Apr 1, 2022 | Partnerships, Primary, Professional development, Secondary, Updates
In education we often talk about “weighing the pig” as a metaphor for assessing student progress. “Does weighing the pig make it any fatter?”, we ask. Academic monitoring in schools has become the engine of accountability and SLTs up and down the land are forever discussing whether to spend more time learning or testing, in other words, feeding or weighing said pig. What about weighing the partnerships pig? How do we go about measuring the effectiveness of educational partnerships? Do they make...
Jan 17, 2022 | Leadership, Partnerships, Primary, Science, Secondary
Announcing the launch of a project to bring together best practice in school science partnerships – read on for your invitation to contribute (and click here to upload your contribution). Crocodiles and birds would seem unlikely friends. But their symbiotic relationship means that they can do something together which they cannot do on their own. The Nile crocodile feeds the Plover bird whilst getting its teeth cleaned. We call it mutualism. So it is with school partnerships, at least those which are genuinely mutually...
Jul 23, 2021 | Communication, Leadership, Partnerships, Primary, Professional development, Secondary, Updates
I’ve just read Nancy Kline’s book “Time to Think” – over 20 years too late. As a new middle leader in the 90s I could have done with her sage advice. However, I think that many of us in education naturally use these summer weeks as ‘time to think’ (once we’ve slept for a few days and reacquainted ourselves with our families!). It’s part of the ebb and flow of the school year. For school leaders it’s a time to zoom out and think strategically. And that might include reflecting on partnerships with other schools: how do these fit...
Feb 23, 2021 | Leadership, Partnerships, Primary, Professional development, Secondary, Updates
I had the opportunity to update Kent influencers last week on the educational landscape regionally. It was the perfect platform to talk about school partnerships and their crucial role in academic recovery post-Covid.Schools have managed to continue collaborating during lockdown, making use of new relationships and innovative technology and meeting new need. Student initiatives have been particularly heart-warming: making PPE, raising money for computer hardware, reading stories over Zoom and instigating peer mentoring schemes for attainment...
