Thursday 22 December 2016

My Personal Twitter Awards



2016 has been my twitter awakening, my social media Arab spring, my online virtual epiphany.
My profile shows that I joined Twitter back in 2009 and kept under the radar by interacting with friends and sporadically following cycling and education news. I was far more active on the school twitter feed @hartfordhead.
The awakening came early in 2016 when the penny began to drop about the implications of the 2016 interim assessment arrangements, the content of the grammar curriculum, the challenge of applying a secure fit, and the promised 4B standard feeling more like an old money 4A. Experienced teachers were planning to retire prematurely, and overstretched year 6 practitioners workload increased dramatically as they tried to demonstrate that children were a “secure fit” across seventeen standards in writing.

I was eager to support colleagues both in my own school and the wider Cheshire West Community and realized that I had to improve my understanding of the current issues- I turned to Twitter to “tool up.”

Reflected on my year engaging with the Edu-Twittersphere I want to thank the following colleagues who have provided support and inspiration.

In no particular order

@PieCorbett I have been fortunate to work with Pie, his colleague John Stannard,  @satterthwaitecf and @literacycounts1 as part of a two-year Primary Writing Project. Pie is a champion of for children, he is an advocate for the noble profession of teaching, and he is simply the boss when it comes to the teaching of writing. Pie has been campaigning throughout the year for improvements to the grammar curriculum and the teaching and assessment of writing. I look forward to working with him in 2017.

@ssmithsmm

I first met Simon on Twitter in April 2016 when we were discussing how the arrangements for assessing writing unfairly disadvantaged children with profound spelling difficulties. Our interaction inspired me to raise the question below with the then Secretary of State, Nicky Morgan, at this years NAHT conference.

I, and many Headteacher colleagues believe the KS2 teacher assessment arrangements for writing are discriminatory. Children in KS2 are disadvantaged twice. Their spelling ability is tested as part of the Spelling Punctuation and Grammar test. Furthermore, children will be teacher assessed for spelling,  as part of the 17 standards for KS2 teacher assessment. 
I have been contacted by a parent of Y6 child. His son has diagnosed dyslexia. He told me that he knows that his child will be labeled as a failure at Y6 this year. He then added, “ it breaks my heart, yet he is a national chess champion, and in the top 10% in the country for reasoning." 
Could you please consider a review of teacher assessment arrangements before moderation starts on the 20th May? You still have time to move towards a best-fit judgment for the assessment of writing. If you make this positive move, you will demonstrate that you are listening to the profession, and secondly, you will empower teachers to make a judgment that will reflect a child’s true ability.

Nicky replied that she was not minded to make changes for 2016.  I replied by asking if she was in charge of the Department or Nick Gibb and was told that she wouldn’t reply to my “sexist” question.

Her response gave me my 15 minutes of fame. I received second billing, behind Ken Livingstone, on Saturday Night's news at 10. The story was reported in all the Sunday newspapers, and I received a report from a friend in New York saying that I had popped up on his Huffington Post news feed. The downside of my newfound fame was a reporter knocking on the doorstep of my sisters and our Assistant Headteacher house looking for information on the “man behind the question” and a poor piece of hatchet journalism in the Lifestyle section of the Telegraph.

Fortunately, my brief period of edu-fame has been followed by eight months of friendship with Simon. As a consequence, I am regularly inspired by Simon’s human leadership and my knowledge of picture books has gone from 0 to 10.

@beyondlevels @AlisonMPeacock @JulesLilly

I hadn’t heard of the growing #LearningFirst movement until May this year when Linda Neil from @TheLCUK  kindly shared two tickets with our Deputy Head @JanDiamond76 and I to attend the first Sheffield event. The day was transformational. There was a tangible feeling that we part of something special and the whole day had the atmosphere of a Springsteen Concert.

Inspired by the #LearningFirst Community, our school has stopped trying to reinvent levels and stopped trying to quantify progress. We have changed our tracking system, reviewed our feedback procedures and are trialing comparative judgment. Between Jan and I, we have attended all the #LearningFirst events and hope to engage with more and the work of the @CollOfTeaching in 2017.

@JamesJkbowen

James is the Director of NAHT Edge. I first met him not via Twitter, but in real life at the 2016 NAHT conference. James was a Primary School Headteacher and has been working with Alison Peacock, Michael Tidd and others to shape primary assessment after the chaos of 2016. James is a regular contributor to articles in @TES and alongside @russellhobby is doing a splendid job of articulating the views of a nation of school leaders.

@ChrisDysonHT

I knew Chris when we trained to be teachers in 1993, and we ended the year house sharing at my Aunty Gwyn's house on the outskirts of Stoke. Back then he was a bundle of energy, positivity, and enthusiasm and 23 years later he is a bundle of energy, positivity, and enthusiasm. I am thankful that he has introduced me to the @readingrocks and @primaryrocks community.  His work at the rapidly improving @ParklandsLeeds is going to make him an edu-superstar- watch this space!

@MichaelT1979

When Dame Alison Peacock introduced Michael at #LearningFirst Sheffield, she commented on his generous leadership qualities. His knowledge of how education policy impacts on teachers and learners is second to none. His generosity extends to his blogs, TES articles, engagement with the NAHT assessment campaign and his superb contribution to the Education Select Committee’s  inquiry into primary assessment.

@jpembroke

James is the Jedi master of school data. His clarion call for schools to stop trying to reinvent levels should be heard by all school leaders.

@thatboycanteach

His eloquent writing about positivity and well-being has shaped my practice.
http://thatboycanteach.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/wellbeing

@HartfordSean

Sean is Ofsted’s National Director of Education and a regular attendee at #LearningFirst conferences. When I experienced my first Ofsted inspection, in 1996,  the whole process was shrouded in mystery- twenty years later the Ofsted process in unrecognizable. In my view, the quality, consistency and proportionally of inspection has never been better. 

@ClareSealy

I am relatively new to Clare’s work. Her analytical writing has produced two great critiques in 2016. Clare’s analysis of the 2016 Reading test completely nailed why the design has to change in 2017, and her recent blog about the traditional methods being adopted at @MCSBrent is first class.

https://primarytimery.com

2017 Update

Reading the list above it is clear that everyone has continued to inspire and make a significant contribution to education in 2017.  One colleague, I would like to add to my list is: 

@MrEdFinch

Ed is one of the nicest people you will meet. His creativity alongside an ability to inspire and bring people of the highest caliber together. 
Ed with the help of the team at Larkrise Primary School hosted the brilliant @OxfordReadingSpree and @OxfordWritingSpree in 2017. Eight of our staff at Hartford Manor attended the reading spree and returned to school refreshed and brimming with ideas and positivity. 
Later in the year Ed in prtnership with @Daryn  devised @BrewEd. The concept of Brew Ed is to bring people from all educational backgrounds together to discuss the purpose of education in the setting of a pub or brewery. The inaugural event was held in Sheffield in November was a blast. More events are planned for 2018. 

Saturday 10 December 2016

Working at the Chalk Face

Five o'clock in the mornin'
I'm already up and gone
Lord, I'm so tired
How long can this go on?

The lyrics above are taken from Lee Dorsey's 1966 hit "Working in a Coal Mine."  I regularly and proudly inform work colleagues that I am the first male member of my family not to work in a coal mine.  For many years my dad, grandad and great grandad worked long hours for little pay; only towards the twilight of King Coal’s tenure did salaries and conditions improve to an acceptable level.  

Improving Teachers’ pay is dictated by central Government funding and School Leaders and Governors are making difficult choices as real term funding continues to decline. While budgets are declining the area where we can make a difference is the improvement of working conditions for staff in our schools.

The motivation for writing my first education blog was influenced by a sobering message I received from @thatboycan teach this morning. I wrongly assumed that most of my colleague Headteachers are serious about reducing teacher workload. I received the reply below:

"I wish I knew the exact percentage of school leaders who are serious about workload. Seems that teachers see it differently!" - Tweet from @thatboycan teach  10th December 2016

If schools are to improve, the simple truth is that school leaders have to look after their staff, and Governors have to look after their School Leaders. In the last decade, I have led two schools through rapid change and experience has taught me that schools improve if you have a stable and committed workforce all pulling in the same direction. I see other schools where retention is low, typically characterised by annual staff churn,  school improvement strategies failing to embed, and pupil outcomes with a high degree of variance.  There is also see a worrying trend of Headteachers and teachers, many years from retirement age,  suffering from burnout and leaving the profession. The pressures of the new curriculum, diminishing budgets and the debacle of the primary assessment arrangements have left many Teachers and Headteachers asking the same question as Lee Dorsey- "How long can this go on?"

Don’t Give Up!
I do believe that there is hope and the times they are a-changin.
The excellent communications from Ofsted's National Director, Sean Harford, dispels myths associated with school inspection. Dame Alison Peacock's #LearningFirst community is challenging burdensome assessment driven models for teaching and learning, and there are encouraging signs that Russell Hobby and his team at the NAHT are collaborating with the new Secretary of State and the DFE to build an assessment system that works for children and teachers. Even Sir Michael Wilshaw has  backtracked on his dismissive comments about teachers 'not knowing what stress is.'

In the paragraphs below I want to outline how at our successful school, Hartford Manor Primary, we have adopted supportive practices that are addressing the challenges of workload.

Family Comes First

Fifteen years ago when I was working as a Deputy Headteacher in a busy challenging school, a close member of my family experienced a serious health problem and was timetabled for an operation in the last week of the autumn term. I had arranged to be available for the day of the surgery and had organised my diary so that I could teach all week. Out of the blue, the Headteacher and a part-time colleague asked to speak to me. My colleague volunteered to teach my class all week, and the Headteacher agreed to cover the other class, this was an act of kindness that I remember clearly today.  There are times when the family has to come first, and it is the duty of School Leaders to encourage dedicated staff to put their needs before the schools in times of need.

What we do
·         During times of family crisis, staff can take a set amount of time off on paid leave. This practice has never been abused, and the goodwill generated benefits our children in the long term.

·        Staff can also request time off for their own children's life events: nativities, sports days, graduation, etc.

Flexible working
·        Teachers can take their PPA time working from home.

·        Teachers have requested reductions in hours to help achieve a greater work-life balance. Many of our teachers work four days a week.

After School Clubs
·        There is no expectation that staff will lead clubs throughout the year. We employ a range of coaches to enhance our extracurricular offer; this gives staff time to plan together. 

Planning and the Curriculum
·        As a two form entry teachers share the workload of planning.
·        Inspired by a  visit to the excellent @PennWoodPrimary, in Slough,  we are adopting detailed unit plans using Promethean Interactive Resources. Our aim is that all year groups plans will be recycled and refined each year.
·        The SLT do not monitor planning unless a teacher needs additional support.

Performance Targets
·        We have moved away from quantitative pupil progress and attainment targets during appraisal. Progress is judged throughout the year with regular learning walks, book scrutinies and talking to the children about their work.

Assessment, Marking and Feedback
·        Over the last four years, detailed written feedback in our school has been valued by school leaders and praised by Ofsted Inspectors. We were wrong!

In October this year, we reviewed  our expectations for feedback and marking see below:

Hartford Manor Five Principles of Effective Feedback


1.  The focus of feedback should be to further all children’s learning.

2.   Feedback delivered closest to the point of action is most effective.

3. Feedback is provided both to teachers and pupils as part of the assessment process and takes many forms including written comments, marking codes and verbal feedback.
           
4. All pupil’s work should be reviewed by teachers at the earliest appropriate opportunity so that it will impact on future learning. 

5. When work receives written feedback, it should be acknowledged by the recipient.

   
Instead of
The teacher
The student
Writing two stars  and a wish in mathematics


Uses next step feedback at least once a week. i.e., test base extension questions.
Responds in blue pen.
Writing written feedback for short burst writing and daily maths tasks.
Separates books using the codes:
 F- fix S- stretch and records  B for “Balance” where the assessed piece is recorded on an iPad.
Works in a guided group or whole class to secure the understanding.
KS1 Highlighting in green and pink at the end of the day.
The teacher T/A highlights “non-negotiable” errors in green during the lesson.
Responds by correcting a mistake.
Writing well done you have …..
Puts a double tick next to best parts of the students work.
Writes reasons for the double ticks in blue.
Writing the same explanation on every piece when the same or similar mistakes have been made.
Goes over the common misconceptions in class.
Pupil correct errors in blue.
Writing annotations and formative written feedback.
Uses annotations only.
Child writes the next step.



Workload surveys report that Primary Teachers spend on work average 60 hours each week, which is higher than the average weekly hours of the last coal face workers. School Leaders and Governors need to take action now if we are to avoid a recruitment crisis hitting our schools.