leading independent schools

Leading Independent Schools

Teaching Schools

9 July 2013

Welcome

Deborah Bailey

Independent Schools Associate

General Housekeeping

1. No fire alarm test planned today so if the alarm sounds it is a sign to exit the building.

2. Toilets are located in the Central and West Atrium. Disabled toilets in the West only.

3. For security purposes we request all delegates wear a badge whilst on site.

Programme11am Welcome

Deborah Leek-Bailey, Independent School Associate, NCTL

11.10am How Teaching Schools are leading the systemDr John Stephens, Director, School Improvement and Teaching Schools, NCTL

12.10pm Building partnerships and capacityMark Ronan, Headteacher, Pocklington School

1pm Lunch

1.50pm The benefits of school to school supportDr Anthony Seldon, Master, Wellington College

2.25pm Teaching schools: raising aspirations and attainment through collaborationSarah Evans, Principal, King Edward VI High School for Girls

2.45pm Nuts and bolts of applyingSarah Goff, Senior Manager, Designations, NCTL

3.15pm Plenary Q&A panel

3.30pm Close

How Teaching Schools are leading the system

Dr John StephensDirector, School Improvement and Teaching SchoolsNCTL

Statement from the Secretary of StateThe teaching schools initiative plays a key role in the government’s plans for a school led system, with schools freed from the constraints of central Government direction and teachers and schools placed firmly at the heart of school improvement.

I am committed to supporting this country’s education system to become an autonomous one, where the best schools lead the way in teaching teachers and where schools work together in partnership - supporting one another to provide an outstanding education for all.

That is precisely why I am eager for independent schools to become leaders of teaching schools. I am delighted that the National College for Teaching and Leadership are hosting an event on 9th July 2013 for leading independent schools interested in finding out more about becoming teaching schools.

I believe strongly that every child should have an education of the highest quality and I urge all independent schools to get involved, to apply for teaching school designation, and to become key players in leading this country’s school system now and in the future.

Rt Hon Michael Gove MP

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

• The challenges: building capacity, confidence and trust

• 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

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 360 designated teaching schools representing 300 alliances:

– 164 Primary/Early Years (45%)– 3 Middle (1%)– 149 Secondary (41%)– 40 Special (11%)– 3 Independent (1%)– 4 post 16 (1%)

Cohort 3

• 153 teaching schools representing 124 teaching school alliances (further 8 deferred)

• 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 rising from 84 schools to 164 (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/ISI equivalent for overall effectiveness, teaching

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

improvement• an outstanding, experienced headteacher 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, through School Direct and in some cases by seeking full accreditation as an ITT provider

2 lead peer-to-peer professional and leadership development

3 identify and develop leadership potential

4 provide support for other schools

5 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

Teaching Schools and ITT

“… over the next five to ten years we expect that, rather than Government

managing much of the ITT system centrally, schools should increasingly take on

this responsibility. This does not mean that universities would not be involved: far

from it. Groups of schools, often led by the new Teaching Schools, might lead ITT

partnerships and draw on support from universities and other providers.”

Training our next generation of outstanding teachers

(June 2011)

Teaching Schools and ITT

“… we expect Teaching Schools to take a particularly structured and proactive

role in leading, managing and taking responsibility for a school-led ITT system.

“… Over the next 2 years we expect that the expansion of School Direct will be led

by Teaching Schools, with the aim that by 2015 each Teaching School Alliances

would be training 50, 60 or more teachers a year.”

Charlie Taylor to Teaching Schools

(April 2013)

School Direct

• Schools, or groups of schools, bid for School Direct places

(mainly Teaching Schools in the first year).

• Schools:

• select the trainees they want;

• choose an accredited provider to work with to award

QTS;

• negotiate the training programme with the provider;

• are expected to employ the trainee after qualifying.

School Direct 2013-14

• 850 lead schools (6000 schools) asked for 9600 places

• Over one in three School Direct places held by Teaching

School alliances

• Healthy numbers of applicants from high quality graduates

• Accepted places..?

Accreditation

• Increasing numbers – examples on the ITT section of the

online community

• Monthly meetings for “potential new providers”

• Details at [email protected]

• Support with preparing applications and business cases

mailto:[email protected]

CPD / leadership development• Programmes

1. The NCTL leadership curriculum includes a range of programmes at different levels that can be flexibly combined by leaders

2. The Outstanding Facilitator programme (OFP) which trains leaders to deliver teaching and learning programmes such as the Improving and Outstanding Teacher programme (ITP and OTP)

• Licensing1. Licenses awarded in 2012 for a period of 4 years2. Licensees required to grow their partnerships, involving more schools and

more school leaders year on year – so opportunities for all teaching schools to be involved (some further process will be required for lead licensees)

• Opportunity to develop bespoke programmes within the alliance and to work closely with Licensees

National College Licencedistribution

Lead schools (levels 1-3) (36 schools for 33 licensees)

Teaching Schools connections

•94% of licensees have at least one teaching school within their partnership. •75% of licensee lead schools are teaching schools. •54% of currently designated teaching schools are in partnership with a licensee either as a lead school, partner or NPQH placement school.

Supply of leadersThere is still a significant challenge to secure enough headteachers - particularly for primary, small rural, faith and special schools. Alliances have a crucial role to play.

Teaching Schools will:•Audit and understand the future leadership needs of their alliance•Systematically identify those with the highest potential for senior school leadership/ headship•Provide talent development opportunities across the alliance that are specifically designed to move these people to next stage promotion•Increasingly work beyond the alliance to meet the strategic needs of the local system (working with other partners such as LAs, diocese and other non teaching schools/ academy groups as appropriate)

Support:•Resources in the online community, data support and support from your associates

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

other teacher 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 on standards

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’

•R&D advisory group

•Online R&D community

Research and development (2)

Key research initiatives

•These initiatives provide opportunities to work alongside commissioned research teams.

•3 themes on pedagogy

•What makes great pedagogy?

•What makes great professional development which leads to consistently great pedagogy?

•How can leaders lead successful teaching school alliances which enable the development of consistently great pedagogy?

•Expression of interest for cohort 3 opens in May.

•Successful applicants will receive a grant.

Research and development (3)

New initiative – Closing the gap: test and learn scheme•2 year project.•Open now for cohort 3 TS to join.•Funding available for all alliances that opt in.

Business planning

• Clear purpose and vision• Importance of SMART planning• Need for well-defined partnership• Clear leadership and accountability• Transparent governance• Strong communications and

relationships• Focus on building capacity• Big risks if you get this wrong!

Working with, not doing to….

Teaching School and its alliance schools

TS

The teaching school designates SLEs from the alliance

TS

Some alliance schools are strategic partners that take responsibility for some delivery

TSSPSP

SP

All teaching schools will also have a university partner as a strategic partner

HEI

SPSP

SP

TS

There can be more than one teaching school in an alliance

HEI

SP SP

SP

TS TS

A number of teaching school alliances decide to work together form a network to share services and knowledge

HEI

SPSP

SP

TS TS

HEI

SPSP

SP

TS

HEI

SPSP

SP

TS

LA SP

This is in the context of other system-wide support and collaboration

SP

SP DioceseSP

TS

HEI

SP SP

SP

TS TS

HEI

SP SPSP

TSLASLE outside alliance

14-19 consortia

Chain of Academies

NLELLE

SBM cluster

Federation

LLE

NLE

Independent/state school partnership

Associate

Associate

Associate

Working in partnership

• The model is flexible and teaching schools will be able to choose strategic partners such as other schools and universities to support the alliance.

• They may also decide to join with other teaching schools to form a network of teaching school alliances

• Win-win for all is essential• Need to take the time to build trust • Not about empire-building and

needs to be seen as such

It will take time …

• This isn’t easy - no gain without pain

• We need to remember our role is to enable not to lead or control – ‘work with not do to’

• Alliances will need to be resilient and build trust over time

• Teaching schools and strategic partners need to build leadership capacity

• Need to remember why we all are doing this

40

Stage 1Hubris born of success

Stage 2Undisciplined

pursuit of more

Stage 3Denial of risk

and peril

Stage 4Grasping

for salvation

Stage 5 Capitulation to irrelevance or

death

Source: How the mighty fall: and why some companies never give in, Collins, 2009

Sustainable growth essential

Quality assurance and KPIs

Mid-year collaborative fund monitoring

(If total exceeds £100k)

Annual collaborative fund monitoring

Full core funding released

2. Peer review of TS alliance

1. Start-up / annual meeting with NC and TDA

3. Peer review moderated externally

(Year 3 only)

National KPIs

1. Pupil attainment

2. Ofsted grades for:

• Overall effectiveness

• Teaching

• Leadership

3. No. of trainees trained

4. Headship vacancy levels

5. Numbers of schools in alliances

6. SLEs designated, trained

Alliance success criteria

Based on local priorities and national KPIs

Review of designation• A role and not a reward • Expectation that teaching schools engage

annually in review• College also looks at school performance, Ofsted

data and status of the headteacher• All teaching schools reviewed in year 4 - those

demonstrating positive impact within their alliance will be re-designated

• The brand must remain strong and credible - teaching schools can be reviewed at any time of they no longer meet eligibility criteria

• However, the intention is to retain designation where there is capacity, progress and clear evidence of quality…

The role of Associates / PDLs

•Supportive

•Enabling

•Responsive

•Critical friend

•Networks and connections

The role of the associate

1. provide support and challenge to each teaching school alliance as it develops its action and business plan

2. broker links with other alliances to form teaching school networks

3. Possibly help to facilitate quality assurance by peers of each alliance’s work

4. link teaching schools with other College colleagues

But all on top of the day job…

• Ofsted/reputational pressures• League tables and exam performance• Parent issues • Safeguarding/compliance• Developing the business

Impact

2 versions of ‘Green Shoots’

Remarkable stories of success over short periods of time

Characterised by values, ingenuity…and absolute commitment to collaborative improvement

Strength in alliance, partnerships and collaboration

Building partnerships and capacity

Mark RonanHeadteacherPocklington School

Building Partnerships and Capacity

Building Partnerships and Capacity

Partnerships: MLDP and OFP

What did schools and staff across the sectors share in common?

What were the main lessons learnt from the experience of partnership?

Partnerships beyond the school gates

Middle Leader Development Programme

2 Pocklington School Facilitators 2 Cohorts and 2nd Cohort:

Maintained sector:

- 3 Secondary schools with 7 participants

- 1 Primary school with 1 participant

Independent sector

- 3 Secondary schools with 7 participants

Coaching Programme: Outstanding Facilitators Programme Delivered by Third wave 9 Pocklington School Foundation Teachers

(6 Secondary and 3 Primary)

3 Withernsea High School Teachers Benefits: Learning trios; Staff led Inset Still looking for: coaching programme

What did schools and staff across the sectors share in common? A commitment to children, and what we hope to do for the

children in our care

A belief that similarities between children in different types of schools are far greater than the differences between them

Expertise, for example in Continuing Professional Development

What were the main lessons learnt from the experience of partnership? Recognise and make the most of the existing informal

networks

Building relationships and trust is important, but we must

recognise that partnership needs to go beyond personal relationships if it is to be embedded/sustainable

Partnership activity can encourage and enriches pupils and staff in both sectors to be aspirational

What were the main lessons learnt from the experience of partnership? Continued…. Partnership encourages debate

Collaboration challenges stereotypes on all sides

Recognise and acknowledge differences,

and then move on

Partnership only works if all schools involved bring something to and take something from the table

Conclusion I

Focus on what matters most - the children, and we must capitalise on their desire to learn.

We have to be committed to increasing opportunities for all children.

Partnerships beyond the school gates:A work in progress

Conclusion II

Great schools rarely go it alone. The most successful schools...are not isolated and separate...but actively encourage and embrace interaction with others...All the research over the last few years is very clear that schools which take on a greater role outside their own direct community usually benefit significantly themselves by bringing back learning to their own school’

Buck A (2013) What Makes a Great School London : United Learning

The benefits of school to school support

1

Dr Anthony Seldon MasterWellington College

Teaching Schools: raising aspirations and attainment through collaboration

Sarah EvansPrincipalKing Edward VI High School for Girls

Interview Video

Nuts and bolts of applying

Teaching Schools Cohort 4

Sarah GoffSenior Manager, DesignationsNCTL

Eligibility criteria

Headteacher/CEO/Principal

•Be judged to be an outstanding serving headteacher with at least 3 years headship experience (at point of designation) and expect to remain at current school for at least 2 years following designation

•Be accountable for 1 or more schools which meet the teaching school criteria

•Have the full support from the school’s Governing Body/Board and DCS/Senior Educational Professional

Eligibility criteriaSchool/Academy •Have a clear track record of long-standing collaborative relationships with a significant number of partner schools (including or show a commitment to collaborating with maintained schools)•Judged excellent by ISI for:

• The quality of the pupils’ achievements• Their learning, attitudes and skills• The contribution of teaching• The quality of leadership and management

•Show consistently high levels of pupil performance and progress or continued improvement over the last 3 years and be above current floor standards (as evidenced in published Department for Education data) •The proposed teaching school has outstanding senior and middle leaders who have demonstrated that they have a strong track record and on-going capacity to:

• Make a significant and high quality contribution to the training of teachers (ITT)

• Provide highly effective professional development for teaching and/or leadership

• Provide significant and successful support to under-performing schools within a school to school support partnership, federation or chain (including or show a commitment to supporting maintained schools)

Application Route 1:

1. Single Teaching School Alliance: one teaching school leading one teaching school alliance

• A single school will need to meet all of the eligibility criteria

• If the proposed teaching school is a small* or special school, a named strategic partner can be used to further substantiate evidence of track record for one of the areas ITT, CPD or School to School support.

*250 pupils or less

Single TSA


2. Job-share Teaching School Alliance: two small*/special teaching schools leading one teaching school alliance

• Only open to small* or special schools who:• each independently meet the ISI, performance and

headship criteria and,• jointly meet all of the eligibility criteria for ITT, CPD and

school to school support and, • are applying to form once alliance

*250 pupils or less

Job-Share TSA


3. Multiple Teaching School Alliance: two or more designated teaching schools leading one teaching school alliance

• Two or more schools each meet all of the eligibility criteria independently but wish to work as one teaching school alliance

• Two or more schools each meet the ISI, performance and headship eligibility criteria independently, but one of the schools is a small*/special school so this school is using a named strategic partner to further bolster the evidence of their track record and capacity in one of the 3 strands (ITT, CPD and School to school support). (NB the small/special school will need to fully meet the criteria for two of the three strands and the non small/special school will need to meet all of the eligibility criteria in its own right)

If two or more schools apply through this route and only one school is designated the other school can remain a strategic partner

*250 pupils or less

Multiple TSA

Application Routes:

• You can also apply to join an existing teaching school alliance. If you choose this route, applicants will need to apply as a single teaching school and will have the opportunity to provide details of the alliance they wish to join

• If you wish to apply but do not see a way forward through the routes outlined, please contact us at [email protected]

Application Form:The application form will be split into three parts:

•Part A is online and asks for information about the headteacher, school, your strategic partners who will support delivery and referee details. Part A is to be completed by each individual teaching school applicant.

•Part B is a downloadable word file containing questions about the school’s track record in delivering ITT, CPD and school to school support. In this section we are looking for information on the scale, scope and impact of delivery. You are required to upload this part of the application to Part A of the online form. Part B is to be completed using the applicant teaching schools track record only, unless they are small/special schools*.

•Part C is a downloadable word file in which you will outline your alliance’s plans for delivering the six core areas of the teaching school’s role known as the ‘big 6’. You are required to also upload this part of the application to Part A of the online form. Part C can be completed on behalf of all schools within the proposed alliance. *Please see the application guidance for further information.

Application weighting:

Your application is scored out of a possible 175 marks, broken down as follows:

A team of senior educational professionals mark each section of the application form using a pre-defined scoring matrix

Part B Part C

Strand Track Record Plans for Delivery

ITT CPD STSS ITT CPD StSS Splanning R&D SLE QA

Score out of 35 35 3510 10 10 10 10 10 10

70

Weighting20% 20% 20%

40%60%

Tips for completion:• Commence completion of your application prior to the round

opening in September. Parts B and C can be requested, please contact us.

• Answers relating to the ‘track record’ of your school should focus on the scale, scope and impact of your work.

• Only include evidence relating to the question - your application will be split and sent to separate teams of expert assessors.

• Answers relating to your ‘plans for delivery’ should evidence your knowledge of your locality and how you intend to meet the needs of the schools included in your alliance.

• Use the information provided on our website and application guidance

The assessment process…

• As this is the last planned application cohort, applications will be prioritised taking into account the following factors:

• Geographic coverage and representation of rural and urban contexts

• The representation of different types and phases of school

• The need to reflect the broad socio-economic mix of schools nationally measured by receipt of pupil premium/free school meals

NB: you may still be designated if your application meets all areas of the eligibility criteria, however does not meet any of the above factors. This will depend on the total number of applications received.

Prioritisation:

Key dates:• Eligibility criteria and application guidance available now

• Application parts B&C available sent to you 9 July

• Application round open 13 September

• Application round closes 18 October

• Reference deadline 25 October

• School visits to take place 2 December 2013 – 14 February 2014

• Final Assessment Panel – Early March 2014 (TBC)

• Applicants to be notified via email by 31 March 2014

• Induction event April 2014 (TBC)

Plenary

Q&A Panel

Thank You

Safe journey home

The Teaching Schools application round opens on 13 September 2013 and closes on 18 October 2013.

This is the final application round currently planned.

We welcome your feedback – please complete the feedback questionnaire (in your pack) and hand in before you leave.

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