Profile
J
ust last month, Prime Minister, David Cameron told LBC 97.3 FM radio: “If we want to have a great sporting legacy for our children - and I do - we have got to have an answer
that brings the whole of society together to crack this, more competition, more competitiveness, more getting rid of the idea all-must-win prizes and you can’t have competitive sports days.” Although the Association of School and
College Leaders were quick to rebuff the PM’s comments on state school sports, the removal of the ‘everyone’s a winner’ mentality is something which many parents have been keen to kick into touch for years. Indeed, countless surveys and university studies have said that healthy competition of any kind, be it sporting or academic, has positive results on a child’s development. Interestingly, the avoidance of competition seems to have filtered into the ideas of the state sector, as fewer teachers look to move on to greater leadership roles and the number of teachers wanting to further themselves and their own abilities is now at a ten-year low. As there are different levels of leadership in the teaching hierarchy, from new teachers, to middle leaders, right up to heads; the assent up the ranks comes through quality teaching, experience and a desire to better oneself – which we would all presume must be the overall goal to most teachers. With this idea, one would expect every
head teacher position to be in huge demand, however this is simply not the case in state education, as more schools are opting to federate their school – so one headmaster can cover two or more schools. Tis of course does not count for all
state schools, however the lack of teacher motivation on the whole, for whatever reason, simply cannot benefit the standards of education. Interestingly, in the independent schools sector, there couldn’t be a more opposite inclination for teachers in relation to moving up the leadership ladder, as those teachers wanting to move into higher leadership positions is at an all time high. To aid the high levels of teachers wanting to progress, the joint initiative between Independent Schools Council associations known as CAL (Cross Association Leadership) has been created to identify leadership opportunities within the independent school sector by providing
suitable training courses for the career development of bursars, teachers, Heads or Governors.
Chair of the organisation, Julie Robinson,
admits that the demand for the most senior of roles have been in huge demand – with each course selling out completely every time. She states, “I do wonder whether there is a sense that independent sector there is more scope – maybe there will be more supportive
Julie Robinson
courses, if the Independent Association of Prep Schools isn’t offering something for middle leaders, then you will see that maybe the Graduate Students Association or the Association of Governing Bodies of Independent Schools can fill that gap for you. We’re joining those forces to ensure the leadership offers and the applicants are as good as they can be. Each year these organisations run an audit to see where there are gaps in which sector, and we then make sure we fill those gaps. “We are able to broaden and monitor the
leadership courses on offer, so I would say that the fullest leadership training offer is available to anyone who is seeking it.” Indeed, their service is not solely open
to teachers already working in independent education, as CAL are happy for anyone in the state sector to attend their courses, as every insight is cherished. Te 2012 annual symposium, held at
parents who buy into the ethos of the school and therefore will be promoting the positive aspects of school life, rather than fighting behaviour issues and so on. “However there are plenty of very good
primary schools which are in really positive situations which are doing very well – we like to think that good leaders inspire the next generation of good leaders, and we look to help people into this role where they can really make a difference.” CAL promotes effective leadership
training and makes it available to all within the sector. Tey seek to retain the individuality that currently exists within each associated school, whilst looking to benefit collectively from one another’s expertise by creating various discussion forums. “It is a really good forum for associations
to share best practise, which brings issues to the fore through discussion and debate. Our development also speaks as one voice about leadership issues in education, speaking for the sector. “We are promoting each other’s courses,
which is quite a rare thing. If you go on the Independent Schools Council website [
www.isc.co.uk]
and look for leadership
Westminster school in London, involved speakers like Dr Elizabeth Sidwell, Schools Commissioner, former head teacher and chief executive of the Haberdashers’ Aske’s Federation of schools; Tony Little, Headmaster of Eton and Ian Gilbert, educationalist, CEO of Independent Tinking and author of ‘Why do I need a Teacher When I’ve Got Google?’; who all gave their opinions to over 100 teachers in attendance. In discussing the feedback of the
conference, Robinson states, “Te professional development officers who devise courses for each association, very much valued the meeting as their only opportunity to come together and share their practise with people who understand what they’re trying to achieve and what they are trying to achieve within their own independent school associations.” With CAL’s clear desire to help aspiring
teachers better their standard of teaching, the standard of our children’s education can only become stronger. Indeed, by creating better leaders in teaching, CAL will undoubtedly create stiffer competition for leadership places, which has to be a very welcome dilemma for education standards in the independent sector.
For more information on the services CAL offers, visit
www.isc.co.uk or contact Julie Robinson at
jlr@iaps.org.uk
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