Presentations from Graeme Logan and SCEL

1. Welcome to our
Leading Edge 2016 Conference

2. Transforming lives through learning
Graeme Logan
Strategic Director, Education Scotland
@GLoganEd
AHDS Conference: Leading Edge
Thursday 28 April 2016

3. Transforming lives through learning
Overview
• A brief national overview of the progress of the Scottish Attainment
Challenge to date
• Practice emerging across the programme and early insights on what is
working well
• Implementing the National Improvement Framework
• Excellence and equity for all children – what next?
• Key advice for session 2016/17

4. Transforming lives through learning

5. Transforming lives through learning
The priorities
Excellence
and
Equity
Raising attainment (universal)
and
Closing the gap (selective intervention)
Generic/ universal improvement planning won’t
close the gap (eg raise attainment in writing)

6. Transforming lives through learning
Building on ‘Improving Schools in Scotland: An OECD
Perspective’, December 2015
“Be rigorous about the gaps to be closed and
pursue relentlessly “ closing the gap” and
“raising the bar simultaneously”
Improving Schools in Scotland: An OECD
Perspective, 2015
Which ‘gaps’ exist in your school?
How are they measured?
How will they be reduced?
How will you know?

7. Transforming lives through learning
Looking
with an
equity lens
within our
schools
Knowledge
or habits?
What
needs to
change

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p15

9. Transforming lives through learning
P1 vocabulary gap – top initial priority
• Up to 18 months difference in vocabulary of children from the
most and least advantaged areas
• Curriculum model/ curriculum flexibility in early years
• Working with partners such as Speech and Language services
• If we can reduce the vocabulary gap the attainment gap won’t
continue to widen as children move through school
• Assess it, plan the right curriculum, assess again
• Developing a ‘3D’ curriculum rationale?

10. Transforming lives through learning
Demonstrating equity
• Expected progress for all
• Excellent progress for many
• All SIMD bands proportionately represented in the
‘excellent’
• In other words, no pattern of lower attainment for children
in lower SIMD bands
and numeracy

11. Transforming lives through learning
The role of primary school leaders….
• Create the best learning environment for staff?
• Look at your chain of impact
• Change the destiny of children living in poverty. Nature gives us
the ‘bell curve’ of attainment levels. If we don’t change the bell
curve we are not doing our jobs properly!
• Are we always looking for the next big thing when we haven’t
done the last big thing well enough? (eg AiFL)
• Very high quality learning and teaching closes gaps. Average
learning and teaching doesn’t (Dylan William 2016)

12. Transforming lives through learning
High quality learning and teaching
• AiFL: relationship between what I did and what children learned
• Making statements is often more productive than asking
questions
• What is a learning intention? It’s what we write in our jotters at
the start of a lesson while the teacher gets organised
• Sometimes telling children the LI routinely at the start of every
lesson can lead to uninspiring teaching and spoils the journey
• Get them thinking like historians in history lessons, scientists in
science lessons! What are the big concepts/ ideas?

13. Local Shop Learning
‘If you were running a supermarket instead of a school and saw that 30 out of
100 customers each day left your shop without buying anything, you would
think about changing your inventory. But that does not happen easily in
schools because of deeply rooted, even if scientifically unsupported, beliefs
that learning can only occur in a particular way.’
Lord Knight of Weymouth, quoted
Education Britain: The Journey to Education Reform,
Education Foundation 2011

14. Know what impacts
Metacognition
Effective Feedback and Marking
Skilled Questioning
Informed Task Design
Collaborative Learning
Memorability
Expectation (Growth Mindset)
Education Endowment Fund website

15. Learning behaviours
Noticing
Explaining things
Asking good questions
Learning something new
Practising hard till you get it right
Thinking carefully
Listening carefully
Trying different ways of doing things
Being a learning friend who helps others learn
Making someone else happy
Becoming better at sharing
Reading every day
Best learning
behaviours?
Pupil Council campaign
and involvement in
monitoring and
evaluating these
behaviours
How good is our school 4
– pupil friendly version
launching SLF September
2016

16. Is it really good enough?
• Constantly talk about standards
• What you permit you promote
• Do better than before: quality of feedback
• Doing the right things, for the right reasons, in the right way
everyday
• Excellence in what we say, write, do and make
• Dreaming with determination (Hargreaves 2015)

17. When it comes to learning (and
resultant achievement), what
individuals believe about the concept
of ability is more important than
‘ability’ itself.

18. the ability to
dream and set goals
for the future,
while being inspired
in the present
to reach those dreams.
The importance of aspirations

19. Transforming lives through learning
Essential professional reading

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The Scottish Attainment Challenge
Scottish
Attainment
Challenge
February
2015
7
Challenge
Authorities
July 2015
57
Schools
Programme
August
2015
32
Attainment
Advisors
November
2015
Innovation
Fund
January
2016
Additional
Funding
February
2016

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Challenge Authorities

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Universal Support – Attainment Advisors
Understanding
the local
authority
Visiting schools
Attending
meetings
Understanding
current
approaches
Working with
schools
Reviewing plans
and assisting
with forward
planning

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Universal Support – National Improvement Hub

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Current Practice

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So how are
you closing
the gap in
your school?

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Collaborative Activity
Assessment
and
SAC
South
Ayrshire
Falkirk
East
Dunbarton-
shire

27. Transforming lives through learning
Planning for next year
• Be bold and courageous
• Be ambitious
• Believe in your ability to make
a difference
• Work together to make a
difference
• Get to grip with your ‘gaps’
and close them!

28. Transforming lives through learning
Excellence and equity for
every child in Scotland
What are you doing now?
What else could you do?

29. Transforming lives through learning
Moving from familiarisation to implementation
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/resources/h/hgios4/

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How Good is our School 4
15 revised quality indicators include:
• Teaching, learning and assessment
• Personalised support
• Raising attainment and achievement
• Family learning and engagement
• Curriculum: courses and programmes replaced with learner pathways
• Translates and connects all current policy priorities into a clear set of
indicators/ areas of action
• There are more ‘good bits’ of schools than there are ‘good’ schools!

31. Transforming lives through learning
What will we hope to see in relation to the
3 NIF Quality Indicators?
Leadership of change
• Clarity and impact of shared vision (not too generic!)
• Values and aims shared across school community, alive and underpinning decision
making and daily actions
• Consistent impact from improvement planning across the school
• Clear methods and approaches to implementing change, which everyone buys into and
understands.

32. Transforming lives through learning
What will we hope to see in relation to the
3 NIF Quality Indicators?
Learning, teaching and assessment:
• impact of the curriculum and clarity of approaches
• quality of learning and engagement
• quality of teaching
• effective use of assessment
• clear, streamlined, high impact approaches to planning, tracking and monitoring
• well planned, targeted additional interventions

33. Transforming lives through learning
What will we hope to see in relation to the
3 NIF Quality Indicators?
Raising attainment and achievement:
• quality of attainment in literacy and numeracy
• trends in attainment over time
• overall quality and breadth of learners’ achievements
• ways in which the school can demonstrate equity for all learners.

34. Transforming lives through learning
What will outstanding schools be
doing next year?
• Proportionate approach to monitoring and evaluation
• Collaborate: essential for excellence
• Clear learning and teaching strategies in place to reduce the impact of
poverty on progress and achievement
• Highest levels of confidence and consistency in teacher judgement of CfE
levels
• Consider national improvement framework priorities and drivers in your
school improvement planning 2016/17
• Generic and targeted elements to improvement plan priorities
• Moving from parental involvement to family learning offer/ programme

35. Transforming lives through learning
National Improvement Framework
Our Priorities
• Improvement in attainment,
particularly in literacy and
numeracy;
• Closing the attainment gap between
the most and least disadvantaged
children;
• Improvement in children and young
people’s health and wellbeing; and
• Improvement in employability skills
and sustained, positive school
leaver destinations for all young
people.

36. Transforming lives through learning
What’s next?
2016
Assessing children’s progress
• Development and piloting of new national standardised assessments
• Publication of advice and guidance on achievement of a CfE level in literacy and numeracy
• Increased moderation and support for teacher professional judgement
• Further work to develop evidence from early years activity and alignment with school years
Reporting arrangements
• Interim reporting arrangements for schools and local authorities
• Work with local authorities and parent organisations to improve the consistency of reporting to
parents of children’s progress
• Development of statutory guidance on reporting duties under Education (Scotland) Bill
Performance information
• Inclusion of Key Performance Indicators from Developing Young Workforce programme
• Consideration of a wider range of awards and achievements including those gained from
Community Learning and Development

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What’s next ?
2017
Assessing children’s progress
• Introduction of new national standardised assessments in school
• Introduction of more evidence on early years
Reporting
• New reporting duties under Education (Scotland) Bill
• First statutory Framework reporting for schools and local authorities
2018
Assessing children’s progress
• Development of standardised assessments for Gaelic Medium Education
• Consideration of evidence of children’s progress in other curricular areas
Performance information
• Dashboard for school, local authority and national use

38. Scottish College for Educational
Leadership:
Improving Leadership Capacity at all Levels in Scottish Education
Lesley Whelan

39. Leading Learning
“The importance of leadership for successful
learning and the need to develop leadership
qualities and skills from the outset of a career have
been strong themes throughout this report. Scottish
education needs to develop leadership attributes in
all staff as well as identifying and supporting
systematically its future headteachers.”
December 2010

40. Our Mission
…. is to bring clarity and coherence to educational leadership in Scotland, ensuring that all
teachers and early years practitioners engage with the most relevant, meaningful and inspiring
professional learning and development. We will achieve this by:
• Building and growing a new, sustainable organisation that understands and adds real value
to teachers, practitioners and pupils in Scotland
• Establishing the expert role of SCEL at home and internationally by building a strong
knowledge and research base which ensures ongoing improvement and leading edge
learning
• Engaging across and beyond the system - enhancing relationships, networks and
communities to identify and share best practice in leadership learning and development
• Providing access to a robust, relevant and fit for purpose suite of leadership learning
programmes and opportunities that draw on international best practice to meet unique local
and national needs, strengthening individual and collective leadership capacity across
Scotland.

41. Our Vision
…to work in partnership with the profession and other national organisations to deliver an
education system in Scotland where every teacher and early years practitioner benefits from
excellent leadership learning and development to make a direct difference to young people
and society.

42. Scope of SCEL
• Teacher Leadership
• Middle Leadership
• School Leadership
• System Leadership
• Early Years Leaders and Practitioners

43. School Leadership
Headship Preparation

44. New National Into Headship Qualification
To ensure aspirant and new Head Teachers are supported to develop and continue to build the
necessary knowledge, skills and understanding required of senior leaders
Our aspiration is to have a Masters pathway which will include three parts:

45. National Into Headship Programme - Background
• Design group
• Recruitment and selection group – agreed
process
– target group
• Focus on specificity of headship – mapped to
Standard for Headship
• 60 Masters credits
(SCQF Level 11)
• Programme development is guided by:
flexibility, access, coherence, relevance to
practice, competence
• Mandatory from 2018/19
• Programme now fully funded for three year
period

46. National Into Headship Programme
Aims:
• develop and deepen the ability to critically reflect and enquire to enhance their strategic
leadership practice
• develop their strategic leadership and management skills in practice as specified by the
Standard for Headship in Scotland
• build and apply sound knowledge and understanding of strategic leadership and management
practice and theory in the context of the role of headteacher
• design and initiate a strategic change initiative which will strengthen the school’s capability for
improvement to meet the Standard for Headship.

47. National Drivers

48. National Into Headship Programme
Programme elements – delivered by SCEL, University and
supported by Local Authority including:
• self-evaluation task against the SfH
• ESCI and critical reflection of this supported through
initial work with a dedicated ESCI Feedback facilitator
• SCEL launch conference and mid way conference
• introduction to study skills: critical reading and critical
reflective writing
• HT Mentor
• Coaching
• online supported study management modules

49. National Into Headship Programme
Structure
• Two courses 1 x 20 credit, 1 x 40 credit
• Course 1 – preparing for strategic leadership
• Course 2 – initiating, building and reviewing progress of a strategic change
process and building a longer term strategy
• Progress assessed and supported through formative and summative
assessment methods

50. Accessing the National Into Headship Qualification
Access is through a nationally agreed application form evidencing:
• full registration with the GTCS
• demonstration of experience of significant leadership practice as appropriate in their sector
context
• Areas – professional learning, leadership experience, critical reflection related to the SfH and
leadership practice, headship readiness
• endorsement/sponsorship by their employer
• a supportive reference from their Head Teacher/employer;
• access to a suitable work environment in order to be able to undertake the practice-based
components of the programme
• demonstration of readiness/potential for headship within the next 2/3 years

51. National Into Headship Programme
Cohort 2 Recruitment
• Forms on the website – application form, equality monitoring form, HT
endorsement
• FAQ’s
• Into Headship applicant guide
• http://www.scelscotland.org.uk/what-we-offer/into-headship/

52. National Into Headship Programme
Current Position
• GTCS Accreditation and university validation process
• Programmes in place in 7 universities
• 145 participants recruited
• Management modules via Moodle
• Engagement with participants and those supporting them
• Quality assurance process
• Middle Leadership and Extended Induction
• Recruitment for Cohort 2 – started end March to be complete by end June.

53. National Into Headship Programme
Our learning:
• Nature of the programme and target group
• Relevance
• Communication
• Timing
• Working collaboratively

54. The Framework for Educational
Leadership
Recommendation 46:
A clear, progressive educational leadership pathway should be developed, and
embodies the responsibility of all leaders to build the professional capacity of
staff
TSF 2010

55. Interactive, vibrant on-line resource which:
• Supports effective self-evaluation
• Develops confidence in using the model of professional learning
• Identifies relevant success criteria
• www.scelframework.com
SCEL Framework for Educational Leadership

56. Includes:
• Key areas of focus
• What areas of leadership practice should I focus on?
• SCEL professional learning activities mapped to GTCS Standards
• What specific activities can I undertake?
• Access to a wide range of relevant learning resources
• What resources can I use to support my learning?
SCEL Framework for Educational Leadership

57. Teacher Leadership
www.SCELengage.com

58. Teacher Leadership – SCEL Engage
Aims: by the end of the process you should have:
• developed your understanding of teacher leadership and
your role as a teacher leader
• co-constructed approaches to supporting teacher
leadership which could be applied within your
community, and nationally through SCEL
• experienced an innovative engagement approach which
you could develop and use in your own practice.

59. Early Years

60. What’s next?

61. • Expansion of SCEL Framework to support early learning and childcare
• Teacher Leadership – SCEL Conference 12 May 2016
• Into Headship
• Delivery and quality assurance: cohort 1
• Recruitment of cohort 2
• Development of middle leadership and extended induction components
• Fellowship programme and system leadership
• Regional Network Leaders
• Organisational development and growth
Next steps

62. Thank you
lesley.whelan@scelscotland.org.uk