come by. This year we wantto provide you with an opportunity tomeet other new and aspiring heads,attend workshops on topics that arerelevant to you and hear from keynotespeakers who will inspire you. Which iswhy we have created two new one dayconferences for new and aspiring heads.

Last month the conference ran forthe first time in London and 100% saidthey’d be back next year!

At the conference the range ofworkshops includes: dealing withdifficult people, de-mystifying Ofstedinspections and emotional health andwellbeing. One workshop attendeefrom the London conference, Seamus

Gibbons, head teacher, LangfordPrimary School stated that “As a resultof this conference, when I go backto school I will be more confident inhandling challenging conversations andwill think about the members of staff inmy school who don't get enough of myattention.”

One delegate was pleased she madetime to attend. Jenny Rigby, deputyhead teacher, Meadow High School said“I think this was an excellent opportunityto focus on aspects that affect us as newand aspiring heads. Having semi-regularopportunities to attend a conference inthis way is very valuable and worth everyminute of my time”.

The event is running again inManchester on 20 May and is availableto NAHT members at the price of £155.To book your place please visitwww.naht.org.uk/events

GET YOUR HEAD AROUND HEADSHIP

Featured Conferences

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Upcoming challenges are to widenstudents’ horizons beyond theimmediate area, although Luxmooreis encouraged that one former pupilreturning for teacher training withthem did her degree in Liverpool.

He has his own big aspirations for hiscoastal school: “We’re hoping to getcapital to a group of students to set upa business and make money throughtheir CP project in the hope of creatingyoung entrepreneurs who will becomefuture employers and help to regeneratethe economy of Thanet. I don’t see whywe shouldn’t use education as not just aroute to HE or employment, but to createemployers of the students. I think it isentirely normal and natural to do that.

“I get angry with the government’sapproach that for a few hundred quid ofpupil premium money we we are expectedto eradicate the effects of poverty oneducation. But doing that is what motivatesme and my colleagues: we see our job asproviding education that will change thelocal economy and people’s life chances.”

SUSAN YOUNG: Education columnist

Students combine at least twoIBCP subjects, plus programmesincluding vocational A Levels orBTECs, and the core. New subjects canbe added: he’s currently evaluatinga specialist financial course.

Now, King Ethelbert’s studentsaspire to university and much more.Luxmoore recalls with pleasure aboy who said: “‘I’ve got the optionsof an apprenticeship, a job anda university place as a back-up.’I thought, that’s brilliant.”

The qualification’s focus on differentlearning styles – where students takeresponsibility, work collectively, and learnhow to research and present information– is attractive to employers, and hasbeen adopted throughout the school.

It includes a compulsory communityproject, which saw one group organisingKing Ethelbert’s reunion.“We gave 16students a £2,000 budget – there werelots of fallouts and tears but they weresuccessful and learned a huge amountabout organising something as a team.”

Language learning is also compulsory.“Our students do Italian, usually with ateacher who doesn’t know any Italianand learns with them. The whole point isthat they work out how to learn together.If you forced them to learn a languagefor an exam nobody would do the IBCPbut this way it’s an absolute pleasureand a staple part of the course,” he says.

few years ago, King EthelbertSchool on Kent’s Isle of Thanetwas turning out hairdressers,

shop assistants and car mechanics – thatis, if former students found work at all.

Recent destinations are ratherdifferent, with sixth-formerstaking apprenticeships in banksand stockbrokers, going touniversity, and becoming teachingassistants, midwives and more.

Aspirations have been forced upwardsin one of the most deprived areas of theUK – thanks to a little-known qualificationand the sheer determination of executivehead teacher Paul Luxmoore.

“I’m going to force them to havehigher aspirations, even if they don’twant to have higher aspirations. I’mbloody-minded about that. They’ll tellyou to ‘eff off’, that they don’t wantto go to university or do anythingdifferent to their parents,” he says.

So now he only offers the InternationalBaccalaureate (IB) to sixth-formers.“You’re raising aspiration compulsorily:if A Levels or vocational study post-16look easier, that’s what they’ll go for. Youhave to be quite brutal about forcingpeople to have higher aspirations,” hechuckles, adding: “I am proudest ofmaking everybody study the IB, becauseI’m damned if my students in a deprivedarea like Thanet aren’t going to doexactly the same as those whose parentspay a fortune for independent schools.”

While he offers the academic IBDiploma, it is the growing CareerRelated Programme which has provedtransformational. The IBCP has beenso successful that schools offering itin Kent will more than double to 26 bySeptember 2017, with the IB organisationstreamlining processes to meet demand.Students are getting high grades,and Luxmoore says it’s “magic” for itsflexibility and preparation for work,apprenticeship or further study. “It’sreally simple and brilliant. It’s the onlyeducational offer I know that combinesvocational and academic learning witha core which makes it coherent.”

A

Aiming high

I’m going to force them tohave higher aspirations, even ifthey don’t want to have higheraspirations. I’m bloody-minded

about that Paul Luxmoore

Susan Young

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Malcolm TrobeMalcolm TrobeInterim General Secretary at ASCLInterim General Secretary at ASCL

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