We need to build networks and connections that collect, share and distribute best practice and build consistently excellent provision that releases the magic in our children and young people.
I am constantly surprised by the quality of what I see in schools in Sheffield, Nottingham, Leeds, York and Lincoln. I am also surprised how reluctant colleagues are to tell their stories and shout about the great work they are doing. We need to share our stories and prove through evidence, research and outcomes that we can create excellence, we can deliver world class outcomes and we can release the potential and magic in our children, young people and colleagues. And let's be clear about it, it’s not about good enough anymore, everything we do must be outstanding.
Chris
Outstanding by what measure? I assume you don't mean OFSTED outstanding so how are you defining outstanding?
ReplyDeleteAs someone who regularly is asked to perform a rescue act with underperforming, disaffected students in year 10/11 the results never look that good on paper. At best my class will hit the "3 levels of progress" by which we are judged (which is not above national average progress and therefore not "outstanding" apparently). What isn't acknowledged is that the grades were mostly E and F in September and they are mostly C and a scattering of D and B now (which I think is pretty outstanding).
The very notion that having a stranger turn up to my lesson and give me a rating is something about which I am supposed to care is alien to me. My lessons are rarely rated "outstanding" by observers. This is something about which I couldn't care less.
For the last few years I have been giving pupils who were headed for failure a last chance at passing exams. Some take that chance some don't.
Is that outstanding? I don't know. I guess it depends on what "outstanding" means...