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)