07.31.10
Posted in Uncategorized tagged headteacher blog, heathfieldcps.net, mrs spencer, school improvement, Year 6 at 6:39 pm by headteacher
The main issue with being a teacher is that most of us enter the profession because we really want to make a difference to the way that children learn. Most good teachers are passionate about what they do. They care deeply about the welfare of their children and of the families and often the local community. Most good teachers are highly reflective and often they are their own most severe critics. Few teachers enter the staff room to say, “Wow, I’m an amazing teacher, I’ve just achieved all my targets!”
Teaching is a highly emotive profession; we have the potential to have a huge impact on the quality of life for many children. Intrinsic to this we are always seeking to improve our technical skills and develop new ideas.
I have been told on various occasions that I am “passionate” about my role as Headteacher. I have also been told that I am “driven” by my desire to see sustained school improvement. Just as a class teacher I was always determined to improve my skills and techniques year on year; “good” has never been good enough for me. This can be seen as a very positive characteristic. If not managed with care it can also be quite damaging. I have seen too many senior leaders face burnout after only two or three years.
And so I come to the end of my second full year as Headteacher. We have had many successes. The name of Heathfield Primary School is now on the Bolton, national and the global map. My staff are becoming increasingly independent and are making more decisions about how they can become more effective both in their class and across the school. Year 6 have had an amazing year – I will miss them deeply, so many delightful youngsters heading off to secondary school. How many schools can boast of 60% Level 5 in English? Writing has been a phenomenal success for us this year and I am so proud of both the children and the staff, supported brilliantly by our parents.
The next step??? Well I am completely exhausted! There is nothing left! The next step has to be a jolly good rest! I will be donning my trainers and looking for mountains this summer! One of my happiest memories from last summer was when I was sat on my own on a rock on the top of a mountain enjoying a 360’ vista of snow capped mountains. And then the most enormous eagle flew up over the crag in front of me gliding effortlessly on a current of air – it was within 20 metres of me. Amazing.
Why am I writing this? I am trying to remind everyone who reads this, particularly the younger, excited, energetic teachers – have a rest, take a break. It’s good to be passionate – but take care of yourself and make sure that this summer you give yourselves a well deserved break. Recharge your batteries – you will be ten times more effective and you will have happy memories!
As for me? Well, I’m signing off the blog for now. I have to go recharge my batteries and look for an eagle.
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07.24.10
Posted in Uncategorized tagged Headteacher, headteacher blog, heathfieldcps.net, moral purpose, mrs spencer, school improvement at 6:11 pm by headteacher
I think one of the most challenging aspects of my work over the last 6 terms has been the sheer volume of information that comes to me as a Headteacher and the pace that it arrives (via the LEA bag/via email/via My Briefing/via the post/via staff). Having to filter out what really matters and more importantly, what I should be dealing with and what can be delegated can be so difficult! On the one hand I want to protect my staff from too much beaurocracy and paperwork; on the other hand if my staff know that I trust them then they can feel free to make decisions without always needing my “ok”. Increasingly staff are coming to me to tell me that they have sorted something out, checked it with the DHT and would I like to pop it in my diary? Hoorah!
The tension comes then, from the plethora of unexpected information that I have to “manage” on a day to day basis. I can get very “bogged down” in mundane tasks if I am not careful. I want to be strategic. I want to lead school improvement. The task therefore, is to find ways to empower staff so that they have both the confidence and the expertise to take responsibility for decision making at middle management levels. However is this always enough? We can send our staff on NCSL courses, we can train them and coach staff, but if we are not careful this can still be a very passive act. We can empower them and help them to develop confidence, but how to we develop the personal motivation to take that extra step to become an emergent school leader?
I guess this is where we head back to basics.
- Share the moral purpose. Again and again and again;
- Share the aims. Illustrate how this is a win-win situation;
- Engage the staff in the long term view;
- Create the common agenda, *YOUR AGENDA IS MY AGENDA*;
- Model the expected behaviour and attitudes;
- Most people feel a great sense of achievement from making a successful and “purposeful” decision;
- Give honest praise where it is due;
- Know your staff and know how to manage the delegation process;
- Some staff are more confident, more experienced so personalise your approach.
NEVER kick someone when they are down. If a member of staff takes a risk and it all goes horribly wrong I can guarantee that you cannot punish them any more than they will punish themselves. Give them space and when they are ready coach them through the experience – with a nice cup of tea!
I don’t lead a large school. We don’t have a Bursar, we have an Office Manager. We don’t have a Site Manager, we have a Caretaker. We don’t have Learning Mentors, we Have Teaching Assistants. We have one Deputy Headteacher and no Assistant Headteachers.
What we do have is a small but an amazing team who are hard working, dedicated and single minded in the process of school improvement.
Motivation Is Everything.
My Agenda = Our Agenda
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05.02.10
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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03.14.10
Posted in Uncategorized tagged heathfieldcps.net, longtailed tit, mrs spencer, nature at 11:50 am by headteacher
Long tailed tit
“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
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