Leadership

Annual Teachers Survey: Teachers’ Awareness And Perceptions Of Ofsted

This Ofsted research sought to provide Ofsted with robust and timely evidence from classroom teachers to explore their perceptions of Ofsted, help improve the way Ofsted communicates with teachers and measure the understanding of Ofsted's myth busting campaign.

The total number of respondents was 1,002 teachers; 360 teachers working in a primary school, and 642 teachers from a secondary school.

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      string(308) "... change by embedding wellbeing, rather than simply paying lip service to it. Long overdueIt is long overdue for the education sector, where the rate of teachers leaving the profession is a well-documented concern and testament to the fact that there is a systemic problem.In a report Covid-19 ..."
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      string(5628) "Female College Student Meeting With Campus Counselor Discussing Mental Health Issues‘Poor management of work-related stress can amount to just that – a contract for ill health. ‘This was the view of Peter Kelly, Senior Psychologist at the Health and Safety Executive, which he shared at the recent MAD World Digital Summit (Make a Difference in workplace culture, mental health and wellbeing)[1]. ‘It is as if organisations are saying to their employees ‘I’ll teach you to be better but I’m not going to do anything systemically or organisationally.’A new Health and Safety Executive Standard (ISO45003) due to be published July 2021 will give guidance on how to address this need for organisational change. It draws on best practice across the world and will give organisations a clear framework to make sustainable change by embedding wellbeing, rather than simply paying lip service to it. Long overdueIt is long overdue for the education sector, where the rate of teachers leaving the profession is a well-documented concern and testament to the fact that there is a systemic problem.In a report Covid-19 and the classroom[2] 52% of teachers reported a negative impact on their mental health as a result of the pandemic but even before that The Teacher Wellbeing Index reported:· 57% of those surveyed had considered leaving the sector in the previous 2 years and· 72% felt stressed and· 49% believed their organisational culture had a negative impact on their mental health and wellbeingOf even greater concern is the stigma surrounding mental ill health as the index reported 60% of education professionals would not disclose their stress or mental health issues to their employer. There were a number of contributing factors:· 43% believed their organisation had not properly supported employees with mental health problems· 26% felt there was a stigma that prevented them from talking about mental health at work· 31% of senior leaders shared this view· 69% of education professionals felt they did not have enough guidance about mental health and wellbeing at workWhat senior leaders should doWhile Ofsted inspections include asking staff about their wellbeing, the measure of leadership success and accountability as described in the inspection handbook[3]is very tenuous. It is weighted in favour of pupil attainment; engaging with staff; realistic and constructive management of staff; dealing with issues such as workload consistently, appropriately and quickly. But how consistently are line managers trained, measured and held accountable?If consistent culture change is to take place across the education sector, then a good solution to address the lottery of mental health awareness would be to implement an extensive training programme, starting with senior leaders.As a Mental Health First Aid Instructor, I have encountered many reasons why headteachers believe training is not needed in their school. These seem to centre on embarrassment – ‘Staff won’t want to talk about their mental health with colleagues’; fear – ‘We don’t want to open a can of worms’ ; avoiding liability ‘We don’t want to be held liable if people diagnose the wrong thing’.To put the record straight on these issues, diagnosis is not part of the MHFA role and we all have mental health, which fluctuates all the time and needs as much care and attention as physical health. Silence and isolation are a recipe for mental ill health so we need to create a culture that enables honest disclosure without fear of repercussions.What The Teacher Wellbeing Index shows is the consequence of ignoring the well-being agenda and hoping that problems will disappear.What we can learn from industryAt Unilever PLC they have put wellbeing at the centre of their organisation for the past five years; Leena Nair, Chief Human Resource Officer, who spoke at MAD World Digital Summit claims that for every $1 invested in wellbeing the return has been $2.5. Holistic change was driven by focussing on four strands:· Culture – breaking down stigma and creating a safe space for everyone to talk about mental health, including senior leaders· Leadership – training at all levels of leadership to notice early signs of difficulty and how to intervene; measuring these soft skills and making them accountable· Prevention – incorporating four elements of wellbeing (physical, mental and emotional health and sense of purpose) as part of their annual staff development alongside career training and development needs· Support – Employee Assistance Programmes, Mental Health First Aid Champions and asking staff regularly what they need and acting on thisOnce training and expectations have been set, the key to ensuring change is measuring the impact and holding people accountable.Leena Nair spoke candidly about senior leaders ‘getting the boot’ if they did not achieve sales or productivity targets – ‘there is no confusion’ about the consequences, and therefore if wellbeing is truly embedded in the agenda of senior leaders, targets for this should also be set and leaders held accountable in the same way.Unilever found in their recent Univoice survey that 85% of employees believed the company cared about their wellbeing, which compares with only 40% 5 years ago – but they are aiming for 100%.ISO45003 will give a toolkit for setting up a psychological safety management system. At the MAD World Digital Summit, Dr Richard Caddis, Director of Health, Safety & Wellbeing and Chief Medical Officer at BT Group, said: ‘The"
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HR and Staff Wellbeing

Is Teaching A Contract For Ill Health?

30 Nov 2020

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Leadership Briefing Issue 5.03 (51)"
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      string(4509) "ResourceLANGUAGES AT KEY STAGE 4 2009-2011Original DocumentLanguages at Key Stage 4 2009-2011. This is an NFER evaluation of the impact of Languages Review recommendations: baseline findings from the first year of the evaluation. It examines languages provision and uptake at Key Stage 4 (KS4) in maintained secondary schools in England and the factors which support languages uptake at KS4, perceptions of the impact of the review, and changes in languages provision and uptake at KS4 from 2009 to 2011.KeywordsLanguages Review, secondary schools, KS4, provision, uptakeSummaryThe National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) is conducting a longitudinal research study on behalf of the Department for Education (DFE) to examine:· Languages provision and uptake at Key Stage 4 (KS4) in maintained secondary schools in England and the factors which support languages uptake at KS4.· Heads of languages’ perceptions of the impact of the Languages Review recommendations on languages at KS4.· Changes in languages provision and uptake at KS4 from 2009 to 2011.The study consists of an annual survey of a nationally representative sample of secondary schools in England (in 2009, 2010 and 2011) and case study visits to a small number of schools in autumn 2009 and 2010.This research brief reports on findings from the 2009 survey and the first round of case study visits. It provides a baseline picture of provision and support for languages at KS4. A full report on all three years of the evaluation will be published in spring 2012.Key Findings: The first year of the evaluation indicates that:· Heads of language departments consider good teaching and support to be central to encouraging language uptake at KS4, and constraints of the options system to be the main barrier. Many schools are reported to have received excellent support for languages in 2008/09 in terms of staffing, training and resources.· Some schools report a positive impact of the Languages Review recommendations but there is a low level of awareness of the Review in the majority of schools.· 19 per cent of schools set a benchmark for languages uptake in 2009/10 (at an average level of 64 per cent) but 62 per cent of schools had actual levels of uptake lower than 50 per cent. In schools where languages are optional (69 per cent of schools), 80 per cent had levels of uptake below 50 per cent.ActionImpact of the Languages Review’s main recommendations:· Some heads of languages reported that the broader recommendations of the 2007 Languages Review (the Primary Languages Initiative, broader range of languages, flexibility of accreditation) were having some positive effect on uptake of languages taught at KS4, but relatively high proportions of schools reported no impact of these recommendations. In the case study schools, teachers were aware of the Languages Review, but said that it had not changed the way they worked.· Fewer heads of languages responding to the survey reported a positive effect of the more specific recommendations of the Review (the language Performance Indicators, changes to the Self Evaluation Form and the role of School Improvement Partners) or impact of the Department’s stated expectation that schools would set a benchmark for uptake.Conclusion and further stages of the evaluation:· Findings from the first year of research provide a baseline picture of KS4 languages provision and uptake and support for languages in the survey sample for the 2009/10 academic year. They also provide some evidence of impact of the Languages Review in the second year of its implementation, though in some schools the level of impact is relatively low so far and there is limited awareness of the new initiatives that the Review recommends.· Research in the second and third years of the evaluation (autumn 2010 and 2011) will explore whether the position of languages at KS4 has changed (in terms of uptake of languages, breadth of languages offer, variety and flexibility of accreditation, resources and support) and examine the relationships between languages provision and school characteristics. It will also examine the perceived impact of the Review’s recommendations when they have had the time to become more embedded.NotesAuthorRaspal Chima, Imaginative MindsDate CreatedJuly 2010Enquiries to:raspal.chima@yahoo.co.uk (Authoring Unit)Month / YearPage 1 of 1©Birmingham City Council"
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Leadership

Languages at Key Stage 4 2009-2011

1 Jul 2010

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•	The assessment ..."
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      string(5668) "ResourceRACE EQUALITY IN FURTHER EDUCATIONOriginal DocumentRace equality in further education is a 50-page report by HMI on the progress and good practice evident in further education colleges in response to the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000KeywordsFurther Education, good practice, race equalitySummaryA survey of a wide range of colleges and inspection reports was carried out by Ofsted and the Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) between May 2004 and June 2005. The main purpose of the survey was to evaluate progress and good practice in response to the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. The survey covered:· The general duty of colleges to eliminate unlawful racial discrimination and promote racial equality between different racial groups· The assessment by colleges of the impact of their policies on learners and staff from different racial groups· Their monitoring, by racial group, of the participation, retention and achievements of learners, and of staff recruitment and career progress.Key findings:Leadership & Management:· Most colleges were broadly meeting their responsibilities under the legislation to eliminate unlawful racial discrimination and to promote racial equality and good relations between people of different racial groups.· Too few colleges were actively making changes to improve opportunities at the rate that might be expected after three years.· A key factor was the quality of leadership in establishing a strong ethos of equality and high aspirations for all.· In some colleges, managers did not see race as a relevant issue.· Monitoring and publishing the impact of policies was poor.· The analysis and use of race-related data was poorly used in about half of colleges.· The large majority of colleges were making good contributions to race relations in their communities.· Action to tackle racism was generally swift and effective.Achievement and standards· The majority of colleges attracted Black and minority ethnic (BME) learners in the same or, frequently, greater proportions than were found in the local population.· Nationally, success rates of BME learners of all ages have improved at an above average rate, with significant improvements for some groups of 16–18 year old learners.· In the best practice, colleges’ race equality policies embraced principles of inclusiveness and support for learners.· In a small minority of colleges, low achievements amongst some BME learners were persisting.Quality of education and training· The promotion of equality and diversity through the curriculum is a common feature, but it is rarely embedded consistently across the whole curriculum.· A minority of colleges had devised effective strategies to improve the retention and pass rates of specific underachieving groups.· Almost all colleges monitored individual learners’ progress using learning targets.· Teachers, managers and support staff in most colleges had benefited from some training in equality and diversity, but there is insufficient training in about half of colleges.Governance· Not all governors were fully apprised of their responsibilities or their college’s progress.· In just over a third of the colleges surveyed for this report, the proportion of governors of BME heritage did not reflect the ethnic profile of the local community or of learners.· Governors had not received training on race-relations legislation in about a third of colleges.Employment· None of the colleges had a staffing profile that reflected the ethnic profile of the local population. BME staff were least frequently found in middle and senior management posts.· Most colleges were not monitoring the career progress of staff, analysed by ethnic group (a specific duty under the legislation), in a sufficiently systematic manner.· Large colleges in multicultural areas with a high proportion of BME staff were the most likely to have embraced a ‘positive action’ approach to the development of staff careers.· The most proactive colleges were adept at developing ways to ‘grow their own’ future staff and managers of BME origin.Learners’ viewsLearners identified strengths in their colleges as:1. friendly and supportive teachers,2. the safe and secure environment,3. the respect with which they were treated as individuals,4. and the support and opportunities they were provided with.The quality of teaching and learning was also important to them, as was a good atmosphere in the institution.ActionRecommendationsTo help them to meet their statutory responsibilities, colleges should ensure that:· The findings of monitoring are published to reach all stakeholders· Performance indicators and judgements relating to equality of opportunity for BME learners and staff feature in annual self-assessment reports· All governors are trained in their legal responsibilities with regard to the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000· Governing bodies receive reports assessing progress in meeting their legal responsibilities.Colleges should improve:· Use of race-related data on learners’ participation and achievements, and on staff recruitment and staff career progress· Use of target setting in relation to specific groups of learners, and to all aspects of staffing and professional development· Methods for assessing and monitoring the impact of policies· Integration of literacy and language skills into all teaching and learning· Integration of cultural awareness and the promotion of good race relations into the curriculum.Colleges should also:· Take advantage of national initiatives and"
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Leadership

Race Equality in Further Education

1 Dec 2005

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      string(5918) "teachers’ self-reported levels of research engagement, the survey contained two sets of objective questions, designed to provide an indication of teachers’ research knowledge. The results showed a variable range of knowledge by question, but overall a relatively low level of knowledge of the evidence on effective strategies for teaching and learning. Teachers found questions requiring scientific or specialist research knowledge more difficult to answer correctly than questions relating to general teaching and learning. For example, over two thirds (67 per cent) of teachers knew that the statement “setting pupils by ability improves learning outcomes for all pupils” was incorrect, but less than one eighth (13 per cent) recognised that the statement “drinking six to eight glasses of water per day improves pupil learning outcomes” was incorrect. How we interpret these findings:These findings illustrate the extent to which ideas can become embedded in the teaching profession when they resonate with messages outside of research. It is not surprising that teachers were unsure about statements regarding the impact of water on learning, given the widespread advertising on the benefits of drinking water and an active market in propagating educational “neuromyths”10. Take “learning styles” for example – there is no research evidence to support the statement that “individual pupils learn best when they receive information in their preferred learning style (e.g. auditory, visual, kinaesthetic)”, despite government previously endorsing this technique11. These findings illustrate the need for more widespread training and awareness of research evidence, through resources such as the Teaching and Learning Toolkit. Levels of research engagement differed by school and by teacherWe used a statistical technique called factor analysis to summarise and analyse information from the survey. Factor analysis explains variability among responses and identifies trends in the data. Responses that were correlated across the survey were grouped together into single ‘factors’. These factors, which formed our outcome measures, had greater reliability than individual responses. The measures that emerged through our analysis were:Outcome 1: Positive disposition to academic research in informing teaching practice.Outcome 2: Use of academic research to inform selection of teaching approaches.Outcome 3: Perception that academic research is not useful to teaching.Outcome 4: Perception that own school does not encourage use of academic research.Outcome 5: Active engagement with online evidence platforms.We used these factors, and the knowledge score, to explore differences in responses between groups of teachers and schools. The analysis showed that:senior and middle leaders were significantl12 more likely to be research engaged than classroom teachers (on all factors, with the exception of outcome 4, and across all school phases)teachers in secondary schools were significantly more likely to be research engaged than primary school teachers (on two of the factors: outcome 2 – the use of academic research to inform the selection of teaching approaches; and outcome 6 – research knowledge)teachers in schools with the OfSTED ratings requires improvement or inadequate were significantly more likely to use online evidence platforms (outcome 5) than teachers in Ofsted-rated good or outstanding schools (across all school phases). Our survey also contained a question that explored what the term ‘evidence-based teaching’ (EBT) meant to teachers by offering them a range of definitions. Interestingly, we discovered that an individual teacher’s definition of EBT was a good indicator of their wider research engagement and knowledge. Teachers who selected answers containing a reference to academic research in their definition scored more highly on almost all our factors than teachers who did not. How we interpret these findings:There appears to be a higher level of research engagement among school senior leaders than classroom teachers. This suggests senior leaders should aim to model their own enthusiasm for research, encourage leadership teams to take an evidence-informed approach and for them, in turn, to support their colleagues. It is unclear why teachers in primary schools were less likely than their secondary peers to use research to inform their teaching, or to have knowledge of research. Nevertheless, this finding suggests that researchers, and intermediaries between research and practice, need to put effort into raising awareness and understanding of research in the primary phase. The EEF’s current ‘campaign’ to develop evidence-based Primary Literacy in the North East of England is an example of such support13. Conclusions and further workOur survey presents some novel ideas about how we can investigate, quantify and analyse teachers’ research engagement but it cannot tell us everything we might like to know. It is designed to be used alongside qualitative research (for example, interviews, observations and case studies), which can capture deeper, and more nuanced, aspects of teachers’ research engagement. The survey has also raised some questions. These include:How do teachers become research engaged and research literate? Our survey focused on teachers’ explicit awareness of the sources they were using, but there are many other, often implicit, ways by which research-based information can become embedded in teachers’ professional practice. How"
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Leadership

Teacher research engagement: what do we know and what can we learn?

20 Jun 2017