FEATU


FEAT RE SHAR NG BEST PRACTICE TURE:: SHARIING BEST PRACTICE


ImpImplementing best practice acr Collective efficacy Collective efficacy


John Hattie, Professor of Education at the University ofMelbourne, spoke of the impact of ‘collective teacher efficacy’ and the necessity for all staff to collaborate for shared improvement within a school. According to his research, Hattie positioned collective efficacy at the top of the list of factors that influences a pupil’s achievement. This ranks higher than a child’s socioeconomic status, a child’s home environment and their parent’s involvement.


Considering this from the perspective of a multi-academy trust, not only do teachers within a school need to be committed to the


I


best practice, Focus Trust’s Chief Executiive He en Rowand discusses the importance of sharing learning across a multi-academy trust in order to ensure collective best


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n our second feature th smonth on sharin best practice, Focus Trust’s Chief Execut ve Rowland dil


n our second fe


in order to ensur e sharing learning a


feature thiis month on sharing scusses the importance of


cross amulti-academy trust collective best practice . practice.


It’s another new academic year, and with that comes a renewed focus on those things


considered to be of importance within a school setting. One such thing that all those in the education sector strive for is improvement on the previous year, with particular attention given to how best to inspire and motivate staff, teachers, parents and pupils to be as successful as they can. In order to work towards these goals, ensuring that the best possible initiatives are in place can help to encourage best practice, and to


encourage such behaviour, two core principles spring to mind – these being collective teacher efficacy and peer review.


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development of their children but, in order for collective improvement to occur, they must have the mind-set to share their knowledge, best practices and passion for education with the other constituent academies and their children. We have therefore at Focus-Trust, a multi- academy trust comprised of 15 primary


academies across Cheshire, GreaterManchester andWest Yorkshire, worked to develop a cultural commitment of ‘collective efficacy’ that has translated into the success of all of our


academies, and a real onus has been placed on learning and making a difference, together. All staff uphold ‘a shared commitment to together on the things that matter to i outcomes for all’.


mprove work


As part of our work in making this


commitment a reality, Focus-Trust ha s set out its ‘Focus-Trust 5’ - five strategic priorities clearly outline the trust’s commitment academies, as well as each academy’s


to all the which


commitment to each other. The creation of these priorities has given us all focus, allowing us to learn together, work together and make a real d


3 6 www .education-today.co.uk


.co.uk ifference.


lementing best practice across amult -academy trust ross a multii-academy trust These priorities include:


• Identifying and addressing vulnerabilities across our academies and communities;


• Building a learning culture withmoral purpose; • Providing a high-quality education;


• Improving all pup • Improving health


and wellbeing for all; il outcomes.


What is important when looking at developing priorities is ensuring a culture is adopted throughout a trust; a culture that focuses on relationships, trust and respect to improve pupil outcomes.


One aspect which has been introduced across the trust under the collective efficacy banner are employee healthcare initiatives fromcounselling, physiotherapy sessions and workplace assessments to ensure all our staff are supported in their day to day life, ensuring they can best benefit the 6,300 pupils who currently attend our schools. In addition, the affinity to collectiv e


improvement and success is now embedded within the trust-wide recruitment process. All candidates are expected to demonstrate an understanding of, and a commitment to, the trust, particularly those adership roles.


applying to senior le success of the wider


A key premise of successfulmulti-academy


trusts is their ability to draw upon andmobilise the skills and talents of staff across their schools to achieve improvements inmore schools and for more children. For amulti-academy trust to be fully successful at a collective efficacy approach , thismust be consistent and visible across all schools.


It is important to establish and reinforce the commitment to this through regular dialogue between leaders and staff generally – a


conversation thatmust be verymuch grounded in the values and visio n of any school and trust.


Octobe r 2019 2019


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