Ensuring School Success: Knowing your ‘non-negotiables”Prue BarnesExecutive Principal & Educational Consultant, London, UK

Personal Context

Australian trained; 22 years in British system

Executive Principal of 3 Schools

National and International Educational Leadership Consultancy providing corporate training, key notes presentations, conference speaker Executive Principal mentoring and coaching.

Conference Speaker 3rd Seminar for Directors of Education, The Catholic University of Valparaiso, Chile January 2013

Workshop presenter ICSIE; Chile January 2012

Conference Speaker 2nd Seminar for Directors of Education, The Catholic University of Valparaiso, Chile January 2012

Sessional lecturer on the MA in Educational Leadership at the Institute of Educational Leadership, University of London, UK.

Main Contextual Themes

The impact of the political agenda and the perceived ‘powerlessness’ of those that live in these communities (Galbraith 1992), (Grace 2006)

The impact that the historical ‘British class system’ in particular the perceived ‘middle class’ has on urban students expectations (Buck et al. 2002), (Thrupp 1999), (Grace 2002), (Reay 2003), (Willis 1977), (Riley and Stoll 2005)

Development of a curriculum to create a community of critical thinkers (Freire 1993), (Halpin 1997), (Grace 2006)

The need for urban school leaders to develop self knowledge and through this find successful and effective ways to engage in meaningful partnership work, so they can build relationships with (often) dispersed communities (Riley 2009), (Harris 2002), (Riley and Stoll 2005), (Riley et.al 2006), (NCSL)

UK Government School Inspection System

NEWPORT SCHOOL CONTEXT

910:95:80:54:33=1Government Inspection Findings of Newport 2009

“Levels of achievement in the past have been inadequate because poor teaching has failed to ensure that all pupils make effective progress.” Ofsted

Government Inspection Findings of Newport 2013

“Teaching is consistently good, with many examples of outstanding practice, and this has led to rates of pupil progress rising rapidly since the last inspection and pupils achieving highly. The school has a strong commitment to learning and teachers are very well supported and feel enthused to do their very best for the pupils. They have very high expectations of pupils and this is reflected in the excellent pace of much of the teaching at Newport.” Ofsted

Newport Pupil OutcomesThe below table shows the pupils attainment

against the national averages for Age Related Expectations (Reading, Writing & Mathematics combined) at the end of Key Stage 2.

The Required Elements

Moral Imperative

‘Development of the moral aspect has the greatest effect on one’s leadership.’ Barnes, Campbell & Emmerson

Geoff Southworth, the deputy executive director of England’s National College for School Leadership argues that leadership “needs to be finely tuned to the circumstances in which leaders operate.”

Dr Sandra J. Stein argues that you must know your ‘non negotiables’ to ensure success at all levels.

Therefore if the development of the moral aspect of leadership has the greatest effect on creating outstanding leaders then what are you willing to be fired for? What are your ‘non negotiables’?

Cycle of School Improvement

Newport’s Professional Development Ethos

Staff are all given a mentor who acts as a professional coach from within the school.

All staff have an individual professional development programme which is evaluated against pupil performance outcomes.

Staff are placed in triads where they work together over the year to act as a peer coach to ‘eachother’.

All staff are expected to engage in professional reading and lead a ‘professional dialogue’ at least once a term.

All staff are expected to carry out a piece of ‘action research’ each year.

Supporting this model

Successful Leadership experienced

How to find time?

When is time up?

How to ensure equity?

Physical

Metaphorical

Is accessibility balanced?

How to balance priorities ?

How to deal with internal deficits?

Newport’s Professional Development Ethos

There is an increasing emphasis on collaboration and personalisation of professional learning activities, with clear links to the Appraisal process. All staff are required to carry out a piece of ‘action research’ each year as part of their personal appraisal cycle. This research is directly linked to the needs of their current cohort of pupils based on the students academic performance data.

To ensure that professional learning is valued by teachers and supports students’ progress, staff are constantly reminded of three key questions:

What’s in it for them as individual teachers?What’s in it for the studentsWhat’s in it for their team and the whole school?

“We are guilty of many errors and many faults but our worst crime is abandoning the children, neglecting the fountain of life. Many of the things we need can wait. The child cannot. Right now is the time his bones are being formed, his blood is being made, and his senses are being developed. To him we cannot answer 'Tomorrow.' His name is 'Today.'”

Gabriela Mistral

Contact DetailsPrue Barnes

Executive Principal & Educational Consultant

Newport School, Newport Rd,

Leyton. E10 6PJ

school@newport.waltham.sch.uk

www.newport.waltham.sch.uk