Operations vs strategy; An OBE; How teaching Covid style can make you better; How to have collaborative conversations with parents.
Hello everyone,
This week, it was brilliant to see so many people working in the schools sector recognised in the Queen’s birthday honours. Including one of We Are In Beta’s community members. A much needed boost for everyone after a tough year so far. Huge congratulations to all those recognised!
This week:
📋 Community Survey. Operational vs. strategic: how are you managing Covid arrangements?
🎧 Podcast. What does an OBE sound like?
🤝 Community Groups. Your chance to meet your counterparts.
📝 Article. How can restrictions make your teaching better?
📝 Article. How to have collaborative conversations with parents.
💼 Jobs and opportunities. Jobs with We Are In Beta Community members.
📋 Operational versus strategic: how are you coping?
The logistics of adjusting to year group bubbles has changed a lot of our day to day practice. It eats time and focus.
Dave Alexander, Headteacher at Rednock School, has one question to you: how are you managing?
Take his quick survey so we can all get a sense of how we’re approaching adjusted operations.
The anonymised results so far reveal a surprising range of approaches to bubbles, the timetable, breaks and lunch, curriculum time in different key stages and staff meeting time.
If you, like Dave, have got questions you’d like ask lots of schools to help you make decisions - whether it be about operations, strategies, budgets, contracts or something else - DM our Head of Helpfulness, Frances, and we’ll see what we can do to help.
🎧 What does an OBE sound like?
Huge congratulations to Marie Gentles, former Head at Hawkswood Primary PRU, for being recognised in the Queen’s birthday honours! 🎉
Marie and colleagues, Lucy Mattison and Katie L’Aimable, starred in Series 2 of the We Are In Beta Podcast in November last year discussing their work on behaviour.
To find out what an OBE sounds like and learn about the work being recognised and the impact it’s had…
👂 Subscribe on Spotify | iTunes | Stitcher | Libsyn | TuneIn 🔉
🤝 Your chance to meet your counterparts
Our fortnightly meetup groups for smashing challenges together are off to a great start! We called out for you to help out and be helped and you answered the call.
We’ve got:
Secondary headteachers
Primary headteachers
Curriculum thinkers
Teaching & learning leaders
Assessment leads
If you haven’t joined yet, here’s your chance.
📝The strangest September I've ever had. Thoughts and reflections on teaching COVID-style
“This academic year saw me step up from middle leadership into senior leadership. It's been a transition that would come with huge adjustments anyway so, add in some unprecedented (had to be that word!) circumstances and it's quite the year.
“I wanted to focus this post on some reflections about what my teaching looks like in these different times. It's satisfying that, in many ways, things haven't changed as much as I first thought they would.”
Tom Highnett, Assistant Principal & Director of Post-16 at Outwood Grange Academy, shares three positive lessons from teaching from the front.
📝 All Together Now: Parents Evening - structures and processes.
“For the past three years, we've been working on and developing our parents evening structures and processes, loosely based on AfA's 'structured conversations' and I now feel that, in light of schools' difficulties in holding face-to-face meetings, this may support other schools with getting the most out of the meetings and hopefully keep communication lines open and ongoing at other points of the year in a transparent, enjoyable and supportive way.”
Cassie Young, Head of School & SENCO at Brenzett Primary School, shares how they have collaborative conversations, why they are important, how they document them and what they’ve learned so far.
💼 Jobs and opportunities.
Assistant Headteacher, leading English - Lindsay Skinner, Head at St James’, Exeter.
Science LP and Second In Science - Jen Brimming, Vice Principal at Marine Academy, Plymouth.
Primary SENCO - Ashley Milum, Headteacher at Avanti Gardens School, Bristol.
Deputy Head of Maths - Rachael Hallam, The Oldham Academy North.
Want to share your jobs with our 2,500 members and 3,500 subscribers?
Thanks for reading and playing your part in making education the place we all know it can be.
Speak soon.
@NiallAlcock
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