Breakout session, 6th Annual Conference. Slides by Wakefield City Academy and Nene Park Academy

1. From Raising the Floor to Raising the Ceiling
Whole Education 6th Annual Conference
Twitter | @WholeEducation
#Seizingtheagenda
Establishing a shared vision for school
improvement
Seizing the Agenda

2. Wakefield City Academy
Our Journey
Marie Hunter – Co Headteacher/NLE/Senior Director -
WCAT
Suzanne Austwick – Co Headteacher/NLE/Head of
Teaching School (WRTSA)

3. Distributed Leadership
Co Headteachers - September 2010
Fast track Convertor Academy - January 2011
National Teaching School – April 2012
Wakefield City Academies Trust – August 2013
Structure of Leadership team
Alan Yellup - CEO
2 Co Headteachers Marie – Senior Director of WCAT
Suzanne – Head of WRTSA
1 Deputy Headteacher
3 Assistant Headteachers
1 Business Manager

4. Creating A Positive Culture
By:
 stressing EPM not ECM
 winning the staff & students
 consult and listen – open door policy
 not top down
 make staff feel valued
 distributing leadership
 identifying movers & shakers
 using Influence not Power
 establishing a no fear culture
 taking risks
 focusing on the positives – praise

5. Our beliefs
 hands on/ lead from the front
 not what you say but how you say it
 raise standards with dignity – not coercion
or threat
 communication
 never complacent
 team- in it together
 have a sense of humour !

6. WCAT
Challenges
• retention of staff
• drawing on the academy
• time management
• retaining ‘Outstanding’
• expectations
• autonomy

7. What works for us !
 communication- us
- SLT
- trust meetings
 SLEs, Associate SLEs
 prioritise City
 recognising the benefits
 Sense of humour !

8. Culture and leadership
across the MAT
 Alan – prior to conversion
 Lead staff from City
 Base at City
 new recruits
 huge team for support

9. Same v different
 insist on same principles
 develop the same culture
 develop a positive ethos
 high expectation
 autonomy – name, uniform,
 procedures/ practices
 local governing body

10. Nene Park Academy
Part of CMAT
(A Contextualised MAT)

11. • Previously Orton Longueville School – ex-grammar school with a
good reputation in Peterborough
• Below 40% A*-CEM since before 2003
• Falling roll – built for 1100, 785 on roll and dropping. PAN 180, Sept
2010 we had 52 first choices
• 35% EAL
• Poor ethos
• Poor curriculum
• Poor standards
• CMAT joined in Sept 2009 (1 person, 1 day/week) on a gaining
ground project
• Easter 2010, CMAT took over the leadership of the school
• Sept 2010, CMAT Principal, Vice Principal, + 5 other staff
• Using the support of the Trust was critical
Nene Park Academy

12. • Outward facing
– National Challenge support school
– Gaining Ground Support school
– SSAT involvement at many levels
– Work for and with the LA
– Involved with BSF for LA
• Developmental
– Introduced distributed leadership
– House model (personalisation)
– Curriculum model (personalisation)
• Built Capacity
Swavesey Village College

13. • Immediate fixes
– New Bodies who ‘get it’ – The Core Intervention Team
– Existing bodies who quickly ‘pick it up’
– Staff structural change
– Student support structural change
– Curriculum change
– Expectations
Grafting the Model

14. • Peterborough United
• Nene Park
• Local business
• LA support/partnership
• Other schools
• EAL
Using the Context

15. • Longer term issues
– Academisation
– Sustainability of the model at NPA
– Developing the MAT through partnership
• Lead from the front
– School to School support (Triads)
– SCITT
– Teaching School
– Peterborough Learning Partnership
– PRS management group
Grafting the Model

16. • PLEDGES & Inclusion
– Take the idea and improve it within the context
• Develop and share
– LinC2, 3 yr KS4,
The Return Journey

17. • Results
– 2011, 44%; 2012, 49%; 2013, 60% (in old money)
– First Oxbridge entrant this year
• Ethos
– Ofsted ‘Good’ in all categories
– Took in 200 yr7 this year at the request of LA
– 185 first choices for 2016
• Partnerships
– Schools
– Business
– Parents
• Confidence
The Impact