HEADTEACHER’S PA OF THE YEAR SecEd


continues its profiles of the winners in the


Headteacher’s PA of the Year Awards. Dorothy Lepkowska spoke to two of the Highly Commended PAs – Kylie Burgess and Nicola Chalkley


A


N EARLYcareer in public relations set Kylie Burgess up perfectly to be a headteacher’s PA. An ability to think on her feet, to react to situations with the appropriate sense of urgency and occasionally having to put in the hours, all stood


her in good stead for working in a school. “Kylie is an outstanding PA,” explained David


Boyle, principal of Dunraven School in Lambeth, south London. “Her contribution to the school is so complete and significant it is hard to remember that she’s only been in the role for five years. “She took over from a woman who had been in


post for 27 years who was a very hard act to follow. However, Kylie approached the task, as she does all tasks, with good humour, honesty, hard work and serenity, winning over staff, students and families as a result.” Ms Burgess, who comes from Australia, was one of


Union address: ATL NQTs: £110 a month worse off


A teacher recruitment crisis looms unless


the government sorts out a muddle of its own making, says Dr Mary Bousted


THE GOVERNMENT is sleepwalking into a teacher recruitment crisis. Latest figures from the Training and Development Agency for Schools show a 13 per cent decline in the numbers applying to train as secondary school teachers. There can be no doubt that a major reason for the


decline in applications is the government’s decision to scrap bursaries for PGCE students in a range of humanities and arts subjects. Those finishing their degrees with large student debts are finding that they cannot afford to remain in higher education for the year that it takes to get a PGCE. And if things are bad now, they are going to get


worse. The tripling of tuition fees and the uncertainty of any graduate premium in terms of job security and standards of living is going to play heavily upon the minds of potential future applicants to the profession. Let us consider the financial burdens which a


NQT will be shouldering when they start work in three years’ time. New entrants to the profession, who now earn £21,588 a year, would face the following annual deductions from their salary. They would pay £2,273.48 in tax; £1,522.16 in National Insurance; £52.92 for their student loan and, if the government has its way, £2,115.62 for their teachers’ pension (a 50 per cent rise from current pension contributions). They would have left, as net pay, £15,623.82 –


which translates into take-home pay of £1,301.99 a month. This is £110.66 less each month than NQTs earn at present. And this deduction in pay goes


alongside increases in inflation and VAT which are eating away at the real value of what teachers earn. When you add to this the news that a teacher


starting work in 2014 would be facing a retirement age of 68 you begin to see how unattractive teaching as a career will become. It is, perhaps, these unpalatable prospects which


are behind the secretary of state for education’s latest pronouncement that overseas teachers should be allowed to work in England without any assessment of their practice against the qualifying teaching standards. Let me be clear about this. We all want to have


the best teachers working in schools in the UK. It is good to have a diverse range of teachers from different backgrounds, cultures and experiences, and all schools, not just those in the culturally diverse inner cities, benefit from this mix. But everyone teaching in England needs to understand the English education system and its very different curriculum and assessment system. Teachers need to understand and be able to


implement these if they are going to be effective in the classroom. There needs to be some assessment of their capacity to do so, and these teachers have the right to be supported and trained so that they can have successful careers with equal opportunities for promotion – something which is far from the case at present. This would seem to be common sense, until


you consider that we may need ever-increasing numbers of overseas teachers to fill the gap left by students who have been through the English education system and find, at the end of their degree, that they simply cannot afford to train as a teacher. The government has to do much more to make


sense of this muddle. It has to take steps now to arrest the decline in applications to initial teacher training. It has to promote teaching as a profession. However unrealistic the adverts were – with bright-


eyed kids looking agog at the teacher – they did a great job in turning round the public’s view of teaching as a battle ground and schools as zoos. Without this positive publicity there is every possibility that old prejudices will prevail and teaching will plummet down the league table of popular careers.


• Dr Mary Bousted is general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers. Visit www.atl.org.uk


Recognising excellence


Indispensible: Kylie Burgess (pictured) and Nicola Chalkley were two of our seven Highly Commended entries in the SecEd Headteacher’s PA of the Year 2010


just seven PAs who won Highly Commended awards in the 2010 SecEd Headteacher’s PA of the Year Awards, which are supported by UNISON. She said the move from the high powered world of PR into education was not a difficult one. “It was something I wanted to do as I was looking for a job that offered outcomes that were tangible and


worthwhile,” Ms Burgess explained. “So when I saw the ad I went for it, even though I never thought I stood a chance. I am hugely honoured even to have been nominated for this award. It’s always wonderful to be recognised for your work.” For Mr Boyle the decision to employ Ms Burgess


was not a difficult one. “We had an impressive field of candidates but Kylie stood out as exceptional. Her enthusiasm shone through and we got a clear sense of her dynamism and steadiness. “She is a very hard worker and leads by example


by working long hours when required to ensure the students receive the best possible support and that key jobs get done. Kylie helps others around her to believe that all things are possible and her presence reassures that things will get done and get done well.” Ms Burgess has responsibility for a number of


key whole-school events including Dunraven’s prize presentation evening and admissions applications. The latter task requires her to administer each of the 1,600 applications the school receives every year for its 192 places. “This requires an intelligent understanding of the


bigger picture as well as an unswerving eye for detail,” Mr Boyle added. “It also requires the ability to be both sensitive with families about emotive issues but also firm and patient when ‘no’ isn’t an answer families are prepared to accept. She has saved me from a number of difficult conversations, resolving the issue and making friends in the process.” Ms Burgess is said to be prepared to “get her


hands dirty” when required and has cleaned floors, moved furniture and regularly checks the smartness of uniform to ensure that the job in hand is completed as well as possible. “Like all good leaders, Kylie understands that the


important thing is get things done rather than worry about whose job it is to do so,” Mr Boyle said. “But she also has the leader’s ability to delegate and to use the team to ensure that the best possible outcome is achieved.”


‘ 14 She is a very hard


worker and leads by example. Kylie helps others around her to


believe that all things are possible and her presence reassures that


things will get done and get done well


David Boyle, principal, Dunraven School ’


Another of 2010’s Highly Commended candidates


was Nicola Chalkley, the PA to Mike Best, the headteacher of Beaminster School, in Newtown, Dorset. Ms Chalkley joined the school in September 2007 and soon proved herself to be indispensible. Beaminster is a small, rural school of 750 students, so colleagues are expected to be versatile and to “multi-task”, Mr Best explained. “Nicola has been an enormous support to me in my


role as head and to all those with whom she comes in contact,” he said. “In fact, she has been brilliant. We struggled for years to systematise what we do in a way which is efficient and transparent, but her hard work has helped us to do this. “She has spent many hours negotiating new


contracts for support staff and cleaning up what might have been seen as the Aegean stables. This has had a significant impact and helped to make the difficult task of wholesale job evaluation much less threatening for colleagues.” Her hard work has won Ms Chalkley a reputation


for being dependable and reliable. “I know, with absolute certainty, that tasks will be completed on the due date and that I will always be reminded if any are outstanding in the nicest possible way,” Mr Best added. “Nicola relishes a challenge. My electronic diary


is a marvel and reflects the way in which she adopts any new technology which is useful. Her input into the school impacts all around it. “Recently we bought a hideously complex


presentation system which runs lovely slide shows on monitors placed at key points around the school. Not only did she learn how to do this in weeks, but she also ensures that we always have up-to-date materials up and running for the benefit of students and colleagues. Her enthusiasm also led to the adoption of ‘parent-mail’ and a website which she keeps well up-to-date.” This was particularly useful when it snowed last


winter, as Ms Chalkley was able to update parents and pupils from 6am on whether or not the school would be opening. Mr Best added: “When we instituted a new year 11 presentation evening two years ago, Nicola made it happen by spending hours collating information, checking that we had received it all, and translating this onto power-point slides. “This work is normally completed after school on the


‘


day of the event. Nicola is totally dedicated and for her it is the completion of the task that is the most important thing. It is because of this that we are able to celebrate student achievement in such an organised way.”


Nicola has been an


enormous support to me in my role as head and


to all those with whom she comes in contact. In fact, she has been brilliant


Mike Best, headteacher, Beaminster School Her attention to detail and precision have earned Ms


Chalkley the occasional nickname “Spocky” by senior staff. She is strategic in her consideration of Mr Best’s actions and can spot a potential problem long before it occurs. “When it comes to emotional intelligence, she has no peer,” he said. “Because of her foresight I know what people are thinking before they do and this helps us to fine-tune our systems and to support colleagues. “This is a wonderful asset to have in a hard-working


’


and complex environment. Nicola is unfailingly loyal to me and to the school.” Ms Chalkley is also a school governor, representing


support staff, a role she carries out with aplomb and to which she contributes hugely. When asked to comment about her contribution to the school, staff were fulsome in their praise. One said: “She is unfailingly supportive, omniscient


and ever-cheerful, Nicola is one of those who really make a difference to the school and who make it such a great place to work in. I have lost count of the times that she has submitted to being interrupted and diverted her attention to helping me out without ever having resented it – even if I should have known better.” Another, a head of year, said: “Nicola made me


so welcome when I came for my interview so when I started at the school I felt I could ask her any questions that I had. Like many other new members of staff I needed help with who dealt with what, who was who and where I needed to be or what I needed to do. It didn’t matter how busy she was she always had time for my questions and would go out of her way to help me. “I remember once when I needed support and a


shoulder to cry on she was the first person I turned to. She supported me and made me feel better even though she was dealing with her own illness at the time which she had kept quiet about”.


SecEd • Dorothy Lepkowska is a freelance education journalist. SecEd • June 9 2011


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