AHDS Conference November 2014 - Keynote; Graeme Logan

Transforming lives through learning

AHDS Annual Conference 2014

Teaching Scotland’s Future: What next?

Graeme Logan


Being the leader you want to be

• Relentless optimism • Strategic vs operational: getting the right balance • Taking charge of your time, for example responding to

emails• Forensic focus on children’s progress: keep shining the

spotlight on this

How does it feel for children?

Underachievement is immediately challenged,

achievement is immediately celebrated.


Structure of presentation

• WHAT – continuing to implement CfE• HOW – TSF strategies and approaches to

professional learning • SUPPORT – what we can do to help you


Educational outcomes for all learners are improving

Inequity in educational outcomes is eradicated

Public confidence in education is high

Keep the focus on outcomes for learners


The vision

Learners in Scotland will progress in

one of the most effective education

systems in the world, renowned for

the ability of national and local

partners to work flexibly together to

achieve high quality and equitable

outcomes for all


Turning the school aims into action

In one school the head teacher asked everyone to agree which school aim they are helping to achieve when they meet together as groups or teams of pupils, parents and staff. This enabled all stakeholders to understand how their daily choices and activities were helping to realise the school’s vision.


Transformational change

Meeting the needs of every child in every

class, through the highest quality learning

experiences.


Evidence of impact of CfE…..

Between September 2013 and June 2014, in

almost all schools inspected (91%), one or

more aspect of children’s/young people’s

positive attributes (e.g. confidence, ambition,

motivation) and/or learning experiences are

reported as a key strength


Leadership priorities: CfE

• Reducing bureaucracy• Clear assessment strategy/ policy/ practice • Planning progression • Skills for learning, life and work



Forward planning for learning

Resources Assessment (say, do, make, write)

Opportunities for applying the learning


Continuing to implement CfE

• Pathways not tramlines • Informed personalisation and choice • A BGE for all • Reduction in assessment • Building on the success of this year’s

national qualification results


‘Mountains of bumf is no substitute for clarity’


The leaders of the

school are also

the narrators of

the school


Model of leadership learning

Leading change and improvementBe responsible and accountable for a specific change project.Adopt an action learning approach, working collegially and proactively with colleagues to lead change.

In what ways are you/could you be involved in leading change and improvement?



Enquiry is about knowing deeply: knowing what, knowing why, knowing how

Teachers doing enquiry should always be asking:

• what am I making problematic and why? And what am I not questioning?

• what knowledge will I gain/what can be known from this enquiry?

• for whose benefit am I doing this enquiry? • for what purpose(s)? • who is/should be involved and why?


How can you use enquiry?

• Partnerships with universities • Refresh your approaches to self-evaluation,

auditing and improvement planning • Working groups or enquiry groups ?• Pupil Council ?• Moving ‘professional dialogue’ to the next level


From professional dialogue to professional enquiry

• Criticality• Challenging, questioning, debating• Identify, conceptualise and define• Best practice or best problems ? • Apply your skills in enquiry to professional

dialogue in your school and cluster


PRD and professional learning is the currency of improvement in your school

•Getting it right for every teacher !

•Negotiating the right blend and balance for individual

•How good is the balance of time spent on individual, school and system level improvements ?



Key purpose of head teachers

The head teacher acts as the leading

professional in a school and as an

officer of the local authority. Head teachers lead

the whole school community in order to

establish, sustain and enhance a culture of learning

through which every child and young person is able to

learn effectively and achieve their potential.


In line with the vision and values of the school, head teachers,

supported by their staff:

establish, sustain and enhance the culture of self-evaluation for school improvement;

develop staff capability, capacity and leadership to support the culture of learning

ensure consistent high quality learning and teaching for all pupils;

build and sustain partnerships with pupils, families and relevant partners

to meet the identified needs of all learners;manage and direct resources effectively in line with

identified strategic priorities.


QI 5.9 Improvement through self-evaluation: Updated level 5 illustration

We work with partners, learners and stakeholders, including parents and carers, in self-evaluation and are aware of resulting strengths and development needs and are committed to take action to effect improvement. Effective systems are in place to monitor and evaluate the quality of provision, including with partners, and to gather and respond to views of stakeholders. We have strong leadership at all levels with a vision for the outcomes of change. This vision gives direction to self-evaluation. High quality support for career-long professional learning is in place to support improvement. This is founded on effective arrangements for professional review and development of staff. We take ownership of professional learning, including reflection and enquiry on practice as individuals and with others, in order to engage more deeply and meaningfully with Curriculum for Excellence. We are aware of the impact of our professional learning on our work and on the experiences of learners. We use the GTCS Professional Standards as a starting point for personal reflection and self-evaluation.








What can we do to support you?

• HGIOS 4 • Opening up great learning series• Refresh of Glow• More examples of planning progression • New range of e-bulletins, including monthly

digest for headteachers


Summary – key support resources

• Evaluating and improving the primary curriculum • Significant aspects of progress/ progression

frameworks for each curriculum area• Sign up for the monthly strategic digest for

headteachers


TSF – what can you do at school level?

• PRD – use new national guidance• Early phase• Career-long learning • The right blend and balance for each teacher • Improvement planning: what and how?

Approaches to implementation • Leadership for all


A final word about improvement planning

• Hold your nerve: stick to your main priorities • When you prioritise a new area, do you de-

prioritise something else?

‘The greatest risk to school improvement projects is that they are floored by inconsistent action’