Leadership

Leadership — No Comments
20
Apr 12

Getting more from learning walks

The most recent example of where my experience, specialist knowledge and skills have been combined with a mature awareness of the process of strategic change, is the research, collaboration and design of a ‘Learning Circle’ for Department improvement. I have been keen to focus the use of learning walks by Directors of Learning and Assistant Principals to raise standards.

In partnership with my lines, we have discussed and re-configured three whole-school performance communication models I captured on school visits (Redbridge School, Tynhams School and Bohunt School). The models have been reconfigured to address the new Ofsted framework and a Department focus. With the procedural systems written our final task is to pilot the model. As the ‘Learning Circle’ is a visual tool, our aim is that it will first, communicate expected professional standards, and second, feedback and share Department performance to staff. With each subsequent learning walk recorded and transferred to the ‘Learning Circle,’ it affords Directors of Learning the opportunity to monitor and communicate progress towards our goal, Outstanding learning and teaching. The final step will be to address the pilot feedback before presenting the model and Senior Leaders and Directors of Learning. It is worth noting at this point, that the ‘Learning Circle’ has been designed to monitor and communicate Department progress, however it has been designed so that it can be replicated and up-scaled to monitor and communicate whole-school progress towards our goal, an Outstanding school.

Following a number of conversations with middle leaders colleagues, the six segments of the learning circle were finally agreed upon and an assessment record sheet designed. The second set of conversations centred on the rubric of the learning circle and how grades were awarded and calculated.

The next step was to introduce the draft model to teaching colleagues, to spark debate and discussion. The learning circle certainly sparked discussion. The key discussion points focused on the purpose of the learning circle. Understandably it was seen as an assessment tool, and to a degree it is, but its primary aim is to focus and share department targets, and second, to communicate progress towards those targets.

With the final design adjusted to reflect the staffs comments and the subjects areas, I am looking forward to seeing how effective the tool is in improving communication and developing our learning focus.

With each target set by the line manager and their team, observations are coded green, amber and red. These sections are then used to create a department grade, again coded green, amber and red. The aim is to trial run the Learning Circle this summer term.

Popularity: 15% [?]

Leadership — No Comments
13
Apr 12

NCSL Leading through influence

Decision making is a process, not an event. Joan Sjøvoll

The unit had a heavy slant towards communication but also worked around the concept of organisational culture, what the unit referred to as the psychological contract.

There were practical examples of how to call, prepare and organise a meetings and some very useful audio task that mirrored the views of the department leader with that of her unsatisfied team. There were a few lessons learnt, however I only wished that I had completed this unit as an aspiring head of department. Rather embarrassingly, I found myself recoiling as the unit signed posted common pitfalls, the same pitfalls I occasionally fell into myself on my journey to now. Has anyone told the NCSL?

The was also an overview of school leader and associated reading, with this model striking a cord and an interesting path analysis that showed the processes that link effective leadership at difference levels with improved school outcomes.

Final point,

Research suggesting that high performing schools are five times more likely than low performing schools to have a formal process for identifying leadership potential. ‘Rush to the Top,’ Hay Group

Be interested to know what that might look like, and how it is developed within a high performing school?

Popularity: 8% [?]

Leadership — No Comments
10
Apr 12

Leading Change

People responsible for planning and implementing change often forget that while the first task of change management is to understand the destination and how to get there, the first task of transition management is to convince people to leave home. You’ll save yourself a lot of grief if you remember that. William Bridges

When the new term starts, a colleague that I am supporting will introduces his intern project to the staff. We have worked very hard on the first task, invested significant time researching, meeting with colleagues, visiting schools and defining the opportunities and potential pitfalls. However, we now have the job of ‘convincing people to leave home.’

What are the best examples of CPD, introducing a project, that have encouraged you to ‘leave home?’

Popularity: 9% [?]

Leadership — No Comments
18
Mar 12

Parent and Carer Meetings at Bradley Stoke Community School

Our vision is for a school which will be both in the community and for the community. Dave Baker Headteacher

This week our Director of Creative Arts and I made a visit to Bradley Stoke Community School to hear how they were coordinating their parental engagement, particularly focusing on the organisation and structure of “parent and carer meetings” commonly known as “parents evening.”

Having meet with students, the ‘parent forum group,’ The Schools Network and received 80+ survey responses from our parents and carers, we are well aware of the perceived impression of our clients. Before we even started our investigations in October, we knew that we could do “parent and carer meetings” better and we were really looking forward (at least I was) to visiting a school that were “doing” it differently and “doing” it well.

At this point I would like to offer a sincere “thank you” to all the staff that contributed to our visit. We experienced a very positive day and held a number of very pertinent conversations. Our thanks to Ian Williams for organising the meetings, to the students who shared their views whilst touring the school with us. A thank you to Susie Davis who outlined the potential impact engaging with the Student Support Team can have in supporting the process and sharing with us her work of PASS. To Amanda Morton and Mark Rudman who demonstrated the digital opportunities to connect learning and communication to parental engagement through the schools website and parent portal and finally to the wonderful Paula Warren. Paula demonstrate the new online booking system and gave us a walk through from both school administrator and parent and carer perspective. Paula’s enthusiasm and unbelievable discretionary effort was possibly our highlight.

What new knowledge did we Bradley Stoke with?

First and foremost and without question, parent and carer meetings can be “done” better.

The first learning point was that parent and carer meetings should not be consider the priority meeting opportunity, rather a meeting opportunity. The student support team at Bradley Stoke certainly reached out to their school community.

As long as there is a conversation it does not have to be on that evening.

Monitoring student attitudes to school with PASS was a part of this process. Second, parenting and SEAL support for parenting, was a part of the school strategy.

Drop in sessions and quick answer sessions were available too, what I would describe as ‘nipping it in the bud’ support.

The online room booking service used was considered good value for money. In addition to providing parents and carers with a very simple way to securing appointments, the software automatically schedules a break between appointments and it can also limit the total number of appointments available. In Bradley Stoke’s model, a ten minute break between appointments is enforced and a maximum of five appointments per meeting. Interestingly, the reports showed that parents and carers were typically making three appointments per meeting opportunity, clearly they were only arranging meetings with the staff they had reason to speak to. Importantly, in reflection, the online system allows teachers to continue to use class time for teaching and not for recording appointments. Post event, the software provides detailed reports from which the admin can see who is and who is not requesting meetings.

Speaking with Marcus Fields at parents evening system they were very open to conversation and keen to work with schools. Excellent news. There are one or two further features we would like to see developed, some of which have already been raised Iain Williams. For example,

the ability to set parent and carer meetings for more than one year group
a simple tick box to define that the meeting occurred
a comments box for parents and carers to request information prior to the meeting
a comments box for the teacher and parent to record targets for the next meeting
for the system to automatically recognise where a second meeting between teacher and parent is schedule, and for the system to prompt the discussion for that meeting with the agreed targets from the previous meeting
for the software to be able to receive a CSV import from SIMS and to automatically request an appointment from parents where an attitude to learning value is below a set benchmark. here by the school can request meetings as well as parents and carers.

The Structure of the Parents and Carer Meetings.

Having surveyed are parents, receiving over 90 responses, there were key themes. The quality of the dialogue (limited in just 5 minutes), in particular parents requested that conversations focused on whether or not the child was making progress rather than focusing on levels. Concerns over privacy and suitability of using the main hall as a meeting venue, and a wish for the conversation to include how they, the parents, could support their child’s learning.

The Bradley Stoke model had already addressed the privacy issue, moving the meetings to teaching classrooms, with two or three teachers per classroom. Parents and carers reported that they enjoyed seeing their child’s classrooms / school and of course the school took great pride in their self-presentation. Second, with a limited number of meeting slots, the time given to each conversation had been extended to 10 minutes. Third the main hall was now available for;

key presentations at key points in the year could be scheduled
as an obvious meeting point for parents, carers and students
as a venue to showcase some of the students talents with live music or short drama productions

Parent and Carer Conversations?

What is your bedside manner? Staff at Bradley Stoke had been through a structure CPD session on how to prepare for and hold a parent and carer conversation with a supporting script on how to start these conversations. at the end of every 10 min the bell was rung to signal the next meeting slot. Where meeting is could not be arranged, preferential booking rights were given to the following meeting or one-to-one meeting slots were arranged. It was made very clear to use that at Bradley Stoke School parent and carer meetings were not considered the only time for conversation. In addition to “traditional” parent and carer events, drop-in sessions were arranged three days a week and home visits were possibly. A final service worth highlighting was a bookable crèche facility.

Our Next Steps…

Having spoken with various school groups, our next step is to engage in professional dialogue with the staff holding these conversations, and indeed some that should be but currently are not.

We know that we could easily lose staff in the detail. What is important is that we get into the importance discussion of how parent and carer meetings can support student progress. That we show staff that we want to act upon their experiences, requirements and feedback. Most importantly however that we want parent and carer meetings to impact of learning as well as fostering improved teacher, parents or carer and students relationships.

As I am working with a very talented artist, I hope that we will be able to communicate in pictures what we have learnt so far rather than lead staff through yet another verbal presentation. We need to quickly and efficiently communicate what we have learnt so far. We need to initiate professional dialogue with colleague on how we can develop and foster learning conversations with parent and carers around progress and learning, and not reports. Reports should inform the conversation, possibly framework the conversation, not be the conversation.

As a teacher I for one was blissfully unaware of just how complex the reporting, parents and carer meetings process was. Just how significant the school investment is, in writing reports, managing the data, preparing reports, communicating, organising and leading these two highly influential learning and engagement duties.

I do not think I have ever concluded a post with a disclaimer, but I think in this case I should. These are my opinions and not the opinions of my employer, my colleagues or the staff at Bradley Stoke Community School. (Who, by the way, were the catalyst in our conversations and IMHO, right on the money). In a community setting such as ours, parents and carer meetings need to be “for the community.” Indeed they do Mr Baker.

This week our Director of Creative Arts and I made a visit to Bradley Stoke Community School to hear how they

Popularity: 16% [?]

CPD and INSET / Leadership — No Comments
7
Mar 12

Leadership Pathways Core Day 2

Core Day 2. Commitments has meant a request to change groups and venue, but needs must. A very warm, very pleasant welcome from Jane and Lisa, much like the setting here at The Beach Hotel, Portsmouth. Aims, agenda and house keeping for the day covered, its onwards and upwards.

Progress since Core Day 1

What have been the highlights for you – mapping out the online units to best address my professional areas of interest and to accommodate the needs of the school.

What have you valued most – time with the Principal discussing leadership and reflection. A conversation less focused on school business and more of leadership development.

What has been the greatest challenge for you – (other than time) prioritising managerial tasks against leadership opportunities.

Looking at the online learning, creating a strap line reflecting the learning undertaken. I very useful learning technique.

For example – Understanding self was ‘peeling the onion’ and Harnessing Technology was ‘Developing our skills to keep with theirs.’

Describe a change you have made in your leadership approach

There are two key changes in my leadership approach since accepting the post of Assistant Principal. The first is that I have slowed down and narrowed my focused. I am more understanding that wholesome change, real change and not just lip service changes, requires a deeper embedding, than I previously had understood.

Second, I have tried to listen to advice from my line manager to be less curious. To reduce the scope of my interest and investigation. To encourage that aim I have openly shared my aims and ‘parked’ certain professional area of interest.

Outcomes from this leadership change include good coaching, wider work experience and the importance of family time.

There has a been a positive change in myself, and it is possible that those who have stepped into the space vacated, have benefited also.

Developing and refining the Leadership Change Project

One very interesting task under this heading was the request to visually represent our project. Now I am no artist but it certainly made me think about the project.

It reminded me about the fantastic RSA animations of key speeches, such as the Dan Pink Drive and the Sir Ken Robinson keynotes. Out of this activity two poignant thoughts span out. The first, that I could share the parental engagement project as a visual representation when sharing it to astaff for the first time and second that staff could use the technique to

think through their own projects
feedback to me how their understanding of a project I am leading.