CPD Team

The next SELMAS conference will be on 13th January 2012 in Tynecastle High School, Edinburgh.  The focus will be on how schools raise achievement and improve learning by working in partnerships.

This event will be centred on five presentations on good practice but will be enormously enhanced by the input of Professor Mick Waters and Professor Susan Deacon. The attached flyer gives the details of the content of the event.

You should also note that in these cash-strapped times this event is being offered on an exceptionally economical basis.  The delegate fee is £25 per person; £10 for current full-time students.  Places will be awarded on a first-come (with payment) first-served basis.  To make a booking contact SELMAS Secretary Alex Wood – contact details below.  Cheques should be payable to Scottish Educational Leadership, Management and Administration Society.

49 Acredales
Linlithgow
West Lothian EH49 6HY

Tel: 01506 848259
Mob: 0775 989 8890

alexander.wood@blueyonder.co.uk
v1awood6@staffmail.ed.ac.uk

NO SCHOOL IS AN ISLAND promotional leaflet

The theme of the recent SELMAS dinner on May 24th at the St George’s Centre, Edinburgh was Donaldson and Me and a succession of impressive speakers shared their personal responses to the Teaching Scotland’s Future review.

The themes picked up by the various speakers didn’t hugely surprise: Linda McTavish, Principal of Anniesland College was enthused by the prominence of partnership working in the review and talked about how this was a functional necessity in her setting – without their partnerships with business, industry, schools etc the college really couldn’t operate. This addressed the issue of providing a bit of the “how” that discussion was identified as missing from the report – bearing this in mind sharing the Anniesland experience in partnership building and working might be a useful thing to do.

Jaqueline Scott, HT at Trinity Prmary School Edinburgh mentioned improving quality and entry selection as priorities, and also called for greater flexibility with time commitments for probationers, suggesting greater flexibility with time management and allocations for probationers. She suggested longer continuous stretches in class, then concentrated, focussed periods out of class to really reflect, share, consolidate and build on their experience. The weekly 0.7/0.3 split is sometimes seen as rigid and disruptive, and it stands to reason that a more flexible system would be more user friendly. Something for further discussion at the Probationer Support event we’re organising next week at SMC.

Gillian Hamilton was on her favourite subject – leadership; and asking what difference Donaldson will make to this theme. Looking to the future, the role of HTs will no doubt change, as it already has since Gillian was in the role and not necessarily in a positive way, with more attention to risk assessment, budgeting, behaviour and grievances tending to sometimes eclipse the HTs role as lead learner in a school. The virtual college, as suggested by Donaldson via the national CPD team, will provide a focus for CPD and connecting school leaders and should also help shape and support the various leadership roles a forward-thinking profession for the future might require.

The most contentious discussion of the evening came during the panel discussion at the end when Cara Aitchison Head of School at Moray House, Edniburgh saw Donaldson’s recommendations as an invitation to the TEIs in Scotland to diversify and offer specialisms, but suggested that the “traditional” model of teacher education ( research and university based) is best suited to an institution like Edinburgh, and more “vocational” approaches might be better if left to ” institutions in the west.” Not surprisingly, there was quite a reaction to this Interesting! No matter how teachers enter the profession, there is some merit in what Stephen Heppell says: “if they can’t make schools spectacularly good, what are they doing training teachers?” It makes sense – TEIs should be modelling the best in education and for a profession fit for our times, is that best done through lectures, essays and seminars? This relates tangentially to the discussion but is relevant none the less.

Other memorable moments: HT from Govan said his best teacher was his granny because

she knew him
she loved him
she knew how to get the best out of him. Simple, really.
And another HT from Edinburgh expressed some concern at the homogeneity of students coming into the profession; regretting the demise of the outlyers, the mavericks, the independent thinkers (and operators) who took risks, often defied authority and still commanded respect, made big impressions and like the aforementioned granny, got the best out of young people.

Sadly the discussion was just beginning to get interesting when the evening was brought to a close. SELMAS is a loosely constituted, open organisation which provides a forum for leadership – I hope we continue the conversations.

The SELMAS Committee are pleased to invite you to register for this year’s Forum which will have Donaldson and me as its theme

Over a pleasant dinner, guests will hear from a range of speakers from education who will talk about their personal response to Teaching Scotland’s Future, and will have the opportunity to engage in discussion and reflection with a wide range of colleagues.

The Forum will take place in St George’s School for Girls in Edinburgh, at 6.30 on Tuesday May 24^th. Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come; first served basis. The cost of the evening will be £10 which will include the dinner.

Book your place by completing the form below and sending it with your £10, cheques made payable to COSLA, to Ruth Johnston, National CPD Team, Cosla, Verity House, 19 Haymarket Yards, Edinburgh EH12 5BH

Keith Brown opened the conference and challenged us to be creative and innovative in our approach to educational leadership.

Richard Jennings, Head of Education at East Lothian Council reviews the community vehicles devised by groups at the conference to bring a focus to their leadership agenda.

Perth High School Headteacher Jim Scott talks us through the approach he and colleagues took to implementing Curriculum for Excellence, with an emphasis on meaningful and susatainable  system change.

By Margaret Alcorn

On September 3^rd this year, educators from schools, centres, local authorities, national organisations and colleges came together for this year’s SELMAS Leadership Conference. The theme was: “Curriculum for Excellence: thinking differently to achieve success”, and as ever the delegates came to be challenged, stimulated and entertained by a range of speakers and lots of discussion and shared activities.

We were delighted that the Keith Brown MSP, Minister for Skills and Lifelong Learning started off our conference. The keynote address was given by Richard Jennings, newly appointed Head of education in East Lothian who lead a lively, interactive session on Community Vehicles, offering one strategy to get people thinking about core values and the moral purpose of their work.

Keen as ever to hear practitioner voices, we then heard from four colleagues who are leading innovation within their own workplace. Jim Scott the headteacher of Perth High School, Irene Whitford, a teacher from Kirkliston Primary School. Here is Irene giving us a great insight into the Learning Rounds Experience

Elaine McGuire the head of the Pre-5 Centre in Shortlees Primary School and Lena Gray, the head of Policy and New Products at SQA, each described an aspect of their current practice, and delegates were invited to offer questions and comments. You can link to and download the brochure which Lena mentioned here. You can see the impact of these brief presentations in the feedback given by delegates.

The afternoon began with a session led by Alison Drever of Learning and Teaching Scotland. The  “Skunkworks” process, in essence, is about innovative answers to important questions. At the conference delegates were asked to step outside the realms of education to consider CfE from a different perspective. This culminated in a CfE think differently challenge which asked them to become the Google search engine and consider what the top hits might be if we typed ‘CfE, think differently’ into the search box.
The conference ended with a moving, challenging and thought-provoking presentation by Linda Borland, a Detective Inspector in the Violence Reduction unit, who told us David’s story. The conference were left with a clear understanding of the need to work differently, individually and collaboratively to offer better life chances to young people like David, and his son.

Feedback from delegates, who were asked to identify one insight, one idea, one intention or one piece of interesting practice relevant to the issues discussed at the conference can be viewed below.

As part of his contribution to SELMAS 2010, Richard Jennings helped us conduct an exercise on how to gather community voice. Here are some of the musings

Friday 3rd September 2010

If you haven’t yet booked up for this year’s annual conference, then don’t delay. The theme is how we can think differently to achieve success for Curriculum for Excellence, and the reflections will be aided by a wide range of speakers such as Keith Brown, Minister for Skills and Lifelong Learning, Jim Scott, headteacher of Perth High School, Detective Inspector Linda Borland of the Violence Reduction Unit, Irene Whitford a teacher from Kirkliston Primary school and many more.

Places at £80 each can be reserved by contacting Ruth on 0131 474 9360 or ruth@cosla.gov.uk

Delighted to give you early notice of this year’s SELMAS event. The theme will be :

Curriculum for Excellence: Thinking differently to achieve success

Once again we’re hoping for a stimulating, inspiring and dynamic event as we reflect together, renew relationshps and hear some thought-provoking speakers.

We have been oversubscribed in the past so please reserve your place by contacting Ruth@cosla.gov.uk

the cost is £80 per delegate