Clerking governors – great blog

Great blog on supporting governors

http://clerktogovernors.wordpress.com/

 

Getting to good: Ofsted words of wisdom

Improving Schools: a guide to Ofsted reports to support school improvement, Sept 2012

Getting to good: how headteachers achieve success, September 2012

Schools that stay satisfactory:  an analysis of secondary schools that have stayed satisfactory for more than one inspection and the reasons for this, December 2011

Excellence in English,  May 2011

Moving English forward, March 2012

Removing barriers to literacy, January 2011

Reading by six how the best schools do it,  November 2010

Mathematics made to measure, May 2012

Mathematics – understanding the score, September 2008

Successful science, September 2011

No place for bullying, June 2012   No place for bullying – summary leaflet

No place for bullying – case study booklet

Supporting children with challenging behaviour through a nurture group approach, July 2011

School governance: learning from the best, May 2012

Personal- social- health and economic education in schools, July 2010

And still relevant:

Twelve outstanding secondary schools, February 2009

Twenty outstanding primary schools, October 2009

Twelve outstanding special schools – Excelling through inclusion, November 2009

 

Academy October INSET

Key docs and links

DfE Teacher Standards, in place from September 2012, with Q&A (from a DfE perspective)

http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/deployingstaff/a00205581/teachers-standards1-sep-2012

Ofsted inspection handbook and framework from September 2012

http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/school-inspection-handbook-september-2012

http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/framework-for-school-inspection-january-2012

Additional subject specific Ofsted guidance on 1-4 teaching – based on old framework but still very useful:

http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/generic-grade-descriptors-and-supplementary-subject-specific-guidance-for-inspectors-making-judgement

Some good ideas:

http://www.fromgoodtooutstanding.com/

TES spots Man City scarf in my office

I enjoyed a really good afternoon chatting to TES reporter Stephen Exley at the end of term, on the last three years, links with Wellington College and our plans for the future.

The interview is published in today’s TES as Academy find change is a game of two halves http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6278621

We’ve had our results since then:  47% 5A*-C with EM, excellent A-level results and over 50 boarders starting September.  The second half is looking more positive.

The scarf in question (see below 1).    The LA visitor was actually Councillor Jane Scott, the Leader of Wiltshire Council and a very strong supporter of the academy.  She happened to be here when we hosted a full meeting of the council in our theatre (see below 2).  She’s also a United season ticket holder but I won’t hold that against here.

Welcome to new staff

It was a great pleasure to speak to a group of our new staff this week about the vision, our core beliefs and the journey we’ve been on in the last three years, as well as where we’re heading.

Two of our NQTs, Claire and Christine,  have already started their contracts and Ryan begins next week.  We think this really helps with induction and settling in.  Accommodation in our boarding house completes the package for some, who might otherwise be left on a sofa or in a hotel.

Some key documents referred to in the introduction:

Staff handbook 2011 - current.  There will be an updated version for September

SLT structure April 2012

WA Development Plan 2012 - includes staff charter

Prospectus 2012-13

WA OFSTED report Dec 2011

Post Ofsted development plan v4

Wellington EdFest 2012

The inspiring Wellington Festival was held over 2 days last weekend at Wellington College.  National headlines were made with the clash between David Starkey and journalist Laurie Penny on Saturday.  On the Sunday I was on a panel to debate academies with Laurie but there were no fireworks this time.

My  highlights were (1) Guy Claxton, who gave us some brilliant one liners, some of which I tweeted; (2) meeting Vic Goddard and Stephen Drew from Educating Essex (see cheesy pic above), who managed to bring a real tear to my eye,  and (3)  being able to strongly state the case for the work done by the early sponsored academies when I spoke on day 2 with James O’Shaughnessy.

SSAT Experienced Leaders course at Outwood Grange

I have really enjoyed my dates this year with the SSAT ‘experienced leaders’.  The final day of the year was at the monumental Outwood Grange Academy in Wakefield last week.  Martyn Oliver, who has succeeded Michael Wilkins at Outwood, provided us with some real food for thought and practical examples of how they’ve done it.  Michael has moved on as Chief Executive to exporting the Outwood improvement model to other schools within the ‘chain’ – with predictable success.

Presentations from the day:

Martyn Oliver vision presentation

Andy Schofield leadership focus presentation

Martyn Oliver praising stars intervention presentation

Outwood lesson observation rubric

Outwood curriculum led planning template

Outwood vertical curriculum planning in detail

Key links:

Kim Marshal evaluation rubrics for Principals and teachers

Kim Marshall 5 minute lesson observation policy

New York New Leaders Principal Evaluation Framework

Hats off to Martyn for the time he devoted to our visit, for doing an afternoon slot written in the morning, based on what we said interested us most, and for  spending an hour in his office with me at the end of the day talking ideas.  At the core of the success is attention to detail, matched with systems that work and people that are inspired to put the detail into practice.  No better epitomised than by the 6 weekly monitoring and intervention cycle known as ‘praising stars’.