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We are the others

I am sitting and writing my contribution to the Wellspring blog in my office on Holocaust Memorial Day, 27^th January. This is the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau camp by the armies of the Soviet Union in 1945, five months before the end of the war in Europe. I was moved to write after listening to the testimony of a number of survivors of the holocaust  that have been played on Radio 4 over the last week. You cannot help being affected by these personal accounts of individuals’ experience of the darkest period in 20^th Century history – the way in which that a single voice can convey an experience is so much more powerful than anything I have ever read on the subject. The common theme from each of these voices can be summarised as “This must never be allowed to happen again” …

The rise of fascism in Europe was not an overnight event, nor was it one that sprung from countries where dictatorships were the norm. On the contrary, the Nazis came to power in Germany through a democratic process – albeit with a populist and deeply nationalist agenda. Scapegoating and hostile targeting of groups, especially Jews, was a key strategy in the journey of the Nazis from relative obscurity to power. Blaming these groups of “others” for all the problems of the country was an explicit and deliberate weapon used by the Nazis to rally support to their cause. It is worth remembering that, it was ordinary people who voted for the Nazis and, it was ordinary people who bought into the idea that certain groups were responsible for all the social and financial problems of the country. The end result of this strategy was, of course the holocaust and the mass murder of 6 million Jews plus many hundreds of thousands of other targeted groups such as Roma, gay men, black people and political and religious opponents. It is for this reason, we should be very wary when politicians or public figures use this tactic to garner support for their own causes.

Throughout my lifetime, there has been a worrying and increasing tendency for certain parts of the media and some politicians to use the concept of the “others” to drive political agendas. I remember in the 1980’s – single parents were identified as being the cause for all of society’s ills – crime and youth crime in particular. I always found this odd as I came from a single parent family and was not involved in either. People in receipt of benefits have been targets of the press since the 1990’s, as have migrants to the UK over the last 10 years.

The language used by those seeking to identify “others” as the cause of all of society’s woes is particularly worrying as it tends to dehumanise the targeted group in the way that Nazi propaganda in the 1930’s dehumanised Jews. If this goes unchallenged, it becomes normal. If it becomes normal for a group to be seen as less than human, then treating them as less than human is a short step away.

The rise in hate crime in the UK should be a warning to us all that the problem of racism and the scapegoating of groups of people has not gone away and if we stand by without confronting it when we see it, then it may grow. History tells us that it is not enough therefore just to be not racist, there is a compelling need to be anti-racist. Not only that, but we also need to be willing to call out and confront the “othering” of any group as a means of scapegoating them.

I see education as having a key role in this. It is important that we teach our children the lessons of the past including, the Holocaust, so that lessons about our future can be learned. When we promote British Values in our curriculum, we are not promoting nationalism or British exceptionalism but rather the importance of the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. Tolerance and respect are two words that are explicitly listed on the values of my school and are the antidote to the concept of the “other”. Our schools should celebrate our diversity – supporting our children to recognise that within communities and humanity there are differences, and that all have value. As the late MP Jo Cox famously and poignantly said “”We are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.” In short – we are all others.

Finance – A Christmas Carol

As we approach Christmas let us reflect on one of the best known accountants of the festive period, and the impact of the past, present and future in relation to Schools Finance.

The ghost of Christmas past

The good old days when schools were getting above inflationary increases representing real term increases in funding. This by and large led to a significant increase in the number of support staff that schools employed, moving to a reliance of having more than just a teacher in each class. This also saw school balances increase significantly resulting in healthy contingencies to mitigate any emerging pressures. Schools also invested heavily in the premises and ICT ensuring schools were well maintained and had high quality resources for learning.

The ghost of Christmas Present

Six years of austerity and real term funding cuts of £3bn nationally (representing 8% reduction in funding through to 2020) led to some of the following headlines and challenges:
• Move to a National Funding Formula that was never fully implemented leaving some schools well below their expected level of funding
• Special and Alternative schools having to push Local Authorities for additional funding at a time when most of them are overspending on out of area placements
• Headlines of teaching staff having to clean schools
• Headlines of school staff fetching their own toilet rolls
• Restructures and reduced levels of staffing
• Under investment in premises, ICT and other equipment
• Eroding reserves with many schools moving into a deficit position

The ghost of Christmas Future

• The Government have announced 3 year increases in school funding as follows:
o £2.6bn 2020/21
o £4.8bn 2021/22 (additional £2.2bn)
o £7.1bn 2022/23 (additional £2.3bn)
• This is starting to deliver increases in funding for schools below their NFF level
• There is an expected move to a fully implemented National Funding Formula from 2021/22
However
• This includes funding for High Needs passed to Local Authorities but with no hard lever for ensuring any of the money finds its way into schools
• There is still a large unknown in relation to Brexit and what impact that would have on the economy
• Actuarial valuations are seeing pensions contribution rates rising
• Other cost increases covered by short term grants
• Both political parties are talking about increases in minimum wage, pay for teachers and other public sector workers

Christmas Morning

So as we awake and embark on our next planning cycle let’s take stock and consider how we can author our own future moving forward.
• Stop focusing on how much money we have lost and focus on how much money we still have. In many cases there are still millions of pounds to spend. We just need to ensure it is spent in the most effective way possible.
• Ensure there is a clear understanding of overall needs across the school and what would have greatest impact on outcomes
• Evaluate the impact of all spend areas relative to outcomes against financial cost
• Ensure invest in maintenance of premises, ICT and other equipment to avoid greater costs in the future
• Understand how proposed spend compares with other similar schools and if this presents an opportunity to consider spending differently
• Consider opportunities for collaborative working and sharing resources across schools
• Consider use of apprenticeship levy and alternative funding sources including partnership working
• Ensure getting value for money through all procurement activity

The Trust will be developing and rolling out a revised service and financial planning framework in the new-year that will support schools through achieving all of the above.

“Am I bovvered?” Lauren Alesha Masheka Tanesha Felicia Jane Cooper

It’s no great secret in our house that I have a great love of two things. Stationery, specifically notebooks (most of which are so lovely I never write in them) and new technology. When I say new technology, I’m not referring to the most up to date software, the smallest device or the smartest television. In fact updating my phone and ipad is one of the jobs I am ridiculously poor at and my television is out of the ark.

But….. getting my hands on a new phone, Apple watch, ipad or a.n.other device is one of my guilty pleasures. This isn’t because of the device itself, you understand, it’s the packaging. Particularly when that packaging contains anything from Apple.
The efficiency of the design never fails to fascinate me (I know I should get out more!). From every tab, fold and indentation, no part of the packaging has been left unthought about. When developing these containers, Apple consider sustainability, recycling, minimising waste and renewing resources. Now don’t get me wrong, all these things are important and Apple even have a whole Paper & Packaging Strategy around it but for me the fascination is about the design.

Apple have deliberately focussed on making their packaging a sensory experience which is all part of connecting with the customer. Dedicated design teams work to ensure the whole experience of the packaging reflects and connects the experience of the product it contains.

Apple take it seriously, really seriously. They also spend vast amounts of money on getting it right. I’m glad they do. I love it. Others less obsessed or easily pleased, however, might think ‘so what?’ It’s just a box. ‘Does it matter?’ The answer, I believe, is yes.

As a school leader ‘Does it matter?’ is a response I’ve had put to me more than once, at times asked with the same tone and intonation as Catherine Tate’s belligerent teenager Lauren might ask, “Am I bovvered?” Almost certainly it rears its head when expectations are raised and standards are being driven up. It is the go to question of those deeply settled in their comfort zone. Invariably, the answer in these instances is almost always an unpopular…’yes’. I have never found that yes difficult to give. Chiefly because whatever change has led to it has been thought through and planned, so the answer to the following ‘why?’ is ready and waiting.

This past 18 months have proved to be a time when I have had the ‘Does it matter?’ question asked most. The difference this time is that it was me asking the question of myself.

A bit like Apple, I want our school to connect with the community we are in. I want it to be more than ‘just a box’ for learning. I reflected on my experience of the schools I’d led and essentially wanted to redesign this ‘product’, discarding what didn’t work and being as innovative as was allowed in order to make Elements as efficient a ‘design’ as I could make it. Again, like Apple, I needed to ensure no part of our school building, environment and experience was left unthought about. We were starting with a blank canvas and that has brought its own challenge but if we were going to do something special I was only getting this chance once!

Being appointed to the role of founding Principal of Elements Primary School has truly been a great privilege. In the beginning it seemed that this would be a piece of cake. Everything new. Not too many children. A handful of staff. What’s not to love? Then the decision-making around the building started. I found myself with an ever growing list and what seemed like a million people asking for my opinion. Every time I had to consider ‘Does it matter?’ Is this something integral to what I wanted our school to be?

Can we remove the Reception wall? What colour trim do you want on the doors? Where do you want these plug sockets installing exactly? We don’t have the exact match for the carpet colour, is that ok? (Err…no!) Are these door closers OK? (Of course door closers are a particular speciality of mine!) How do you want the keys suiting? How will this part of school be accessed through the day? (How will I know until I’m in it?) To name but a few.

Being what Hywel Roberts calls ‘relentlessly bothered’ has become my MO. Knowing when to hold on and fight for something I believed we needed and when to let go has never felt so crucial. Mostly because many of those decisions were based on countless plans on many pieces of paper. Only in the most recent months have I been able to start breathing some sighs of relief as some of my decisions have started to become reality. Already I know many of the battles fought were worth fighting. Whether everything I let go was right, I don’t think I will know for a good while yet.

What this process has reminded me is just how important the question of ‘Does it matter?’ is. It is inextricably linked to our ‘Why?’ which is the absolute foundation of our vision. It shapes our thinking. It allows for reflection and reworking. It applies to every part of our work. Yes, this year has been about our building but equally it has been about our ethos, our children, our teaching and learning approach, our everything.

As a leader, how we design our packaging is immensely important. It holds a product far smarter and more priceless than anything Apple could ever produce.

“To create something exceptional your mindset must be relentlessly focussed on the smallest detail.” Giorgio Armani

It’s a Funny Old Game

Hailing from North East Lincolnshire – the geographic region of footballing excellence, my blogging debut sets out to draw parallels from our nation’s most popular sport and our working environment.

In my lifetime as a ‘Mariner’ spanning thirty something years I have embraced the highs of four promotions, the agony of four relegations, six awful years of non-league football but also the pride of nine Wembley appearances, however, only four of those occasions were enjoyed!

Let’s kick off with:
1) Manager
The leader. Accountability and responsibility. A few poor results and the manager is sacked. Coaching the team to achieve improvements is a very satisfying part of a leaders job. Alarmingly, in my locality I am the longest serving Secondary Principal due to the high stakes of accountability and league tables. Those in leadership know too well that journeys have ‘ups and downs’ the good times and the challenging ones but we recognise the need for stability and continuity and as leaders we retain our strong belief in our values. Effective leadership is crucial to achieve your aims.

2) Squad
The staff team is vital, as a Trust Wellspring are strong advocates for staff wellbeing and this is appreciated by the teams. I have not experienced anything that comes close to matching the support available to all and the moral purpose exhibited by leaders. The more together the staff teams are the better they will function. Communicate well, be interested and approachable, listen and get to know them – they are your biggest asset so work with them.

3) Tactics
In football much is made of styles, patterns of play, formations, set pieces and how they contribute to results. Pundits are paid handsomely to voice their opinions and fans debate and dissect post match but in our organisation we have a clear set of core values that keeps it simple. Being ethical, inclusive, caring and socially responsible exist in all our work each day.

4) Attendance
Attendance matters. When teams are playing well the stadium is sold out, when it’s a struggle attendance drops. The current non-chairman at Grimsby Town knows the exact attendance figure to be achieved to break even each match. We must make our schools and work environments ones that students and staff want to come, create that positive culture.

5) Transfer Window
Get recruitment right! Plan it well, allow yourself time to get it right, values based interview questions ensure you get the right person with the values to join your team and follow safer recruitment practices throughout. At each recruitment opportunity I endeavour to add something different to our teams so we keep evolving.

6) VAR
Technology is a hot topic of conversation at the minute and it is something never far from teachers thoughts followed by sheer panic. I received feedback from SLT during my first teaching post – ‘would have been better if technology had been used.’ Excellent, I’m teaching in a temporary wooden hut the other side of the field with electric heaters being the closest thing to technology! iPads, Iris, google classrooms, immersive spaces etc. absolutely have a role to play in creating engaging learning and developing our teaching practice – but only if quality time is invested to explore and understand how it can be best used and improve users confidence and individuals (like me) competence.

7) The FA, EFL, UEFA, FIFA
The policy makers and Governors of our beautiful game. The lack of connection to real life, the players, the fans, the officials with each and every tweak of a rule. I have played and coached the game, can I explain the latest offside rule? DFE and OfSTED set many criteria for us in education through various frameworks and inspection handbooks. Although there is a perception of being more open to consultation with our sector I often ponder how it could be different if Ofsted didn’t exist. I like the messages we support across our Trust that we do what is right for our students and we don’t do things for Ofsted.

8) Europa League
This link refers to transition which from Alternative Provisions can occasionally be back to mainstream. Our reward for students that do really well in our settings is to send them back to an environment they didn’t like and were not welcome. Similar to those clubs finishing 5th and/or 6th in the Premier League in that they are rewarded with a competition meaning extra fixtures, often long trips all over Europe on a Thursday night and which ultimately leads to clubs trying to exit the competition as early as possible. The Europa League (after Baku, Azerbaijan hosted the final last season for two London teams in a half filled stadium) and student transition both need further work to ensure their success.

To summarise this blog a quote that highlights the importance of our work and the difference we can make to our students, families and communities,
‘Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I’m very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.’
Bill Shankly (Grimsby Town manager, 1951)

I recently had the privilege of presenting at the Wellspring NQT event in Doncaster – one of my favourite events of the year. The enthusiasm and commitment of young – and young at heart – colleagues never ceases to inspire me and give me renewed hope in the teaching profession.

A lesson I have learned and try to pass on – and one that applies equally to NQTs and teachers at whatever stage of their career – is to remain curious and discipline yourself to continue to learn. This may sound like a strange and obvious comment – after all we are in the learning business. But I am often struck how little time is available to read, engage with new ideas and continue to learn … unless we commit to making it a priority.

An interesting way to think about learning is whether it is defined by the incorporation of experience and information into your existing mental model, or whether learning is the transformation and enhancement of this model. I wonder if, as we get older and more successful and comfortable in what we do, challenging and changing our ideas and beliefs, being open-minded, slowing down your thinking and decision making and being challenged becomes more difficult. Is it easier to fit information and experience into existing patterns?

The American author Edward Hess suggests there is a lot of evidence to suggest that arrogance is a huge inhibitor to learning. And arrogance often comes from success in positional authority. I only half-jokingly say to NQTs that they should never work for a Headteacher who doesn’t read. When I go to the doctors, I expect that she will have up to date knowledge of the latest treatments and diagnosis. It would be rare to find a doctor or a dentist who treated patients in the same way they did when they qualified. As a Headteacher, you should be the lead learner in that organisation. As a teacher, you should be the lead learner in that classroom.

That means finding the time and the space to engage with ideas. It means, I would suggest, reading articles and books that wobble your thinking too. An example of this is ‘Blueprint’ by Robert Plomin. There are few areas of science more fiercely contested than the issue of what makes us who we are. Are we products of our environments or the embodiment of our genes? Is nature the governing force behind our behaviour or is it nurture? While almost everyone agrees that it’s a mixture of both, there has been no end of disagreement about which is the dominant influence. Are inequalities explained by inherent differences or by social conditions? Controversial ideas with obvious and interesting consequences for education. The importance of heritability, of environmental factors and the science behind assumptions and what it means now we are able to modify genes are all discussed. A fascinating book, full of science I wouldn’t normally engage with and an example of reaching beyond the boundaries of my everyday thinking.

We model the behaviours we seek from our colleagues and our students. I hope these monthly blog posts will be an opportunity for me to share what has made me think, wobble my thinking and create curiosity.

According to my phone, I spend too much time on Twitter.  When I say too much time, I’m not vying for a place in the Tweetwasters hall of fame or in fear of hitting Twitter’s technical  limits.  I just mean more than the average user, longer than it takes Delia to boil an egg and enough time to manage a couple of accounts, gaze longingly at a Model S and ‘like’ a couple of cat memes.

Twitter was conceived by an undergraduate at New York University in 2006.  It’s original name was twttr and it’s purpose was to support an individual to communicate with a small group.  Fast forward 13 years and that small group consists of 319 million monthly visitors, over 14 million of whom live here in the UK.

And Twitter is brilliant.

Where else could I have discovered tea that changes colour, supported Kenton Cool on his 14th ascent of Mt Everest or repeatedly watched a gentleman from Yorkshire politely ask our PM to “Please leave my town”?  It’s also great for work.   Through EduTwitter my colleagues and I have promoted our school, communicated with parents, developed our practice and stumbled across some fantastic resources.  A quick scan of the well established hashtags #wemakeadifference, #jnavalues and #teamspringwell reveals some of the fantastic work that goes on across our Trust.

The thing is, despite the above, over the course of the last few years, I’ve enjoyed my time on Twitter less and less and it seems I’m not the only one.  Writing in Forbes magazine, Curtis Silver opines, “Twitter, rather than being a place for social sharing and conversation … has become a ball pit of cobras [and] towels soaked with kerosene.”  Writing for NewStatesman, Sarah Manavis refers to Twitter as “the hellsite” and reflects on the difficulties associated with this “toxic internet habit.”  Indeed, as I scroll through my feed at the end of the day, the Twitterverse seems less interested in healthy debate and more concerned with political one-upmanship, mudslinging and blocking.

That is why, I’d like to advocate talking.  More specifically, I’d like to advocate face-to-face discussion with those whom we disagree.

In Spring this year, Jochen Wegner, editor-in-chief of Zeit Online, established Europe Talks, a project that instigated one-to-one conversations between complete strangers.  Described as Tinder for politics, volunteers completed an online questionnaire before an algorithm matched them with someone from a different country with opposing views.  Then, on Saturday 11th May, over 17,000 Europeans crossed borders to have an argument with someone they had never met.

Wegner tells of Joanna, a university employee from Poland, who got up at 3am and travelled 1000km to wrangle over the pros and cons of migration with Christoff, a customer service manager from Germany.  He recounts the story of Tom and Nils who met on a football pitch in Cambridge to share their opposing views on Brexit.  And they argued.  And they disagreed.  On some things they changed their minds a little.  On others, they did not.  But, importantly, they listened.  They communicated.  There was no online finger-pointing, no anonymous trolling, no sarcastic emojis and no-one was blocked.  In fact, despite their differences the vast majority of participants “enjoyed every single minute of it!”

Wellspring is a unique organisation with a unique set of values.  We are socially responsible.  We are caring.  We are ethical.  We are inclusive.  We have strong views and we want to share them.  But how we share them matters.  We can shout into the void, Tweeting views that are misunderstood, ignored and lost or we can get together, put the kettle on and have a chat.

So, for 2019-2020, let’s do two things.  Let’s flood the Twittersphere with the joy in our schools and let’s talk.  Let’s bring people together.  Let’s listen.  Let’s test and scrutinise our views and opinions and attempt to see things from a different perspective.  You never know, perhaps the education community is not as divided as Twitter suggests.

And, of course, if you don’t agree, pop round for a natter and remember… I have colour changing tea!

I was invited recently by one of our Strategy Groups to set out my perspective on Ofsted in order to support our ongoing internal dialogue around curriculum design, priorities and aspirations for our young people and communities.

May I put on record first my thanks to the Strategy Group for the invitation. In putting pen to paper, I write as (a.) Chief Executive of a large Multi-Academy Trust (b.) an education System Leader and (c.) an experienced senior professional who has been involved in many Ofsted inspections and who has seen Ofsted in many guises in many, many schools over many years.

I have ‘direct’ experiences of at least ten Ofsted inspections going back to 1997, nine of them as a Senior Leader in schools. I can remember at least three HMI Subject Inspections within this timeframe also. During my tenure as CEO of Wellspring, we have had thirteen Ofsted inspections, thus far, and three Monitoring Visits to schools in Special Measures. I am delighted to say that the outcome of approaching thirty Ofsted inspections that I have been involved with in whichever capacity have been positive ones. This is either evidence of a charmed life or that perhaps I have managed to get something right along the way.

In addition to “being at the receiving end” of inspections, I have also participated “on the other side” as a member of an inspection team. I trained as an Inspector in 2012 and inspected in late 2012-2013. Much of what I learned during training and inspecting was what I already knew: Ofsted inspectors are a very diverse group with different attitudes, worldviews, experience, expertise, dispositions and grasp of the framework.

Experience has taught me that:

• Every inspection is different, irrespective of a common framework and a (theoretically) common process
• The influence of the Lead Inspector is pivotal to the conduct of the inspection, as is the influence of HMI, if an inspection is chosen for QA
• Ofsted inspectors are human and make many mistakes, just like anybody else
• There is a great deal of pressure on both sides of the inspection
• Everybody deals with pressure differently
• Everybody has their own preferred way of working and of receiving information
• Any two inspectors can see exactly the same thing very differently (one quick example of this from my Ofsted training: a short video of a teaching sequence elicited judgements from Outstanding all the way through to Inadequate from that group of soon-to-be Inspectors).

An Ofsted inspection is a big thing for schools, there is no getting away from this. An inspection is a matter of public record. People perceive there to be a lot riding on the outcome of an Ofsted inspection. Inspection outcomes can be career-defining. The process itself is a very infrequent and very intense one which heightens the stress sensation. Leaders going through a second and third inspection usually feel more adept at “managing” an inspection than they did first time around.

To summarise, thus far:

• Inspection is an imprecise science
• There is power inequality inherent within it.

Ofsted may argue that these imprecisions even themselves out over time and that judgements are largely accurate and that power inequality is the same for everybody and is therefore irrelevant as a variable.

In very specific cases, leaders may argue that these imprecisions lead to an inaccurate overall judgement of their school and that this is unfair.

Inevitably, there will always be circumstances where “cusp” judgements are made one way or the other. “Best fit” is a factor in all judgements. Professional (and / or personal) opinion is a factor in all judgements.

I have yet to come across a school judged Inadequate that was not, despite the many protestations to the contrary that I have heard. I’ve known quite a few schools judged Requires Improvement that did not deserve it – more deserved to be judged less favourably. One or two, on another day and with another Lead Inspector, would have been judged Good. I’ve known quite a few schools judged Good that were outstanding, every step of the way.

At scale, human behaviour demonstrates patterns. The path of least resistance is the one most worn. There is a natural tendency to cluster towards the middle. Where possible, people avoid awkwardness. Inspectors have an easier ride when judging a school to be good. Leaders feel less awkward when they are self-deprecating.

Pressure, or perceived pressure, influences behaviour. Most of us have heard of the Headteacher who prefaces an initiative or development with “Ofsted will expect..” or “Ofsted wants to see..” Ofsted, of course, say they don’t expect and don’t ‘want to see.’ Ofsted are correct. Ofsted cannot, however, legislate for how the pressure that leader perceives affects their thinking, behaviour or communications. The output: staff feel Ofsted ‘pressure’ from a proxy-Ofsted source that has nothing directly to do with Ofsted itself. ‘School Improvement’ has often taken the same proxy-Ofsted form thus staff in school perceive ‘Ofsted, Ofsted, Ofsted’ when Ofsted in reality is a long way away.

My philosophy as a School Leader in the times that I have given any thought to Ofsted at all was ‘Do what you believe to be the right thing and Ofsted will take care of itself.’ That’s what I did. That’s what it did. That’s not to say I’ve been satisfied with all of the judgements. Far from it. I would prefer, however, to be driven by moral purpose and conviction as an educator… and fight my corner for those principles… than to allow my decision-making to be driven from somewhere else. For me, it is a leader with little authority who says “Ofsted will expect…” It is an authoritative leader who says “I believe…” For me, some of the ethical concerns that we see emerging in the press around (for instance), off-rolling, students not in education and mid-year changes to curriculum all have the pressure or perceived pressure of Ofsted and / or Ofsted by proxy associated with them. Otherwise… why would such practices even exist? They don’t in many other countries. And it may be interesting to note here that many other countries do not have an equivalent of Ofsted.

Ownership of decision-making is critical. As CEO of a Multi-Academy Trust I do not expect our leader’s decision-making to be on the basis of anything other than their Moral Purpose, professional judgement and conviction.

There is, of course, the need for us to scrutinise what we are doing. Effective scrutiny is important. Ofsted has its’ role to play in that scrutiny.

Ofsted does not, however, care about whether the toilets smell, whether the boiler has been serviced, whether the meals are nice, whether the budget balances, or whether playtimes and lunchtimes are joyous. I do.

Wellsprings Self-Evaluation Framework integrates Academy effectiveness in far greater detail than any Ofsted inspection framework ever has. Crucially (for me) we pay close attention to matters that include Health & Safety compliance, effective financial management and effective HR management. Ofsted can award a Good or Outstanding judgement to a school that is not fire safe, has serious financial problems and high numbers of students leaving at times other than the end of their school careers. Our Assessment Framework cannot.

Our Assurance methodology is based on trust, honesty, openness, insight and understanding. To me, these are the only conditions in which a shared judgement of effectiveness can be achieved.

Ofsted is part of our reality as education professionals. An inspection comes around rarely. It is our duty to do the best for our young people according to our beliefs, principles and values. We have a detailed and very thorough Assessment Framework that provides us with ongoing assurance around our effectiveness. We have a College of peers who power one another’s School Improvement agendas through dialogue, sharing, support and guidance. We belong to a network that believes in System Improvement, a network that is focussed on sustainability and resilience over time: the long game. Our main thing is to make our main thing the main thing: our kids, their interests, their futures. I expect us all to give Ofsted only the priority it warrants in our thinking and decision-making.

An Ofsted inspection should always represent an opportunity for celebration for us… with staff, stakeholders and our communities. We welcome scrutiny and we take every opportunity available to celebrate our successes together.

Reminders for Leaders:

• Build professional networks.
• Be alert to Ofsted-by-proxy.
• Do what you believe to be right. Always.
• Be rigorous. Invite scrutiny.
• Take every opportunity to celebrate.

I came to travel and the exploration of far-flung places relatively late in life, but I have worked hard to make up the shortfall and have become an aged, hippy backpacker!  I never fail to acknowledge how lucky and privileged I am to do what I do and my time at Greenacre reinforces this each and every day.  The majority of our students have limited experiences beyond their immediate surroundings, so as a school we try really hard to plug the gap.  This Easter, our global bear was due an outing, and it was a close-run thing between York, Lanzarote and Sri Lanka.  Being the Headteacher, having the highest aspirations for bear and feeling that my solo Sri Lankan adventure was potentially more exotic than the other options (little did I know!), I made the executive decision to pack the bear in my hand luggage.  Bear and I trotted off for our Easter break full of hope for all the delights that this beautiful country had to offer.  We were determined to bring back memories and experiences that would demonstrate how our school values ‘respect, nurture, together, trust, dignity, pride and aspire’ were important wherever we might be in the world….

Unfortunately, things didn’t quite work out the way we planned it!

At 1.30pm the day before our flight, Jet Airways went into liquidation – not a great start!  Nevertheless, we put our TRUST in STA travel and by 3.30pm another flight was sorted – there was hope! Yet, arriving at the wrong terminal and with the impression I was travelling with British Airways when in fact I was travelling with Qatar – absolutely not my fault (or bear’s), honestly – things were soon back to not looking good!

TOGETHER, Bear and I ran to the correct terminal and with minutes to spare, we had made it – time to check in.  Bear was truly relieved, and his positivity was infectious.  Until that is, we handed my ticket to the lovely Qatar check in agent…who immediately became not quite so lovely.  Our last-minute tickets had not been issued – bear and I were grounded.  However, all was not lost.  A call to the emergency travel agent hotline, 20 minutes of tense repetition of ‘you are number one in the queue’ and finally the ticket was issued.  Bear and I were on our way!

Unfortunately, the customs chappy at Colombo airport refused to let us continue our journey because for some strange reason bear had failed to ensure our visa had been activated.  We had no option but to respect his authority, but our positive outlook was being sorely tested!

However, our mettle was further tested upon arrival in the less than luxurious Negombo hotel at 2.15am.  There was no room at the inn, but we had coped with worse as bear and I were offered a sun bed alongside the pool surrounded by stray dogs.  We thanked the Sri Lankan night porter for his kind consideration and nurturing outlook but went instead for plan b – the luxury of a beanbag and towel in the reception area was our bed for the night.

There was no dignity as I awakened dishevelled, embarrassed (dribble and scarecrow hair) and with 32 mosquito bites (bear and I counted them a number of times to ensure we had an accurate number).  Could it get any worse we asked ourselves – by this point I was talking to the bear a good deal – a sure sign of how well the holiday was going!  Well actually, when I unpacked our backpack and saw (and indeed smelt) that my 50% deet anti-mosquito spray had leaked its entire contents over the attire I had planned to wear over the coming fortnight (ironic bearing in mind the number of bites I had acquired overnight!) Not to worry, my clothes aren’t the finest, so all was not lost.  I donned my bikini and bear and I went to the pool to take the first photos of our adventure.  I perched on a wonderful cornflower blue painted chair and positioned bear strategically for the first snap.  Wonderful, the holiday had begun…until I attempted to stand up and my deet soaked garment held me fast to the chair.  When I eventually freed myself my beautiful cream dress was striped blue…pride, what pride?

Just when you thought it couldn’t possibly get any worse a series of tragic, senseless bombings rocked the stability of Sri Lanka and ruined the lives of the inhabitants of this beautiful country.  Bear and I were on lockdown during curfew hours as a State of Emergency was declared.  All was well though, because in order to travel to the airport for our journey home during the curfew hours, I only needed a ticket and my passport – Easy…except that I didn’t have a ticket because of the mix up with Jet Airways….

I have told you this tale because it’s always good to hear someone else’s woes especially when they are so incredibly bizarre.  You couldn’t write it they said, oh yes I could – and did, was my reply!

But what about bear and Greenacre values I hear you say? I know you will understand why bear was accompanying me on my travels but why did I need to so overtly refer to Greenacre School Values during our trip…

Well, Greenacre values aren’t an add-on – they are everything, they are the glue that holds the school together; the glue that has enabled our stunning culture to develop and blossom; the glue that is the bedrock of the school’s continued growth and development. Put simply, Greenacre values ARE Greenacre School!

From the time I became the Acting Head Teacher in 2016 through to the present day, I and Senior leaders have invested a good deal of whole school time to ensure ALL staff have collectively developed and embraced their values.  With the lives of more than 320 people invested in this very special place a simple, manageable series of life-principles were needed to keep us strong, keep us moving forward, keep us safe.  In essence, our values are threaded through every interaction, every decision, every act we undertake and every thought we think.   School values are displayed in each and every area of the school – including the toilets! – and we have a dedicated ‘values’ area in the main hall where all key messages are shared with the staff team.  This basically bombards staff with a powerful reminder of what is important and why, and the positive impact of our adherence to our collective, collaborative ethos.

Greenacre school values aren’t big, clever, unique or overly exciting.  Yet they keep the school at the top of its game, they provide a tool by which we all manage ourselves and manage each other.  They thread through every staff member’s performance management objectives.  Greenacre school values are celebrated every day.  We spread the joy with the frequent distribution of values postcards where individual demonstration of these tenets of school life are collectively celebrated.