Middle Management to Deputy Headship

Geoff Barton

Not NPQH

Essentials of getting, then surviving, the job

PowerPoints available at www.geoffbarton.co.uk

Getting the interview … getting the job Identifying the right job for you Using the letter to get the interview Using the interview to get the job

Getting the interview

Identifying the right job for you

What’s motivating you?

•Ambition?

•Boredom?

•Desire to escape?

Getting the interview

Identifying the right job for you

Pros and cons of senior management

Make an impact

Variety

High-profile

Whole-school

Frustration

Never complete

Exposed

Lack of team spirit

3 Letters

Quickly skim the 3 letters and comment on:

The impression you get of the candidate

How well the structure helps you Comment on the style of the letter

Writing the letter: some hints 2 sides max Not an autobiography and beware

of ‘philosophy’ Target the selection criteria Use formatting - bullets, bold, sub-

headings, even tables A good letter will tell you what the

school is asking for through clear structure

The Interview

Preparation The day itself Questions

The Interview

Preparation Look the place over - pay attention

to uniform, site, general ethos, quick hits for improvement

Know the panel: it’s a governor appointment

Know the issues facing the school What are your experiences?

The Interview

The day itself How to dress What to take with you How to play it Who to talk to

The Interview

The interview How to sit Who to look at How long to answer for Some question ideas …

Finally …

Middle Management to Deputy Headship

Geoff Barton

Effectively planning, monitoring and developing a

quality curriculum

Middle Management to Deputy Headship

Geoff Barton

Past: what we teach

Present: how we teach

MONITORING

THE CURRICULUM

&

ASSESSMENT

Monitoring the curriculum

10 suggestions …

1: Start with evaluation principles

2: No more documentation

9: Observation is the key to changing

classroom practice

8: Use student evaluations

3: Draw in the TAs7: Make feedback public

6: Always focus on IMPACT

5: Every meeting is a training opportunity

4: Have term-by-term plan

10: We should measure what we value, not value what we can measure

The tyranny of assessment

Dylan Wiliam (King’s College):

•UK versus Japanese teachers

•Marks can have a negative impact

•Demotivation of UK students

Research from Israel:33% of students given marks only – made no progress33% given mark and comment – no progress33% given comment only …

… increased their performance by 30%

•Quality of questioning•Quality of feedback•Sharing criteria with learners•Using peer and self-assessment

4 key ingredients in good assessment

Learning

Formative assessment: “How am I doing?”

Summative assessment:

How have I done?

teacher - peer - parent - buddy - mentor

verbal - tick-list - general comment - written feedback

Teaching & learning

Starting-point: what are the essential skills and knowledge our students need?

More important: what kind of citizens do we want them to be?

Teaching & learning

A: Core learning

To be successful as a student and in later life, you need to:

Have high expectations of the quality of work you will produce

Be motivated Use target setting to improve the quality of the work

you produce Be able to meet deadlines Be able to carry out independent research Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses to improve

your learning in future Have concentration Develop areas of special interest and expertise

Teaching & learning

B: Personal Qualities

To be successful as a student and in later life, you need to:

Be courteousBe trustworthy and reliableShow commitmentBe adaptable, coping with changeHave a broad range of interests eg sport/social

life/academic/cultural aspects – books, music, films, art etc.

Make informed decisionsPlan and organise own workloadShow that you value your own and other people’s

individuality

Teaching & learning

C: Knowledge

There are certain areas that you will need to have some knowledge of if you are going to be able to make important life decisions for yourselves. These are:

Nutrition and healthy eating Diseases and preventative medicine Importance of exercise Facts about drugs Contraception and Sexually Transmitted Diseases Mental Health Personal Finances Criminal Justice System Political Awareness Awareness of opportunities and careers First Aid

Teaching & learning

D: Citizenship

To be a successful citizen, you need to show that you:

Participate in school life eg year committees, School Council, sports teams, orchestras, debating society etc

Contribute to school life eg helping out in departments, charity committees, school council, contributing to assemblies etc

Get involved in local community eg helping the elderly, play groups, primary schools, local charities, youth clubs etc.

Are able to discuss issues in the news Attend an organised visit Can show some understanding of local and national

politics

Teaching & learning

The current curriculum is failing some students

But don’t tinker: start with the big picture

Involve everyone and don’t rush it And EVALUATE

Teaching & learning

Teaching & learning

•Evaluation is essential

•It’s the start, not the end of a process

•It doesn’t have to be mechanical

SUMMARYSUMMARY

Middle Management to Deputy Headship

Geoff Barton

The 1 most challenging thing about being a deputy head …

PEOPLE

Middle Management to Deputy Headship

Geoff Barton

1: A boy accuses a member of staff of hitting him in the

stomach

Middle Management to Deputy Headship

Geoff Barton

2: Week 1 - you are called to a classroom where students are

throwing paper around

Middle Management to Deputy Headship

Geoff Barton

3: Someone complains about the absence rate of

a Year Head

Middle Management to Deputy Headship

Geoff Barton

4: A member of staff is apparently not setting or

marking homework

Middle Management to Deputy Headship

Geoff Barton

5: A Head of Year gives consistently awful

assemblies

Middle Management to Deputy Headship

Geoff Barton

6: People say that they find a senior teacher

aggressive and unapproachable

Middle Management to Deputy Headship

Geoff Barton

7: A supply teacher has consistently poor

discipline

Middle Management to Deputy Headship

Geoff Barton

8: A Head of Department is

consistently negative at staff meetings

Middle Management to Deputy Headship

Geoff Barton

9: A parent is going to report you to the LEA

for harrassing her daughter about uniform

Middle Management to Deputy Headship

Geoff Barton

10: The staff hold a vote of no-confidence in your plans to restructure the

school

The essentials

Be driven by a moral purpose Have someone out of school to talk

to It’s about judgment more than

experience Admit to getting things wrong It’s also about pretending to know

what you’re doing

Middle Management to Deputy Headship

Geoff Barton

Good Luck!

PowerPoints available at www.geoffbarton.co.uk