Schools Expert Panel

Developing the ICT Subject Leader

Refocusing on ICT as a subject

Schools Expert Panel

Presenters:

David Short, Park View School, Chester-le-Street

Neil Stanley, Liverpool John Moores University

For the British Computer Society Schools Expert Panel

Teacher Education Working Group

Schools Expert PanelLeadership v Management

Source: Key Stage 3 National Strategy: Subject Leader Development Programme DfES 0389/2002

Schools Expert PanelThe Role of Subject Leaders

Defined in a number of publications• DfES Teacher Standards Framework (DfES

0647/2001)- specification for subject leaders• The National College for School Leadership -

Leading from the Middle Programme (for subject and specialist leaders)

• Good Teaching, Effective Departments Report - Ofsted (HMI 337)

Schools Expert PanelThe Role of Subject Leaders

The primary leadership roles of subject leaders are:

• To raise and maintain standards in their subject.

• To secure and sustain improvement.

Schools Expert PanelThe Role of Subject Leaders

A subject leader needs to know the answer to these questions:

• How well are we doing?• How do we compare with similar schools? • What more should we aim to achieve this year?• What must we do to make it happen?

• How do we check that it happens?

Schools Expert PanelThe Role of Subject Leaders

Three core roles for subject leaders • Making judgements about standards of pupils’

achievement;• Evaluating teaching and learning and setting

priorities for improvement;• Leading sustainable improvement by identifying

targets for improvement, by developing and leading strategies to achieve these targets and by quality assuring the curriculum.

Schools Expert Panel1. Judging Standards

• Subject leaders make secure judgements about the standards of pupils’ attainment, rate of progress and personal development in their subject, on the basis of evidence.

Schools Expert PanelJudging Standards means

• Analysing and interpreting data on pupils’ attainment in the subject.

• Reviewing with teachers their assessments of progress for classes, identified groups and individuals.

• Sampling pupils’ work.• Discussing work, progress and attitudes

with sample groups of pupils

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2. Evaluating Teaching and Learning

• Subject leaders understand what makes teaching effective in their subject.

• They accept they are accountable for the quality of teaching.

• They systematically observe colleagues teaching and have the skills needed to feed back constructively and objectively.

• They monitor the planning of teaching in their subject.

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Evaluating Teaching and Learning

• Evaluating schemes of work to ensure that they focus on effective teaching and learning.

• Observing teaching and feed back to colleagues.• Reviewing teachers’ planning

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3. Leading Sustainable Improvement

• Subject leaders are confident in their role as leaders of their subject team and understand how to inspire and enthuse colleagues.

• They create the capacity for change. They encourage teachers to review and improve on their practice.

• They work to ensure that the improvements made are embedded in the subject team’s practice.

• They ensure that the review, construction and resourcing of the curriculum bring about improvements.

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Leading Sustainable Improvement

• Leading the department in discussion about priorities for the subject

• Agreeing targets for raising pupils’ attainment

• Developing a strategy for the improvement of the subject

• Leading the improvement of teaching quality.

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What is the real role of an ICT Subject Leader in a secondary

school?

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Complete Your Checklist

We don’t see things as they are,we see things as we are.

Anais Nin (probably quoting from the Talmud)

Schools Expert PanelWhich boxes did you tick?

• Infrastructure?

• Technical support?

• Managing support staff?

• Purchasing equipment?

• Staff training?

Schools Expert PanelKey questions

• Which of these areas are your main focus– ‘subject leader’ or ‘jack of all trades’

• Are some of these areas a shared responsibility?

• Who else is responsible for these areas?

Schools Expert PanelModels of organisation

• Small school

• Medium school

• Large school

Schools Expert Panel

On this slide Esther Holland, a deputy headteacher in Lewisham describes the changes made to the management of ICT in her school.

To reduce the size of this presentation it is not included here but can be viewed in the separate file School1.mov.

Schools Expert Panel

• Why have they changed?

• How have they changed?

• How far have you got?

• Where do you need to get to?

Schools Expert PanelYour experiences

• Do any of these models fit with your own experiences?

• Does your experience cover any part of the models described?

• Are you happy with your model? If you want to change the model, how might you go about it?

Schools Expert PanelExternal Factors

• At KS3, targets exist for ICT and pupils will be formally tested at the end of Year 9.

• Priorities and accountability for success are the same as Maths, Science, and English.

• Do you have the management time to achieve success within the climate of your school?

• The implications of workforce reform may bring a change of expectation to teachers within the ICT department?

Schools Expert Panel

• Bibliography

Schools Expert PanelThanks to

Esther Holland, Northbrook School, Lewisham

Other members of the Working Group for their inputs