Durham Teaching Schools Alliance: January 2014

Dr John Wm Stephens

National College for Teaching & Leadership, Department for Education

Overview

1. The College – vision and remit and policy direction

2. System leadership & teaching schools – a collaborative model

3. Challenges, opportunities and risks

• Key policy drivers: autonomy, collaboration, freedom, diversity, self-improvement, accountability – an increasingly school-led system

• The challenges: building capacity, confidence and trust – structure & governance

• The goal: that elements of a devolved system are held in balance so that …

1. Autonomy doesn’t become isolation

2. Diversity doesn’t act as a barrier to collaboration

3. Accountability doesn’t become regulation

The big picture

NCTL - Aim

• NCTL will support the development and implementation of a 0-18 self-improving school-led system so that by September 2016 there will have been an irrevocable shift from the centre to schools

What does this mean ?

Shift – commissioning to licensing

Strategic responsibility to move to the system – leadership development, school to school support, talent spotting and succession

Teaching School Alliances, academy chains, licensee partnerships and system leaders to form the architecture

Small centre – local empowerment and a climate of austerity

What does it require?Structured and organised collaborationStrategic capacity buildingThe right attitudes: commitment

System leadershipSystem leaders care about, and work for, the success of all children, not just those in their own school

•Some system leadership roles are undertaken by those with formal designations that are identified against strict criteria such as SLEs, LLEs, NLEs, Heads of TSs and NLGs

•Other key system leadership roles include CEOs of academy chains, principals of academies which act as sponsors and other important system roles such as chairs of headteacher networks

•In addition to working beyond their own institutions system leaders often help shape national thinking, policy and practice

•System leadership opportunities need to be considered in a non-hierarchical manner, and will depend on an individual leader’s circumstances as well as that of their school

Designated teaching schools

Following our third cohort there are now approximately 350 designated teaching schools representing 300 alliances:

– Primary/Early Years (45%)

– Middle (1%)

– Secondary (41%)

– Special (11%)

– Independent (1%)

– post 16 (1%)

Cohort 3

• 153 teaching schools representing 124 teaching school alliances

• The majority of applicants applied, and were designated, as a single teaching school alliance.

• The number of designated teaching schools representing the Early Years and Primary phase has almost doubled (45% of designated teaching schools)

• National coverage has increased by 16% to 89%, with 136 of the 152 Local Authority areas now have a designated Teaching School

Designation is open to…

•any phase of school: nursery, primary, middle, secondary, 6th form/college, special or pupil referral unit / short stay school•any type of school including independent, academy, federated, faith school, free school, studio school, university technical college (UTC) grammar school or school leading a chain•smaller schools, such as smaller special or primary schools, as the model enables more than one school to share the designated role of leading a teaching schools alliance

Who can be a Teaching School?

Who can be a Teaching School?

Designation criteria … a high bar …

• a clear track-record of successful collaboration with other schools• Ofsted outstanding for overall effectiveness, teaching and learning

and leadership and management• consistently high levels of pupil performance or continued

improvement• an outstanding headteacher with at least three years headship

experience, and outstanding senior and middle leaders with capacity to support others.

Role of Teaching Schools

As well as offering training and support for their alliance themselves, Teaching Schools will identify and co-ordinate expertise from their alliance, using the best leaders and teachers to:

1.lead the development of a school-led ITT system, either through School Direct or by securing accreditation as an ITT provider. 2.lead peer-to-peer professional and leadership development3.identify and develop leadership potential4.provide support for other schools5.designate and broker Specialist Leaders of Education (SLEs)6. engage in research and development

Professional continuum

Teacher Continuing Snr Leadershiptraining professional development

development

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

School to school support• Comes in many forms• Combination of NLE, LLE, SLE, NLG

and other support as required• Schools benefiting include those in

SM, SW, “coasting” and those lacking in leadership capacity/specific expertise

• Operates on a continuum – from relatively light touch to federation, trust, chain, academy sponsorship arrangements – as appropriate

• Funded through various sources/contracts inc LA, DfE, school

• Focus always on impact

Specialist Leaders of Education

Relatively new designation acknowledging the important role of middle and senior leaders in supporting their peers

Excellent professionals in leadership positions below the headteacher, with the capacity, capability and commitment to work beyond their own school

Outstanding in a particular area, for example: a subject specialism; inclusion; ITT mentoring; performance management; behaviour; school business management

Have the track-record and skills to work in this way

Designated and brokered by teaching schools, but may be from any school

Research and development

Research and development network

•Enabling Teaching School alliances to engage in research and development activities, both working with their individual HEI partners and working in regional and national networks

•Providing opportunities for training, sharing expertise and wider dissemination of ‘what works’

 

Working with, not doing to….

Toward a self improving school system

1. Great use of data – ‘the best bits’

2. Collective responsibility for the issues – the brutal facts

3. A mechanism for moving ‘the best bits’ to where they are most needed

4. Engagement in research and access to research

5. A culture shift – from ‘my’ to ‘our

6. Joint accountability – peer scrutiny and review; a willingness to be transparent

7. From ‘ sharing good practice’ to ‘ joint practice development’

8. Professional generosity, reciprocity and collective moral purpose

Productive collaboration isn’t easy…

But all on top of the day job…

• Ofsted pressures – and Ofsted enables• League tables and exam performance• Staffing issues • Governor worries• Curriculum• Maintaining morale

Ofsted – a great source of research evidence

Unseen Children… Social Care Annual Report Pupil Premium Getting to Good

It’s down to us – what’s required?• Single school improvement – not an option • Collaboration and competition work together in the collective service of better

results• A strong and improving system will move resource to where it is most needed

Focus on what matters – collectively to you Build capacity and skill around this focus Build a positive atmosphere and believe in people

Ben Levin – how to improve 5000 schools

Risks

• Maturity, time and expertise, structures and accountability • Core purpose of education establishments– a distraction?• Inclusive and reciprocal – in a very diverse system?• Supported to deliver not stretched to fail?• Motivation - collective moral purpose?• A tale of two systems?

What makes great leadership? Optimistic, enthusiastic and curious – belief in people

Commitment to social justice, equity and excellence

Respect and empathy for others

Resilient – tireless energy

Persistent – in pursuit of excellence, putting pupils first

Drive and determination – ambitious

Courage, conviction and integrity

Vigilant and visible – ‘only the best will do’ Humility plus professional will (fierce resolve)

Ofsted Outstanding Schools series 2009/10; Capturing Leadership Premium, McKinsey 2010 Glatter 2009; Future of Leadership, National College 2008.

Strength in alliance, partnerships and collaboration

“ A person with ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished.”

Desmond Tutu

Thank you…and questions