Building the capacity of the system to lead improvement strategically Sir David Carter National Schools Commissioner

Session plan Introduction and welcome Colin Diamond, Executive Director for Education, Birmingham City Council Building the capacity of the system to lead strategically Sir David Carter, National Schools Commissioner Questions and answers Summing up and next steps Tim Boyes, Chief Executive, Birmingham Education Partnership

Introduction

Building the Capacity of the System to Lead Improvement Strategically June 2016 Sir David Carter National Schools Commissioner

Educational Excellence Everywhere Education is the hallmark of a civilised society –It is the engine of productivity –It is the foundation of our culture –It is the underpinning of the success of this country Every child born in England deserves and has an entitlement to a free world class education

The Leadership Challenges we face if we are to create a world class education system Depth and Breadth

Redefining Today V Unknown Possibilities of Tomorrow The 6 Leadership Challenges for the next five years

Redefining Today V Unknown Possibilities of Tomorrow Leading Impact & Improvement –Progress v Attainment –Curriculum Development –Teacher Recruitment Leading at Scale –Larger MATS –Best Schools and System Capacity Leading a new model of collaboration –MAT to MAT partnerships –Every school a giver and receiver of support Leading in a Shrinking Financial Climate –What does your staffing model need to look like now? Leading our Communities –Gap Analysis of what the community needs –Free Schools-making a unique community offer Leading the System –More MAT by 2020 –More CEO

The mind-set that underpins future Leadership thinking Scanning the Horizon and looking ahead. –Preparing and Anticipating change Collaborate with people who are different to you –Too many collaborations reinforce similarities not the differences Be bold enough to abandon the past –Dare to be different and stand out from the crowd

Making sense of the Accountability Landscape SATS and MATS are accountable for outcomes in their schools OFSTED assesses how well schools perform against schools with same context RSC Challenge and Support those schools not yet good enough NCTL provides the pipeline of teachers and leaders and system capacity Local Authorities oversee SEN, Admissions, Safeguarding, transport and sufficiency of places

Celebrating the Impact of Middle Leaders Often called the “engine room of school improvement” but it is better than this! –Understand teaching and how to improve it –Delivery arm of the school improvement strategy –Work out what needs to be done, how and by when –Focus on vulnerable learners –Curriculum thinkers –Know how to lead in Collaborative settings

More Leaders are Leading in a Collaborative Context Leaders need to understand the 2-19 learning experience irrespective of the phase they work within

The system-led collaborative culture Definition of collaboration –Collaboration is working with others to do a task and to achieve shared goals. –Fundamental part of human interaction The Arts Sport Charity Private and Public Sector Conditions that support collaboration –Authority to make decisions –Competition and Collaboration –Clarity of vision –A well-executed plan –A governance model that holds people to account –Buy-in –Giving and Receiving

What are the Key Progression Points for Middle Leaders to understand? Progression 1-ENTRY to SCHOOL Progression 2- RECEPTION to Y1 Progression 3-Y2 into Y3 Progression 4-YEAR 6 into YEAR 7 Progression 1-ENTRY to SCHOOL Progression 2- RECEPTION to Y1 Progression 3-Y2 into Y3 Progression 4-YEAR 6 into YEAR 7 Progression 5- TOWARDS GCSE Progression 6-ENTRY POST 16 Progression 7-HE and WORK – Each School in a MAT leads on at least one transition point for example Progression 5- TOWARDS GCSE Progression 6-ENTRY POST 16 Progression 7-HE and WORK – Each School in a MAT leads on at least one transition point for example

The Context for Strategic Leadership is changing Every Leader is a system leader from the classroom to the community

Underpinning my thinking about System Leadership Every school should be a giver and receiver of support and challenge It is right to have the expectation that the strongest schools support the weakest schools to equalise the experience of children The most effective form of intervention is the sustainability of high quality teaching The best leaders hold themselves and others to account every day

The multi-academy trust as the vehicle for collaboration

Value of multi-academy trusts Building a Community around moral purpose Collective responsibility for the results of all children –“If one fails we all fail” Strategic governance allied to educational focus at LGB Recruitment and retention –flexibility to deploy staff in the most effective way to benefit the largest number of children Career progression for staff –retain the best staff in the trust if not in the same school Efficient Management of Resources –Trust appointments on behalf of the schools Where possible the “all through” 0 to 19 MAT makes sense of the learning progression of children

Outstanding Leadership in a MAT is different System leadership development providing Executive Leaders for the future –Leading a phase or subject across several schools –Leading improvement beyond a single school and being accountable for it –Transmitting effective practice and abandoning that which does not work –Change Management –Potential to progress from NQT to Principal within the same MAT as talent gets developed

The qualities of the most successful system leaders Diagnosis of what is needed Can lead with credibility in the school improvement space Can see the MAT as an educational hub for excellence Ability to take action and execute the plan & evaluate it Understands how to hold people to account and welcomes being held to account Can tell the difference between context and an excuse Has a mindset that puts children’s needs ahead of adults’ expectations

The system leader and the school improvement space Phase 1 - De-clutter –The school is broken –No underpinning of the future –Real truth comes after project starts Phase 2 - Repair –Control from chaos –Reactive decision making –Make the school feel like a normal school Phase 3 - Improve –Leadership becomes more proactive –Strategies start to embed –Outcomes never as bad again Phase 4 - Sustain –Maslow “self actualisation” –Confident, innovative and risk taking delivery

The twin leadership intelligences for successful collaboration IMPACT INTELLIGENCE SELF AWARENESS EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IMPACT ON OTHERS SELF AWARENESS

My Priorities as the National Schools Commissioner

The Two Core Priorities that we need to Deliver between 2016 and 2022 Growing the capacity of the System with Care Expanding our Existing MATS Improving the system strategically Approving and Developing new MATS Raising the performance of Academies Embedding the MAT as the best structure for improvement

Priorities 1 and 2 Priority 1-Improving the weakest 100 Academies in the system –We should be capable of addressing this as a system –Which Interventions work? –Which model of system leadership is most effective? –Knowledge of these academies and how they are improving needs to be core knowledge for the NSC Priority 2- Communicating to the Wider System –Press and Media Plan Twitter and Blogs TES from Friday Feb 26 TES column –NSC Roadshows in all 8 regions in May and June

Priority 3 Priority 3-Developing a structure for MAT growth We need our existing MATS to grow and we need to develop an audit to support them –Standards and Track Record –People and Leadership –Governance Capacity –Risk Management –Financial Sustainability Starter Trusts-first 5 or 6 schools up to around children Established Trusts-5 to 15 schools or around 1200 to 5000 children National Trusts schools System Leader Trusts -30 or more schools

Priority 4 Priority 4-The largest sponsors with the greatest regional presence come to NSC –Consistency –Bringing this group closer together –Practice that can become part of the model for the system –Sharing the knowledge that they already have in terms of leading trusts on a national scale

And Finally… If there were three pieces of advice for Leaders today….. –Never lose sight of the reasons we came in to teaching –Always see the child and the adult and not the behaviours they exhibit –Focus relentlessly on the contribution your leadership makes to whole communities, families and children

Questions and answers

Summing up and next steps