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System leadership
“Together, we
Pamela
Wright,
Principal
of Wade
Deacon
School in
Widnes,
believes that sponsorship
and collaboration gives
schools the chance to
surpass their potential
Following our recent successful conversion to academy
status, I began to consider the next stage in Wade Deacon’s
future by undertaking research into the benefits of potential
sponsorship of other schools. In many ways, I would argue that
sponsorship is a logical extension of what we at Wade Deacon
have always done, which is to actively engage in collaboration so
that learning opportunities are enhanced for all members of the
respective school communities.
As a leader and teacher, I have always been open and receptive
to sharing good practice. In the past this may have been done on
both a formal and informal basis but, over the last five years, I
would maintain that Wade Deacon has ‘sponsored’ other schools
and worked closely with them to achieve solid and sustained
progress. We have been a National Support School since 2008
and are currently working with a local primary school and also a
secondary school in a neighbouring authority.
Prior to our conversion, we were asked by the local
authority to work with a primary school that had been placed
in special measures and also enter into a hard federation with
a neighbouring secondary school in order to work towards its
successful closure. I strongly felt that the systems and policies
that were in place at Wade Deacon were clear, unambiguous
and, most importantly, worked. I was interested to see whether
or not they would do so in other settings and circumstances.
Areas that definitely made a difference were the strategies we
used for pupil tracking and consequent intervention, proformas
for lesson observation, pastoral care procedures
and systems and also strategies to ensure and enable
effective behaviour for learning.
Obviously tweaking took place but I was
delighted that both schools improved
their accredited outcomes through the
introduction and implementation
of Wade Deacon’s systems. I felt
that it was vital to explain
the purpose clearly prior
to the introduction
of any new system
and then ask all
the members
of staff involved
to reflect upon its
impact.
I would not claim that my
school has a universal panacea
for any institution or that there
were no challenges that had to be
faced up to and addressed. I knew that all
members of the leadership team had faith and
belief in the merit and value of our systems as
they had ownership through their close involvement
in devising, producing and implementing our systems
and strategies but I also knew that they would listen to,
and work with, the staff of the respective schools in order to
share good practice. As a consequence, all members benefited.
I strongly feel that, having worked closely in two very different
settings, both individually and collectively, there was an increase
in professional and personal capacity.
16 | Summer 2014