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Mr Tony Bloxham Specialist Schools TrustUnited Kingdom
Right from the outset I want to communicate that leaders and leadership really matter. Studies have established a strong link between the quality of leadership and student achievement; leadership does make a difference. Although there is enough evidence to recognise the importance of effective leadership, we seem to be going around in circles, tying ourselves in knots trying to define it.
The need to nurture, support, retain and inspire education leaders has led to an explosion of theories, models, research, practices and opportunities. These occur on the local, national and international stages. Trait, behavioural and situational theories abound. Leadership can be transactional, transformational, instructional, distributive and now collective. I am sure there are even more variants. Leadership has been quantified in terms of standards, competencies and attributes.
My view is that all these theories have served to cloud the issue. Leadership, in its simplest form, involves consulting, listening, telling and leaving alone. Successful leaders are leaders who apply these methods judiciously and appropriately. Leadership is not about one style but how you blend, mix and apply.
' Leadership is like beauty - it ' s hard to define, but you know it when you see it. ' (Warren Bennis)
Critically, successful leaders also have a core belief system, a set of values that guides them in their day-to-day work. Successful leaders are clear about the goals for their schools and empower others to realise these goals, celebrating achievements along the way. It is these intangible and instinctive qualities that theories and definitions cannot do justice to. Essentially therefore, leadership is a function of influence, not status.
The challenges that leaders face today are enormous. They are varied and diverse but equally they are exciting and can be seen as opportunities. This paper seeks to set out the landscape in which leaders operate, identifies some of the contradictions we find in our schools today, as well as a context for discussion in determining our preferred future. The role of school leaders and the development of leadership capacity within schools will be key to this preferred future.
This paper is founded on the following beliefs:
Peter Ellyard defines a probable future as ' what the future will be, if we do not change direction or make a new choice about it ' . So, are we satisfied with what we have now, and with what we are doing? It seems to me there are too many dichotomies, paradoxes and contradictions in our schools today. This paper seeks to emphasise the critical role of leaders in overcoming these contradictions, and ensuring that the quality of student learning experiences, and the preparedness of students for adult life in the 21st century, can, and will, get better. A preferred future, rather than a probable one
The current method of measuring school success and the subsequent ranking of schools against each other, have had a significant effect on equity. These measures of accountability stem back to an age of prescription, around fifteen years ago. This age de-skilled teachers and leaders, in that the content of what was to be taught in schools was prescribed. This prescription took no account of resources, such as subject specific shortages of teachers, and the ability of schools to deliver the content that was prescribed. Furthermore, a prescribed framework of assessment added another control measure on what was being taught. Over time, this has become more pronounced: further deskilling teachers, whose function is to deliver the same content, on a lesson by lesson basis, programme by programme, year on year.
It is claimed that, through this prescriptive framework, national standards are going up for the majority. This is true according to the statistics, but how confident are we that we ' re measuring the right things and that the assessment methods are equitable. More searching questions might be: for whom, for how long, and standards in what?
The evidence also suggests that the gap in attainment between our most able and our least able pupils is widening. There is a real issue of equity here. Schools need to individualise learning for all pupils by allocating resources equally and fairly. Yet, at the same time, they often place their resources where they will have most school-assessment-related impact. This serves the metrics of accountability but frequently is not equitable. In order for this balance to be redressed, two things must occur. First, we must decide to measure what we value and not value what we can measure. Second, we must develop the assessment frameworks to support what we have decided to assess and report on. For instance, if we value the capacity to live together, should we measure it and, if so, how? This will ask questions -very significant question s - about pedagogy and content. Herein lies the challenge for school leaders.
The age of prescription also meant that headteachers became school managers, who administered the curriculum with limited flexibility to be creative and innovative. The pressure to ' deliver ' the content has inevitably led to more didactic styles of teaching and highly structured learning. Teachers and learners have been placed in a strait-jacket, denying them both creativity and flexibility, with learning being placed in boxes called ' subjects ' .
Our schools themselves have become ' factories ' that are organised hierarchically, from top to bottom, hardly modelling the notion of a democracy. The very word organisation ' is the antithesis of learning, which is often very random. Classes of pupils arrive at a lesson and expect to be talked at; their function is to absorb the new information they are given and then repeat it, at a given time, when a test takes place. Students have little choice about how they organise their learning, as the emphasis is on teaching and there is little meaningful voice in their schools. After a few years of a content-laden curriculum and highly structured schooling, it has been recognised that, far from producing self-directed active citizens who have independent, creative and free-thinking minds, in fact the reverse is happening.
The response of the UK Government has been to add another layer of content called ' Citizenship ' , and to add more ' rigour ' . This new layer was then made a statutory requirement and Ofsted were asked to report and inspect on it. Far from dealing with the issue of our schools needing to model the democratic society in which they sit, the government added more content at a superficial level, hoping that, through it, students will develop a set of values and beliefs that underpin their notion of social and moral responsibility. Furthermore, that through the subject of ' Citizenship ' they will develop the ' social capital ' to engage and contribute to their communities, both locally and nationally.
It seems obvious that our schools must place the values and core beliefs of a democracy at their heart - and then model those values and beliefs. Through the development of a shared understanding by all stakeholders, there is the opportunity to re organise schools so that they become a reflection of the democracy that we live in. In this way, we can truly prepare pupils to play an active part in their future and the future of others. Here in lies the challenge for school leaders.
Information and Communication Technology, and its power and immediacy, has made the benchmarking of schools locally and nationally possible. Placing schools in league tables and ranking them in this simplistic way has only served to isolate schools by placing them in a more competitive environment.
Education is now in a ' market place ' and audiences often with a ' limited mathematical understanding ' make significant judgements about a school ' s effectiveness, based on the tables in front of them. We have further isolated schools by labelling them as ' failing ' , as having ' serious weaknesses ' or ' facing challenging circumstances ' . How do you explain that an inner city school with a social economic and multi cultural context may have better teaching and learning within it than the local grammar school, which is always better placed on the league table?
Intake and numbers have become extremely significant for schools because their budgets, being based on a formula, depend on pupil numbers. Schools have become more aggressive in their marketing and less willing to work collaboratively, and to share. What ' place ' you finish on the league table, in comparison to other local schools, matters under the current accountability system. As a consequence, the development of knowledge and practice has largely occurred in ' silos ' rather than with schools and teachers working collaboratively to ensure the lateral sharing, and development, of knowledge.
This accountability context must be challenged and refined so that professionals can share and develop knowledge through networks, and solve problems collaboratively to ensure a preferred future for all. Here in lies the challenge for school leaders.
Where have languages and the arts gone? How much time is there for Humanities? Through a range of pressures, our curriculum has become very uniform and less diverse. Prescribed content, measures of accountability, staffing shortages, finances and school design/organisation have all played their part in limiting actual choice for the individual student. This has been recognised recently and attempts have been made to diversify the curriculum on offer from age 14 to 19.
Although many of the recommendations have a sound rationale, change is slow, resources are limited and there is still scepticism about the value of vocational qualifications. Furthermore, sixth form colleges and higher education establishments now find that they can offer opportunities for 14-year-olds. Again, there are a number of barriers to change - such as the willingness of staff in these institutions to teach this age group, expertise in managing new curriculum content and younger students, transport from schools to these colleges, and more. There are examples of schools developing federations and working in a consortium, but these are few and far between. In most cases, schools work with the resources they have, which inevitably means a traditional offering that is not sufficiently diverse. To truly personalise learning and to differentiate and diversify curriculum offerings, the school leader of the future must take up the challenge to span the boundaries - to break way from traditional constraints, recognise the possibilities through 24/7 learning and the power of the new technologies and bring greater choice and flexibility to learners. Here in lies the challenge for school leaders.
Ninety per cent of what we know about brain science and learning has occurred over the last ten years. Yet the way in which schools are designed, and continue to be designed and function, hardly reflects this. If, as most agree, learning by its very nature is haphazard, random, and can occur in a very disorganised way - our schools must reflect this in the way they provide learning opportunities for students. This adaptability and flexibility is the very opposite of the highly structured and organised environments that students find themselves today.
So, what are the contradictions here that must be unpicked:
The challenge for school leaders and education is to confront what already exists and provide new alternative ways of working. These solutions cannot stand by themselves but must be part of an integrated plan that brings together the learning experience. Here in lies the challenge for school leaders.
Ellyard defines this as considering the future possibilities, and establishing a preferred vision of the future. He maintains that a preferred future vision is not the product of the insight of a leader but is shared and continually reconstructed and renewed through a commitment to dialogue, discussion and exchange. This preferred vision, in turn, leads to hope, inspiration and commitment. A preferred future vision recognises that people have both aspirations and commitment; the important issue being whether or not we regard these ideas as blue-sky reveries to be ignored in the interests of pragmatism and reality.
Well - a preferred future. Future thinking is not about prediction but actively striving towards a collectively articulated vision. This section therefore suggests the context for our discussions and our future work as school leaders in establishing a preferred future.
The remodelling agenda was presented to schools in the United Kingdom in 2003. Underpinning this agenda was the need to re-think and re-model the learning opportunities in schools. The reform requires schools to think through the role of teaching staff in schools, and to focus it. It also provides schools with the licence to be innovative, in recognising all the elements that affect, and contribute towards, student learning. Workforce reform is a critical constituent in the preferred future of a school. The diversification of traditional staff rooms to include a broader group - that of educators - is just one piece of the preferred future that will need to mesh with other elements of that vision.
Personalising learning is currently being described as ' high quality teaching based on a sound knowledge of each child ' s needs ' . It therefore is about providing for an individual ' s learning needs.
We are now in a period of ' informed professional judgement ' - this indicates that pedagogy is now back on the agenda. This provides an opportunity for leaders and educators to seize the initiative. We need to move this whole arena back to where it belongs - not in the hands of politicians where it can be influenced by political thinking - but with educators. Leaders must shift the focus from teaching to learning and we must recognise that 90% of what we know about brain science has occurred in the last ten years. This new knowledge must be embraced so that students understand their own learning styles, develop their higher order thinking skills and become more independent learners. Not learners who are stifled by content and who become conditioned to expect their learning to be directed but learners who are self-empowered and who demonstrate flair, imagination, creativity.
Inclusion lies at the heart of current children ' s policy and practice. Effective inclusion involves providing a positive culture, as well as opportunities and experiences, so that all children enjoy health and well-being, learn effectively and participate fully in society. Principles for developing an inclusive curriculum include setting suitable challenges, responding to diverse needs and overcoming potential barriers to learning. Inclusion of all pupils requires new forms of cross-phase and cross-sector collaboration.
Developments in Information and Communications Technology, as well as changes in what constitutes an ' educated workforce ' for the 21st century, place specific demands on schools, in terms of the way in which learning is organised. The impact of 24/7 learning and distance learning models needs to be thought through carefully. Blended learning experiences need to be designed for students who wish to make the most of the new learning opportunities, while still recognising the importance of the school at the centre of the community and the need to build social capital; through face-to-face work and relationships. The new technologies, therefore, will have a significant impact on the culture of the school
Research tells us that pupils respond best when provided with an environment that is attractive, stimulating and fit for purpose. The challenge for leaders and planners is to be clear about school design for the future: to bring together learning, pedagogy, workforce reform and the new technologies into a coherent plan that is serviced by the physical environment. New buildings will need to be ' future proof ' - they will need to be flexible to meet the changing needs and expectations regarding purpose, curricula, teaching methods and styles of organisation. In addition, these new buildings or schools will need to be practical, but also uplifting, embracing the needs and technologies of the future.
Education must look further, and certainly beyond a government-directed ' citizenship ' course. Our institutions need to become more democratic in order to motivate, challenge and provide opportunity, so that students become engaged, not disengaged, and active, rather than lethargic. Our schools need to model democratic ways, so that young people learn to make up their own mind, rather than being governed by external influences. They should also recognise that we live in a global community and hold a responsibility to educate for global citizenship. Additionally, we also live in a local community, a reality that has a balancing effect. We hold a responsibility to educate our children to both value, and contribute to, the local community. Schools, therefore, must engage in the wider processes of social change. Schools are increasingly taking on new roles and functions (and abandoning old ones) in order to develop a richness of social capital, within young people, that moves education beyond the delivery of high standards and measurable outputs.
Leaders and leadership are critical in moving towards a preferred future, and subsequently beyond that. Good leadership generates a climate of commitment. It is this commitment and the self-empowerment of individuals, groups and teams that will be the driving force towards achieving the preferred future. However, just as important is that, through the process of developing a shared vision, innovation and change - leadership capacity within the organisation is being developed.
This capacity, at its most effective, is not the preserve of one person but of teams of people. Leadership is changing, and being part of that process of change can be both challenging and empowering. School leaders are refocusing their work and placing more emphasis on learning. There is an emphasis on learning teachers, lead learners and a recognition that research and development is an essential part of developing learning within an organisation. Organisations are reframing themselves to become learning organisations.
This paper has sought to set out the key issues for school leaders and the challenges they face in determining a preferred future. It recognises Steven Covey ' s maxim: ' If you keep doing what you have always done, you will keep getting what you have always got ' . Education must regain control of the agenda - it must not be a political football. As a profession we must develop a common language with regard to learning, and a shared understanding so that we can be coherent to our stakeholders and masters. We must agree on what a school of the future will look like and how learning will be shaped within it. We must plan backward to achieve this goal. In order to achieve our vision, we must focus on learning, break up the traditional view of the school day, use data more purposefully and embark on a new era of collaboration, sharing data, resources and expertise. We must challenge the contradictions that exist within our schools so that we can provide a more relevant experience for our students.
There is no doubt that school leaders are critical to building a preferred future, for developing a shared vision for their schools and communities.
' Leadership without vision is a nightmare; vision without leadership is a dream. ' (Chinese Proverb)
How we achieve our vision is also about recognising that leaders must develop leadership capacity within their own organisations. This can be done through the creation of self-managing teams. It will be these self-empowered teams that will develop leadership capacity in our schools and move us to a preferred future. Furthermore, in developing this leadership capacity, we will be actively developing our school leaders of the future. It will be these leaders who will take us to our preferred future.
Mr Tony Bloxham is Head of Leadership Development, at the Specialist Schools Trust, in England, in the United Kingdom.
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