The ever popular, termly, Leadership Networks, hosted by Inspir-ed, (C.A.S.E in the Bath and NE Somerset area and Keeping A Level Head that serves schools down in the Somerset Levels) will complete another academic year this term. If you have never attended one then maybe the Summer meeting might tempt you to join more permanently next year. Why not come along and see what we do?
The stated aim is to give leaders in busy Primary Schools the time and the space to talk and think about the things that will make a difference in their school improvement plans. They take place in the morning usually, at a school local to the area and focus upon three key areas: Curriculum, Assessment, and Self Evaluation and I lead an hour on each using a mixture of strategies to get you involved in practical discussion and debate as well as interesting activities to make you curious and want to learn more.
As an independent consultant I have the time and the energy to read widely, to keep up with research and to attend conferences to hear high quality speakers who are at the forefront of developments in learning. These are luxuries that increasingly school leaders can ill afford themselves. Attend the meetings and you benefit from summaries and resources that you would otherwise miss, the stimulus of shared activity with respected colleagues and you get the added benefit of good quality refreshments that always include home made cake!
The Level Heads Meeting will be at Huish Episcopi Primary School on 5th June 9-12noon and the CASE meeting will be at 8.30-11.30 am at St Mary’s Primary School Writhlington on 19th June. The three focuses for this, the final meeting of the year are planned to get you thinking about initiatives and improvements you might want to put into the next School Development Plan. The Curriculum aspect will focus on extensive research on the development of vocabulary in pupils and the impact upon reading and the wider learning that a few simple adjustments to teaching can have in the long term. Under the Assessment banner I shall be exploring aspects of the book The Learning Rainforest -Great Teaching in Real Classrooms by Tom Sherrington, and the Self Evaluation section will focus on a planning guide for the wider curricular topics and projects that must provide the stimulating contexts in which learned skills can be deepened and practised.
If you have never attended one of these networks and want a taster then contact me (jennyshort@inspir-ed.net 07782256322) to arrange it. To join a group for the next academic year will cost you £85, for which up to two of your SLT can attend all three meetings with no further payment. Again, if you want to be included in the e mails that go out advertising these networks please contact me and I will make sure you receive further communications.
CASE and Keeping a Level Head meetings ensure you are always up to date on current thinking in the key areas for which you are held accountable and with which you need to be familiar and on which you need to be able to articulate a point of view. CASE enters its 9th consecutive year in September which says a lot for its continuing relevance!
