The Journal for Executive and Governance Leaders
The Journal for Executive and Governance Leaders
July 2020 edition
Now that we are adjusting to the new normal, this edition of Trust builds on the last by offering examples of approaches to strategic planning to mitigate the considerable challenges facing us in the new academic year. There is also a strong theme about the importance of the sector seizing…
Also featured
We have seen a plethora of articles and blogs written over the past few months, regarding all aspects of education. Many have called for fundamental and radical changes to our schooling system in England. I was struck by Russell Hobby’s blog in which he outlines five ways NOT to think…
We know we need to be attracting great people into the teaching profession, and that we want to retain and develop that talent. This was true well before most of us had heard the term ‘coronavirus’. There are longer term issues around the demand for and retention of great teachers,…
Since March, schools have risen swiftly to extraordinary challenges – including logistical, cultural and emotional challenges – to support pupils and their families in unprecedented circumstances. They have justified their depiction as a ‘fourth emergency service’. Teachers have made herculean efforts to support home learning, and for children of key…
I was both pleased and a bit embarrassed to be recognised in the last edition of Trust as someone that had shown ethical leadership during this time of crisis – as actually leadership is only effective when people work together, and I couldn’t have done this alone. A Google search…
As the lockdown eases and we continue to refine our Trust’s strategic approach in readiness for the new academic year, being agile and confident in response to whatever the Autumn brings is what is now driving us. Tudor Grange Academies Trust is a family of 10 academies within the Midlands…
Embark Federation is an Education Charitable Trust that serves 3,000 children and their families. Formed in January 2019, it now works with 9 schools, (soon to become 12) in four different areas across Derbyshire. The shared vision for the trust is to “create schools that ‘stand out’ at the heart…
We have been talking a lot recently, about the role(s) schools have been playing throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the role they could – and perhaps should – play beyond the crisis. Earlier this year, School Trusts as New Civic Structures was published by CST, outlining some of…
For the last nine years I have had the huge privilege of serving as Chair of the L.E.A.D Academy Trust and this article offers a few reflections on that experience. It’s probably appropriate to start with a little background. The Trust has its origins in an outstanding primary school located…
In January 2020 the talk around teachers’ salaries focused heavily on the government’s proposal of a pay increase for all teachers, including a suggested nearly 7% rise to starting salaries to make teaching a more attractive career. Since then, life has changed. On 20 March, UK schools closed their doors…
It would be fair to say that Covid-19 has turned education on its head. The last three months have been unprecedented and not without their profound challenges, but in the 30 years I’ve worked in education, never have I seen schools, families, businesses and the wider sector come together so…
June 2020 edition
In this edition of Trust, as you would anticipate, we continue to focus on the impact and longer-term implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on our sector. As schools begin to open more widely, in her lead article Leora Cruddas discusses ethical leadership. She highlights some of the great examples of…
Also featured
We have seen some magnificent examples of civic leadership exercised by local authorities, schools and trusts during COVID-19 – leaders acting with professional generosity and mutual reciprocity. In Cambridgeshire, the Director of Education, Jonathan Lewis has shown superb leadership by bringing civic actors including the local authority, schools and trusts…
We often stretch metaphors at our peril. When telling the story of Oak National Academy, I think it’s worth the risk. Often in education we talk about ‘building the plane whilst flying it.’ For the past half term if Oak had even some of our metaphorical plane bolted together, we’d…
COVID-19 has brought so many different challenges in so many shapes and levels of stress for everyone working in the education sector. Those who are about to become Newly Qualified Teachers represent not only a specific group for us to worry about but also a group in whom (if we…
School closure due to COVID-19 has reduced the training time for those on ITT courses by over one third. Not surprisingly, feedback is suggesting that many trainees are feeling less confident than they would have been about their new role as an NQT from September. This comes at a time…
The question of how we rebuild our economy, infrastructure and continue to work towards a fair and equitable society following the COVID-19 pandemic must be the greatest challenge faced by any post-war government. While the UK government has provided a relatively generous package of support for businesses and the self-employed…
“Allow me to encourage you to reflect on the impact you have had at this time.” So spoke our CEO to our four Headteachers, thanking them for the quality of their leadership and the support they have shown each other during the public health crisis. For those of us on…
How did we get here? Friday 20 March 2020 – This date will live long in the memory of parents, teachers and pupils across the UK. This is the date that the UK Government closed schools due to COVID-19. For millions across the country, life changed forever on that day.…
The coronavirus crisis has disrupted our lives but, as the dust settles, it presents a golden opportunity to rethink and reframe our approach to professional development and seize the opportunities of online. The last few months have seen a seismic shift in how schools teach and how pupils learn. The…
April 2020 edition
We find ourselves in unprecedented times. Our schools have risen superbly to the occasion and are doing a remarkable job in carrying on the education of the children in their care under the most challenging of circumstances. In the spirit of this we wanted to go ahead with the circulation…
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Recently I wrote an article in TES about the path from crisis to recovery in the COVID-19 response. In this article, I talked about the need to build resilience and plan for recovery, as well as focusing on the here and now. I also talked about the tenacity of the…
March 2020 will be seen as a watershed moment for education in this country. It was the moment that concerns about public exams, the new inspection framework and staff recruitment were put on hold as leaders faced the true implications of the Coronavirus and COVID-19. My role these days is…
I want to start by expressing sincere gratitude to everyone working in education at the moment, in all capacities; you are supporting our young people and your communities during a time of national crisis. I applaud your commitment and professionalism in supporting them whether this is within their home environment…
Life in a school or trust is always busy and full of challenges but a global pandemic has brought new problems for schools to wrestle with. Over the last fortnight, teachers and school leaders across the country have made a significant and historic contribution to society. In just a few…
When I was asked to write this piece, the world was a different place. The original article that I had written was about how we were working across REAch2 to deliver a truly exceptional education to every child in our care, and how trust leadership is about transforming lives. Roll…
With Covid-19 declared a global pandemic, school trusts need to be prepared for homeworking. Organisations where agile working is the norm will already have adopted systems and equipment to maintain business operations and manage the risks of working “beyond the perimeter”. For many schools and MATs, this will be a…
As part of our COVID-19 resilience and recovery planning it is important to give consideration to the other global threat we face, that of the climate emergency and to give thought to how we can take a lead in reducing carbon emissions and transform the way schools use and manage…