Key Voices

Key Voices #135 - Responding to behaviour curiously and collaboratively with Sarah Dove from Phoenix Education Consultancy

This week we speak to Sarah Dove, Director of Phoenix Education Consultancy about her diverse experience of supporting children outside of mainstream schooling in a variety of different contexts. We discuss what prompted Sarah to write her book ‘Behaving together in the Classroom’. Sarah shares what she’s seen change in the last 20 years of working in education, the changes she’d like to see in the future and what she learnt from conducting her own surveys into pupils' experiences of remote learning. 

 

We talk about: 

• The different types of settings Sarah has worked in 
• Sarah’s collaborative and curious approach to behaviour 
• The importance of thinking about different ways to respond to challenging behaviour, rather than repeating the same tactics 
• What has changed about the way alternative provision and mainstream interact
• How social media has brought more behavioural issues inside the school gates 
• What further change is needed to make sure alternative provision and mainstream can work together in the most effective way for the child 
• What Sarah found out from surveying pupils about their experiences of lockdown and their feelings about returning to school 
• Sarah’s thoughts on the importance of listening to pupil voice 

The report from the Centre for Social Justice Sarah mentions can be found here.

You can find free to download resources on Sarah’s website here and more about her book here.  

Key Voices #134 - Thinking bigger and differently about the future of education with Claire Oatway and Sam Smith

This week we speak to Claire Oatway, a Leadership and Strategy Consultant, and Sam Smith, Headteacher at Stoke Damerel Primary Academy about some work they did together to imagine the future of schooling. Claire created an immersive representation of what a completely AI and technology enabled school could look like. This was then passed on to Sam and her team, who used it as a jumping off point for thinking more about how they could prepare their pupils for the future, and embrace technology in their curriculum and practices. 

 

We talk about: 

• Sam and Claire’s backgrounds and past experiences
• How their partnership came about 
• How Claire created an immersive vision for the future of education for Sam and her team to respond to
• The importance of giving children at primary school a better understanding of STEAM careers 
• What a fully AI/ tech enabled school environment could look like without teachers and what that tells us about the highest value work teachers can actually be doing in schools 
• Why and how school leaders can think bigger and differently about education if it is augmented by technology
• Sam’s reflections about her school’s experience of remote learning and how the school evolved their offering over time
• The potential for tech to support personalised learning for children who need additional support and other likely near term developments in EdTech

 

The original presentation Claire delivered at Sam’s school is here.

 

You can read about Claire’s work in this area here and you can contact her directly via LinkedIn to learn more. 

 

The television programme Sam mentions can be watched on catch-up here. 

 

You can find out more about Sam’s school here. 

 

Key Voices #133 - Exploring the need for Maths tutoring with Thorntree Academy, Third Space Learning and CFEY

This week we talk to Mike Foster, Assistant Head at Thorntree Academy in Middlesbrough, Tom Hooper, Founder and CEO of Third Space Learning and Baz Ramaiah, an associate at The Centre For Education and Youth (CFEY). We hear more about CFEY’s report ‘A Space for Maths: Exploring the need for maths tutoring and the potential role of Third Space Learning’,  the importance of early maths achievement and getting children confident with numeracy.  Mike tells us about his school’s experience of using Third Space Learning and we discuss what makes for a really effective maths tutoring intervention.

 

We talk about: 

• Mike’s school and the community it serves 

• The case for early intervention building strong maths skills early 
• The findings of the ‘A Space for Maths’ report and how teaching and learning numeracy differs from literacy 
• The difference tutoring can make to pupils 
• The impact of the pandemic on maths skills and the issues with parental support for maths home learning 
• How difficulties with and anxiety about maths can become intergenerational 
• The potential economic impacts of a lack of maths ability 
• Mike’s maths catch-up focus at school - vocabulary and application of mathematical skills 
• Why Mike wanted a tutoring intervention and what he was hoping to gain from it
• The importance of a tutoring solution that is responsive and aligns with what is going on in class teaching 
• How Third Space designed their solution to make cost-effective, high-quality, one-to-one tuition available to pupils in need 
• The impact good quality tutoring can have on pupils 

 

You can find the report from CFEY ‘A Space for Maths’ here.

 

You can find the Third Space Learning impact report here and read about other schools’ experiences here. 

Key Voices #132 - ‘Equality, Diversity and Inclusion amongst Academy Trust CEOs’ with Forum strategy

This week we talk to Nav Sanghara, CEO of The Woodland Academy Trust  and Alice Gregson, Chief Operating Officer at Forum Strategy about Forum Strategy’s recent publication ‘Equality, Diversity and Inclusion amongst Academy Trust CEOs’. We discuss why the research was conducted and  the challenges that persist when it comes to tackling the lack of diversity at senior levels within trusts. We also delve into some of the more positive findings emerging from the research, and discuss the recommendations and potential solutions raised in the report. 

 

We talk about:

• Alice and Nav’s careers and backgrounds
• Why Forum Strategy wanted to conduct the research 
• Some of the positive findings that denote a level of progress on this issue
• The more challenging findings from the report and the work still to be done, particularly around data collection 
• Some of Nav’s experiences as a senior leader within a trust
• The importance of inclusive practices as well as having diverse teams
• The fear of using the wrong language being a barrier to people getting involved in the important work of diversity & inclusion and ways to address this 
• How a consistent approach to diversity data collection across all the characteristics would help progress this work 
• Some potential solutions, including the need for organisations to have a long-term strategic plan that tackles all aspects of this agenda across all relevant policies and activities, but recognising that this will take time and sustained effort

 

You can download the report from Forum Strategy here

 

You can learn more about the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s nine protected characteristics here

 

If you would like to get in touch with Alice or Nav, or have any questions or feedback on the podcast, please email caroline.doherty@thekeysupport.com

Key Voices #131 - ‘The Next Big Thing in School Improvement’ with Professor Becky Allen, Matthew Evans and Ben White

This week we speak to Professor Becky Allen, Co-Founder of Teacher Tapp, Ben White, Assistant Headteacher of a secondary school in Kent and Matthew Evans, Headteacher of a secondary school in Gloucestershire, about a book they wrote together entitled, ‘The Next Big Thing in School Improvement’.  We discuss the main themes of the book, namely: the complexity of the school system, the limits of our knowledge and the problems that arise when an approach to school improvement (that might well be effective in some contexts) becomes a generalised “fad” and actually has limited impact. 

 

We talk about: 

• How the three authors met and why they decided to write a book together on this topic 
• What it means when we say schools are “complex” systems and why they are difficult to improve
• Some of the important things about learning and education that we just don’t know yet and may never know
• Advice for headteachers contemplating school improvement 
• The limits of the education system as it has currently been designed and what some of the potential options could be for overcoming them
• The group’s thoughts on the current focus on curriculum 
• How each of our guests thinks education research, time and funding could be spent to tackle some of the challenges they have identified around school improvement 
• Activities they have each participated in as part of past school improvement fads that they now regret 

 

You can order Becky, Ben and Matthew’s book here 

Key Voices #130 - The role of technology in teaching reading with Bentley Church of England Primary School

This week we talk to Katy Pinchess, Headteacher at Bentley Church of England Primary School about her school’s approach to reading. Katy shares how they have used a digital tool (Lexplore) that uses artificial intelligence and eye-tracking technology to dig further into exactly what children find challenging about reading. We also talk about other ways in which Katy has built a strong reading culture at her school, discuss briefly her recent experience of an Ofsted inspection and hear her observations of how pupils are adjusting to being back in school. 

 

We talk about: 

• Reading as a focus across the school 
• What using the digital tool adds to the school’s approach to teaching reading 
• How administering reading assessments works and how the results are used to support pupils progress 
• The school’s context and the importance of reading across the curriculum 
• How using the digital tool has supported parental engagement with reading
• The impact of Covid-19 on pupil’s academic resilience
• How the team at Bentley have applied a ’back to basics’ approach this term to support pupils back into the classroom. 

 

You can learn more about Bentley Church of England Primary School here 

More information about Lexplore is available here

Key Voices #129 - Review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges with Ofsted

This week we talk to Anna Trethewey, Head of Strategy and Andrew Cook, HMI and  Regional Director North West, both from Ofsted about Ofsted’s rapid evidence review into peer-on-peer sexual abuse. We talk about how the review was conducted, the findings that emerged and how schools can start to take steps to respond to this issue. We also discuss the nature of the challenge in more detail and the importance of taking a deep and considered approach to building a safe and inclusive culture. We also touch on the role that governors can play in supporting schools with this work. 

 

We talk about: 

• How Ofsted worked to produce a high impact report that conveyed the scale of the problem at speed
• The pivotal importance of pupil experience and testimony to this review and how organising single-sex discussion groups proved to be a valuable way to capture views during the school visits 
• How problematic sexual behaviour seems to have become almost normalised and the need to be more clear about thresholds and really defining what behaviour is acceptable and unacceptable for young people 
• Why inclusive language and strong role modelling can play such a key part in establishing a positive school culture 
• The link between RSHE and PSHE provision and pupils’ experiences 
• Some of the changes already resulting from the review’s publication 
• How hard it can be for schools to navigate behaviour that happens online or out of school premises
• How governors can support school leadership teams with this work 

 

You can read the full review from Ofsted here. 

Key Voices #128 - A spotlight on the Early years with Dr Helen Edwards from Tapestry

This week we talk to Dr Helen Edwards, Co-Founder of Tapestry about changes happening in the Early Years (the new Early Years Framework and updated Development Matters). Helen shares some really useful tips for governors visiting the EYFS. We also reflect on the impact of the pandemic and the opportunity it presented for those working in the early years to embrace technology, particularly as a way to maintain the connection between their setting and home, and consider what the future might look like. 

 

We talk about:

• The changes to the EYFS Framework, Development Matters and Early Learning Goals and what these mean in practice
• How to be a curious governor when visiting the EYFS and some good questions to ask
• Some of the ways in which settings and Edtech providers had to adapt during the pandemic
• The importance of achieving a balance around use of technology in the Early Years and balancing the workload associated with recording and reporting 
• The role EdTech can play in CPD, especially in a nursery setting where there will be limited time and budget
• What is special about working in the Early Years 

 

You can learn more about Tapestry here

Key Voices #127 - School leadership and adult ego development with Dr Neil Gilbride

“Heck! The reason this job is so hard is not just because we believe it to be so, but because a lot of the expectations of what headteachers have to do day-to-day... are implicitly demanding of a very high stage of adult ego development.”

 

This week we speak to Dr Neil Gilbride, Senior Lecturer in Education at the University of Gloucestershire. We discuss his research into School Principals at Different Stages of Adult Ego Development: Their Sense-Making Capabilities and How Others Experience Them. Neil tells us about why and how he conducted the research, what it tells us about leadership in a school setting and the particular challenges school leaders face. 

 

We talk about:

• Neil’s career and background 
• Why he chose to undertake the research and the possible implications the findings might have
• What the ‘ego’ is, what it does and how it develops according to Loevinger’s model of the 8 stages of adult ego development 
• More details about the 3 stages of ego development the study focuses on 
• What the research shows us about how difficult it is to be a leader in a school setting 
• What constitutes a ‘wicked’ problem as opposed to a ‘tame’ problem
• Why it is important to understand education leadership and its challenges first, before working out what we can learn from other sectors
• How he designed the study and carried it out 
• What kind of scaffolding leaders might need to help them sense-make more effectively and the impact stress can have on someone’s sense-making abilities 
• Role of experience and experiences in leadership development 
• Neil’s plans for further research 

 

You can read Neil’s paper here it includes full details of Loevinger’s model of adult ego development

 

You can learn more about his international project Getting Heads Together here

 

“Some people described the headteacher who was “individualist” as magical. They could just seem to put their finger on the problem and they think it is some kind of divine intervention, and it isn’t. Actually the way they make sense of the problem incorporated so many different perspectives and views that by the time they got there everyone felt they’d been heard and everyone could see where the headteacher was coming from.”

Key Voices #126 - Wellbeing, curriculum and flexibility with Kat Howard

This week we talk to Kat Howard, Head of Professional Learning at David Ross Education Trust Teaching School Hub,  Author and Founder of Litdrive. We talk about some of the key themes of Kat’s books: Stop Talking About Wellbeing and Symbiosis. We also talk about some of the lessons that can be learned from remote learning for both teaching and flexibility in schools, and how to have meaningful conversations about curriculum development. 

 

We talk about: 

• Why we should stop talking about wellbeing
• Some of Kat’s observations coming from another sector outside education 
• The opportunities the pandemic has presented to do things differently such as;
  •  Engaging in more CPD
  • Collaborating more easily
  • Working more flexibly
  • Using remote learning as a chance to watch other teachers and really honing in on certain aspects of teaching
• Kat’s approach to blogging and writing books 
• How Kat chose to use time while on maternity leave to participate in and deliver CPD
• The vital role curriculum can play in engaging pupils and staff
• How to have successful curriculum conversations 
• Adapting your curriculum to support catch up 

 

Here is the blog Kat mentioned about how she writes books and blogs

 

You can learn more about Litdrive, the organisation Kat founded, here

 

You can learn more about the Maternity Paternity Teacher Project here or listen to the Key Voices episode with its founder here