Leadership

Losing the best job in the world

Headteachers’ leader John Dunford asks why, with a looming shortage of heads, the Government pursues policies that mean school leaders are losing their jobs in record numbers.

Headteachers’ leader John Dunford asks why, with a looming shortage of heads, the Government pursues policies that mean school leaders are losing their jobs in record numbers.

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      string(358) "... more intelligent approach to accountability.Intelligent accountability requires a more intelligent approach to dealing with headteachers. This must happen if headship is to remain the best job in the world.Dr John Dunford is general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders.53www.teachingtimes.com n Vol 1 ..."
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      string(5180) "headships.Increasing accountability is never far behind increasing responsibilities and, although accountability is currently focused tightly on examination results and Ofsted inspections, the proposed new school report card (see below) will grade schools on a wider range of performance indicators, reflecting the responsibilities described above. There is much to play for here if the report card is to lead to a more intelligent approach to accountability.Intelligent accountability requires a more intelligent approach to dealing with headteachers. This must happen if headship is to remain the best job in the world.Dr John Dunford is general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders.53www.teachingtimes.com n Vol 1.2Leadership SkillsChange ManagementSchool Report Cards – an introduction Will the advent of School Report Cards be another headache for heads? How far down the line are the proposals? SLT takes a snapshotAs part of a bid to increase the ‘accountability’ of schools, Ed Balls announced on 14 October 2008 an intention to change how schools’ performance is reported to parents. The ‘School Report Card’ consultation focused on the principles surrounding the card and feedback will be published soon. After this a further consultation will cover detail and technical aspects before the scheme is piloted.The intention is “to make the school accountability system more coherent, better co-ordinated, more streamlined and better able to recognise the full range of each school’s achievements” (School Report Card consultation document). The aims are as follows.For parents and carers: to provide a clearer, more balanced and comprehensive account of each school’s performance, which complements Ofsted’s inspection reports to inform parents’ choice of school and improve schools’ accountability to parents to provide information in a more easily understandable format, which is accessible to a wider audience.For schools: to provide a single, clear and prioritised set of outcomes against which schools will be judged by all parts of the system, with predictable consequences for both excellent or poor performance to recognise the value of schools’ work for all children and across all outcomes (but only hold schools to account for those outcomes they can influence)nnnnnto provide a balanced account of outcomes achieved and the degree of challenge faced by each school.For government: to provide a means of supporting the vision for 21st century schools to help to hold schools predictably and consistently to account for what is most important to incentivise schools in the right way, and remove perverse incentives.For Ofsted: to support the school inspection process.An example of what the School Report Card might look like and contain is included in the consultation document. The DCSF emphasises that it will use existing data and will be a short document (no more than four pages) which shows ‘headline’ performance information about a school.The proposed card would include a sharp summary of the school’s performance information. This would consist of an overall grading score, a very brief summary of the outcome of the schools’ last inspection, partnership working and trends in improvement. It is proposed that outcomes would be grouped into categories with an accompanying score. At this stage the categories might include attainment, pupils’ progress, wider outcomes, narrowing gaps, parents’ views and pupils’ views.The consultation is seeking feedback on the use of indicators against these categories. The proposednnnnnprinciples for choosing these indicators are that they must be relevant, robust, outcome/output-focused, responsive, differentiating, stable, complete and inclusive, and timely. There is evident emphasis on trying to present a ‘rounded’ picture of school performance rather than one just based on unqualified exam results or measures that schools cannot influence.A separate heading for Early Years Foundation Stage or Sixth Form Provision is proposed. This means that the performance assessment section would only cover provision at ages five to 11 in primary and 11 to 16 in secondary.The School Report Card will be updated annually, whereas the Ofsted report summary may be three years old. The consultation recognises that there may be differences between the published performance and the report summary as a result of this. However, they do suggest that where a new inspection has taken place the report card should be amended as soon as the results are released.It is proposed that the School Report Card might form the ‘risk assessment’ that Ofsted will use when deciding the length of interval for inspection. The consultation raises the possibility of it being used as the health check report for those schools judged to be good or outstanding.The last date for formal consultation was 3 March 2009. More information will be released shortly alongside the planned White Paper. During the summer it is intended to develop ideas further so that by autumn 2009 until spring 2012 piloting of the report card can take place."
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Leadership

Losing the best job in the world

20 May 2009

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Leadership Briefing 5.05 (53)"
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      string(5609) "ResourceWORLD OF WORK SURVEY Original DocumentWorld Of Work Survey – The 10 Burning Questions Keeping Education Leaders Awake At Night. This report by Randstad Education highlights the challenges facing leadership in schools. Focusing on staff management, the report identifies the recruitment and retention of talented teachers and a looming shortage of future school leaders as major concerns at a time when budgets are coming under growing pressure. However, the report finds cause for optimism in the determination and creativity with which current education leaders are addressing the challenges in front of them.KeywordsSchool leaders, staff management, recruitment, retention, talented teachersSummaryMore than a third of primary schools and a quarter of secondaries were forced to re-advertise for a head last year after failing to recruit staff at the first attempt. This confirms the long-held view of many in the education sector that a head teacher shortage is looming large.The current shortages among state secondaries in England are worse now than in 2007, even though salaries of £100,000and over are being seen. However, it is clear that high salaries alone are not the solution and offer no guarantee that the right person will be found.Church schools face an even bigger problem. Roman Catholic schools, which only recruit Catholic heads are typically forced to re-advertise for suitable candidates, often multi-advertising across a range of education journals and newspapers before finding the right head.A national shortage of head teachers is seen as one of the biggest problems facing the education system. It is increasingly clear that the familiar approaches to recruitment, such as advertising and re-advertising in the press, have had their day.Often the number one reason cited for potential candidates not wanting to take up the role of head is the pressure involved in the job.The report also investigated the development of the next generation of school leaders. Whilst 70 per cent have a ‘leadership talent identification programme’ in place, only 22 per cent of those contacted have a policy of ‘rotating senior managers to expose them to all areas of leadership accountability.’Key Findings:· 80% of the heads who responded rated teacher morale as seven out of ten or higher. · However, young teachers felt particularly insecure, with 82% of 18 to 24-year-olds and 79% of 25 to 34-year-olds feeling ‘very concerned’ about losing their job. · 68% said the best way to keep staff actively engaged was ‘a high level of personal responsibility and ownership for the delivery of school development and improvement’. · A school’s ‘ethos’ was rated as the most important factor in being an employer of choice (20% of respondents), followed by ‘the opportunity to make a personal impact’ (16%), ‘students’ (12%) and curriculum (11%). · Asked how they would manage future staffing needs, only 11% said they were ‘likely to recruit’. · 61% said 90-100% of their staff were ‘delivering the right outcomes for students’, while 38% said 50-90% were doing so. · 85% had an ‘internally developed programme’ for ensuring their staff’s professional development.· Asked about developing the next generation of school leaders, 70% had a ‘leadership talent identification programme’ in place, but only 22% had a policy of ‘rotating senior managers to expose them to all areas of leadership accountability’.Challenges identified (the 10 burning questions):Q1 – how are my staff feeling right now?· While the education sector now broadly mirrors the insecurity of the commercial workplace, morale appears to remain high. The ‘view from the top’ offered by education sector leaders is still one of optimism, with more than 80 per cent of  the survey’s respondents rating teacher morale as seven out of ten or higher.Q2 – how can I ask more of my staff?· Our researchers found that education sector workers recognise and accept that difficult decisions now have to be taken by senior management, and they’re ready to support the implementation of cost and efficiency measures. But that support comes with a caveat: people are looking for tangible evidence that management is also making sacrifices, and there needs to be consultation.Q3 – how do I keep my staff actively engaged?· For a start, let go of any negative opinions you may have about your teaching staff. Approach each of them as a source of unique knowledge with something valuable to contribute to your school. Remember that you are co-creating the achievement of a vision with them.Q4 – what makes my school stand out as an employer of choice?· A broad range of opinions and suggestions were elicited by this survey question. ‘Ethos’ was the clear leader from our respondents, being cited by one-fifth (20 per cent), ahead of the ‘opportunity to make a significant personal impact on school improvement’ (16 per cent) and ‘students’ and ‘curriculum’ (12 per cent and 11 per cent respectively).Q5 – in the current economic climate, how will I manage my future staffing needs?· This question has indirectly uncovered a remarkable progressive talent and openness in our nation’s head teachers. A resounding 27 per cent responded to the question about their strategies for managing future staffing needs against the backdrop of the current economic climate by concluding that they were ‘open to new strategies’. Almost as many (23 per cent) intend to ‘remodel their structure in the next three"
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Leadership

World Of Work Survey

13 Oct 2010

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      string(326) "... the key to a calmer state of mind. 3. Providing context: For many young people the experience of a traumatic event quite literally rocks their world.  It shatters their innocence and can result in them losing faith in the world around them.  Our job as adults is to help them ..."
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      string(4744) "Schools are well versed in helping support young people through a wide range of issues from abuse through to eating disorders, bereavement and bullying.  However, in the past few months we’ve all become acutely aware of another sadly increasingly frequent need – that of supporting young people in the aftermath of traumatic events such as the ones we have recently witnessed at Grenfell Tower, Manchester Arena and London Bridge.Unsurprisingly teachers, youth leaders and others supporting young people through events that few adults can imagine can feel thrown by finding themselves called upon for help.  In the aftermath of the Manchester Attack a quarter of the calls we received were made directly by children or by those concerned about how best to support children.  All of the children calling were seeking support because they had been deeply psychologically affected, with common issues being struggling to sleep, flashbacks, panic attacks and fear of being alone.  So how can teachers best respond to those needing their support?  The most important thing to do is to stress that help is out there. At Victim Support specially trained case-workers provide emotional and practical support to anyone that needs it.  Our support is free and confidential and we are there for as long as someone needs us. There are also smaller, practical steps that can be taken by schools to help a young person come to terms with what they’ve experienced and gradually overcome the very common feeling of ‘being unable to cope’.1. Re-building confidence:  Many young people who have witnessed or directly experienced a traumatic incident completely lose their confidence and this can have a hugely detrimental impact on everything from their schoolwork to their social interactions.  Setting young people small manageable challenges can be a great way of gradually re-building that confidence.  Every time they successfully complete a challenge, the sense of achievement they feel is something they can latch onto next time they are feeling overwhelmed by their emotions.  Challenges can be anything from holding a mini fundraising event to reading a piece in assembly or helping a younger child with their schoolwork.2. Managing emotions:  For some the excess adrenaline created in the aftermath of a deeply traumatic experience, can cause a feeling of permanent heightened anxiety that can at times feel paralysing.  Giving a young person tools to manage those feelings of anxiety is a practical way of helping.  For some physical exercise can be invaluable – going for a jog or having a kick about every time they feel anxious – whilst for others mindfulness training can hold the key to a calmer state of mind. 3. Providing context: For many young people the experience of a traumatic event quite literally rocks their world.  It shatters their innocence and can result in them losing faith in the world around them.  Our job as adults is to help them put the event they experienced into context.  Give them plenty of access to examples of good in the world and try to ensure that they’re not obsessively focusing on the event that they experienced.  In some cases, the young people we’ve supported in the aftermath of recent terrorist attacks have been obsessively trawling the internet for news and videos of the event – effectively re-traumatising themselves on a regular basis.4. Being sensitive to physical triggers:  Flashbacks are a very common affliction suffered by victims of traumatic events and can be triggered by incidents that would go unnoticed by most.  Trying to pre-empt and minimise potential triggers such as loud noises, crowded contained areas, the smell of smoke or the sound of alarms can help avoid unnecessary distress.5. Creating a support network: Talking is so important.  Helping young people identify a network of trusted teachers, peers, older peers and organisations they can turn to, helps ensure that they never need to suffer the often overwhelming emotions that victims of traumatic incidents can experience, alone.Any young person affected by a terrorist attack, traumatic incident or crime can contact the VS’s Supportline on 08 08 16 89111.  Our support is free and we are here to support victims no matter how long ago an incident took place and for as long as they need our supportIf your school would like to fundraise to ensure that victims of terrorist attacks and traumatic incidents can get the support they need today, please contribute to Victim Support’s One UK fund at www.justgiving.com/campaigns/charity/victimsupport/oneukappeal."
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Leadership

When Disaster Strikes

2 Oct 2017

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      string(366) "... can be a fragile dimension.There is a point at which hope becomes despair.Without wishing to sound like a doomsayer, manycolleagues appear to be losing hope. The constantdrive for change without sufficient thought or resourceis eroding confidence. For instance…Our best primary children compete with the best in theworld ..."
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      string(5663) "KEYNOTE WRITER19September/October 2005     ••••• primaryleadershipTODAYIt is with some poignancy that I write thisarticle. Tomorrow I will have reached the end of my career asa teacher that began with very uncertain beginnings inSouthampton in 1969 and is ending at Sherwood JuniorSchool in the north of Nottinghamshire. My journey has beenentirely absorbing, from probationary teacher to headteacher,from eternal optimist to … eternal optimist, and it is on thisnote that I will begin.Travelling HopefullyThere is a thin dividing line between hope and naivety. Theeternal pessimist will always level the crime of naivety at his/her optimistic brother/sister, but it is important to defend eventhe most naïve optimist against the draining influence of thecareer pessimist – the character who’s cup is not only halfempty but doesn’t like what’s in it anyway! ‘Always look onthe bright side of life’ may be a cliché, but give me that againstthe adage ‘he who expecteth nothing shalt not be dismayed!’This dimension can be demonstrated as a simple model:Leadership in thePrimary SchoolAre you travelling hopefully or down in the drudge?M ick Brookes will now havetaken up office as generalsecretary of the NAHT. A mom-entous move for a junior schoolheadteacher. He now stands thechallenge of representing us on oneof the most prominent platforms ineducation. What will he be sayingand what does he consider to be thefuture of primary leadership?September/October 2005     ••••• primaryleadershipTODAY 19primaryleadershipTODAY •••••     September/October 200520The DoomsayerThis is the pessimistic fantasist; we all have one somewhere inour lives. The sort of person who will drain your very soul if youlet them. Sometimes these folk are easy to spot – particularly ifthey are parading around with a placard saying ‘the end of theworld is nigh!’ But it’s the doomsayer within that is the one weneed to watch the most. This forerunner to paranoia is anoccupational hazard of running a complex and person-centredorganisation. The difficulty in deciding whether those areimaginary or real knives in your back is a challenge to us all. Onan institutional basis, it is also difficult to discern whether thewriting between the lines is real or imagined. For instance, doesthe combination of ‘federation’ and the mooted change of jobstatus in the Rewards and Incentives Group (RIG) herald thedeath knell of the role of the primary head? Conspiracy theoristsare interested in ‘who dun it’ stories, but undermine individualtrust and confidence on a personal and institutional basis.The DrudgeTends to be a more experienced member of staff – beenthere, done it, ‘T’ shirt won’t fit any more. There are extremesof this condition: at one end is the stone-age obstructionistwho will shoot on sight any new initiative; at the other end isthe pragmatic realist who can temper the youthful exuberanceof the naïve dreamer. Good readers of situations commandrespect – sometimes all they lack is the optimism to convertaccurate assessment into positive action.The Naïve DreamerThere is a gravestone (allegedly) in West Sussex with thefollowing adage:A vision without a task is merely a dreamA task without a vision is drudgeryA vision and a task are the hope of the world.A naïve dreamer may well be the visionary leader of the future.Having dreams shattered is a sobering experience. Failing tolearn from that pain will consign the naïve dreamer forever in arole that may show signs of early fruit but will never come tofruition. The dreamer who can learn from his/her mistakes andkeep positive will graduate to being the hopeful traveller.None of these states are constant, and the domainof the hopeful traveller can be a fragile dimension.There is a point at which hope becomes despair.Without wishing to sound like a doomsayer, manycolleagues appear to be losing hope. The constantdrive for change without sufficient thought or resourceis eroding confidence. For instance…Our best primary children compete with the best in theworld.  And yet … are we not risking all this by putting childrenin the hands of unqualified non-graduates for 10% of the week?If the outcome of putting in place dedicated non-contacttime for teachers is to increase class sizes, reduce provisionfor pupils with special needs, place education at risk for (forexample) one afternoon a week and generally demoralisethe primary sector by giving out the message of ‘makingdo’, there could be an enormous cost to pay. Far more thanthe minimal extra funding required to do the job properly.Regarding Teaching and Learning Responsibility points –never before in my years as a head teacher (27of them!) haveI been instructed to undertake a staffing review. How doesanyone know we need one? Supposing we’ve just done it?Suppose a review is planned for next term…? We work verywell together in our school – as do 95% of school staff,according to Ofsted.This overbearing, one-size-fits-all centralist control hassimply got to stop – it is draining the life out of us.There is a sense out here that the soon-to-be-inspectedimperatives of extended schools, changes to managementstructures and a plethora of other initiatives combine togetherto defeat hope. There are some troubling signs, the key onebeing an almost complete lack of interest in joining schoolleadership. In my own school, we have succession, after ashort interregnum, but only after advertising twice with a resultof only six candidates. We are the lucky ones, not leastbecause we have a very"
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Leadership

Leadership in the Primary School

1 Jan 2005