Team Work Makes the Dream WorkBy Andrea May, Strategic Lead for Learning and Teaching at Central South Consorti um

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NEWS AND VIEWS FROM CENTRAL SOUTH WALES AND BEYOND

B L O G

www.cscjes.org.uk

Andrew Carnegie can be considered as the father of modern philanthropy, with the foundati on he established supporti ng innovati on across the world, aiding millions of people. He is not alone in this of course but one of the concepts that Carnegie placed at the heart of his work was ‘teamwork’

“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizati onal objecti ves. It is the fuel that allows common people to att ain uncommon results.” Andrew Carnegie

This quote from Carnegie summarises the importance of ‘teamwork’ and really asks us to consider where individuals fi t in the bigger picture of innovati on and change.

So let us consider this in the context of the changing picture of Welsh educati on we fi nd ourselves in at present. Kirsty Williams, at the recent Secondary Headteacher conference, alerted us all to the fact that we were making history! At the same conference, Dr Steve Munby talked of the Masai warrior greeti ng ‘Kasserian Ingera; ‘And how are the children’.

Completi ng any planning process is not easy! What have we achieved? What do we need to achieve? By when? How much will it cost? What resource do we need? Who will be involved? What hasn’t worked so well? These are just a few of the questi ons we consider in this cyclical process. The musings of all three individuals gives the

reasoning and context for the principle of Schools as a Learning Organisati ons to take a worthy and prominent place within our business plan for the forthcoming year. Essenti ally, it cannot not be there!

Why?

It is very simple really!

If we are to make educati on history, all ti ers of the system must work together! If we are to make educati on history, we must place equity and excellence as a central feature of all of our mindsets! If we are to make educati on history, we need to do things diff erently!

You will noti ce that I use the term ‘Schools as a Learning Organisati on’ above–but the ambiti on in Wales, outlined within the Educati on Mission is that the principles within this concept are put into practi ce across all ti ers of the system, including Welsh Government and us here at the Central South Consorti um.

This is no mean feat for any of us! It requires self-refl ecti on. It requires honesty. It requires considerable communicati on. It requires resource: investment of ti me, manpower and money. It requires taking risks.

Is it worth it?

Totally! Hence its inclusion in our plan! There is no point having something in the plan that will not

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impact on our pupils in classrooms! But how can putti ng the principles of SLO do this?

To answer this, let us just consider the 7 dimensions and the visual representati on that has recently been designed and released.

Noti ce that the four purposes are place there fi rmly in the centre. This is in keeping with all our beliefs that pupils should be at the heart of all we do! Therefore, any of the organisati ons around the outer circles should all be working towards this.

The 7 dimensions gives us a number of opportuniti es. The fi rst is to refl ect and self-evaluate. Where are we as schools or as organisati ons for each of these areas? How well developed are the principles? Do all people involved in the organisati ons have the same understanding?

The second opportunity is they give us next steps. Each principle off ers an explanati on of what it means, what it entails; therefore, as organisati ons we can move towards developing the culture required and embedding the principle as a natural everyday process, inbuilt into what we do.

Why does this help pupils?

Staying focused, working towards a vision, goals, creati ng opportuniti es, modelling learning and leadership to name but a few, are all essenti al ingredients we need to model for our young people. They aid in developing aspirati ons, in showing that learning is not just about the classroom, that it is lifelong and never ends. It aids in showing that, as a team, everyone achieves

more. But for this to happen, atti tudes and mindsets are essenti al! As individuals, we cannot achieve everything alone; we have people, systems and processes that enable us to achieve. We can dream alone…. but realisati on of the dream comes from both within–the atti tude and mindset–and through the help of others.

Throughout 2018-19, as an organisati on we will be using the 7 dimensions (principles) to support us in the realisati on of our goals. We will both mirror and support the work that will be going on in Welsh Government and our schools. Putti ng these principles into practi ce will aid in supporti ng the changes we are facing and rising to the challenges they present. Some of our pioneer schools will showcase how they have been working with the principles. We will be working with the OECD to support us here at Central South with development discussions for all of our colleagues. We will att end the Internati onal Conference takes place in July, allowing us to both learn on behalf of and support our schools in realising the vision set out in Our Nati onal Mission and our own goals.

In our #creati ngtheclimate and the preparati ons for curriculum reform, we have suggested that schools work towards these principles. Many have been doing this. We urge this to conti nue and for others to consider the dimensions. Welsh Government’s ‘Schools in Wales as Learning Organisati ons’ interacti ve document is available here. An OECD report and new supporti ng materials are due to be published later in the summer term.

Teamwork makes the dream work!

Together we can make the world look on and see our children fl ourish and compete on the global stage.

Together we can and will make Welsh educati on history.

Find out more about the Central South Consorti um’s current improvement prioriti es in our 2018-19 Business Plan.

www.cscjes.org.uk