Key Voices

“I think it's a really brave thing for a school  to open itself up to scrutiny from peers, but it's also a really important thing to do if you are looking to drive your school forward”This week we talk to Dr Kate Chhatwal, Chief Executive of Challenge Partners. Kate explains the ways in which Challenge Partners’  network uses peer review to support schools to improve, provide high-quality CPD for those undertaking the review and benefit the school system as a whole. We consider the challenges schools are facing at the moment as well as the opportunities lockdown has presented to share good practice across the country, rapidly and widely.  Kate tells us more about what makes for high-quality peer review and how Challenge Partners has adapted its methodology to conduct trust level peer reviews.  We also examine a potentially enhanced role for peer review, while traditional methods of accountability such as league tables and Ofsted inspection are on hold for the foreseeable future.  Towards the end of the podcas

This week we talk to Michael Pain, Founder of Forum Strategy, about supporting trust leaders. Michael discusses the importance of bringing ideas and experiences from the worlds of health, charity and business into education, and the need for trust leaders to have peer-to-peer support, particularly as they navigate challenging situations.  Michael also shares some of the issues that the Forum Strategy’s regional networks have been tackling over the lockdown period. Finally, we look to the future, considering how the role of the CEO continues to evolve. We discuss the impact the current crisis might have on accelerating trends Michael is already seeing in his work, for example,  trusts working to build a stronger focus on connecting with their communities, and addressing sustainability issues.

Sorry, interference has slightly impaired the sound in some parts of this podcast.This week we talk to John Tomsett, Headeacher at Huntington School and Jonny Uttley, CEO, The Education Alliance about the book they co-authored ‘Putting staff first’. We discuss some practical ways that leaders can create a school culture that nurtures staff so they can better support their pupils. We also talk about the role of high quality staff development, research-informed practice, meaningful performance management and reduced workload can all play in establishing such a culture.  Finally, we consider the qualities required to lead teaching and learning as a Headteacher or CEO, and the system changes John and Jonny would like to see in the next 10 years.

This week we talk to Claire Heald, Standards Director and Executive Principal at Inspiration Trust. Claire shares how she and her team designed and implemented a comprehensive teacher and leader development programme across their 14 schools.  We also hear more about how Inspiration Trust has responded to the coronavirus pandemic, and in particular, how their CPD offer has changed to support staff with delivering remote learning. Finally, we consider the recent increased recognition for the work of the teaching profession, and the impact the pandemic may be having on recruitment and retention longer term. 

This week we talk to Debra Rutley, Executive Headteacher, and Eleanor Bernardes, Head of Development and Opportunities at Aspire Alternative Provision. We learn more about how the work of Aspire began and continues to develop in collaboration with local mainstream schools. We hear about Debra’s “leading with love” philosophy and how Aspire’s model focuses on high quality education first and foremost, with appropriate additional support rather than the other way around.  We also hear Eleanor’s reflections, as someone relatively new to alternative provision, about what working at Aspire is like. We also discuss the impact of funding challenges in education and the pressure this puts on alternative provision. In light of this, Eleanor shares the ways the Aspire Trust is exploring new opportunities to develop and extend its offering.  This interview was recorded on a visit to Aspire Alternative Provision in early March 2020.

This we talk to Sir David Carter about the challenges of being a school or trust leader through a national crisis, and how accountability systems will need to adapt in the future to reflect the ‘next normal’.We delve into his experience as a trust CEO turned senior civil servant and how school leaders can productively input into policy making. We also consider what makes a good trust leader and why recent weeks might have helped trusts demonstrate what can be achieved when groups of schools work together. The article from McKinsey that Sir David mentions can be found here

This week we talk to Neil Collins, Director of GovernorHub, the collaborative working platform for governors.  Following news this week that GovernorHub will join The Key, Neil talks us through the story of how GovernorHub came to be and shares his own experiences as a governor.   We also consider how governance is adapting during school closures and the crucial role governors must play in supporting their schools through these most challenging of circumstances.  If you want to know more about video meetings in GovernorHub, referenced in this podcast, you can find more information here.

This week we talk to Dr Adam Boddison, CEO of National Association for Special Educational Needs (nasen). We cover a range of topics including how SEND is being inspected under the new inspection framework and how schools can improve the status of SEND in their schools.  We also discuss SEND funding in more detail and Adam shares some low cost ways schools can maximise their funding and outcomes.  We also look ahead to the government’s forthcoming SEND review publication and consider what it might include as well as discussing future reforms that Adam would like to see.  The Covid-19 resources from nasen mentioned at the beginning of this podcast can be found here.

This week we speak to Sinead McBrearty, CEO of Education Support about the kinds of issues education staff are coming to them for help with at the moment. We discuss practical ways to look after your colleagues’, and your own, wellbeing as schools continue to tackle the demands of the current situation.  We go on to talk more broadly about the factors contributing to the number of education professionals experiencing either behavioural, psychological or physical symptoms due to their work (as reported in the 2019 Education Support Wellbeing Index). We also discuss what could be done at both a national policy and school level to address this significant threat to teacher retention. Education support have a 24/7 telephone helpline, where you can speak confidentially to trained counsellors UK-wide:  Call: 08000 562 561 Text: 07909 341229 Education support provides hardship grants for education staff in financial difficulties. You can learn more about how to apply here. Education Support’s video on managing anxie

This week we talk to Stephen Morales, CEO of the Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL), Stephen Mitchell, interim CEO at Oak Multi Academy Trust and Kaley Foran, Lead Content Editor at The Key. We discuss some of the unprecedented situations school business leaders have been tackling in the past few weeks. We also consider issues schools might have to navigate when pupils and staff do eventually return and what successful leadership looks like in challenging times.    ISBL’s Covid-19 resources can be found here. The Key’s Covid-19 resource hub can be found here.

This week we speak to Barry Carpenter, former headteacher, former National Director at The Department for Education and the UK’s first Professor in Mental Health in Education.  This podcast was recorded in early April 2020. We talk to Barry about the Covid- 19 pandemic and the likely impact on pupil, teacher and parent mental health as a result of school closures. We also discuss Barry’s long and varied career in education,  and the positive shift he’s seen in the increased expectations on SEND pupils. Barry speaks about his own daughter who has Down’s Syndrome and her achievements, which he could have scarcely imagined when he started teaching. Barry also explains his work on the engagement model of formative assessment for pupils performing below the standard of the national curriculum assessments, and how this has been developed into a model of summative assessment, to be adopted nationally when the legislation is passed. You can learn more about resources  Barry discusses in this week’s episode, Books Bey

We are sorry that interference has very slightly impaired the sound in some parts of this podcast.This week we talk to Vivienne Porritt, Co-Founder and Strategic Lead of #WomenEd about the gender pay gap in teaching and how it could be addressed. We also discuss how #WomenEd has grown to become a global grassroots movement entirely led by volunteers that support and empower women. At the end of this week’s podcast, we also hear from some of the delegates who attended the recent London Unconference on 7th March, on what #WomenEd means to them. You can learn more about the work of #WomenEd here and by following them on twitter @WomenEdSpecial thanks to the following for their “vox pop” contributions Lindsay Patience, Co-Founder of Flexible Teacher Talent @FlexTeachTalentKafilat Agboola, Director of Atlas (teacher development), Haberdashers’ Aske’s Federation Emma Shepherd, Founder The MaternityTeacher PaternityTeacher Project @maternityCPDDr Sarah Westcott, Assistant Head - Pupil Progress at Queen Elizabeth's S

To celebrate,  National Careers Week, we talk to Will Millard Head of Engagement and Dr Sam Baars, Director of Research at CFEY about careers education.  In particular, they discuss the findings of two recent CFEYreports Careers education: What should young people learn and when? and Effective work experience: Let’s talk about WEX.    We consider how schools can evaluate their careers education and work experience programmes. Will and Sam also share some examples of good practice and ways in which schools and companies can have more impactful interactions with each other.

This week we talk to Jack Worth, lead economist at National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) about the report he recently authored on the impact of teacher autonomy. We delve deeper into what “autonomy” means and why teachers often feel less autonomous compared with other professionals.We look at the different levels of teacher autonomy experienced by teachers at different stages of their careers and in different types of schools. We consider how teachers feeling less autonomous relates to their levels of job satisfaction, workload and their propensity to stay in the profession. We also talk about what school leaders can practically do when it comes to professional development and culture, to help staff feel more autonomous and satisfied in their roles.  

This week we talk Cathal Lynch, strategic director for leadership and school improvement at Washwood Heath Multi Academy Trust, and author of Building Belonging: A systematic approach to school improvement and emotional wellbeing. Cathal shares his fascinating experiences of establishing and leading a school for pupils with social and emotional mental health needs. He explains how working closely with educational psychologists and occupational therapists not only developed his understanding of, and practice with pupils, but also informed  his approach to school improvement.    Cathal explains more about the school improvement framework he has created, emphasising the importance of surveying all the stakeholders a school serves to inform lines of enquiry. We also discuss the need to build space and time for deep thinking and reflection as part of the school improvement process.

This week we are joined by Laura McInerney, Co-founder of Teacher Tapp, former editor of Schools Week and Guardian Education columnist, for our termly Teacher Tapp Key Voices.We delve into what recent Teacher Tapp results tell us about teachers’ deepest motivations for working in schools. Laura also shares what she has been learning from Tappers about attitudes to flexible working and how that might affect teacher supply at a system level. We also chat about how the character you played in your school nativity might have impacted your career trajectory and whether it is okay to have a non-alcoholic beer in the staff room.

This week we talk to Naureen Khalid, one of the founders of UK GovChat, Trustee of a MAT and Chair of a Local Governing Board. We discuss the skills that matter on the governing body and the need for governors to get a broader understanding of education beyond their own school, by using things like  social media, training and events.  We also look in detail at the role of governors in supporting and challenging school leaders, and the vital importance of the relationship between the chair of governors and the headteacher.

This week we spoke to Dean Johnstone, Founder and CEO of Minds Ahead. In the podcast, we consider why we are seeing a growing number of pupils experiencing mental health issues, and delve deeper into the specific challenges being faced by schools today.   Dean explains more about how Minds Ahead are pushing for system-wide change,  how schools can take an active leadership role in mental wellbeing, and where the boundaries lie between the education and health systems.

This week we talk to Stephen Morales, CEO of The Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL). We discuss the challenging and evolving role of the school business professional and the development of ISBL from its predecessor organisation The National Association of School Business Managers.    We also examine the impact of government policy over the last few years including  encouraging schools to consider Integrated Curriculum Financial Planning and the introduction of School Resource Management Advisors.  And finally, we look ahead to what the future might hold for those working as school business professionals.

This week we talk to our Lead Content Editors Kaley Foran and Adam Wainwright about the education pledges made in the Conservative manifesto, and consider what they might mean for the sector in the coming year.