Why Strategic Thinking is so much fun

Discussing strategy is a wonderful part of my job. In particular it is often discussed as part of the Masters courses and almost certainly part of doctoral study. Having been a Senior Leader in Education for many years now, I am always fascinated by the way in which some in Education are drawn to strategy and others dismiss themselves, saying they are definitely not strategic thinkers.

After working near Silverstone for years I have become a fan of F1. I’m not sure I could cope with driving at 300 mph, but I’m always intrigued as to just how important strategy is. More than once I’ve seen team strategists interviewed on the race coverage and even better more than once I’ve seen female strategists interviewed. What is involved in their work? Part of their work is to design an overall plan for their team, working with different departments and coordinating efforts. Inevitably, there will be a great deal of analysis. It is worth listening to the F1 strategists as they talk in terms of confidence levels and probabilities. There is a good article on them here. As I write a strategist is explaining the analysis of tyre usage in relation to the weather conditions. F1 fans will be familiar with the work of former Aston Martin strategist, now at Sky, Bernadette Collins who said,

‘You’re constantly re-evaluating your strategy, the same way you’ve been doing in the three months since picking the tyres.’

Why mention gender?

Forbes reported that women are often perceived as being less able to be strategic thinkers than men. There is a perceived gap in terms of thinking skills between the genders with senior leadership but this is said to have evaporated by the age of 50! This is often explained in terms of there still being an under representation of women in senior leadership posts. However, it could be one in a long line of stereotypes.

Why fun?

Strategy and its relationship with leadership has always been something I’ve found interesting. In fact, I’ve often found that what is even more interesting is people’s reactions to someone who presents themselves as a strategic leader. This is particularly evident in another interest of mine and that is watching the television series Australian (and although not quite as good yet UK) Survivor.

Game plans, social games, strategic moves and of course the inevitable blindsides are all integral features of the process, possibly even more so than the physical challenges. At the end of the series the finalists have an opportunity to present to the jury as to why they are worthy winners and their strategies are scrutinised. Often the arguments they present are a summary of the strengths and possibly weaknesses of their strategies. Past winners have put forward the strategies they think made the difference including, ‘Gain everyone’s trust’, ‘Eliminate threats’ and ‘Be Friendly’. Even at present with another series of Traitors on the air – do not fear there will be no spoilers – there is a real sense of what does good strategy look like. Quite frequently we will hear the phrase ‘they are playing such a good game’. The Independent this week shared an article, ‘How to win The Traitors, according to psychology experts’. In this the experts share their insight into winning ways.

So how would you be likely to encounter strategy in educational leadership?

Many readers will be fully aware of the role of aims, objectives, mission statements and goals in education. Schools and leadership teams will often revisit these aspects on an annual basis in order to review the goals for the organisation in order to keep up to date with modern challenges and to improve practice. As a Head of Department I would also review my goals each year and see what progress had been made. Sometimes it felt like only baby steps as new demands often piled on top of existing plans.

Being able to establish and review priorities is not always easy especially with financial restraints in place. This is why it makes total sense to me to really grapple with theories about what can improve your capacity for strategic thinking. The thinking part if key in my mind and what is interesting is that many I think confuse strategy with outcomes. Yes it will be important to establish the goals that you are working towards, but there is a lot more involved in creating an effective strategic plan. It will be about deciding the way forward, but that will also involve deciding what not to do. Those that know me will know that I am a great believer in moral purpose in leadership and there is a wonderful link here with strategic thinking. Effective strategic thinking will be the way that moral purpose will be translated into improving provision.

Just as it is with the right selection of tyres in F1, it is vital that the right choices are made, that action happens. Decisions are faced and made well because they are underpinned by good strategic thinking. Strategy can never remain at the thinking level, because implementation turns the thought into results. Emeritus Professor Lee Bolman who was the Leadership Chair at the Bloch School of Management, University of Missouri-Kansas City said that,

‘A vision without a strategy remains an illusion’

Many argue that there a whole list of skills that you can develop in order to improve this capacity – this is certainly something we look at in our studies. So where does that leave you? Do you consider yourself a strategic thinker? Ever thought about how to get better at this? What do you think is the relationship between strategy, vision, action and purpose? Perhaps this is the year to sign up and invest in your own development in this key aspect of Leadership.

Teachers and Time

There are so many saying about time we can have it on our hands, be running out of it, be in the nick of it, it can fly, it can heal and it can certainly be a-changing.  In schools it is a precious commodity, it is actually a place where time costs money.  Our lives are so regimented by time in education, we even have a different year to the rest of the world – they have a boring old calendar year and we get to have an academic year.  Within that we have that time neatly divided up into terms, that gets divided up into half terms, weeks and if that isn’t enough we then divide our week into lessons. Our time is planned for us so it is no wonder that many teachers feel that they don’t have enough time.  ‘Where will I find the time to do this?’  Ownership of time is taken away from us, it feels like everyone else gets to decide how we spend our time.  Terms become whirlwinds and we spin around from INSET day until we are waving off our pupils and collecting thank you cards.  It is something that I have thought about a lot throughout my career and now find myself speaking about with teachers during training sessions.

At one point in particular, nearly twenty years ago, when I was a very busy Head of Department teaching in London, I thought a lot about time.  School days were long, it was a busy school with lots of events and then added onto that travelling to and from school, time seemed to disappear quite easily.  I came across a book called ‘Ten Thoughts about Time’ by the Swedish physicist and philosopher Bodil Jonsson.  Probably one of things that had attracted me to the book was the connection to Alice in Wonderland.  The cover then featured the White Rabbit who, like many teachers, spends they existence running around chasing time.  The next thing that appealed to me about Jonsson’s approach was that he said we had to begin our thinking about time by not being so ‘depressed about it’.  Certainly the years since I first read his book have brought a focus on growth mindsets and now it makes even more sense to apply this to our thinking about time.  If you think you will never come to the end of your To Do list then you probably never will.  If you think you won’t have enough time to achieve work/life balance then you will probably end up being right.  Negativity about time can eat away at you and with current focus on staff well-being it is important to recognise the damage that this can do to you.  Much to my delight Jonsson quotes Dietrich Bonhoeffer (see my blog on Bonhoeffer here) on the power of optimism.  If Bonhoeffer can write this as he was imprisoned awaiting his execution it is a challenge to all of us about our ability to be positive about time.

In essence, optimism is not an evaluation of a given situation, but a life-force.  A force that enables you to hope when others have resigned and gives you strength to endure disappointments.  A force that will not let go of the future and leave it hands of the pessimists, but annexes it in the name of hope. (p156f, Jonsson, 1999)

Jonsson goes on to categorise time and gives many practical approaches to developing a better relationship with time, for example, thinking about ‘set up time’, ‘thinking time’ and how we like to sometimes work with divided time and at other points prefer undivided time.  I would warmly recommend this book still today, nearly twenty years later, as a thought provoking guide to aid reflection on how we use time.  When I first read the book it did not stay as a nice set of interesting ideas, instead I applied them to my context, taking into account the kind of person I was and how I felt about time.  For example I am definitely a morning person, my brain functions far more efficiently earlier in the day.  I’m afraid I could never be someone marking into the wee small hours because it would look like a child’s scribble across the page, so I looked at how i was using my day.  The book also made me consider the value of thinking time, especially at times when we feel we have no control over our day, for example invigilation!

The bigger impact of reading the book at that time was that I was one of the school’s timetablers and I realised that perhaps the timetable itself was something that could take account of the differences amongst teachers.  I was lucky to learn how to do timetabling from scratch from an expert (thank you Helen!) and we used software to aid our thinking and not the other way round.  This is something I am going to speak about more in depth at the @Dragonfly_Edu Independent Schools’ Conference – 9 November 2016 at @EpsomCollegeUK (https://t.co/gMFxYK9LHe – this should be an amazing day and really good value for money in terms of INSET – ask me about a discount too at @imisschalk).  Even if you have never been a timetabler yourself I think its vital for Senior Leaders or those aspiring to leadership to understand the process, as it still one of the best ways to get to grips with the workings of a school.  Not least because it is through that process you have a clear understanding of the financial cost of time in schools.

Finally something everyone appreciates in schools is when people make time for you especially when we recognise its rarity as a commodity.  Feedback is more meaningful, thanks feels more sincere, listening is more valued.  To be the recipient of someone spending time with you can make a difference to our own development and progress as teachers.  Sometimes wasting time can be just the tonic you need in our stressful world.  There is so much to consider when it comes to our own thoughts about time.  Don’t miss out on the benefits of pausing to reflect on what time means to you because you are the white rabbit running around in a state of perpetual lateness.  Or to put it another way:

Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of its brevity. Jean de La Bruyère

I hope to be able to share more thoughts about time with some of you at Epsom College and the Dragonfly conference in November!

Jonsson, B (1999), Ten Thoughts about Time, Robinson, London

What is your mission statement?

I’ve sat in different halls when the newly revised and rewritten version of the school’s mission statement has been revealed. I’ve been on both sides – part of the SLT who is sharing it or a member of staff, being shown version number 473. I’ve heard the cynical sniggers from those who cast it aside immediately as a meaningless document at best or at worst an agenda-laden manifesto of the controlling management team imposing their ideas on the true educators. I’ve read different kinds of mission statements – the extensive, leaving nothing unsaid, detailed essay and the pithy ‘can we say it in ten words’, yes as long as it’s a meaningless educational soundbite. It’s not an easy job trying to write one, but it is easy to be critical of others’ attempts. What has struck me more and more is that it’s often a question that you only have to really tackle when you start showing an interest in promotion, but it’s as important a job from the moment you begin your career until your retirement year (and beyond).

What is a mission statement anyway? Ultimately it a way of communicating your purpose to others. Why are you doing what you are doing? I don’t think anyone properly asked me that until I’d been teaching for about ten years, already well into a Head of Department role. I wanted to really think about my answer and not through it away on something too logistical. To help you come up with your mission statement I’m going to slightly adapt a suggested approach from business via Forbes magazine and ask you three questions to come up with your own statement of intent. As an extra challenge, can you sum up your answer to each question in one sentence?

• What do you do? The obvious answer is to teach, but what do you actually do so that learning takes place? Have you developed a particular style in the classroom or adopted an approach to learning that influences your planning? Have you got a USP? If you are going for a leadership role or currently in one then what do you enjoy about the responsibility of leadership?
• How do you do it? What do you bring to your role? Whenever I was responsible for schemes of work I always wanted them to be flexible enough for individual teachers to shape the material with their own personalities. Are you passionate about your subject? What motivates you? Why would it be different to work with you?
• Why do you do it? For me this is the foundation of your mission statement, in that everything else should be built upon these ideas. What are your values? Some of you will know from my tweets and blogs that I am a big fan of Michael Fullan and his focus on moral purpose. I was introduced to him at the very beginning of my study of educational leadership, but I think it is something that should be considered right at the start. What are the principles that underpin your decisions and choices? Are there deal breakers for you that might cause you to look for another post if a request appears to challenge your values? What does it mean for you to be an authentic teacher and/or leader? Would colleagues be able to say what your values were, do you communicate them to others?

It is not surprising that an understanding of mindfulness and resilience is becoming more significant in teacher development. Rather than be seen as fanciful additions these ideas, along with our core values, construct a teacher who’s well being is integral to their success. As Fullan suggests (referencing Palmer’s Courage to Teach) in chapter 2 of his very readable book, Leading in a Culture of Change,

‘…the best teachers integrate the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual aspects of teaching to create powerful learning communities’

At this challenging time, when teachers are even being politically scolded for not being positive about their profession, it is even more important to know what your mission statement is. For many of us, taking time to ask yourself these questions will prove to be the chart that will help get you through the roughest seas and cope with the highest waves. In fact, your mission statement should be the most positive statement of intent and will also be celebration of everything you have already achieved.

No more Miss Nice Gal? Is it OK to be scary?

  During August this year Sheryl Sandberg was on the cover of Time magazine with the headline, ‘Don’t hate her because she’s successful’. When I read that article online it led me to another that outlined seven traits of successful women leaders. I have a love-hate relationship with these kind of articles: Love because it is always interesting to read another take on women in leadership. Hate because more often than not these articles focus on what women in particular can bring to their work as leaders. Weirdly I don’t see as many articles on male leadership. Odd that. Two of the seven traits in this article intrigued me more than the others. Firstly, Assertiveness. The article chooses to frame this in the terms that a successful woman leader will be prepared to say no, will not be taken advantage of and will be prepared to argue her case. What struck about these was that each suggestion appeared to assume that the woman started from a disadvantaged place. 

The second trait that I thought was interesting was Aggressiveness. Again the article suggested that this was in terms of ‘constructive aggressiveness’ going on to use the word ‘feisty’. Now I’m a big fan of the word ‘feisty’ in the right context, but can’t help feeling that women in leadership is not that context. It has the smatterings of angry pup about it, that I think implies that any kind of female aggressiveness is the workplace equivalent of Scrappy Doo.  

More interesting was reading an article this week in Grazia magazine asking the question why women are afraid of being scary at work. It’s an interesting read focusing on the concept of the ‘dominance penalty’ & a Harvard study which suggests that if women are tough at work, displaying ‘leadership qualities like strength and decisiveness’ (Emma Barnett, 5 October), then they can expect to be disliked. I think this is equally true in an education setting, women in leadership are incredibly supportive of each other, but it tends to be about encouragement & overcoming obstacles, but what about taking a different tack? What about asking the question is it bad to be too tough? It’s definitely an uphill struggle if you bring together the supposed successful traits of women leaders, plus (dare I say it) a tendency of articles on women in leadership to focus on ideas such as How do we manage it all? Being brave enough to speak up and not being negative about ourselves. Isn’t it about time we acknowledge that, along with Barnett and architect Zaha Hadid on Radio4 this week, it is OK to be scary if scary means being tough enough to stand up for truth and fight for your values. Is #WomenEd ready to get scary and…even have a go at reclaiming the b word. One thing that did make me smile on the traits page was a quotation from Tina Fey – ‘Know what? B*****s get stuff done’. Too much?

How do ‘Back to School’ signs make you feel?

   

One thing you can be certain of is that, within seconds of schools breaking up, shops will be taken over by huge advertising campaigns proclaiming that we should all be thinking about going ‘Back to School’. What this means in reality is piles of neat white socks, Teflon coated indestructible trousers and pinafores, endless rows of new highlighter configurations and, of course, new ranges of pencil cases, my bet for this year – Minion inspired yellow will feature heavily. But how does it all make you feel?

Perhaps you are a parent and have managed to switch roles smoothly, thinking only now about the needs of your own offspring for the next impending year. Perhaps you wave an angry fist at the advertising hoardings berating them for stealing the joy of those early days of summer from tired teachers, ‘just let me have my five minutes of freedom!’ Perhaps you are one of those creatures who has already put the stresses of a frantic summer term behind you, a now distant memory and you already gain a heady sense of anticipation about all the wondrous possibilities of the new academic year.

Maybe the signs cause a sense of queasiness thinking about the big hurdles between now and the start of September – results days. Will you achieve your goals, will the students get where they want to go. ‘Back to School’ signs often prompt the teaching equivalent of resolutions, whilst thinking about the academic year ahead. What must I do to improve; what changes do I intend to make? This is particularly true if the prospect of another year at the chalkface causes butterflies in the stomach – good or bad ones. These are some of the ‘Back to School intentions I have had over the years.

1. I will not get behind on marking. Interesting one this, given our political leader’s instruction to not do it after 5pm (but to focus on teaching more – I mean if marking has nothing to do with your teaching, surely you know you’re in trouble!). Personally, I have found that a teacher must respond to their own body clock about this. If you are late-into-the-night person, then that can work for you. I haven’t been, hence I often had early starts & other strategies to try not to fall behind. This is an area where teachers can get their own kind of ‘teacher’s block’. Marking becomes harder to do the longer you leave it. Eventually it becomes a giant monster blocking your path, the black cloud that lingers and impossible to ignore. Along with picking the right time, making sure you don’t do the – I’ll do this first because I like this set and it’s easier- route. Personally I think that’s a big mistake, because you have to face the hard stuff sooner or later. I found that if I imposed the discipline of chronology on it, it at least began to chip at the teacher’s block before it took hold.
2. I will not have an untidy desk/pigeon hole/inbox. This is an area which often reflects the teacher’s character. I’m sure we’ve all heard people say, ‘My desk is untidy, because I’m generally an untidy person!’ There is undoubtedly truth in this, but I found it often just became my excuse. Personally I tend to ‘nest’ – I will happily build piles of paper/debris/rubbish around me, claiming I might need it shortly. I’m not a neat person, but because of that I had to keep a clean desk, because I knew if I gave that notion even a moment to take hold I would have piles of rubbish permanently covering my desk. So, every night I would temporarily clear my work-space/desk, because coming into a clean desk is far less depressing. The same went for pigeon holes – clogging up with endless bulk mailings. So I forced myself to clear it once a week, if possible on a Friday so that coming in on Monday morning was that little bit easier. Didn’t always happen, but was great when it did.
3. My lessons will be amazing. We tend to review the year and reflect on the highs and the lows, the real achievements we have made and those frustrating brick walls we have faced. The reality is that some of our lessons will be amazing, lots we hope, but it’s worth remembering it takes two, or in a teacher’s case about 30 to tango. An amazing lesson is about synchronicity. Sometimes everything clicks into place and our amazing planning, activities, resources and assessment works. Other times it doesn’t and that’s not always down to us – let’s face it, it could be something as simple as the weather being a bit blustery. Intention and planning can be amazing, and hopefully it will work, but we can still learn a lot about our classes and ourselves when it doesn’t so we should cut ourselves some slack.
4. I will keep up to date with what’s happening in education. Well if you’re reading this then you are probably already doing one of the best ways to make this happen – using Twitter. Someone once told me you should always have more followers than follow people, but I’ve never managed that. There are always so many interesting accounts to follow, from the headliners to many teachers sharing their resources and displays. Keeping up with the headlines is fairly easy to do via Twitter, but look out for the people who don’t appear on every #ff list, because there are some amazing accounts, blogs, pictures, experiences out there.  If you are a leader and want to dip your toe in the whole research stuff that is going on then I whole heartedly recommend joining BELMAS (British Educational Leadership, Management & Administration Society). The first year is FREE to join and you get two different research journals sent to you during the year (10 a year!), you get book discounts and you attend one of the warmest, friendliest conferences (organised by the wonderful @DrMeganCrawford), which overlaps with a #SLTeachmeet! Where else would I have been able to discuss #WomenEd with the amazing Vivienne Porritt (@LCLL_Director), female leadership in Cyprus, becoming a Headteacher in Chile, the perils of Social Media for leaders (@plurivocal), and Ethics in leadership with the brilliant Rob Campbell (@robcampbe11). Someone recommended it to me when I first took on a leadership post and it’s the real deal, genuine collaboration between research and schools. 
5. I will have a life outside school. This is something I’ve always been passionate about. We know people who sign up to a lot, not just the classroom stuff, but it’s so important to protect the non teaching bit of your life. I’ve admired the whole #teacher5aday trend on Twitter as teachers at all levels share their time off with others. Our emotional well being is so important for us to function well in the classroom and with colleagues. If things are not right, talk to someone. As a deputy I took the care of staff as a major part of my role and would like to think they knew they could come and talk whenever. Sometimes I think the phrase work/life balance has been hijacked to mean being a parent to your children. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think that’s essential, but I think we sometimes reduce the word ‘life’ in that phrase. It’s about our lives, whatever path we have taken, our identities and its that I believe needs looking after, because our school communities can be so overwhelming that we lose sight of that.

My list isn’t comprehensive and it most certainly isn’t true for everyone, I’m certainly not telling people what to do!  I love the good intentions of September, even if it gets hard as Autumn slips into Winter. However it’s worth noting that reaction to the next ‘Back to School’ ad you see. How do they make you feel and perhaps more importantly why. Do they make you think over your resolutions? Butterflies are always a good thing when September approaches, so if you’re a PGCEr or NQT starting out with a tummy full of them do not fear, because I think it’s a good sign. I have them still after over twenty years as a teacher. What’s on your list of good intentions for the next academic year?

If the shoe fits: reflections on women in educational leadership

 One of the lovely things about being a deputy head for me was the annual trip to the deputy head conference. Yes, it was a nightmare of organisation and I missed it more than once because of a last minute crisis, but it was so good to meet up with peers and exchange our stories. Of course there were some useful (& not so useful) talks, but it was helpful to hear how others tackled the countless challenges we faced during our jobs. What often surprised me though was how there was rarely anything put on about going for headship. So, imagine my delight when one year there was a panel of Heads – all female, no less, put together to share their wisdom with us on the process of becoming a head. Even now, a few years later I can remember what they said and can sum it up in two main ideas. How do you successfully apply for headship? Firstly, you need a good mentor who nurtures your leadership and makes contact with others on your behalf. Well, I was stuck with that one. No mentor in sight and definitely no one acting on my behalf, perhaps even the contrary. OK, onto the second tip. Their suggestion? Kismet. Luck. Right time and right place. No wonder that, as I looked around, my table full of fellow deputy heads they were all muttering under their breaths. No offence to those Heads that gave up their time, but their chatting to us was genuinely uninspiring. Feeling definitely disheartened by that experience, particularly as it was the end of the conference and the way we going to be sent out into the world, I decided that that couldn’t be it. So I nervously sought out the closest I would have to a mentor, another Headteacher involved in the conference, who had kindly suggested headship to me in the past. Perhaps she would encourage me before I set off back to my daily routine. I can honestly say I was very nervous waiting to talk to her, she had a high profile and was someone I respected in the education world. She did speak to me and I shared my difficulties and worries for my career. She made several suggestions to help me, but I’m sad to say that that was not what I remember most clearly. Now it was the end of the conference and I was all packed up and ready for the drive home. I was not dressed in full working attire clearly, but my education hero brought her advice to a close, looked me up and down, told me to sort myself out and the way I looked. As it went on I felt crushed, but I think the list involved my clothes, hair and losing weight. That was what I needed to do for headship. I thanked her, went straight to the hotel car park and cried in my car. I wonder how many aspiring men are told to do that when they say they want to go for headships. Now don’t get me wrong, I am fully aware of the need to act, think, look and speak as a professional. By this stage in my career I had already worked for ten years in the City in London, so knew that smart clothes were expected and had even got into the habit of regular manicures!  I was also aware of the need to be fit and healthy to cope with the demands of the job. Already my hours were long and I knew that if you didn’t eat properly you would run out of energy all too quickly and of course you wouldn’t fit into a Jaeger suit! I didn’t dispute what she had said, my hair did need cutting! However, what depressed me so much about that was this was how women were encouraging women to be leaders. 

What do I take from this somewhat sorry tale? Well it did make me question whether I would ever be the kind of leader they wanted. Would my face fit, even with a new haircut? If you get a chance, have a look at photographs taken at Headteachers’ conferences. Although this is very silly, it is quite interesting to imagine, if you cut your head out of a photo and stuck it in there would it match the others? It’s nice to think that the odd eccentric and maverick can get through the recruitment process, but the photos can sometimes suggest otherwise. I wasn’t sure I could adopt the headship camouflage.

Did it put me off educational leadership? Absolutely not. I love the process of leading others and I love learning more about educational theory. I have to say that the experience above and plenty of others have even made me more fascinated about the headship recruitment process hence me embarking on a doctorate to study this further. This is because I believe that to say to a room full of deputies that a mentor and luck is what you need is not enough. Even at my current stage of studying I would have a lot more to suggest if I stood in front of them today. However, I do believe that mentoring is something that is lacking in the education profession. Firstly, because too many leaders equate mentoring with teaching, when very different skills are required. Secondly, because we only have to look at the business sector to see that mentoring someone in terms of their career is a much bigger commitment than many are prepared to take on. The irony is that with some of the school associations, when you become a new head you are given a mentor but not before!

What does it tell me about women in leadership? Well I don’t think we are treated equally. There are countless articles telling women what they can bring to leadership with all of their feminine qualities, assuming of course that we are all the same. There are expectations out there for us. How we look, how we act, and what we are interested in. Perhaps somewhat controversially I am also going to suggest that it is also expected that we will be married and have children. Many leadership perks of headship that are offered are aimed at that kind of woman: ‘the family accommodation’ (if residential), ‘the reduction in fees for offspring’ (if fee paying). Someone suggested to me that I should take ‘an aspiration to do a doctorate’ out of my headship application as it would be seen as a distraction from the job, and implied that it was a shame that I couldn’t put down that I had any family. Crazy, because children actually give you more time apparently!

There have been some excellent blogs recently about the need for women to have greater faith in their abilities and apply for more jobs. This is so true and backed up by research data on women in leadership. So why don’t they? I have encountered a diminishing sense of ambition amongst women I’ve interviewed. The most obvious reasons have been relationships and having children, and not, as often suggested, a glass ceiling. One bright, enthusiastic young teacher told me that she used to be quite ambitious but after moving in with her boyfriend she now just really enjoyed getting the dinner ready. And great for her if that’s what she wants to do. Perhaps, dare I say it, you can’t have it all without some sacrifices here and there. Why do we expect that we should? Men don’t have it all. Managing your personal and working life is tricky and is highly likely to result in difficult life choices or at the very least responsibility sharing amongst couples. If you haven’t read ‘Lean In’ by Sheryl Sandberg then I would recommend you to do so at this point.

It always saddens me when I have encountered a kind of anti-feminism amongst the young women I’ve taught. Perhaps it’s because they think it means not getting married, studying Maths and Stem subjects, studying engineering and/or computing at university and having short hair. Is that because that’s all they hear? I’ve always felt that feminism meant equality. Having a fair shot at things. I’m always a bit suspicious of something that is special and exclusive and admittedly sometimes educational leadership can come across a bit like that. I was lucky that someone, incidentally a strong female leader, thought I would enjoy learning about educational leadership. She was right and there should be more women like her encouraging women like me to discover just how fascinating it is; how much there is to learn from others and to keep their ambitions high. I’m delighted that there is now a Women in Education movement on Twitter. I have to admit I’m not keen on the idea of a Ladies Room, but the more we can do to encourage all of those who aspire to leadership – male or female, to discover whether it is the right path for them, the better.

Life outside the Forest: one year into research

I wonder how many of you have been watching the series of The Island with Bear Grylls, one episode with the men’s group and the other with the women’s. As soon as it began it was hard not to compare the performance of the two groups according to gender.  Would stereotyped behaviour emerge or would our expectations be challenged?  I was certainly shocked how easily half of the women’s group, venturing out to discover a site for a good base, were lost in the wilderness. They spent days without proper food and drink looping in circles through the trees trying to find, firstly their way to the sea, and then to find their way back to camp.  Watching their struggles, Bear informed us that, without the ability to see the sky or any recognisable landmarks, us humans have the tendency to walk in circles. As teachers we can easily relate to the idea of been immersed in the forest, especially with the way our lives our governed by the academic calendar.  We take great strides into the trees in September and emerge in June or July, blinking at the brightness of the sun.  In between we trek well-worn paths and sometimes discover new ones.  We often think we are in a new place, only to realise we have been here many times before.  Our worlds become a life under the canopy.  We listen to the twittering of the birds, but even these can be deceptive.  We think we hear distant sound of those cutting down the forest only to discover that some tweets are mimicking chain saws, causing alarm about supposed new government initiatives, deceptively convincing.

About eighteen months ago I had a difficult choice to make: to make a move to another deputy role, go for some headships, or to carry on with the research I had enjoyed so much as part of my Masters, by starting a doctorate.  I had juggled the Masters work with life as a Deputy, but knew that for me this would not be possible, if I was to keep going with the research.  So I decided to step outside of the forest.  This would allow me to carry on with the research, but also continue some of my favourite aspects of work as a deputy.  I could work with teachers, as they worked through the PGCE process and write material to deliver to teachers through training encounters.  At the end of my first year of research outside the forest, what I have learnt so far about the process?

1. There is always so much to learn.  I never thought of myself as a great writer, but I didn’t think I was terrible either, but I have learnt so much about the ways I can improve my technique through the superb, critical feedback I have received from my supervisors.  They have challenged every aspect of my thinking process and we don’t get that enough in our working lives.  Teachers are usually such a supportive community that we tend to praise our peers rather than truly critique them.  It’s understandable, given morale at the moment, that the common approach is one of wanting to encourage others.
2. There’s a lot to learn about the forest whilst being outside of it. Of course I’m not suggesting that it isn’t important for teachers to share good practice with each other. As a deputy I was passionate about learning together as a community, so much good can come from it. However, I’ve been surprised by many colleagues’ quick dismissal of what can be learnt from outside of the forest that can inform and enhance our day to day practice.
3. Inspiration comes from many places.    I have learnt an awful lot from a host of different sources including the twittering birds of Twitter.  Through my research I have enjoyed the inevitable journal surfing, one journal leads to its references and then that takes you to the next article and so on.  Like many here I’m sure, my Amazon wish list runs into hundreds.  I have also learnt that sometimes we don’t get the chance to encounter some great sources of inspiration.  This can be seen when people share their reading lists, as often the same dozen or so books are there. It’s an argument for access to research, but certainly if there are staff researching in your school it’s a bonus for them to share the good stuff with colleagues.
4. Life outside the forest isn’t always easy. The regularity of the academic year can make you feel like you are living on a hamster wheel at times, but take that familiar regularity away suddenly and it can really throw you out of kilter.   Teachers often say that the intensely structured life following the timetable of an academic year makes the years fly by. I’ve learnt that’s true, but also that there’s a lot to love about regularity, enjoy the support it gives you and that you always have the freedom to change.
5. There’s a great view of the forest from here and I actually can see the wood for the trees.  It’s all about a different perspective. Sometimes having the opportunity to step outside can help to see new things about the forest. Just like the women on The Island, with no chance to see the sky or recognisable landmarks, I know there were times when I could not see where I was.  That is why I still see value in the away day INSET, because for that day you step outside of your usual routine. I’ve always felt that the chance to acknowledge the bubble we operate in and to be able reflect upon it is essential.
6. Some people don’t value my time in the forest.  This really shocked me. I’ve been teaching for over twenty years, but for some my move to senior leadership was enough to push me to cushy forest fringes where I sat in the comfortable visitor’s centre (drinking tea all day apparently).  That was bad enough, but now I’ve basically been asked to leave the forest, because I have no idea of what it’s like to live there. I can, of course relate to there being different experiences of the forest. It’s very different being a lumberjack to say being a botanist. However, I do know what its like. I have learnt a lot from twenty plus years in the woods and I continue to learn from others who share their forest experiences. I have been trained as a teacher, have worked hard as a teacher and I continue to be proud to see myself as a teacher as I continue to teach. Why are some so quick to dismiss that?
7. There are always new things appearing in the forest. This is one of the most exciting aspects of this life and yet at the same time this can also be a source of frustration. This is why it is important to always remember…
8. There are many things that do not change. I can recall recently encountering the phrase ‘graphic organisers’ and being excited to discover this new development. I then realised it was essentially structured, i.e. with boxes or trees, etc., handouts. People were raving about their value and it made me laugh given that these have been part of my experience for well over twenty years.
9. The more questions you ask, the more interesting it gets.   For a number of years I have been fascinated by leadership theory and the impact it has on practical matters.  I am amazed and saddened by those that teach for a living, but are so quick to dismiss any theoretical study of educational leadership.  How does that inspire a love of learning?  The more I study issues of leadership, headship, identity and gender the more I realise these questions definitely still need to be asked.  Another reason why I am a passionate believer in the professional development of teachers.
10. The forest looks amazing from here. Perhaps it’s because I am not trekking through, looping in circles. In the thick of it, with no break it’s easy to see the forest as some kind of prison, trapping us and sapping our energy. From here, it looks diverse, broad, huge, full of life and energy. New shoots are springing up all over the place ready to be nurtured. I’m hoping those inside don’t build too many fences because being able to go in and out of the forest I think does everyone some good.

Will I return to the forest? I’m not sure. I actually get to spend more time in classrooms now than I did as a deputy, but who knows where this new path goes, for me it’s undiscovered countryside out here.  This weekend I saw three women from The Island on television talking about their experiences of reintegrating back into society, with all its comforts and excesses.  Despite this and despite their lack of food, water, energy as seen on The Island, they were asked which would be their preferred choice – here or there.  For all three it was easy, they wanted to go back there. It’s amazing what perspective can do for us all.

20 things you should do if you are applying for a leadership job in education

I’ve interviewed a lot of people, hundreds and like many deputies I’ve read through hundreds and hundreds of application forms. By all accounts I’m quite a tough interviewer, but I like to think I’m fair. I’ve also been interviewed a lot over the years. Some have been great interviews, some make me shudder at the memory of them, some awful. I’ve also learnt a great deal from interviewing alongside some impressive leaders. There are always lessons to be learnt from the experience, whether you’re the interviewer or interviewee.

I’m currently researching the recruitment process and learning a lot about what happens to our identity when we go through these experiences. As an interviewer I’ve been amazed at some easy mistakes that some people have made that have hindered their application. Perhaps people think they don’t matter, but they usually do. So as it’s that fun time of year when minds turn to TES jobs pages, so I thought I would gather some of my thoughts together with leadership jobs particularly in mind.

1. As soon as it start going for leadership jobs it stops being about the best teacher and it becomes about being what the school is looking for. You’ve got to fit in with their set up and because of that…
2. Do your research about the school, it always amazed me how few candidates could talk knowledgeably about the school, or found some way to connect to the school.
3. Do what they ask you to do, if they ask you to fill in their form, do it, if they ask for a letter, write it, if they ask for a CV include it, but DON’T your own thing, it won’t impress despite what you think.
4. Take time over an application. If you can’t be bothered to fill in an application form well what will the rest of your paperwork be like once you’re in the post?
5. Get your timeline right and don’t leave gaps, if you leave gaps they will ask about the gaps
6. If you need to write a letter or an accompanying piece really take time over this. It’s so important to get it right and without sounding too Goldilocks about it, it needs to be just the right length, no more than two sides.
7. If you’ve got to put a CV together, really think about layout, font, don’t stick with the same format you’ve used since school. Think about how it’s going to look in a stack of paperwork, but don’t go for gimmicks either. The chances are you’ll just come across as a bit weird. If you’re not sure you’ve got it right, ask someone you trust. A leadership CV can look very different to your first CV.
8. Be prepared to answer the obvious questions, but don’t just give stock answers, for example, if you’re going for a head of department, don’t just say you want to raise the profile of the department, say what that means, how you’re going to do it and in what timescale.
9. Be prepared to answer really tough questions. If you’re going for a headship or a deputy position they aren’t going to go easy on you. Start building up a list of tough questions you or your colleagues have been asked.
10. With the questions, it’s important to get the balance right of talking about your achievements and then also talking about what you would do in their school. The more you can connect the two the better, people often talk a lot about their own experiences and drift away from the question.
11. Don’t be critical either of current colleagues, colleagues you’ve worked with in the past or of anything you’ve encountered at the school. Even if you bumped into a late pupil who let a door slam in your face don’t pick that moment to bring it up.
12. However, despite the last point remember that a massive part of leadership is change management and so think about examples you’ve can talk about of you implementing change and if you can’t think of an example…
13. Make sure you are already looking out for leadership opportunities or whole-school opportunities in your current role. Internal roles not coming up is an excuse, you don’t just have to take on paid roles. I’ve interviewed a lot of people who say the reason why they haven’t had that experience is their current school’s fault. Look for any opportunities, such as leading working groups, that will take you into different parts of the educational world. If it is really impossible to find something in your school, look outside to examiner work, or subject associations.
14. Really think about the extras – the in-tray exercise, the lesson, the problem solving, the presentation – do not just prepare these, or for these last minute, because you can tell when someone does that. Practice bits that you feel are your weakest aspects.
15. With regard to presentations, use a format that will enhance your presentation. There is nothing wrong with PowerPoint, it’s just that the reality is that most people use the programme really badly with no thought to design, content or delivery.
16. Remember to look and listen as much as you talk. Firstly because you can pick up a lot from staff and students about the school’s priorities and secondly if you don’t then you’ll probably not be answering questions precisely. Listening allows you to make connections. Looking around gives you opportunities to reference what you have seen in answers. At one interview I was asked if I was Head what would I spend £250k on (after being on a tour).
17. Remember that anything you say to anyone during the day is likely to be fed back to your interviewers, so watch for odd jokes in reception, the ordeal-by-meal, or during the tour led by the sixth former. They might laugh at the time, but it’s going to be reported back.
18. Don’t worry about being nervous. Most decent interviewers account for nerves with applicants, just don’t let them overwhelm you. If you feel that happening ask to use the bathroom and just take a few deep breaths, think of the last time you laughed a lot and then head back out.
19. Do make an effort over how you look, it definitely is worth it, but have your own style, because you need to be as comfortable as is possible.
20. This might sound remarkably cheesy, but you really do need to be yourself. If there is any sense of pretension in your approach you are ultimately doing yourself no favours. Remember you are applying to be a leader there day in, day out and so if there is any pretence in your manner it will be impossible for you to maintain. It’s not about being the best person for a job, it’s about being the right person for this particular job. If it’s not a good fit no one will be happy.

 

Next Nurture 2014/2015

One of the great things about writing a response to the nurture theme that bobs around at this time, is that it makes you look back at where you were this time last year. I gain a lot from reading other’s responses, sometimes I feel quite envious of all that they seem to have achieved, sometimes I feel quite excluded from the world they present, but am not sure why I do, or if it matters that much. Often I feel inspired to get on with achieving my goals, although I think I’m lot more flexible as to what those goals might be these days, perhaps that’s a sign of getting older. When I look back at what I wrote then, I see, through my words, someone living with uncertainty, not sure what lay ahead. So it’s been a leap of faith, but I’m not sure I’ve landed yet, but that’s OK, I can live with that.

 

So how did I do?
Ok, so last year’s goals, how did I get on and what lies ahead?

Continue to read and write, but more so. Continue to work with teachers, trainee teachers and mentors, but more so.

Yes I am and yes more so than I was last year. It was a joy and it continues to be so.

I work really hard to prepare quality materials for the teachers I work with and I want to keep doing that. I love that I am getting to visit so many schools, watch so many lessons, talk with so many teachers. I want to continue to push expectations with training, professionalism in education is not just what happens in the classroom. I’m more convinced than ever that it’s worth investing in teachers.

Research leadership in education.

I was accepted to start my doctorate in April and have been busy with it since. It’s even better than I thought it would be.

The more I read, the more I’m sure of the value of research in education and that it’s too important to try to cut corners or take short cuts with it. I want to be better at it and somehow start to share some of my ideas at a conference? Yikes.

Try to paint more.

Ahem, well I have drawn more, but the paints are still in their box.

Definitely need to do more of this. Paints, sketching, iPad, who knows. I’ve been inspired to do more not least from watch Sky Art’s Portrait Artist of the Year.

Stay true to my guiding values and vision.

Have definitely tried to do that

Believe it in this more than ever. It doesn’t mean an easy ride, but I think you have to be true to yourself

Be happy.

More than I thought I would be

Be smart enough to enjoy the highs of the year ahead
Be strong enough to endure the difficulties
Be thoughtful enough to share my time with others
Be wise enough to savour every moment
Be happy

Time to REboot RE? #REConsult – Musings in response to Daniel’s Friday questions

Twitter has been buzzing ever since the consultation documents came out on the proposals for GCSE and A Level RE. Daniel Hugill (@DanielHugill) posted some excellent questions which reflected some of the Twitter debate. I decided to write My thoughts on these questions – I have been thinking some similar thoughts myself!

1. Seems to be some reluctance to teach about religion and belief. Are we embarrassed by it?

Embarrassment of belief? I think there is some truth in this. It’s not new of course, but I think with the increased focus on P&E there have been ways that RE has been able to be justified as being relevant. I find this odd because religion is everywhere! I was often asked about changing the name of the subject over the years but I always said that the majority of the world’s population are religious, how can it be irrelevant? With world events being as they are there are numerous ways to make connections, same goes for popular culture. There is even something of a backlash going on against comedians who get cheap laughs ridiculing religion. But this does lead to the next question…

2. Some students we teach are not religious. This means they aren’t interested in studying religions and beliefs. Is this true?

The religious beliefs of the students is not of immediate relevance. Think of parallels, do you have to be a Nazi to study the Second World War in History, or an animal to study Biology, or to travel to study Geography? Ridiculous obviously. However, even when we look to Art there has been a big push to include students who don’t see themselves as artistic. I would suggest you just need to be interested in two things – ideas and people. Some of the best RE students are the most passionate atheists.

3. That a focused study of religion involves lower level skills that belong in KS3 and not at GCSE or A-level. Is that right?

Agreed this seems to be a thought. It seems to be quite disrespectful of Theology. Perhaps it depends upon the kind of degree the teacher has and their own experiences of the subject? I’ve taught about 6 or 7 different A Level papers including a textual study of John and Patristic Theology! They are demanding, but it’s not impossible to make them attractive to students. Do English teachers have to justify studying texts at A Level?

4. That the popularity of courses will fall if we approach religion using a wider range of approaches. Do you agree?

The popularity of subjects is all down to how you market them and how you teach them – make both interesting and exciting then it works. If you build it they will come.

5. That a focused study of religion and belief cannot be made interesting and engaging by skilled RE teachers. Do you agree?

Doesn’t say much for teachers if they feel they can’t do this, unless they don’t believe it themselves? Don’t get me wrong, I love teaching Philosophy, I specialised in it at university, but I loved so much about my Theology degree and am thrilled when students have gone on to study Theology themselves. If some of these changes happen I can tell you I will be right there happily leading training days on the richness of RE that covers not one university degree but at least two entirely distinct disciplines. It might involve some hard work, but I think this subject is worth that. Why should RE be easy?

My view on REconsult – Celebrate the opportunity to give RE a REboot