Networks and Networking

CPD learning networks: Lambeth and Kosovo

scameron — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:38:44 +0000

Networks are a formidable way to develop professionally, but when one network connects with another then really powerful professional learning can occur. This is what happened when our Lambeth-based network linked up with Kosovo.

International links for leadership and learning

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:49 +0100

When the mayor of Landskrona in Sweden asked British officials for examples of highly effective London schools, he was directed by the DfES to Brampton Manor School in Newham.

Brampton Manor is a comprehensive with about 1,600 students. Like many inner-London schools Brampton Manor is ethnically diverse, with students from a wide-range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds (53 languages spoken and students from over 70 countries) learning successfully together.

Collaboration and unity: the rewards of 100% specialist status

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:49 +0100

Having 100% specialist status in a local authority can bring major benefits to schools, teachers, pupils and the wider community if structures, personnel and initiatives are in place that facilitate and drive effective and authority-wide collaboration between schools and community partners. That is the verdict of headteachers in one of the country’s 17 100% specialist local authorities, Plymouth.

School business managers: Building your professional profile

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:46 +0100

IN THREE PREVIOUS articles in School Financial Management, we have discussed opportunities that would prepare a school business manager or bursar for even more senior leadership roles in schools. There has been a focus upon building knowledge of teaching and learning, among other things. We also suggested that a greater involvement in the working of the school more generally will make any school business manager or bursar more effective in their current role.

Specialist SEN schools - sharing expertise

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:44 +0100

How many special schools have specialist status?

Behaviour for Learning: supporting new teachers

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:42 +0100

Managing classroom behaviour is top of the list of many new teachers’ concerns. Findings from the most recent report from the GTC’s six-year research project, Becoming a Teacher, show that, for many newly qualified teachers, while pupils provide the ultimate reward in teaching, their poor behaviour was often the cause of the major low points.

Providing ICT network support to a cluster of schools

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

ICT technical provision is now a crucial lifeline to any school. If this support breaks down, it causes major problems and disruption to the life of the school. The primary schools in our cluster in East Yorkshire found themselves in this predicament early last year and had to act very quickly to resolve the problem. This article will focus on the recent developments in our cluster that stemmed from this challenge, showing how an innovative approach can bring a wide range of benefits.

Exploring the options

The Connect network: sharing good practice

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:34 +0100

While opportunities for teachers’ professional development have been growing steadily over the last few years, arguably it’s never had quite the level of attention that it’s currently enjoying.

CPD for science teachers

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:34 +0100

In 2001, the House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee identified an urgent need for subject-specific CPD for science teachers. The report recognised that effective science educators have to be learners as well as teachers, keeping up to date with new scientific knowledge and with changes in curriculum content and teaching approaches.

Learning federation case study

jlee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:34 +0100

The South Ribble Learning Federation comprises of 12 high schools, one further education college and one special school. The group have a tradition of working together over many years,and this relationship was formalised when we became a NCSL Network Learning Community five years ago. Even though this DfES/NCSL initiative has ceased, we continue to collaborate in an increasing number of projects and initiatives. In a period when often it seems we are encouraged to compete school vs school, we have enjoyed the fruits of cooperation.

National organisations for gifted and talented

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

The CfBT's plans are ambitious and will help practitioners to access the rich and diverse services now available from a number of different sources. In the meantime however, we have collected together information to provide readers with an overview of what is on offer from different quarters – this month, national organisations.

NACE: National Association for Able Children in Education
www.nace.co.uk

Learning for all stages of a teacher's career

ewtemp — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:21 +0100

It’s hard to believe but in 2000, the General Teaching Council for England was viewed as a radical voice, when we argued that investment in teachers’ learning and professional development was crucial if standards were to rise further.

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.

Networking for whole-school improvement: a case study

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

In 2003, Blackburn with Darwen’s secondary schools decided to apply to become one of the National College for School Leadership’s (NCSL) Networked Learning Communities (NLCs). John Westwell, Des Callaghan, Joanne Emberton and Jenny England describe the background to that decision.

Opportunities and principles

Links for international understanding

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:12 +0100

Amid the daily complexities of globalisation and technological change, our lives are affected by events beyond our shores of which many people have little understanding. The UK has been a member of the European Union for 33 years, but remains very much an offshore island. At the same time, the British population is increasingly diverse. A sustainable future depends on an improved level of mutual understanding and participation in world citizenship.

2013 and the age of entitlement

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

By 2013, every young person will have an entitlement to choose any one of the 14 new diplomas. To anyone unfamiliar with 14-19 these are new qualifications that will combine practical skill development with theoretical and technical understanding and knowledge. They will offer all young people different ways of learning and a route into higher education and employment.

Cohesion and collaboration in London

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:06 +0100

Crucially, I see the strategic leadership of CPD as relevant in each school, in clusters of schools, in each local authority and across a larger region, including all the partner organisations. Across London, this is what we are working towards and some of the successes and difficulties tackled in our work may be of help to other regions and organisations.

The London dimension

Peer feedback and self-assessment

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:06 +0100

We became interested in assessment for learning (AfL) when our school joined a local schools network called ‘Learning to Learn’, which focuses on using strategies in the classroom. Through the network we have attended conferences, Inset training and have participated in observations in different schools.

Towards a new professionalism in the further education sector

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:06 +0100

The post-compulsory education and training (PCET) sector is rightly celebrated for its richness in diversity. Teachers, trainers and tutors working in further education (FE) colleges, work-based learning (WBL) providers and organisations supporting community learning and development (CLD) come from a variety of backgrounds, often entering teaching through non-traditional routes.

Mutual benefits of partnerships

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:20:05 +0100

One spring term I received a phone call from a representative of Business In The Community (BITC). The person in question told me that BITC had begun a scheme whereby it was seeking to team up headteachers with business people for mutual benefit. I was aware that there have been similar schemes around for a long time and I have been involved with a couple (I will return to the BITC scheme later).

Make the most of your marketing

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:58 +0100

Starting out

Setting up a nursery, hoping that places will fill quickly, is a very risky business, as the levels of investment required are high. Marketing means finding out what the customers’ requirements are because if your provision doesn’t satisfy the needs of parents and their children, this will have a negative effect on occupancy. To do this accurately, you need to undertake market research.

Market research

Support childminder scheme comes to Milton Keynes

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:58 +0100

Why was the scheme developed?

Research by Sure Start showed that many potential childminders do not complete the registration process because of the lack of individual support. Considerable evidence shows that regular peer support is effective.

Innovation in a G&T cluster

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:54 +0100

Getting your G&T principles right

Exploding the myths of networking

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:45 +0100

Sharon Langford has discovered that the art and skill of networking has little to do with the following two myths:

Myth No.1 - Networking is about selling to people

Myth No.2 - Networking is only for business people

"The power of networking is in connections and successful networking is about connecting people - the more connected you are the more successful you will be."

Myth 1: Networking is about selling to people

The impact of networks

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:39 +0100

It also found evidence that networks could ‘add considerable value to what schools or other organisations can do on their own to improve pupil learning – from access to resources to expanded access to expertise and support’.

Government education policy will mean that some schools and colleges of FE will work as federations. Extended schools may also be seen as internal networks. But, despite a number of initiatives encouraging networked professional learning, there has until now been little hard evidence about the effect of networks.

Building gifted and talented support in the regions

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:28 +0100

Their work is organised through steering groups of representatives of bodies with an interest in G&T education. In 2005 the DfES Gifted and Talented Education Unit (GTEU) set up regional networks to create opportunities to spread good practice and foster contact between education professionals in the regions. These were based on the government office regions: the North East, North West, South West, East Anglia, East Midlands, West Midlands, Yorkshire and Humberside. The capital already had London G&T.

PFI: preferring not to be unique

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

It has never been easy working in a post-16 consortium, but it has always been to the advantage of our post-16 students. For many years the three schools in Worksop, North Nottinghamshire have worked together to provide, primarily level 3, A-level courses to the town. Two of the three schools had small sixth forms that on their own would have been unviable. Cooperation meant that all the schools were able to be retained as ‘11-18’ comprehensives.

The GTCE's Engage network

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:19:16 +0100

In her reply in July Jacqui Smith, the minister of state for schools and 14-19 Learners, says, ‘Academies are independent schools and are, therefore, not bound by the same statutory requirements as maintained schools, including following the Teachers Pay and Conditions Document and the requirement that teachers register with the GTC.

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