DETOXIFYING SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY: The Case for Multi-Perspective Inspection

It is increasingly obvious that the current OFSTED inspection approach is toxic and not fit for purpose. My visits to schools in York, Leeds and Sheffield have shown me that we have created a monster that has a corrosive and destructive affect on schools and distorts how local authorities work and support their schools. I have argued for a long time that we need learning leadership, beautiful systems and intelligent accountability and, in this DEMOS report, James Park argues that the current model of accountability is profoundly toxic and is failing to achieve its stated goal of improving education. It sets out an alternative regime, which would allow all children to achieve their potential, while ensuring the quality of education in schools is of a high standard.

IMPROVING SCHOOLS!

"Children and young people have only one chance of a good education....

We need to work together to make sure all schools are good schools.

This booklet is designed to help schools... learn from what works." 

Sir Michael Wilshaw

GREAT SCHOOLS MATTER!

My personal vision of a GREAT SCHOOL has been shaped over the last fifteen years in York, Leeds, Sheffield, Nottingham and Lincoln by my visits to so many brilliant learning places where talented colleagues go that extra mile to release the magic. This isn't a headteacher thing but a whole school community thing where everyone has a shared vision that is deeply routed in the belief that all children and young people matter, are cared for 100% of the time and will achieve brilliant outcomes if they have the attitudes, skills and understanding. This doesn't of course mean that all children and young people will be learning the same things, in the same way, and at the same time. Schools must be centres of innovation, creativity and imagination where a commitment to equity, fairness and justice prepares children and young people for life and work in the global and conceptual society of the 21st century.

Chris

TRUST, AUTONOMY AND ACCOUNTABILITY!

Education is a passionate enterprise built on the interaction between human beings: teachers, students and parents.

SHEFFIELD AND PROJECT-BASED LEARNING!

"One of the major advantages of project work is that it makes school more like real life."

Sylvia Chard, University of Alberta

I had a great day yesterday in Sheffield and spent the day with some brilliant colleagues...

LEARNING, LEARNING, LEARNING!

We are constantly criticized in the media, by politicians, by businessmen and by parents and carers who rightly are concerned about underperformance and underachievement at all levels in the education system. However, I have spent the last seventeen years of my professional life working in some amazing places trying to ensure that every school I have worked with is a great school.

CHAMPION, CHALLENGE, NETWORK AND ENCOURAGE!

Interesting times! But don't despair because what I have learned over the last twenty years and through working with extraordinary colleagues and extraordinary schools in North Yorkshire, York, Leeds, Nottingham, Sheffield and Lincoln provides us with a framework for delivering brilliant schools and brilliant outcomes for every child and young person and every community!

HAPPY SUNDAY: "Always believe!"

GREAT SCHOOLS ARE MAGIC!!

When you walk into a “great” school as I have done so many times over the last fifteen years, you see the golden threads of excellence that weave their way through everything the school does and raises these brilliant learning places into a special category... MAGIC!

INTELLIGENT ACCOUNTABILITY!

Do we really believe that headteachers, teachers and schools will only do their job properly if they are constantly criticised, tightly directed and carefully monitored? Do we really believe that a significant and increasing minority of headteachers, teachers and schools are performing so poorly that they need to be identified, publicly shamed and removed from their roles? OR do we really believe that headteachers, teachers and schools are generally well intentioned and professional in their work, but that they need to have continuous challenge, support and guidance about what they are doing?

REMEMBER IT'S NOT THE CRITIC WHO COUNTS!

“You can program yourself to be positive. Being positive is a discipline … 
and the more adversity you face, the more positive you have to be. 
Being positive helps build confidence and self-esteem”

Rick Pitino, University of Louisville Head Basketball Coach

Whatever the critics and the sceptics say education and learning has been transformed over the last 15 years and our successes are everywhere; not just the GCSE/Level 2/Key Stage results but the attendance and exclusion figures, the latest OFSTED analysis, work on healthy schools, work on developing the arts and music, work developing PE and school sport, work on tackling racism, work on inclusion and equity and much, much more. So many colleagues in so many schools have done a simply brilliant job... and always remember when it comes to judging our successes and failures...

GUERNSEY HEADTEACHERS!

I met a great group of headteachers from schools across Guernsey and Alderney this morning and talked to them about the keys to brilliant...

PERSISTENCE, DETERMINATION AND HARD WORK MATTER!

I have argued for a long time that there is no such thing as genius and I see that the results from the Human Genome Project strongly suggest that genes explain only 5-10% of intelligence.