Leadership certainly comes right at the top of any of the lists and a great example of the best leadership I have seen over the years was at John Smeaton Community College in Leeds.
John Daulby is headteacher at John Smeaton Community College which is one of the most successful schools in Leeds measured on the basis of value-added. He was invited to see Gordon Brown, then Prime Minister, as part of a group of headteachers who have transformed schools in some of the most challenging contexts. John Daulby and Marilyn Steele, headteacher and deputy headteacher, are at the heart of this fantastic success story and have shown what is possible with persistence, determination, courage and sheer hard work. I was blessed to be able to work in Leeds with people like John Daulby and Marilyn Steele and to be able to play a small part in the 'John Smeaton Story' which is one of the most incredible success stories in this wonderful city. John and Marilyn's passion, commitment and belief, and the determination and hard work of the teaching and learning team has transformed provision and outcomes for these young people and the community the school serves so well. Before I left Leeds I attended the John Smeaton Community College Awards Evening. This was an evening I will never forget because, at the end of the evening, one of their fantastically talented sixth form students sang 'I did it my way' for me. John and Marilyn believe that trust, autonomy and accountability underpin the school's success. This is the way they do things at John Smeaton Community College, they do it their way and it is simply brilliant!
Chris
What has gone wrong?
ReplyDeleteI would like to know too. Everything fell apart in 2012 with a damning inspection. My guess is it's 'political' in that Gove wanted another Academy, 'failure' guarantees it. They 'inspectors' had a brief. It's now an Academy.
ReplyDelete