Middle Management to Deputy Headship

1. Middle Management to Deputy Headship Geoff Barton  Not NPQH  Essentials of getting, then surviving, the job PowerPoints available at www.geoffbarton.co.uk

2. Getting the interview … getting the job • Identifying the right job for you • Using the letter to get the interview • Using the interview to get the job

3. Getting the interview • Identifying the right job for you • What’s motivating you? • Ambition? • Boredom? • Desire to escape?

4. Getting the interview • Identifying the right job for you Pros and cons of senior management Frustration Never complete Exposed Lack of team spirit Make an impact Variety High-profile Whole-school

5. 3 Letters Quickly skim the 3 letters and comment on: • The impression you get of the candidate • How well the structure helps you • Comment on the style of the letter

6. Writing the letter: some hints • 2 sides max • Not an autobiography and beware of ‘philosophy’ • Target the selection criteria • Use formatting - bullets, bold, sub-headings, even tables • A good letter will tell you what the school is asking for through clear structure

7. The Interview • Preparation • The day itself • Questions

8. The Interview • Preparation • Look the place over - pay attention to uniform, site, general ethos, quick hits for improvement • Know the panel: it’s a governor appointment • Know the issues facing the school • What are your experiences?

9. The Interview • The day itself • How to dress • What to take with you • How to play it • Who to talk to

10. The Interview • The interview • How to sit • Who to look at • How long to answer for • Some question ideas …

11. Finally …

12. Middle Management to Deputy Headship Geoff Barton Effectively planning, monitoring and developing a quality curriculum

13. Middle Management to Deputy Headship Geoff Barton Past: what we teach Present: how we teach

14. MONITORING THE CURRICULUM & ASSESSMENT

15. Monitoring the curriculum 6: Always focus on IMPACT 10 suggestions … 2: No more documentation 1: Start with evaluation principles 8: Use student evaluations 4: Have term-by-term plan 3: Draw in the TAs 7: Make feedback public 10: We should measure what we value, not value what we can measure 9: Observation is the key to changing classroom practice 5: Every meeting is a training opportunity

16. The tyranny of assessment • Dylan Wiliam (King’s College): • UK versus Japanese teachers • Marks can have a negative impact • Demotivation of UK students

17. Research from Israel: • 33% of students given marks only – made no progress • 33% given mark and comment – no progress • 33% given comment only … • … increased their performance by 30%

18. 4 key ingredients in good assessment • Quality of questioning • Quality of feedback • Sharing criteria with learners • Using peer and self-assessment

19. Summative assessment: How have I done? Formative assessment: “How am I doing?” Learning teacher - peer - parent - buddy - mentor verbal - tick-list - general comment - written feedback

20. Teaching & learning • Starting-point: what are the essential skills and knowledge our students need? • More important: what kind of citizens do we want them to be?

21. Teaching & learning • A: Core learning • To be successful as a student and in later life, you need to: • Have high expectations of the quality of work you will produce • Be motivated • Use target setting to improve the quality of the work you produce • Be able to meet deadlines • Be able to carry out independent research • Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses to improve your learning in future • Have concentration • Develop areas of special interest and expertise

22. Teaching & learning • B: Personal Qualities To be successful as a student and in later life, you need to:  Be courteous  Be trustworthy and reliable  Show commitment  Be adaptable, coping with change  Have a broad range of interests eg sport/social life/academic/cultural aspects – books, music, films, art etc.  Make informed decisions  Plan and organise own workload  Show that you value your own and other people’s individuality

23. Teaching & learning • C: Knowledge • There are certain areas that you will need to have some knowledge of if you are going to be able to make important life decisions for yourselves. These are: • Nutrition and healthy eating • Diseases and preventative medicine • Importance of exercise • Facts about drugs • Contraception and Sexually Transmitted Diseases • Mental Health • Personal Finances • Criminal Justice System • Political Awareness • Awareness of opportunities and careers • First Aid

24. Teaching & learning • D: Citizenship • To be a successful citizen, you need to show that you: • Participate in school life eg year committees, School Council, sports teams, orchestras, debating society etc • Contribute to school life eg helping out in departments, charity committees, school council, contributing to assemblies etc • Get involved in local community eg helping the elderly, play groups, primary schools, local charities, youth clubs etc. • Are able to discuss issues in the news • Attend an organised visit • Can show some understanding of local and national politics

25. Teaching & learning • The current curriculum is failing some students • But don’t tinker: start with the big picture • Involve everyone and don’t rush it • And EVALUATE

26. Teaching & learning

27. Teaching & learning SUMMARY • Evaluation is essential • It’s the start, not the end of a process • It doesn’t have to be mechanical

28. Middle Management to Deputy Headship Geoff Barton The 1 most challenging thing about being a deputy head … PEOPLE

29. Middle Management to Deputy Headship Geoff Barton 1: A boy accuses a member of staff of hitting him in the stomach

30. Middle Management to Deputy Headship Geoff Barton 2: Week 1 - you are called to a classroom where students are throwing paper around

31. Middle Management to Deputy Headship Geoff Barton 3: Someone complains about the absence rate of a Year Head

32. Middle Management to Deputy Headship Geoff Barton 4: A member of staff is apparently not setting or marking homework

33. Middle Management to Deputy Headship Geoff Barton 5: A Head of Year gives consistently awful assemblies

34. Middle Management to Deputy Headship Geoff Barton 6: People say that they find a senior teacher aggressive and unapproachable

35. Middle Management to Deputy Headship Geoff Barton 7: A supply teacher has consistently poor discipline

36. Middle Management to Deputy Headship Geoff Barton 8: A Head of Department is consistently negative at staff meetings

37. Middle Management to Deputy Headship Geoff Barton 9: A parent is going to report you to the LEA for harrassing her daughter about uniform

38. Middle Management to Deputy Headship Geoff Barton 10: The staff hold a vote of no-confidence in your plans to restructure the school

39. The essentials • Be driven by a moral purpose • Have someone out of school to talk to • It’s about judgment more than experience • Admit to getting things wrong • It’s also about pretending to know what you’re doing

40. Middle Management to Deputy Headship Geoff Barton Good Luck! PowerPoints available at www.geoffbarton.co.uk