Middle Management to Deputy Headship Geoff Barton  Not NPQH  Essentials of getting, then surviving, the job PowerPoints available at

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 TAs 7: 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 progress 33% given mark and comment – no progress 33% 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 courteous  Be trustworthy and reliable  Show commitment  Be adaptable, coping with change  Have a broad range of interests eg sport/social life/academic/cultural aspects – books, music, films, art etc.  Make informed decisions  Plan and organise own workload  Show 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

Evaluation is essential It’s the start, not the end of a process It doesn’t have to be mechanical SUMMARY

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