CPD for leadership

The changing role of the deputy head

scameron — Thu, 19 May 2011 15:21:19 +0100

In 1990 as part of my MEd degree I wrote a dissertation entitled ‘Partners' relating to the relationship between headteachers and their deputies. It followed other research which I had undertaken and sought to explore the possible development of the role of the deputy. It was particularly significant at that time in the light of the demands of the new legislation following the 1988 Education Act.

Developing outstanding leaders for challenging schools

scameron — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 17:09:42 +0000

In January 2006, Lord Adonis, then under-secretary of state at the Department for Children, Schools and Families, invited representatives from the National College, the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust and the children's charity Absolute Return for Kids to visit New York to examine a new charity - aptly called New Leaders for New Schools - set up to find and accelerate suitable candidates for headship.

Making evaluation more manageable

scameron — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 17:12:09 +0100

One of the keys to writing a strong self-evaluation form is to have data or evidence to justify your judgements. For many sections of the SEF a school leader will draw upon a range of externally validated data, yet at the heart of any school is the quality of teaching, which falls within the section judging the effectiveness of provision.

Writing your own policies

scameron — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:15:45 +0100

Policies in early years settings are there to guide the actions which practitioners need to take to fulfil the vision and aims of the setting and to act as a point of reference against which decisions can be made. Developing a wide range of policies in an early years setting will help to:

Becoming a school leader

scameron — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:36:12 +0100

Over the last few years, I have written many articles and had numerous discussions concerning the role and status of the school business manager. One issue that has repeatedly arisen is the difficulties that some post-holders have with trying to ensure that they are contributing as - and being perceived as - full and effective members of the senior leadership team in their schools.

Good CPD according to Ofsted

scameron — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 12:51:50 +0100

Accountability breeds response-ability.
Stephen R Covey

In this CPD Update we dissect the report to get to the heart of what we need to know about CPD in schools.

Leadership and professional learning

scameron — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:12:20 +0100

In times of change, learners inherit the Earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.
Eric Hoffer

Educational visits coordinators – what you’ve asked to know

scameron — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 13:40:05 +0100

I have been amazed at the number of emails I have received from SBMs regarding the previous issue, ‘Being an effective educational visits coordinator’, so I would like to expand on the role of the EVC and share with all of you the information that SBMs have requested. First of all I would like to remind EVCs that the LA has overall responsibility for health and safety on all outdoor visits; this is a responsibility that cannot be devolved but elements can be delegated to individual establishments, ie schools.

Charging for school visits

CPD for governors

scameron — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:15:22 +0100

Learning is like rowing upstream: not to advance is to drop back.
Chinese proverb

Your school’s governors may well be missing out on drives to improve effectiveness through professional and personal learning, and this can only stifle the progress you can make as an institution.

How to make CPD integral to your whole school

scameron — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:48:30 +0100

Is it just rhetoric to say that we create a culture of CPD for our workforce at King Edward VI School? And if it isn’t, just what does it mean? So often we hear people talk about the ethos of a school but it can seem so intangible, so impossible to distil into real examples of practice that can be adapted for use elsewhere.

Academy schools: the ultimate career move for school business managers?

scameron — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:57:47 +0000

In April this year I took up post as finance director at a new academy school. Since referring to my new role in SFM, I have received a number of queries from readers who are interested in exploring the possibilities of taking up similar posts.

Becoming an effective assistant headteacher

scameron — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 10:17:28 +0000

The transition from successful middle leader to successful assistant headteacher (AHT) is sometimes harder than it looks. Headteachers and others can help, providing the nature of this transition is understood, including those aspects of it that can contribute to feelings of insecurity and even of incompetence on the part of the new member of the senior team.

Leadership themes to support the professional development offer

jlee — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:43:01 +0000

In issue 5, I wrote ‘we need to have the right people in the school to do the job’. In that issue I focused on three essential ingredients for ensuring that the ‘right’ people are recruited and, when in post, supported to do their job well. This week I want to focus on a further essential ingredient –continuing professional development (CPD). No-one would question the importance of ensuring that the workforce is knowledgeable and in possession of the necessary skills to do their job well.

A new look for National Professional Qualification for Headship

scameron — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 13:38:15 +0000

Around one hundred and fifty applicants from all over the country are currently making their way through personalised programmes facilitated by the National College for School Leadership (NCSL). Previously criticised by many as too general or a one-stop shop for all school leaders, the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) has been redesigned to focus solely on the specific needs of those considered to be imminently ready for headship.

Your ideal learning culture: following it through

scameron — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 11:24:33 +0000

Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

It is increasingly important to pay attention to the kinds of cultures we create during the course of our daily work. With that in mind, we look at how to develop a learning culture in our schools for the purpose of professional learning

A career's worth of CPD

scameron — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:20:42 +0000

The quality of teaching is determined not just by the ‘quality’ of the teachers – although that is clearly critical – but also by the environment in which they work. Able teachers are not necessarily going to reach their potential in settings that do not provide appropriate support or sufficient challenge and reward.

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Your ideal learning culture: turning blue sky dreams into reality

jlee — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 10:59:33 +0000

I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.
Ralph Nader
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A creative focus to CPD

scameron — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 11:35:09 +0000

Following a school amalgamation, I became a senior manager with the interesting title of creative arts manager. The post, in a primary school in Bury, was fairly open to interpretation but one crucial aim was to win the Artsmark, which had been a feature of the old infant school prior to the merger. So I used the framework of Artsmark to structure my role and to begin to design development opportunities for staff. Initially, I took responsibility for collecting information and it was exciting to run a staff questionnaire on the provisions in art, music, dance and drama.
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International School Award

scameron — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:00:40 +0000

The government is expecting all schools to begin work on an international dimension. By 2012 (the deadline has been moved from 2010) all schools should be working with an international partner and working towards the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) International School Award.
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CPD coordinators' role in professional development portfolios: part 2

scameron — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 10:22:46 +0100

All progress occurs because people dare to be different.
Harry Millner
Getting staff enthusiastic about portfolios
It can be hugely beneficial for a school to get all staff on board when it comes to developing their portfolios. Prioritising this issue will not only help individuals focus on their own learning, but it will benefit the school in turn through their staff’s enhanced professionalism. Here are some strategies for achieving this which may work in your setting:
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Leadership development

scameron — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 11:39:51 +0100

Dig a well before you are thirsty.
Chinese proverb
Introduction
The ‘baby boomer’ generation of teachers (those born in the fifties) are retiring, and their offices in schools are being left empty; that’s the message of the latest annual digest of statistics from the General Teaching Council for England (GTCE). So what are we to do about a profession whose age profile is falling ever downwards? This week we take a look at some home-grown solutions.
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Informing your colleagues of CPD opportunities: part 2

scameron — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 10:13:50 +0100

As a general rule, the most successful man in life is the man who has the best information.
Benjamin Disraeli
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School bursars as heads?

scameron — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 13:13:40 +0100

Ruth Bradbury, school business manager
I have written many times on this topic, and I know that it is one on which people have strong views, and which excites debate on both sides. My own view is that there are a number of skills that the leader of a school needs to have. These include:
a commitment to maximising the life-chances of young people
a vision for their school as first and foremost a centre of learning
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Developing whole-school policy towards parents

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:28:27 +0100

Developing a whole-school approach can be key to improving partnerships with parents.

This CPD resource looks at formal and informal methods of engaging with parents, and includes a spreadsheet of ideas teachers should consider when producing a written policy.

Written by Angela Phillips

How to involve parents

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:28:27 +0100

There is a huge amount of capacity for parents to become involved in their children's school, either as helpers or support staff.

This resource explores how teachers can tap into parents' knowledge and enthusiasm, and includes a self-assessment spreadsheet on seeking parents' views.
Written by Mike Walton

Home-school partnerships as focus

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:28:27 +0100

Acknowledging and promoting the fact that parents are central to a pupil's life and learning teachers can vastly improve a student's development; or so The Woodlands School in Basildon, Essex, believes.

This resource includes advice on nurturing this partnership, as well as an example survey seeking feedback from year 11 parents on the school's strengths and weaknesses.

Written by Deputy Headteacher Jayne Dear

Informing your colleagues of CPD opportunities: part 1

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:21:44 +0100

There is no delight in owning anything unshared.
Seneca

Cascading information
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Blue sky thinking

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:21:42 +0100

Practical tips
Blue sky thinking
It is a truly horrendous management cliché, but 'blue sky thinking', the type of brainstorming which acknowledges no limits in ideals and no preconceptions, can actually help to determine what might nudge professional development further towards the standards you are aspiring to.
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100 top tips for successful professional learning

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:21:41 +0100

Ofsted and all that…

1. Encourage teachers to talk to inspectors about their work, progress and development.
2. Make a presentation to your school’s board of governors about CPD at your school.
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Including teaching assistants in CPD provision

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:21:41 +0100

Quote of the Week

"Never look down on anybody unless you're helping them up."

The Reverend Jesse Jackson

Practical tips

Including teaching assistants in CPD provision
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Developing leadership skills

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:21:40 +0100

Home-grown anything tends to be best and if the experiences of many countries are to be believed, this includes school leadership staff! This week, we look at how those who express an interest in leading schools in the future can be best supported in that goal within their existing school. We also take a look at the revamped NPQH ahead of the next application round.

Practical Tips
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Tool for CPD: Teachers TV

tina — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:21:34 +0100
We may not always make the best use of it, but Teachers TV is an immense resource for CPD in schools. This week, we take a look at just some of the ways in which CPD leaders might start to use Teachers TV as a tool for development for whole schools, departments and faculties and individuals – and it’s not just for teachers either! We also explore the state of child mental health and look at some of the support that exists for teachers in this all-important field.

Quote of the Week

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Harnessing ambition: want to get a-head?

tina — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:21:33 +0100

A key responsibility of any school, and in particular CPD coordinators, is to respectfully help members of staff to work towards achieving their ambitions. With recent news of incredibly healthy headship ambitions from the National College of School Leadership, how might we ensure that all these aspiring heads are supported in the best possible way? This issue of CPD Week takes a look at the latest NCSL research and offers suggestions for helping teachers to keep their eyes on that headship prize.
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Working towards headship

cassandrafaria — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:21:31 +0100

...or rather, the shortage of heads able and prepared to lead our most challenging schools.
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The International School Award

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:57 +0100

As an inner-city headteacher in an area of quite severe socio-economic deprivation, I found that our school often qualified for a great deal of initiative led ‘new money’ and focus groups. Naturally, I ensured we at least bid for, and often achieved, many of the grants, bursaries and opportunities available to us.
read more

Examining senior leadership roles

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:56 +0100
The nature of the senior leadership role in schools is one of constant, insistent, low-level demands. The Grubb Institute used to remind headteachers that the head is the only person in a school with whom every other person in the school believes they have a personal relationship. Parents are also inclined to want a piece of him/her.

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The key to effective leadership

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:56 +0100
I imagine that we have all got dozens of glib quotations about ‘leadership’. For example, ‘If at first you don’t succeed try leadership’ or ‘As a leader, aim low, reach your goals and avoid disappointment’ or ‘The team will follow him anywhere – out of morbid curiosity’ and finally ‘The difference between fiction and leadership is that fiction has to make sense’. I could go on but, out of kindness, I won’t.

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The NCSL and you

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:56 +0100
It is seven years since the National College for School Leadership (NCSL) was officially established by Tony Blair at the New Heads Conference in 2000. Funded by the DCSF, the college aims to help schools provide the excellent leadership that can make a difference to children’s lives. Last year the NCSL was asked by the secretary of state for children, schools and families, Ed Balls, once again to consider key issues facing primary heads and how it was planning to address them in order to support the drive for higher standards in primary schools and progress for all pupils.
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Making the most of your staff

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:54 +0100
As a headteacher I always wanted to work with colleagues who would be as good as or better than me and I still think this is important, because if our schools are all going to be effective then everyone who works in them has to be able to do their jobs successfully.

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Growing leaders in your governing body

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:54 +0100
According to the National College for School Leadership (NCSL), 2009 looks like being the crunch year when an impending national crisis in the recruitment and retention of school leaders will strike.

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Good leadership and management in early years setting

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:52 +0100

In early years settings in all sectors it is the people who make up the staff team who have the greatest influence on the smooth running of the organisation and its ability to fulfil its vision and mission. The quality of the welfare, teaching and learning and family support provided by early years settings both large and small, is dependent upon the qualifications, skills, experience and attitudes of all the individuals who make up the childcare team. Leading and managing this team effectively brings out the best in everyone and leads to good outcomes for children, parents and staff.
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What is the Early Year Professional Status?

scameron — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:52 +0100
By 2015 it is the government’s intention that every full daycare setting in England will be led by a graduate, with two graduates per setting in the most disadvantaged areas of the country. To achieve this ambitious aim funding is currently available for suitably qualified early years practitioners to achieve Early Years Professional Status (EYPS) through a range of work based routes.
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What happens when the headteacher is away?

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:36 +0100

Years ago, I went on a course entitled ‘Preparing for Deputy Headship’. The final part of this residential was a keynote speech by the local authority’s director of education. One sentence has always stuck in my mind: ‘If you are not prepared to step into the headteacher’s shoes at a moment’s notice, don’t ever apply for a deputy’s position.’ Little did I know that less than three years later that is exactly what I would have to do.
Reasons for the head’s absence
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Understanding the classroom - what school financial managers need to know

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:36 +0100
As school financial managers become more involved in school leadership, gaining an understanding of the learning process becomes more important. Our belief is that every decision in a school – be it about buildings, personnel, or equipment – should be informed by a vision for learning. The challenge for a school financial manager is to develop the fullest understanding of the learning processes, so that this can form a basis for their decision making.

A changing role

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Leading authentically

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:33 +0100
In May 2007 former US president Bill Clinton told the BBC news that, in his opinion, Gordon Brown would prove to be a ‘brilliant and authentic’ leader. Later in the piece, a voiceover by the BBC’s political correspondent, Nick Robinson, suggested ironically that after the famous ‘spin’ of the Blair years, the trouble facing Mr Brown might be that by comparison with what had gone before he would be seen to be ‘all substance’.

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Creating your professional development portfolio

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:31 +0100

It is often the case that school leaders consider a personal professional development portfolio to be ‘just one more thing’ that they do not have time for or just never quite get round to doing. After all, just how important are they in the first place? What is their impact? Who is ever going to look at them? When will I have time to make one?
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Examining the impact of postgraduate professional development

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:24 +0100

Evaluating the impact of professional learning is not straightforward but it can be rewarding. It is always likely to bring to the surface unexpected evidence for unintended outcomes and to make use of a variety of perspectives. Sometimes we have to wait for the impact to develop.
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Speaking school finances: Should managers become heads?

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:20 +0100

At the beginning of 2007, I had the honour of being featured in the Times Educational Supplement in an article about my work towards NPQH and my aspirations towards headship. The tone of the article was fair and measured enough, although the author felt that my ambitions are something of a tall order.
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Making connections: networking to improve teaching and learning

ewtemp — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:20 +0100

Networks are an increasingly important feature of contemporary life. Modern organisations understand their importance for innovation and knowledge exchange, and within the education sector it is now understood that organisational isolation inhibits learning. There are now many schools, both in the UK and internationally, that are benefiting from working together as a network. These schools are harnessing the potential of collaboration, while reducing the damaging aspects of competition between schools.
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Studying management online

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:53 +0100

The Centre for Early Years Management and Leadership at Liverpool Hope University has provided online learning opportunities for practitioners since launching an e-learning BA Nursery Management degree in 2002. This development was in recognition of the need to offer an approach that is flexible and that meets the needs of practitioners, who, because of the very nature of their work, find it difficult to take time off to attend classes and for whom travel to institutions might be difficult.

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