VIEWS From the pen of... John West-Burnham & Malcolm Groves


In our regular series looking at authors working in the field of UK education, this month we hear from JOHN WEST-BURNHAM and MALCOLM GROVES, who tell us about their new book, “Flipping Schools”.


Our shared belief, supported by a wide range of robust evidence, is that we need to move away from incremental models of school improvement towards fundamental and radical change. For us this involves flipping the collective educational mindset away from seeing the school as an organisation towards viewing it as a community. It means turning school-centric thinking inside out to open up a community-centred and learner-focused mindset. In particular, we highlight the accumulation


John West-Burnham British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) Why resolutions are a


good thing This month, JULIA GARVEY, Operations Director, BESA, reflects on an old tradition and explains why it still has relevance today.


I know, an article about New Year Resolutions in February seems a bit after the event but bear with me, there is method in my madness. If you are anything like me, you started the term full of resolve (and


Malcolm Groves


of evidence that suggests only between 20% and 30% of the factors that influence educational outcomes are directly within a school’s control. We conclude therefore we need to encourage schools to pay a little more attention to engaging with those social, economic and environmental factors beyond the school’s gates and to focus in more on the individual learner in their social and educational context. Our thinking has been strongly influenced by the current situation


across the school system which might be best described as diminishing returns. This is the situation where the energy and commitment of students, their parents, teachers and school leaders are simply not producing the outcomes appropriate to those levels of engagement and investment. The evidence clearly points to the fact that the gap in performance between advantaged and disadvantaged students is only continuing to widen – a trend which could last well into the distant future. It also points to a fundamental lack of equity in our school system that makes disadvantage systemic for the most vulnerable. At the heart of the book are the experiences of four schools that


have started the process of exploring what it means to move from being school-centric to being community-centric in their structures, policies and relationships. Our argument is that if some schools out there – such as these four – can make changes in the way they think about accountability, outcomes, purpose and quality and can start to do things differently, then there is nothing in principle (except perhaps fear) to stop any other school wanting to do the same. Our review of research and practice leads to a focus on four key


components of the outward-facing school that inform our discussion. Firstly, it is a place of trust and mutual respect; secondly, a base of value and values; thirdly, an engine of engagement and participation; and finally, a hub of networks and support for learning. It is the interaction of these elements that generates the social and cultural capital vital to building and developing community. For each we offer some starting strategies and useful tools. We were determined to be evidence-informed in developing our


case for change. We believe that all the evidence, experience and expertise that we have assembled reinforces the case for radical rethinking based on the conceptual framework of social justice expressed through building social and cultural capital. The pivotal theme throughout the


book is the notion of community – exploring the school as a community working in partnership with other communities. We hope the book will generate reflection, enhance dialogue, stimulate research and innovation, and inform action.


February 2020


cheese and chocolate) and renewed vigour and personal goals to get fitter and eat more healthily. But now, nearly half a term later, my willpower is fading and the chocolate biscuits are calling. However, at BESA we have some pretty important resolutions this


year that I’d like to share with you and half a term in, we are as committed now as we were on 1 January.


Save teachers time and help ease their workload We are already making great progress on this with our LearnED initiative. We’ve got six more events scheduled this school year and we are working hard to spread the word to as many teachers as possible. These are free CPD events put on in association with the Department for Education, with the sole aim of enabling you to learn from fellow teachers about the technology and strategies they have used in their schools to improve outcomes and reduce teacher workload. We are delighted to support this initiative for two reasons – it’s free for teachers to attend and therefore accessible for all, and the ability to learn from your peers is unique to these events.


Help schools find great technology products that deliver tangible results We know that schools often struggle to find new resources that are reliable and tried and tested. We are working hard to continue to develop our LendED.org.uk platform so that more teachers can take free trials of technology products in their schools before making buying decisions. We have ambitious targets to build this platform and get it into the hands of as many teachers as possible. We are on a mission...


Give schools access to the best suppliers in the UK This is a bit of cheat resolution as I’ve basically carried it forward from last year (I like to add something to my To Do list that I can easily tick off). With over 400 members, BESA represents the best suppliers in the industry. All our members undergo a vetting process and promise to adhere to our Code of Practice, so we know they are suppliers that you can trust. We now need to focus on spreading the word in schools that if you are looking for a reliable supplier, you can use our free online supplier directory to identify suitable companies.


Secure additional funding for schools Saving the best, and hardest, goal to last. We know schools need more money; we know student outcomes are affected as a result. We want to work with teachers, our members and the government to find effective ways of helping schools fund the learning resources you need to deliver the education our students deserve. We have big plans in this area and we will be sharing them with you in the coming months. So that’s it, our 2020 resolutions laid bare for all to see. Unlike that


gym membership or Veganuary, these are resolutions that we will keep. Watch this space for more details on how we are getting on.


uLendED.org.uk uSupplier directory: besa.org.uk/supplier- directory


ujulia@besa.org.uk www.education-today.co.uk 13


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