Pastoral, inclusion, leadership questions.
You don’t know what you don’t know.
That’s why reading questions is really helpful in uncovering your knowledge gaps.
And why answering them from your own perspective helps to fill them.
This week I’ve rounded up the questions your fellow members have been asking inside the We Are In Beta Community.
Like last time they have a definite pastoral / inclusion / leadership flavour.
There’s also an opportunity to get a personal £100,000 PD budget. Read to the end to find out how.
We - schools - Are In Beta - always learning (when we acknowledge that we don’t know what we don’t know).
⚙️ How to use this bulletin board.
To help you decide (before clicking into them):
which conversations you can add the most value to and
which ones you can learn the most from…
…I’ve divided them into 3 groups:
Help needed, threads available to all (🤝🙏🌐)
Really helpful answers worth reading, threads only available in a private, members only space (💡👀🔐)
Really helpful answers worth reading, threads available to all (but will be moving to private, members only space soon (💡👀🌐🔜🔐 )
Before we kick off all things pastoral / inclusion / leadership…
📚 Enjoy subject specific questions?
Earlier this week we shared 26 subject specific questions with members of the Curriculum Thinkers Community.
Covering: exam board choices, content selection, national curriculum coverage, booklets, resource sharing and more.
🤔📍13 pastoral, inclusion and leadership questions you are asking.
🚽 1. Toilets during lessons.
We have noted that we have a significant number of students wanting to go to the toilet during lessons - this is clearly something we want to minimise but parents tend to be unsupportive and quote human rights! I would be interested in any schools that have successfully minimised this without locking toilets through lesson time. #Behaviour
💡👀🌐🔜🔐
☑ 2. National Attendance Code of Conduct.
When will the DfE introduce a national code of conduct for attendance/penalty notices and legal action, one that is clear, concise, that all schools and local authorities have to follow?
Surely, it’s about time the DfE and local authorities pulled together to improve services and offer practical solutions to support schools and the children and young people in them!
🤝🙏🌐
🤖 3. Streamlining Communication with ChatGPT.
Communication is an essential part of teaching, but it can also be time-consuming and overwhelming. With the help of ChatGPT, secondary teachers can streamline communication processes, freeing up more time for other tasks. In this article, we'll explore how ChatGPT can automate communication with students, parents, and colleagues. I'll also suggest some tips for using ChatGPT to manage emails and messages more efficiently.
💡👀🌐🔜🔐
🚀 4. Student leadership.
Hello all, I'm looking for ideas on expanding our student leadership group to all year groups, it is currently solely Year 11s.
Would love to hear from schools who have implemented this successfully. Especially in terms of establishing your team of students and activities they have done that benefit them and the wider school community.
Thanks in advance,
🤝🙏🌐
📉 5. Behaviour trends.
What are the current trends in behaviour data around suspensions and permanent exclusions in schools nationally since September 2023 for Year R through to Year 11.
Is there any evidence that declining standards in behaviour (if indeed this is what is happening and it is not just anecdotal) is linked to the impact of COVID?
🤝🙏🌐
🛡️ 6. Pastoral team structure.
Hi all, I am looking at the structure of our pastoral system with the ever increasing/changing needs of our students. I would be very grateful for any feedback around the support systems and structures other colleagues have in place in their secondary setting and which have seen the most success?
💡👀🌐🔜🔐
↗️ 7. Transition package.
I'm looking to update and invigorate our transition package for students joining in the next academic year. Anyone willing to share their ideas / thoughts / resources for their transition packages?
Any help much appreciated!
🤝🙏🌐
🧩 8. TAs: SEND.
Hello all, I am looking to find out ways that schools are using TAs to support SEN children aside from in class support. How do you create time for TAs to provide effective interventions outside of lesson times? How do you evaluate the success of interventions?
🤝🙏🌐
🧑🏫 9. Adaptive teaching frameworks.
Currently doing a lot of thinking and work on adaptive teaching frameworks that can then be contextualised by schools/subjects.
Looked at the EEF guidance and excellent blogs as well as some of the reading by the Huntingdon Research School.
Is anyone willing to share please? Simpler the better. Stage 1 is to build consensus and understanding of the concept (as well as what it isn’t ….. differentiation etc.).
🤝🙏🌐
🔎 10. SIAMS - sharing approaches.
SIAMs, I have two main priorities:
Firstly developing student leadership and evaluation of worship, and
Secondly, developing aspects of courageous advocacy that starts with what we already do and using them inspire and motivate other students to find their voice and become agents for change.
I'd love to share thoughts and ideas with anyone else leading on Christian ethos/SIAMS.
🤝🙏🌐
✅ 11. Appraisal/ performance management.
I’m currently researching different approaches to appraisal/ performance management. Would anyone be willing to share what they do? We currently have…
If anyone is willing to share their thoughts, policies etc that would be great 🤞🙏
💡👀🌐🔜🔐
🏫 12. Calling Free School Leaders.
🤝 I’d love to connect with current Headteachers or Principals who have recently (last 5/6 years) opened a new free school or are in the process of opening for September ‘24. My school in Liverpool is opening later this year and I’d love to speak with those going through/have recently been through the same process.
🤝🙏🌐
⏰ 13. A-Level Guided Learning Hours.
Apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere but...
Where are people at with A-Level Guided Learning Hours?
Fully delivering 360 hours face to face? Including any independent study time?
💡👀🌐🔜🔐
Got a question? Ask the community.
The We Are In Beta team invest 30+ hours a week helping you to get answers: keeping an eye on what’s happening, researching, replying, making introductions, signposting resources and updating our databases.
NB: due to the volume of questions asked, we now prioritise members of the Curriculum Thinkers Community and members of the Pastoral Champions Community.
Not a member?
💼 £100k leadership opportunities at Academies Enterprise Trust.
AET are looking for the next generation of school leaders who are determined to eradicate disadvantage and reduce the extensive variation in English schools.
Among other things, they are offering an individual development account with up to £100,000 for you to spend on your professional development over the next five years.
Sound good?
💼 Filling the pipeline: recruiting in a crisis
Directors of Education, Executive and School Improvement Leaders, join us to hear how Chiltern Learning Trust fill their talent pipeline, even in a crisis.
Director of Talent and Teaching School - Sufian Sadiq - will be sharing all:
🗓️ Tues 6th Feb
🕟 4.30pm
On a personal note
There are two ideas that occupy my mind more than most.
When you consider what (my team and) I do for a living, it makes sense.
We bring people together so they can help each other.
And that would not happen without either of these two ideas.
What are they?
Reciprocity and gratitude.
I have written about them here and here if you’re interested.
So, here goes with gratitude…
This week I am very grateful for:
Frances Ling - our Associate Director of Community, Learning and Insight - who wrote the newsletter last week, while I was in hospital following the birth of my daughter. And the wonderful team at Haywards Heath Hospital, of course. Thank you.
Every one of our members, especially those who have helped answer the questions above. I’ve listed them below to say thank you.
What about reciprocity?
That’s down to you. If they’ve helped you, please do help them out in return. At the very least, tap the ❤️ button next their replies to let them the know you appreciate their insight.
Who are they?
Jonathan Mounstevens (Deputy Headteacher: Curriculum, Assessment and Quality Assurance at Beaumont School) - for his Performance Management insight here. Work with him here.
Fiona Eddie (Deputy Headteacher/DSL Lead at Bridgemary School) - for helping with internal truancy here. Get Work with her here.
Andy Lewis (Deputy Headteacher - Catholic Life & Pastoral at St Bonaventure's RC School) - for offering help with pastoral team structures here and internal truancy here. Work with him here.
James Kyberd (Assistant Head and SENDCo at Axe Valley Academy) - for his insight on TAs here. Work with him here.
Mike Hoad (Vice Principal: Curriculum at Walton Academy) - for helping with internal truancy here.. Work with him here.
Sarah Howells (Director of Academy Improvement at King's Group Academies) - for offering help with primary curriculum here. Work with her here.
Dan Tanner (Head of Character and Subject leader History at The Dorcan Academy) - for sharing insight on student leadership here. Work with him here.
Anya Kinsella (Deputy headteacher: Curriculum & Data, Teacher of English at Harris Church of England Academy) - sharing SIAMs experience here. Work with her here.
Jenny Hanson (Assistant Headteacher, Pastoral, DSL, Business Studies Teacher at Broadwater School) - for offering help with pastoral team structures here. Work with her here.
David Brown (Head of Physics; Co-Head of Science at The Corsham School) - for offering help with pastoral team structures here. Work with him here.
Charis Hunn-Smith (Senior Deputy Head and Head of Sixth Form at Stoke College) - for guided learning hours insight here. Work with her here.
Andrew Holt (Senior Deputy Headteacher at The Crompton House Church of England Academy) - for guided learning hours insight here. Work with him here.
Zoe Lund (Assistant Headteacher of Transition and community engagement at Rayner Stephens High School) - for othering help with transition here. Work with her here.
Dawn German (Headteacher at Harrow Way Community School) - for helping with lunch time curriculum offer here. Work with her here.
Chloe Doherty (Deputy Head Teacher at Saint Andrews International High School) - for helping with lunch time curriculum offer here. Work with her here.
Thanks for reading.
@NiallAlcock and the We Are In Beta team
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