Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Singing for my supper in Gateshead
Several keynote speeches this week including one to the Sing Up National Gathering at The Sage by the River Tyne in Gateshead. 24 years ago I became Headteacher of a school about a mile from here along the Felling by-pass. Bede Community Primary School. It had 83% free school meals. Very few parents had a job as all the major employers including Clarke Chapmans had closed down. The community was split by a railway line - now the Metro - with the Old Fold on one side and Sunderland Road on the other. As a designated Community Primary School we reached out to the community and enabled local people to set up a number of groups and activities. The Community School was one of the few meeting places for families.
Local teenagers - the older brothers and sisters of pupils at Bede - felt isolated, and detached. They began burning out cars on the school field. We responded to this by talking with them and then setting up a football team. Some of the boys played, and girls and boys were cheerleaders and supporters. We met each week and trained and talked. The local Police agreed to make a minibus available for friendly matches.We raised funds for a football strip and to go to a professional football match. The Police assisted, but would not agree to either a Newcastle or Sunderland game as these could be negative role models. Instead we went to Hartlepool v Burnley. I thought this might not be cool, but the group loved it as they had never been to a real match before. A after a few more friendlies the group were enjoying the experience. Later that Summer one of the boys, Mark, went to the local Cemetery with a couple of friends, sniffed a fire extinguisher, and sadly he died. His Mum had him buried in the team shirt as she said, "It was the only positive thing in his life".
Veronicah, James and I called in to see Alison and Angela at Bede - still the Admin Officers at the School - and lifelong friends.
Virtually 100% of Primary Schools in Swindon have signed up to Sing Up. Goddard Park has hosted an area training session, and our children have benefitted significantly from this. It has been a very successful initiative. Parents and children were recently singing at Debenhams. Alongside this Wider Opportunities has provided expert instrumental tuition to a whole year group at a time, together with Roadshows of brass/strings/woodwind/percussion that have stimulated interest and enjoyment amongst our pupils. I hope the Henley Review identifies the essential need for music education for all, and that the Government places a requirement in a new National Curriculum with earmarked funds. We need a John Winterflood (Swindon Music Service) and a Liz Terry (Sing Up) to make this happen. Our children would be much richer as a result, and it is difficult to see any effective alternative provision - it is a specialized area of school life.
Local teenagers - the older brothers and sisters of pupils at Bede - felt isolated, and detached. They began burning out cars on the school field. We responded to this by talking with them and then setting up a football team. Some of the boys played, and girls and boys were cheerleaders and supporters. We met each week and trained and talked. The local Police agreed to make a minibus available for friendly matches.We raised funds for a football strip and to go to a professional football match. The Police assisted, but would not agree to either a Newcastle or Sunderland game as these could be negative role models. Instead we went to Hartlepool v Burnley. I thought this might not be cool, but the group loved it as they had never been to a real match before. A after a few more friendlies the group were enjoying the experience. Later that Summer one of the boys, Mark, went to the local Cemetery with a couple of friends, sniffed a fire extinguisher, and sadly he died. His Mum had him buried in the team shirt as she said, "It was the only positive thing in his life".
Veronicah, James and I called in to see Alison and Angela at Bede - still the Admin Officers at the School - and lifelong friends.
Virtually 100% of Primary Schools in Swindon have signed up to Sing Up. Goddard Park has hosted an area training session, and our children have benefitted significantly from this. It has been a very successful initiative. Parents and children were recently singing at Debenhams. Alongside this Wider Opportunities has provided expert instrumental tuition to a whole year group at a time, together with Roadshows of brass/strings/woodwind/percussion that have stimulated interest and enjoyment amongst our pupils. I hope the Henley Review identifies the essential need for music education for all, and that the Government places a requirement in a new National Curriculum with earmarked funds. We need a John Winterflood (Swindon Music Service) and a Liz Terry (Sing Up) to make this happen. Our children would be much richer as a result, and it is difficult to see any effective alternative provision - it is a specialized area of school life.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
An intensive time.
Each week is very full and recently I had the opportunity of visiting both the Isle of Wight and flying to the Isle of Man in the same week. What characterized both visits are shared challenges, very different contexts and the professionalism of local NAHT Officers when supporting Members.
The Isle of Wight is undergoing substantial structural change, with the demise of Middle Schools, and the introduction of an external Academy provider for a group of schools, and a further going into a Trust. The remaining schools will be with the LA. The Branch Secretary, John Dear, has worked tirelessly on behalf of colleagues. I was pleased to visit a number of schools including one of the Middle schools where senior staff expressed their concern that children will lose something special when the current system finishes next year.
We were met on Sunday at the airport on the Isle of Man by Tom Thompson Branch Secretary who gave us an impromptu tour of the Island. The next morning we visited two schools one of 280, and the other of six.
I saw quality work in both islands. The Isle of Man has invested well in Apple Macs and these were well used in a range of curriculum activities. It is facing a huge challenge to public finances with changes in VAT arrangements with the UK whereby there is a gap of £140 million to close with obvious effects upon schools. Again Tom was well respected by his colleagues and ensured that their views were clearly communicated.
I met with both Directors and discussed the key issues of reorganization and economic challenge.
The Isle of Wight is undergoing substantial structural change, with the demise of Middle Schools, and the introduction of an external Academy provider for a group of schools, and a further going into a Trust. The remaining schools will be with the LA. The Branch Secretary, John Dear, has worked tirelessly on behalf of colleagues. I was pleased to visit a number of schools including one of the Middle schools where senior staff expressed their concern that children will lose something special when the current system finishes next year.
We were met on Sunday at the airport on the Isle of Man by Tom Thompson Branch Secretary who gave us an impromptu tour of the Island. The next morning we visited two schools one of 280, and the other of six.
I saw quality work in both islands. The Isle of Man has invested well in Apple Macs and these were well used in a range of curriculum activities. It is facing a huge challenge to public finances with changes in VAT arrangements with the UK whereby there is a gap of £140 million to close with obvious effects upon schools. Again Tom was well respected by his colleagues and ensured that their views were clearly communicated.
I met with both Directors and discussed the key issues of reorganization and economic challenge.
Cyprus
- Children in Greek Cypriot national dress in the 26th Limassol Primary
The European School Heads Association (ESHA) Conference is in Cyprus, and I'm accompanied by Chris Harrison Vice President, Jack Hatch National Treasurer, and Roy Tedscoe National Council Member and ESHA rep. It is the first week of November and the temperature is around 30* with constant sunshine and brilliant views of the Mediterranean. In England it's cold, windy and wet. Is this a jolly? Well let me go through reality. To get here meant leaving home at 1am with Veronicah and James to sit in a cold bus station and catch a National Express bus to Gatwick North. Then a four hour flight with a 22 month old. Negotiating a transfer to the hotel took half an hour. The taxi driver spent a considerable time driving with his mobile telephone in deep conversation. We only had two near misses. From experience I only sit in the back seat of taxis, and I admired my Vice President's courage or innocence in taking the front seat. On at least one occasion he could have
shaken hands with a lorry driver. Taxis aside the hospitality is excellent.
Although a European event it provided an excellent opportunity to discuss wider international school leader issues with Mike Benson and Vicki Shannon of the Ontario Principals' Council, and Gail Connelly of the National Association of Elementary School Principals in the USA.
Next morning we had the latest from Andy Hargreaves and the Boston School: 'Performing beyond expectations'. The outcome of research on why some schools, local areas of schools, businesses, and sports teams stand out beyond the norm often in difficult situations.
Neil Hawkes presented on the Values Agenda. Although I've heard Neil before and subscribe to the message, the single factor I picked out was to make this work explicit in the school community. This is linked to our UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Award work. As we are now an Academy Trust one of the early pieces of work is for the school community to revisit it's aims and values and ensure that these are agreed, communicated, and lived up to by all.
One of the best sessions in international work is the twin opportunity to network with colleagues and school leader organizations across the world, and to visit local schools. At the 26th Limassol Primary we were presented with Cypriot dance and song. In a quiet moment afterwards I congratulated the music teacher who then rushed off and copied for me with great pride a CD of the songs from an original school recording. It will remain the highlight of the trip, and I will showcase the children's work on several occasions. This resonated with a visit several years ago to a school in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand where traditional playing by Primary School children of the soot and the elegance and expression of their dance impacted immensely on those watching.
So do SATs tell all the story or increasingly indeed any of the story.....and the Finnish Heads - always lauded by successive Governments as the top of the PISA league table reacted with horror at the prospect of testing at 11 years. They believed that as this would distort the curriculum it would reduce the effectiveness of their schools!
Keynote speech to the South West Region
I'm immensely delighted to be National President of the NAHT.
I'm the 3rd President from Swindon following Matt Cammish, and Arthur Burke-Jones in the 1970's. Matt is in his 90's and was my own Headteacher at Secondary.
I had a wonderful working class upbringing in the 1950's and 60's and can remember a time before a television arrived for the 1958 Cup Final
My father and grandfather worked in the GWR. My Mum made the decisions for the family. There was always food on the table. After the privations of the second world war that was essential. The journey to freedom through the sacrifices of those who fought in that war are only too well understood last week, and some Royal Navy shipmates of my Dad's laid down their lives for it.
For many years when I was a child my Mum sat in bed early on a Sunday morning using beautiful copperplate writing and sums to ensure the bills were paid each week. I grew up thinking that there was a shop called 'apro' as Mum would come home with a pair of trousers or shirt and check if it fitted. It wasn't until I was much older I realized that she would go to the Co-op menswear in town and buy clothes for me 'on approval'.
I lived in a town which had a highly skilled workforce and was a world leader in locomotive technology. It had extensive adult education programmes, and more voluntary societies per capital than anywhere in the Country. In many ways it was idyllic. We always realized however that there was a glass ceiling, and this was largely based upon education. Even comics of the time reflected this division. We had Alf Tupper tough of the track who would invariably defeat the effete character from a privileged background who expected to win races on status alone. Unfortunately, this did not always reflect life and the 11+ condemned many at an early age.
How times change? Well last year only 12 children from free school meal backgrounds made it to Oxford.
There has of course been a meritocratic revolution. My generation - and I'm 60 - was the first to have the opportunity to go into higher education and even be given a student grant. Although it can be argued that a graduate's potential earning power should require a contribution through tuition fees, we should be careful not to restrict access at a time when the Country needs to invest in it's children and youth.
It faces a challenge from international systems of education. It is a challenge we have to meet if we are to have the freedom to flourish.
I want to take you on a journey. Where should we start?
Well according to the OECD PISA studies of international comparisons - and often quoted by our Government - a top performing Country is Finland.
I was speaking with a group of Finnish Headteachers on Saturday. There is no external test in Finland prior to 16 years old. The Finnish Heads said that their Ministry of Education was considering introducing tests as an easy accountability. It might be easy but it is sloppy thinking and the Heads were unanimous in condemning such a move as they felt it would distort the curriculum and encourage teachers to teach to the tests.
Returning to our journey. We live in an interdependent world, but we have we have to ask what about another of our competitors for future contracts? Singapore. In a Singapore Primary of 1500 pupils one of the classrooms had a complete wall as a computer screen set up as Singapore Harbour in the second world war.
Pupils can gain information by touching the screen, and place themselves as a second life style character in this scene and for example ensure survival or try to effect an escape. They can also do this at home with their parents. This technology is part of a project where the Ministry of Education and innovative companies are harnessing such state of the art technology and ensuring schools have the opportunity to access and use it. Michael Gove dispenses with BECTA. Where is there the thinking in the UK about harnessing cutting edge technological companies and schools? Is the interactive whiteboard the limit of our classroom world? Of course it
is not just having the technology, it is what you do with it that counts. Our challenge as a Country is not just to innovate, but to look to children developing those skills, attributes and values that the future world will require. Even the CBI recognizes that a list of historical dates by itself will not make you an effective team player. I do though appreciate the need for children gaining core cultural knowledge. My 23 month old son is effectively using a computer for fun and can actively read 50 words. We also swim, sing songs, enjoy stories, and go to football, but I want his school to access the best technology. By the way it means I have to work until I am 81.
So what about Canada? Ontario is a major Province and the Superintendent of Schools can and does rotate school leaders. That means families moving to another part of the Province. The UK Government is moving down a greater autonomy route. Autonomy in our Country has been hard won and is jealously guarded. The new autonomy does provide challenge and opportunity to the NAHT and to schools. The NAHT is going to kitemark a Services to Schools provider for support services such as HR.
We need a NETWORK system for professional development. In Ontario, 95% of professional development for school leaders is undertaken by school leaders. I've often marveled at the brilliance in many of our schools. How often do we visit each other and see this. We need to capture and share it. The NAHT could facilitate this. We need local/national and international networks of schools. We also should consider how we resource the time and workload involved and ensure it doesn't fall on already busy shoulders.
In Australia, the Country has largely escaped the major ravages of the recession and decided that it would keep its employment and activity in the economy up by providing one classroom or library for each school. The disadvantage is that, as with Building Schools for the Future, was bureaucracy and inappropriate matching with individual school needs.
We are told that Charter Schools in the US are the way forward and that the linked FREE SCHOOL model from Sweden is the way forward. NAHT National Council is about to take a view. At the very most we would want to see the 16 schools already announced be evaluated as a pilot. The potential for duplication in a time of austerity, and having a negative effect on surrounding schools is significant.
In South Korea high attainment rates disguise a very high teenage suicide rate that we would not accept.
The NAHT is currently conducting some research into these comparisons.
Prof Andy Hargreaves and his team at the Lynch School of Education in Boston supported by the Institute of Education in London is about to realease some work on Performing Beyond Expectations - businesses, sports clubs, and Schools - that are exactly that, and teases out key attributes and features for success, including:
High fidelity
Fraternity pride community
Fairflow courage
Fallibility try risk
Friendly rivalry with other schools. Work together - assist each other
Fusion lead
Feasible growth shallow not built sustainable
Culture and collaboration
Use resistance to innovate
Fast and fair tracking sample testing important not summative
Charismatic legacy
Fortitude perseverance courage
Counterflow unexpected
Connect to the past and an inspiring future
Firm foundations
Fight for what you believe in
If you are depressed then sort it out.
Fundamental future
Fear can't deliver Henry V before Agincourt. How you respond to it is vital.
The destination is a dream not a number.
The Spirit Level by Wilkinson and Pickett published by Allen Lane identifies that unequal societies such as the UK and US do worse in a whole series of measures.
So to be a Headteacher I think is the best job in the world. To be a Headteacher in my hometown gives me great pleasure, but it also is a continual reminder that we are largely accountable for our children's life chances and that is an awesome responsibility. When things go wrong we must expect quality support from peers.
So the message to the Government is thank you for the freedoms, but that there is more to a league table than a list of numbers. Do not cherry pick on the basis of political expediency, look beyond the Daily Mail, and instead celebrate the excellence of much practice including school leadership, in this country.
Our challenge is to ensure we raise standards still further by opening our doors to one another and share this practice. Perhaps the South West could lead this revolution.
This then will give us the freedom to flourish.
I'm the 3rd President from Swindon following Matt Cammish, and Arthur Burke-Jones in the 1970's. Matt is in his 90's and was my own Headteacher at Secondary.
I had a wonderful working class upbringing in the 1950's and 60's and can remember a time before a television arrived for the 1958 Cup Final
My father and grandfather worked in the GWR. My Mum made the decisions for the family. There was always food on the table. After the privations of the second world war that was essential. The journey to freedom through the sacrifices of those who fought in that war are only too well understood last week, and some Royal Navy shipmates of my Dad's laid down their lives for it.
For many years when I was a child my Mum sat in bed early on a Sunday morning using beautiful copperplate writing and sums to ensure the bills were paid each week. I grew up thinking that there was a shop called 'apro' as Mum would come home with a pair of trousers or shirt and check if it fitted. It wasn't until I was much older I realized that she would go to the Co-op menswear in town and buy clothes for me 'on approval'.
I lived in a town which had a highly skilled workforce and was a world leader in locomotive technology. It had extensive adult education programmes, and more voluntary societies per capital than anywhere in the Country. In many ways it was idyllic. We always realized however that there was a glass ceiling, and this was largely based upon education. Even comics of the time reflected this division. We had Alf Tupper tough of the track who would invariably defeat the effete character from a privileged background who expected to win races on status alone. Unfortunately, this did not always reflect life and the 11+ condemned many at an early age.
How times change? Well last year only 12 children from free school meal backgrounds made it to Oxford.
There has of course been a meritocratic revolution. My generation - and I'm 60 - was the first to have the opportunity to go into higher education and even be given a student grant. Although it can be argued that a graduate's potential earning power should require a contribution through tuition fees, we should be careful not to restrict access at a time when the Country needs to invest in it's children and youth.
It faces a challenge from international systems of education. It is a challenge we have to meet if we are to have the freedom to flourish.
I want to take you on a journey. Where should we start?
Well according to the OECD PISA studies of international comparisons - and often quoted by our Government - a top performing Country is Finland.
I was speaking with a group of Finnish Headteachers on Saturday. There is no external test in Finland prior to 16 years old. The Finnish Heads said that their Ministry of Education was considering introducing tests as an easy accountability. It might be easy but it is sloppy thinking and the Heads were unanimous in condemning such a move as they felt it would distort the curriculum and encourage teachers to teach to the tests.
Returning to our journey. We live in an interdependent world, but we have we have to ask what about another of our competitors for future contracts? Singapore. In a Singapore Primary of 1500 pupils one of the classrooms had a complete wall as a computer screen set up as Singapore Harbour in the second world war.
is not just having the technology, it is what you do with it that counts. Our challenge as a Country is not just to innovate, but to look to children developing those skills, attributes and values that the future world will require. Even the CBI recognizes that a list of historical dates by itself will not make you an effective team player. I do though appreciate the need for children gaining core cultural knowledge. My 23 month old son is effectively using a computer for fun and can actively read 50 words. We also swim, sing songs, enjoy stories, and go to football, but I want his school to access the best technology. By the way it means I have to work until I am 81.
So what about Canada? Ontario is a major Province and the Superintendent of Schools can and does rotate school leaders. That means families moving to another part of the Province. The UK Government is moving down a greater autonomy route. Autonomy in our Country has been hard won and is jealously guarded. The new autonomy does provide challenge and opportunity to the NAHT and to schools. The NAHT is going to kitemark a Services to Schools provider for support services such as HR.
We need a NETWORK system for professional development. In Ontario, 95% of professional development for school leaders is undertaken by school leaders. I've often marveled at the brilliance in many of our schools. How often do we visit each other and see this. We need to capture and share it. The NAHT could facilitate this. We need local/national and international networks of schools. We also should consider how we resource the time and workload involved and ensure it doesn't fall on already busy shoulders.
In Australia, the Country has largely escaped the major ravages of the recession and decided that it would keep its employment and activity in the economy up by providing one classroom or library for each school. The disadvantage is that, as with Building Schools for the Future, was bureaucracy and inappropriate matching with individual school needs.
We are told that Charter Schools in the US are the way forward and that the linked FREE SCHOOL model from Sweden is the way forward. NAHT National Council is about to take a view. At the very most we would want to see the 16 schools already announced be evaluated as a pilot. The potential for duplication in a time of austerity, and having a negative effect on surrounding schools is significant.
In South Korea high attainment rates disguise a very high teenage suicide rate that we would not accept.
The NAHT is currently conducting some research into these comparisons.
Prof Andy Hargreaves and his team at the Lynch School of Education in Boston supported by the Institute of Education in London is about to realease some work on Performing Beyond Expectations - businesses, sports clubs, and Schools - that are exactly that, and teases out key attributes and features for success, including:
High fidelity
Fraternity pride community
Fairflow courage
Fallibility try risk
Friendly rivalry with other schools. Work together - assist each other
Fusion lead
Feasible growth shallow not built sustainable
Culture and collaboration
Use resistance to innovate
Fast and fair tracking sample testing important not summative
Charismatic legacy
Fortitude perseverance courage
Counterflow unexpected
Connect to the past and an inspiring future
Firm foundations
Fight for what you believe in
If you are depressed then sort it out.
Fundamental future
Fear can't deliver Henry V before Agincourt. How you respond to it is vital.
The destination is a dream not a number.
The Spirit Level by Wilkinson and Pickett published by Allen Lane identifies that unequal societies such as the UK and US do worse in a whole series of measures.
So to be a Headteacher I think is the best job in the world. To be a Headteacher in my hometown gives me great pleasure, but it also is a continual reminder that we are largely accountable for our children's life chances and that is an awesome responsibility. When things go wrong we must expect quality support from peers.
So the message to the Government is thank you for the freedoms, but that there is more to a league table than a list of numbers. Do not cherry pick on the basis of political expediency, look beyond the Daily Mail, and instead celebrate the excellence of much practice including school leadership, in this country.
Our challenge is to ensure we raise standards still further by opening our doors to one another and share this practice. Perhaps the South West could lead this revolution.
This then will give us the freedom to flourish.
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
September
Meetings included a whole range from Branches and Regions to the Secretary of State in the DfE. A regular meeting is the NAHT with ASCL to discuss school leadership issues together, and both with the NGA to get a Governors perspective. This can lead to concerted action, but at the very least is a forum for considering particular issues.
I attended the Party Conferences of the Lib Dems, and Conservatives, and colleagues went to Labour's. This is useful for party activists and MP's to find out more about NAHT policies and discuss the educational landscape.
The 22nd saw Goddard Park become an Academy under the outstanding converter academy programme. This is another stage on our journey as an inner-area school of excellence. We feel we are in a position to further improve our children's life chances by becoming independent of the Local Authority, whilst having a cordial relationship. We remain part of our cluster group of schools. Our accountability is to our community and this is reflected in the five Trustee positions which reflect each key stakeholder in our school community inlcluding: parent/staff/community/Chair of Govs/Headteacher. Our Governing Body remains the same except we have one LA Gov out of choice and more from the school community. The retained LA funding comes to us, but we do not have one pound of other school's money - otherwise we wouldn't have gone down this road. Also we protect and invest in our brilliant staff, so all national pay and conditions remain in place. Will this help our children? I certainly hope so. We will reflect on it's impact.
It is now accepted that National Council go to the President's Region for one of it's meetings each year. I chose Bath for the South West. I trained at what is now Bath Spa University. Veronicah completed her B.Ed (Hons) there last year. Council met in the Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel - no not part of that chain..
It was instructive that it was £3,000 cheaper than meeting in Central London! A key debate was on SATs as I've already referred to. There was a Council Dinner in the Pump Rooms with external speakers for and against the notion of Free Schools.
A very busy September would become a hectic October. James continues to thrive and I want to come home each night whenever possible to spend time with him.
Meetings included a whole range from Branches and Regions to the Secretary of State in the DfE. A regular meeting is the NAHT with ASCL to discuss school leadership issues together, and both with the NGA to get a Governors perspective. This can lead to concerted action, but at the very least is a forum for considering particular issues.
I attended the Party Conferences of the Lib Dems, and Conservatives, and colleagues went to Labour's. This is useful for party activists and MP's to find out more about NAHT policies and discuss the educational landscape.
The 22nd saw Goddard Park become an Academy under the outstanding converter academy programme. This is another stage on our journey as an inner-area school of excellence. We feel we are in a position to further improve our children's life chances by becoming independent of the Local Authority, whilst having a cordial relationship. We remain part of our cluster group of schools. Our accountability is to our community and this is reflected in the five Trustee positions which reflect each key stakeholder in our school community inlcluding: parent/staff/community/Chair of Govs/Headteacher. Our Governing Body remains the same except we have one LA Gov out of choice and more from the school community. The retained LA funding comes to us, but we do not have one pound of other school's money - otherwise we wouldn't have gone down this road. Also we protect and invest in our brilliant staff, so all national pay and conditions remain in place. Will this help our children? I certainly hope so. We will reflect on it's impact.
It is now accepted that National Council go to the President's Region for one of it's meetings each year. I chose Bath for the South West. I trained at what is now Bath Spa University. Veronicah completed her B.Ed (Hons) there last year. Council met in the Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel - no not part of that chain..
It was instructive that it was £3,000 cheaper than meeting in Central London! A key debate was on SATs as I've already referred to. There was a Council Dinner in the Pump Rooms with external speakers for and against the notion of Free Schools.
A very busy September would become a hectic October. James continues to thrive and I want to come home each night whenever possible to spend time with him.
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