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System leadership
The true strength of the work of the Upton
Court Trust is that excellent teachers and leaders
from differing institutions across Slough have been
able to come together to make education better
for so many young people. It is not a result of the
singular leadership of one individual but that
professionals who want to make a difference to
young people’s lives and to build community have
come together to facilitate change
Key here also has been school leaders listening to pupils’ views
and making changes as required. The school has made changes to
the lessons at the start of the day with ‘early work’ as pupils had
perceived the beginning of the school day as ‘boring’ and had
therefore been choosing to be late.
The school also sends the message that ‘every lesson counts’
and monitors attendance unremittingly which has contributed to
the great improvements made. Rewards and incentives play a big
part too and one student in each Key Stage left the last assembly
of the Autumn Term with a brand new bicycle and regularly
good attendees have a ‘golden hour’.
Priority 5: Improve leadership and management
Another strength of the arrangement has been the establishment
of the Trust Wide SLT (TWSLT) which sees the various senior
leaders at Upton Court, Foxborough, Marish and Willow come
together to share expertise and plan. Joint training has been
undertaken and more is planned for the future including a
training day on creating inspirational learning environments and
on learning-centred leadership.
Priority 6: Improve parental engagement
With regards to parental engagement, the school has improved
communications including opening up a ‘parents surgery’ and
has identified opportunities for children’s work to be shared
during ‘showcase’ sessions. The school also celebrates local
diversity through events such as the Summer and Christmas
Fairs; summer 2013 saw a record turnout of parents with, among
others, members of the local Somalian community setting up
cultural stalls.
The true strength of the work of the Upton Court Trust is
that excellent teachers and leaders from differing institutions
across Slough have been able to come together to make
education better for so many young people. It is not a result of
the singular leadership of one individual but that professionals
who want to make a difference to young people’s lives and
to build community have come together to facilitate change.
A shared understanding of each other’s work has enabled
all schools to benefit, and this is where the future lies for the
Upton Court Trust.
Summer 2014 | 21