In case you missed it… recent highlights from NCSL in Dialogue, talk2learn’s online community for national education debate:
Download a pdf version of talk2learn highlights: issue 15a (156kb, 1 page)
Download a pdf version of talk2learn highlights: issue 15b (212kb, 1 page)
Download an audio version of issue 15a (1.6Mb, 4 mins) and issue 15b (1.4Mb, 3:37 mins)
Subscribe to the podcast to receive future updates automatically
If you are not yet a member of talk2learn, find out more about how to join
Do school improvement partners (SIPs) provide a ‘priceless’ service that can give heads ‘new impetus and direction’ or are they ‘ineffective, time consuming and expensive’?
School leaders were invited to describe their experiences and celebrate the inspiration they have taken from fellow professionals in a discussion opened by Professor Tim Brighouse, a lifelong educationalist and most recently London Schools Commissioner.
Do school improvement partners ( SIPs ) provide a ‘priceless’ service that can give heads ‘new impetus and direction’ or are they ‘ineffective, time consuming and expensive’?
Both sides of the argument were aired in a recent talk2learn debate on experiences with SIPs , chaired by Adrian Percival, National Director School Improvement. And while a handful were disappointed with their experiences thus far, most contributors were overwhelmingly in favour of SIPs .
Jenny Tosh, a secondary and special school SIP in Enfield, said her local authority had established clear lines of responsibility for overseeing the work of SIPs. "We have been careful to involve our SIPs (whether they are heads, consultants or local authority officers) through continuing professional development in the developing role and we have kept lines of communication open so that we can address any confusion if and when it occurs."
Ian Hart, headteacher of a primary school in Nottinghamshire, described how his SIP meeting had a positive effect on his school…and himself. He said that the constant bombardment from a number of difficulties facing his school had taken its toll on him and led him to seriously question his own performance. "My SIP , who is a serving headteacher, gave me new impetus and direction. This has been priceless to me."
On the critical side, one contributor said his school’s SIP had little relevance as the objectives of the programme were met through different avenues. "I see the SIP process as pretty ineffective, time-consuming and expensive, another layer of review which lacks the rigour and impactof the other processes."
Rod Woodhouse, a primary headteacher in Hertfordshire, said he was concerned about the role the SIP played in his performance management. "The worry has to be that SIPs will seek to promote local authority agendas into performance management discussions and target setting."
In a rebuttal of the criticisms, Adrian Percival said that evaluation of the SIP programme showed most headteachers were pleased with the results. Where quality of SIPs was an issue or where heads felt that local authorities had simply re-branded their link advisers as SIPs , he urged contributors to raise the problem with their local authorities or with the regional SIP coordinator.
He added that very few heads or governors he spoke to felt that the previous external adviser system on performance management was better. "In fact, this aspect of the SIP role comes back time and time again to my team and other independent evaluators as the big win of the process being much more time-efficient, streamlined, relevant and sharply focused than the predecessor system."
Finally, another school leader suggested one possible – and potentially revolutionary – consequence of the SIP programme as it evolves: "I feel that in the future – if SIPs are effectively deployed, then the Ofsted inspection might become irrelevant for most schools. The SIPs ‘ annual report is based upon considerable more interactions with the school than Ofsted’s reports. There’s a controversial thought – no Ofsted!"
School leaders were invited to describe their experiences and celebrate the inspiration they have taken from fellow professionals in a discussion opened by Professor Tim Brighouse, a lifelong educationalist and most recently London Schools Commissioner.
Lorraine Mitchell from a middle school in Suffolk described working as a deputy to a much-admired head. "The thing that truly set him apart from all others was his ability to recognise the inner strength and ability that we all had within us and make us feel as though we could have a go at anything. And at the centre of everything, was the learning for the children. Everyone within that school felt important and valued."
Ciaran Clerkin, formerly a primary headteacher, agreed, saying that a genuine involvement with students’ learning was the secret to being a leader who would be remembered "well beyond the next Ofsted". He added: "Personal experience clearly indicates that in order to raise standards, headteachers benefit greatly from spending planned classroom time alongside children and staff promoting and celebrating at least one aspect of the curriculum which they especially enjoy themselves. This could be poetry or creative writing or art or music."
A great headteacher is someone who trusts, inspires and motivates others with a passion and enthusiasm for life as well as learning, said Nicola Wilkinson, an acting headteacher at a Lincolnshire primary. "It’s someone who creates a warm, friendly environment where everyone cares about everyone else and wakes up in the morning feeling excited that it is a school day."
Another school leader felt that a good leader "should care and show they care". "My first headteacher noticed if you weren’t around in the staffroom, if you looked stressed or if you did something well," she said. "Then he commented or happened to walk into your room – just touched base. I’m lucky I now have a headteacher with similar traits."
One contributor described how an excellent headteacher he knew captivated the whole school with inspirational assemblies, staff meetings and briefings. "Something about his conviction was truly unique. He was a man of faith and he was humane. He was the first headteacher that I worked with that broke the mould of the manager/administrator I had seen previously. He was tireless and driven by his love for the school."
For Michele Knight, a primary headteacher in Surrey, a great headteacher was someone who ensured everyone was able to do their jobs and reach their full potential. "They should feel a sense of making a difference to children and have the guts to simply say NO to yet more outside pressure, allowing staff the freedom and time to think creatively."