Transformational Leadership in Schools: the journey from good to great

1. Transformational Leadership in Schools:the journey from good to great ‘’e-maginative learning’’ 6th July 2005 July 2004

2. The leadership challenge The moral imperative Ninestiles Federations Management and Leadership Factors affecting school improvement Covering July 2004

3. SIGMOID CURVE ! July 2004

4. Explanation and Key The solid red line shows that better-off children who start with relatively high levels of cognitive ability at the age of 2 also rank well at age 10. The dotted red line shows that poorer children who start with the same high levels of cognitive ability rank much more poorly by age 10. The solid blue line shows that better-off children who start with relatively low levels of cognitive ability at the age of 2 rank well by agel 0 -they overtake poorer children who started off with much better levels of development. The dotted blue line shows that poorer children who start with relatively low levels of cognitive ability still rank poorly by age 10. July 2004

5. Leadership that seeks to maximise motivation July 2004

6. 5 A – C 6% 5 A – G 44% 1 A – G 68% So 32% with no passes, Kings School with 33% no passes got the negative headline and was closed in 1989. Ninestiles 1988 Brushstroke 1 July 2004

7. Roughly 7 forms of entry in each year Rigid streaming with little movement Bottom 3 streams following separate curriculum and not entered for GCSEs 90% of C+ passes confined to top stream. Ninestiles 1988 Brushstroke 2 July 2004

8. Happy and good natured staff with no sense of failure – acceptance that not much is possible with pupils from area. Good and generous response to charity appeals. Middle managers role limited to stock control and allocation of teaching groups Focus on process not outcomes Ninestiles 1988 Brushstroke 3 July 2004

9. Teachers working largely on their own Little if any discussion about teaching and learning. Known as ‘tough school’ in the area and undersubscribed with appeals against placement. Banda machine overworked! Ninestiles 1988 Brushstroke 4 July 2004

10. Very poor social relationships amongst pupils. Fighting, swearing, racist name calling very common. Pupils locked out at lunchtimes with special needs pupils labelled ‘units’ and seen as fair game. 3 different colours of flaking paint, and 30+ buckets in use when it rained. Ninestiles 1988 Brushstroke 5 July 2004

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12. GCSE results: 5 A*-C - 72% now 5 A*-G - 95% 1 A*-G - 99% Ninestiles 2004 Brushstroke 1 July 2004

13. A genuine learning community with the capacity for continuous change Students are taught national curriculum levels criteria and then choose their own level to work at in each curriculum area. The highest ‘quality of teaching’ grades awarded by Ofsted during a full inspection – 85% good or better and 100% satisfactory 2004 – Brushstroke 2 July 2004

14. First school in the region approved by the TTA to run its own Graduate Teacher Programme. Cisco academy on site and Microsoft partner school Largest school wireless network in Europe with over 1200 laptops on site. ICT integrated across the curriculum. Fifteen ASTs – all home grown. 2004 Brush strokes 3 July 2004

15. Supporting the TC Trust in school improvement partnership projects. School Improvement company – ‘Ninestiles Plus’- established, providing training and consultancy to LEAs and other secondary schools Funded by a foundation to train middle managers from 3 other schools. 2004 -Brush stroke 4 July 2004

16. 3 yr government/local authority contract – first ‘Hard’ federation with Waverley School. Second 3 yr hard federation contract with The International School. Visitors on a weekly basis from around the country. Impacting on school improvement nationally 2004 -Brush stroke 4 July 2004

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27. Moving from mixed ability groups to students choosing their own National Curriculum levels in each subject Introducing attendance focus meetings Introduction of smart cards and cashless catering. Running our own catering and aiming for a restaurant rather than a canteen ambience Our third Sigmoid Curve – September 1998 to August 2004 July 2004

28. A holistic approach to the school day with morning breakfast (break) and the lunch break staggered and fully integrated into the planned teaching and learning. No school bells An open school with students having access to our Open Learning Centre between 8am and 5pm Introducing Working At Grades for yr 10 Our third Sigmoid Curve – September 1998 to August 2004 July 2004

29. Creating double classrooms to facilitate team teaching Building up our AST team –now 15 home grown teachers Daily assemblies to share the vision and reinforce school values - for students and teachers Establishing a student support centre Using brain learning to influence schemes of work Our third Sigmoid Curve – September 1998 to August 2004 July 2004

30. Annual post 16 residential conference at a university Laptops for all staff Leased laptops for students with equity a principle Developing a wireless network A school intranet that can be accessed by staff, students and parents High quality IT training for all staff Our third Sigmoid Curve – September 1998 to August 2004 July 2004

31. Becoming a Cisco Academy Introducing GNVQ IT and other vocational courses at key stage 4 Rethinking the balance/role of support staff Involving staff and governors in strategic planning and monitoring of implementation Major improvements in the physical environment Ceiling projectors in every classroom with team approach to developing and sharing resources Our third Sigmoid Curve – September 1998 to August 2004 July 2004

32. Becoming a Leading Edge school Becoming a TTA approved DRB for graduate trainees Developing Ninestiles Plus as a company providing school improvement training and consultancy Being actively involved in school improvement through our work in the Federation And now planning for our fourth …… Our third Sigmoid Curve – September 1998 to August 2004 July 2004

33. From Improvement to Transformation Fast Tracking School Improvement within a Federation Context July 2004

34. Feb 01 – Christine Quinn, Ninestiles Deputy becomes Head of Waverley (4Start) with Dexter Hutt, Head of Ninestiles having overall responsibility. John Allen is Deputy of Waverley. Sept 03 – International School (project accelerate) joins Federation. Existing Head remains and DH has overall responsibility. 09 Oct 04 – International’s existing Head resigns, CQ moves to International as Head on 10th October, and John Allen becomes Head of Waverley. Jan 05 – Ruth Robinson joins International as Associate Head working with Chris. Sept 05 – Dexter Hutt becomes Executive Head of Federation, Ruth – Head of International, and Chris – Head of Ninestiles. Leadership History of the Ninestiles Federation July 2004

35. School Improvement within a Federation Context -Waverley’s Experience July 2004

36. Serving one of the most economically disadvantaged communities in Birmingham. Very low levels of attainment, for a sustained period of time. 60% FSM. 85% EAL. 55% Pakistani origin, 15% Bengali. Very high levels of student mobility. Waverley’s Context July 2004

37. A compliant wider community who understand of importance of education although are not always clear on how to support the learning of their children. A core of committed staff. Poor behaviour. Inability to break the downward spiral. Displacing tactics. Waverley’s Context July 2004

38. HMI SFCC inspection January 2001. Serious concerns. I will be back! LEA intervened February 2001. The school joined with Ninestiles, the DfES, LEA to form the ‘4Start’ partnership. A period of rapid change followed. Follow up by same HMI Dec 2001. Very positive - ‘outlook of and for the school has been transformed’ Culminating in significantly improved exam results – 18% - 51% -62%, and a successful OFSTED. Recent History July 2004

39. School Improvement at The International School • Context • Merger of one school in special measures and one school very near to it (2002) • Split site with four buildings (now five) • 1500 students 11 –18 • GCSE results Summer 2003, 9% students gained 5A* - C passes and 36% gained 5A* - G passes July 2004

40. School Improvement at ISCCeb • Federation with Ninestiles • Officially started in September 2003 • Began in earnest on 13th October 2003. • Phase 1 – to put in place whatever was needed to force feed Year 11 (2004) results, and to improve student behaviour throughout the school • Phase 2 – to begin to put the school in the position where it would get through an impending Ofsted successfully July 2004

41. School Improvement at ISCCeb • Phase 1 – • Introduction of Behaviour for Learning • Timetable rewritten to support implementation • Immediate significant improvement in behaviour • Joint residentials to share schemes of work and develop team culture • Introduction of regular assemblies July 2004

42. School Improvement at ISCCeb • Phase 1 - Year 11 Results • Introduction of GNVQ ICT to a significant number of the year group • Introduction of Working at Grades to teachers and students (and later parents ) • Introduction of year group assemblies • August 04 – 5A* -C up to 34% , 5 A*-G up to 75%. • Phase 2 – Ofsted Dec 04 reports ‘This is a good school’ July 2004

43. Additional strategic leadership from lead school, quality Head with shared vision of school improvement Management fees paid to lead school to create capacity for teachers to team teach. Lead school frees expert teachers to support client school staff in the classroom. Key ingredients of a Federation aiming to achieve rapid improvement July 2004

44. The role of the Head HMI – ‘the single most important factor in the improvement of a school is the quality of management and leadership provided by the headteacher’ Management and Leadership July 2004

45. Management: Dealing with complexity, problem solving to bring order and consistency through structures, systems, procedures, and routines. Management and Leadership July 2004

46. Leadership: Strategic way forward, deciding on the direction, communicating this in a way that wins hearts and minds so that staff are aligned and working in the same direction. Inspiring staff to believe that they can overcome hurdles and achieve success Management and Leadership July 2004

47. The right leadership for the right situation Hero Head or Distributed Leadership? Identifying different leadership styles Your preferred (default) style Leadership in different situations Resonance and leadership Management and Leadership July 2004

48. Factors Affecting a School’s Ability to Improve • A vision for the school – giving direction. • -The 3 year planning cycle - ‘what do we want the school to be like in 3 years time?’ • The concept of “phased” development • -The ability to judge the phase that the school is in and the appropriate initiatives to take the school forward from its current position. • - How strong is the disciplinary platform? • - How strong is the communications platform? • - Revisiting and modifying as necessary July 2004

49. Factors Affecting a School’s Ability to Improve • The capacity for change • How receptive are staff? • How flexible is the organisation? • How supportive are governors? • The quality of leadership and management - at all levels: • - The leadership and management of the Headteacher and Deputies. • -The crucial role of middle managers • - The culture of the team July 2004

50. Factors Affecting a School’s Ability to Improve • The nature of the intake • - Students and parents • - Expectations 6. Funding – making use of opportunities - Identifying new sources of funding - Making the best use of available funding July 2004