05.02.10

Headteacher Blog – The Learning Walk

Posted in Uncategorized tagged achievements, culture, governors, Headteacher, heathfieldcps, learning, learning environment, learning walk, mrs spencer, pupils, teaching at 4:47 pm by headteacher

Two years into Headship and the learning journey continues! Every day is still a new day and I still find it incredibly challenging dealing with the unexpected every single day of the week. Without my trusty notebook there is no doubt that I would struggle to recall all of the conversations that I have on so many levels, including promising Year 4 that I will check out their blog down to promising Reception Class that I will come and see their caterpillars.

I was recently showing a visitor around the school and she was amazed at how well I knew my school. I know where the issues are and I know where the strengths are. I know what noise level to expect in each classroom, I know where the “best” learning goes on day after day. I also know which spaces are ideal for optimum learning and I know which areas, dare I say it, actually hinder learning and are a distraction.

 I have worked so hard with the staff to continue to develop the school but the quest is endless and there will always be “the next project”. After only two years, we still have a long way to go to improve the overall learning environment even though the vast majority of teaching is “good”. However there is such a huge gap between the quality of the delivery of teaching and the capacity of children to engage and to learn. I firmly believe that the quality of the environment directly impacts on the quality of the learning that takes place and the way that we look after our school environment sends out strong messages to the children we teach and to the parents that we work with.

David (@DeputyMitchell  - twitter) and I have spent a great deal of time “walking the school” together, clarifying our shared beliefs about the physical environment around us. It is so enriching for me to work with a fellow professional who has equally high standards and who understands that the “devil is in the detail.” Together we have been able to identify some fantastic achievements and we have shared these with the staff, but we cannot afford to stand still.

The world will never stand still. It will continue to turn and change and so must we.

I want to move on from the top down approach that I have so far been using. It is fairly common, I believe for new Headteachers who inherit schools with established cultures and habits to have to use somewhat didactic approaches at first. The key is to try to shift the current cultural beliefs within the school (which I do not accept) so that they are more in line with my own. Eventually instead of imposing my beliefs and my standards, staff will begin to accept and deliver my beliefs as their own because they have internalised them.  Insistence on the adoption by everybody, of my standards is hard and because by nature, it is cultural, it will take time.

Change upsets the equilibrium.

Change challenges our norms/beliefs.

Change is scary and change is risky.

So my next goal is to redistribute the responsibility for the whole school learning environment. To do this I am going to formalise the Learning Walk approach with some staff guidance and pro-formas, where in the past it has been a strictly informal activity. David and I will support the staff to learn to look more closely at the learning environment and to be more analytical and pro-active in their approaches. I want the staff to be fully involved in this part of school improvement and not feel that once again something is being “done to them!” I am also going to involve some of the pupils in this process as well as the governors. When I have some pro-formas ready I shall willingly share them!

Wish me luck!

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