School leader

A secondary school shows how it achieved a perfect Ofsted report

A secondary school shares how it achieved the top grade in every category of the new Ofsted Inspection Framework. Harris City Academy in Crystal Palace, south London, scored grade 1 in every single category of the Ofsted Inspection Framework, making it the first school to achieve a perfect Ofsted report. Principal Steve Kenning runs through how the top grade was achieved. Ranging from the structures in place in school, to the exceptionally high expectations of all students and staff, he outlines the building blocks of his successful school.

A Perfect Ofsted

How academy status can affect admission procedures

Discover more about the options for admission procedures for academies, as four principles of existing primary and secondary academies share their experiences in this school management resource. The principals talk about their admission policies and how academy funding agreements require them to adhere to local authority admission arrangements. Sir Michael Wilshaw of Mossbourne Academy, explains to headteachers perhaps wishing to switch to academy status in order to become a selective school, that they should "forget about it. This is about providing a first class educational service to children across the ability range". 10 per cent of an academy's intake can be selected on the basis of aptitude in a specialist subject, but not many academies put this into practice. The other principals featured are Venessa Willms from King Solomon Academy Primary, Steve Kenning from Harris City Academy and Sally Coates from Burlington Danes Academy.

Admissions

Professional development and interview advice for teachers

Gain insights into professional and personal development as two teachers going for senior leadership positions get expert coaching and interview strategies to improve their interview performance, in this careers video for teachers. Assistant headteacher Rebecca Clark wants to become a deputy headteacher but lacks confidence in interviews, while Mike Lambert is frustrated in his role as a head of department and wants to become an assistant headteacher. Both Rebecca and Mike go through two mock interviews, and between their first and second interviews, professional development coach Simon Cooper-Hind reveals strategies to help each candidate overcome interview problems . Can they improve their performance in their second interview?

Becoming a Senior Leader

In-school variation is tackled at a secondary level

A secondary school shows how pastoral leaders, students observing lessons and co-operation between departments has dramatically improved the problem of in-school variation (ISV). Some of the biggest variations in achievement can be between departments, rather than between schools. Teachers from Gordano School in Bristol talk frankly about how they have tackled this sensitive issue. The school shows how departments now work together, the new role for pastoral leaders and the impact of students observing lessons.

Between departments, pastoral leaders, student observers

Racial barriers for Chicago's school leaders are addressed

Discover the barriers that many black and Hispanic candidates face when applying for headteacher and school-leader roles in Chicago, and see the strategies that are being implemented to help them. Although nearly 90 per cent of Chicago's public school students are of the same ethnicity, aspiring black and Hispanic school leaders still face many obstacles to career progression. Schools are now using four key strategies to overcome these barriers. They include offering subsidised leadership-training programmes targeted at under-represented groups; developing a new model of leadership; recruiting beyond traditional routes; and raising the number of college-educated black and Hispanic leaders of the future. Hear the views of Tim Knowles, of the University of Chicago Urban Education Institute, who believes students will reap the benefits of having these strong leaders in the schools of Chicago for years to come.

Black School Leadership - How Do They Do It In Chicago?

A discussion of school finance in relation to becoming an academy

Taking a look at the issue of school finance, four principals of existing primary and secondary academies discuss how academy status has affected their funding, in this school management resource. Academies are funded directly by the government, rather than being "top-sliced" by local authorities, which means larger budgets, and more freedom over how the money is spent. The principals outline what they see as benefits of being independent from their local authority. Being an academy also brings the freedom to choose which services to buy from the local authority and which ones to buy in independently. Extra funding is also used to employ more staff and provide bonuses. The four principals featured are Sir Michael Wilshaw from Mossbourne Academy, Venessa Willms from King Solomon Academy Primary, Steve Kenning from Harris City Academy and Sally Coates from Burlington Danes Academy.

Budget

Bridgid and Claire help a school save money on catering

Bridgid Nzekwu and DfES procurement expert Claire Dicks visit Filsham Valley School, a large comprehensive near Hastings to offer business manager Glyn Marsh advice on saving money. Glyn would love to find savings to fund some of the projects he has listed on the board in his office. Bridgid and Claire focus on the school's catering which is contracted out. Catering can be a profitable venture and most schools manage to break even. Filsham Valley is not only buying equipment and paying a sizeable management fee, but also underwriting some of the loss the catering company made last year. Claire and Bridgid organise a fact-finding mission for Glyn when he visits Warden Park School, in West Sussex, where the catering was taken in-house three years ago, and now generates a healthy profit. It's food for thought for Glyn who could save a substantial amount of money, allowing him to transform an unused strip of land into a school allotment.

Catering Contracts

An analysis of the Queen's speech and new education policies

Mike Baker reports on the new developments in education since the formation of the coalition government, and how these will affect teachers. Mike investigates the initial reactions to the Queen's speech and provides in-depth analysis of the immediate post-election education policy and budget announcements. He asks which bits of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat manifestos have made it into the coalition's education policy? And which parts of the last government's policy have been lost for good? Mike hears from school leaders, including John Dunford and Chris Keates, and visits a primary school that is considering taking up the new fast-track route to academy status.

Coalition Plans for Education

Four schools show promoting community cohesion in action

How four schools in east London are tackling their duty to promote community cohesion, and involving their local communities in different ways. Professor Kathryn Riley visits a mixture of primary and secondary schools in Newham, east London, to see how they are fulfilling this duty within their ethnically diverse communities. Headteachers and other experts explain how the schools can best promote community cohesion, with suggestions including regular community newsletters, monthly meetings with distinct ethnic and social groups, and parenting classes to support children's learning. Tips and advice are also provided by community religious leaders and the police.

Community Cohesion

Discussing the curriculum choices that academy status brings

Looking at what academy status means for the curriculum, four principals of established primary and secondary academies share their views in this school management resource. Being independent of local authorities, academies are free to restructure the school year and set their own curriculum, as long as it is "broad and balanced". Areas covered include "the advantages of being free to choose the curriculum that best suits the children", the "benefits of operating a longer school day" and why none of the academies featured have as yet chosen to restructure their academic year. The four principals featured are Sir Michael Wilshaw from Mossbourne Academy, Venessa Willms from King Solomon Academy Primary, Steve Kenning from Harris City Academy and Sally Coates from Burlington Danes Academy.

Professional Development for Quality Teaching

Roles

> Secondary School leader