Presentation to SASH 25 th September 2013 David Birch

What is the National Education Trust? A national resource for high quality practice and innovation in learning: leading and sharing new thinking and effective practice An independent provider of high quality - high impact early years, school and college improvement and professional development. An intelligent contributor to education policy debate and reform

A National Resource ‘Leading Thinkers’ Advocacy Schools An Academy sponsor Key partnerships (eg ASCL “The Great Education Debate”) Research on good practice: curriculum, teaching and learning, narrowing the gaps

Education policy, debate and reform Teachers’ Standards Pupil Premium ‘Counterblasts’ The annual lecture High profile events and seminars

School Improvement and CPD ‘Blink’ Pre-Ofsted advice and review Bespoke reviews of, for example, senior/middle leadership, curriculum/pastoral/subject provision, whole school literacy/numeracy Tailored CPD for schools and groups of schools eg: teaching & learning, narrowing the gaps, SEN/EAL, English/Literacy, building leadership capacity

Blink a fresh pairs of eyes on a familiar location; the Blink is tailored to a particular context asking questions – and further searching questions – about established practice in order that effective practice is championed and less effective practice is challenged, with suggestions given for improvement and development a style of working that makes people in the given workplace feel better about what they are doing as a result of the Blink.

Blink conducted by high quality practitioners sustainable through training which enables fellow practitioners to be properly inducted and thus able to conduct Blinks able to be ‘scaled up’ in different contexts, through systematic quality assurance adaptable to different contexts and for different purposes, with the core purpose of reviewing, making judgements, championing good practice, indicating further improvements.

Current school improvement priorities Teaching and learning: “sparkling classrooms”, engaging learners, promoting independent learning Work with middle leaders: coaching, building leadership capacity, improving self-evaluation Narrowing the attainment gap: effective use of the pupil premium through effective analysis and intervention

Sparkling Classrooms Learning is fun..... and fundamental Clear values and expectations underpin learning Excellent subject knowledge Knowing students as individuals Smart classrooms: the right environment for learning Interventions and digressions To teach is to learn Reflection and evaluation Teachers who keep learning

Sustaining Sparkling Classrooms Keep to your values about learning Keep subject knowledge fresh Make the most of CPD opportunities Get feedback from students Work collaboratively Open up your practice to colleagues Take risks judiciously

Associate Director from 2011 and interim Deputy Director, Recent projects include: review of senior and middle leadership at Slough and Eton Business and Enterprise College; whole school CPD for staff at Kingsmead Technology College, Haverstock School, Aylesbury Vale Academy and Langley Grammar School, Slough; training day for English staff at LaSwap Post 16 Consortium, Camden; keynote address for all staff and leadership workshop at the 6 secondary schools in Rugby; review of the Year 7 integrated curriculum at Baylis Court School, Slough; review of Sixth Form at Slough and Eton; coaching and support for the English teams at Priory Witham Academy, Lincoln and the Oxford Academy to improve outcomes in GCSE English; training day for Dartford primary and secondary schools on whole school literacy; speaker at West Sussex Head- teachers’ Conference. From June 2013, developing NET’s partnership with Salford University at MediaCity UK: leading training courses for teachers on whole school literacy, independent learning, Leading English and effectiveness at Post 16.

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