2. Playing ball
“… his desire to blur the boundaries between
schools – as well as bordering local authorities
– may be wishful thinking….. Breaking down
age-old barriers between schools of different
hues will be no mean feat and it will be
interesting to see whether or not headteachers
are willing to play ball.”
Gareth Evans
WalesOnline
3. What will a self-improving school system look like?
• Schools using collaborative inquiry to foster
improvements in practice
• Groupings of schools engaging in joint practice
development
• Where necessary, more intensive partnerships
organised
• Families and community organisations supporting the
work of schools
• Coordination of the system provided by school leaders
• Local authorities working together to act as the
‘conscience of the system’
4. What are the challenges?
• It can lead to lots of nonproductive time
• A fad that goes well when led by enthusiastic advocates
but fading when spread more widely
• Schools may collude with one another to reinforce
mediocrity
• Those schools that most need help may choose not to
get involved
• Some head teachers may become 'empire builders', who
deter others from getting involved
• The policy context may create barriers to progress
5. Effective school-to-school partnerships
• Shared responsibility for improving outcomes amongst
the partner schools
• Mutually supportive relationships, particularly between
senior staff across the partner schools
• Involvement at different levels of the organisations
• Using differences to challenge thinking and practice
• Occasional involvement of an ‘outsider’ who can help
facilitate, monitor and support collaboration
6. New challenges for school leaders
Within
School
Across
Schools
Beyond
Schools
Management
Leadership
Governance
System direction
