SSAT Journal 08 Spring 2017 Produced with the support of Contents 1 Welcome 34 Careers as an integral part of the Sue Williamson, SSAT curriculum, for all ages 3 How school leaders can Therese Quincey, Red House Academy ‘make the impossible possible’ 37 What character education means to us Sue Williamson Nick Lowry, The Co-operative Academy 7 The light shines in the darkness, of Stoke-on-Trent and the darkness can never put it out 41 How to motivate young people to pass Reverend Mike Haslam, Taunton Academy their exams 8 Leadership that overcomes discord Marcus Orlovsky and creates united efforts towards 44 What worked for the Olympic excellence cycling team may work in our school Patrick Ferguson, Hope Academy Andrew Hare, 13 From good to outstanding – High Tunstall College of Science messages from sport and other sectors 46 Emergency first aid education in your Baroness Sue Campbell curriculum could boost students’ 16 Why it’s crucial to engage all adult self-esteem as well as saving lives stakeholders in the school community Cheryle Berry, Julian Grant, Sackville School Community Save a Life Scheme 18 Making homework relevant, and 49 Practical approaches from giving choice different sources Jo Corrigan, SSAT Sound Training & Acklam Grange School 21 Leading from the middle: why we need it 52 Ethical leadership programme enables Professor Andy Hargreaves school to rise above the data Jo Owens, Lichfield Cathedral School 25 From ‘levels’ to independent learning Nigel Sheppard, 57 Talking heads Horndean Technology College Joy Ballard, Angelina Idun and Nick Wergan 27 Not just embedding, but also empowering, through formative 66 Getting a head start: early years’ assessment provision improves education outcomes, Claire Black, Skipton Girls’ High School enhances recruitment and retention, supports financial sustainability 31 Let’s work together to achieve Lucia Glynn, Arcadis system leadership Sir David Carter 2 Welcome Sue Williamson, Chief Executive, SSAT I am writing this welcome on Budget day and am and many have to make serious cuts that impact feeling angry and frustrated. I am also agonising on the curriculum, class sizes and the experiences over whether I should share these emotions with of the young people in their care. The money set you or simply focus on highlighting the brilliant aside for the Prime Minister’s vanity project could be work that is going on in schools featured in the used to support existing schools, including existing journal. I am angry that you and SSAT took the grammar schools. time to respond to the Green paper consultation, During my visits to schools, headteachers tell me that ‘Schools that Work for Everyone’, and yet, even they are struggling not only with finance, but also before the consultation was complete, in an article with the recruitment of new staff. It’s not surprising in the Daily Telegraph on 7 March the Prime Minis- that we are facing a leadership crisis. ter made it clear that the government will plough ahead regardless with its plans to extend selection, SSAT’s immediate response is to set up the Leader- either now or following a General Election. ship Legacy Project, through which we will work with 120+ teachers in their first four years of teaching. We At a time when every school is struggling to make want to expose them to the best leaders in education ends meet, valuable resources are being set aside for and other sectors. The launch is on 11 May, and we new selective free schools and the expansion of ex- will give you regular updates on their progress. isting grammar schools. As Tom Middlehurst writes: “With three weeks to go before the end of the consultation period This year’s National Conference is being held in Man- in December, the Chancellor confirmed that money would be put chester between 30 November and 1 December 2017. aside for grammars in the autumn statement. And now, despite The conference will explore how school leaders can the response to the consultation not yet published, we are told be truly evidence-informed in making strategic de- that a white paper is imminent and that this will pave the way cisions, how a culture of evidence and research can for legislation removing the ban on new grammars. be embedded across a school or MAT, and the im- I simply cannot believe that the public and profession’s respons- plications of some of the latest research on what we es to the green paper were favourable to the government’s do in schools. I do hope you will join us – all member proposed policy. Indeed Justine Greening remarked that the secondary schools have a place as part of their mem- response was not ‘an overwhelming flood of negativity’. I think bership package. This edition of the Journal includes her words say rather a lot. reports from last year's main stage speakers. For an education secretary, ministerial team and civil service who claim to want to listen to the profession and work with them, We are very grateful to Arcadis for sponsoring the this is an outrage. The hours that colleagues spent gathering journal and providing so much thoughtful informa- evidence and writing their responses have been entirely wasted; tion on the use of space in schools. Our publication their views dismissed. with Arcadis, Triumph in Adversity, is a very useful For ministers to claim they want an evidence-informed profession tool for schools, and their article in this journal ex- and to have dialogues with teachers, this is not just laughable, tends their thinking further. A copy was sent to all but shocking. The green paper consultation has been shown to member schools. be a complete charade – and will undermine any future efforts to elicit opinion and expertise.” Despite the politicians, great things are happening in our schools; the case studies in this journal touch The DfE constantly tells us that we are operating in a on just a few. I love my visits to schools, particularly school-led system, and yet the views of the profession talking to students – they always tell me the differ- are totally ignored. Visit bit.ly/2mQ1du9 to read Tom’s ence you make to their lives. Thank you for all that blog in full. you do, and if we can help in any way, please contact School leaders are very worried about their finances us through your relationship manager. 1 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX SSAT NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2016 REPORT HOW SCHOOL LEADERS CAN ‘MAKE THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE’ SSAT CHIEF EXECUTIVE SUE WILLIAMSON ue Williamson opened the 2016 National Conference at ICC, Bir- mingham, with examples of “the tremendous work that goes on every day in schools”, much of which she sees in her many school Svisits during the year: “It is very rarely that I come away without having seen something or someone that is truly inspirational.” As a judge for the lifetime Somehow Jenny got through her book Leading. In it he states: achievement award for Pearson examinations – she often wanted ‘My job was to make everyone Teaching Awards, with fellow to give up but Carol kept her understand that the impossible judge, former headteacher going. I asked Jenny what was she was possible. That’s the Sir Alan Steer, she visited doing now and she told us: difference between leadership four shortlisted candidates in ‘I’ve just graduated from and management.’ It made me England and one in Scotland. Glasgow University with a 2:1 reflect on what leadership is “Usually we hear from colleagues in English. The graduation needed in the school-led system past and present, parents and ceremony is next week and and what lessons school leaders students – you will not be Carol and another teacher will might learn from other sectors. surprised to hear that it is the be my guests. They are taking “I think we are a long way evidence from the young people me out for a celebratory lunch from a school-led system. that has the most impact. afterwards. I am going to There are still too many top- “At a school in Glasgow, we become a teacher of English like down initiatives, and we need spoke to former student Jenny. Carol – she saved my life.’ a different accountability Her story was very sad, but framework. However, we are on a uplifting. Her home life was Making the impossible possible journey and school leaders need terrible; her parents did not want “These and so many other to be leading. SSAT has always her. Her only adult support came examples confirm that teachers advocated ‘by schools, for schools’ from teacher Carol McManus and make lives,” Sue Williamson and principled leadership. another pastoral lead. She had commented. “They make “Sir Alex again sums it up very little in life, and eventually at the impossible possible, and for me: ‘I cannot imagine how age 15 she was thrown out of the we need to celebrate these anyone without firm convictions family home. She did not know wonderful stories. and beliefs can be an effective what to do, so phoned Carol, “The title for this conference leader.’ I entered teaching with who found her a place to stay. came from Sir Alex Ferguson’s a passionate belief that every 3 HOW SCHOOL LEADERS CAN ‘MAKE THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE’ child can succeed, and I took develop relationships and to the young people and staff. An this into headship. As we move be employable. humanutopia’s essential requirement for any into a system of multi academy theory of change is designed to MAT is a growth strategy. There trusts with some free-standing help young people understand is no model policy, each one has schools and academies, we are how they can bring about to be based on context.