A New Year and a whole new ball game!

With the problems of the snow and the flu and how they affected the Christmas production hopefully a distant memory, most of you will now be facing the remainder of the academic year with a degree of uncertainty and a budget to balance.

The new government continues to march on, with Mr Gove intent on an agenda that sometimes feels a little archaic and rooted in traditionalist vein. Behind all the rhetoric and the huffing and puffing there are some hopeful signs,  but I suspect that leaders in schools are a little apprehensive at the reduced levels of support and challenge that they can expect from Local Authorities, especially since there is no longer a statutory obligation for every school to have a funded School Improvement Partner. 

I personally have really enjoyed working as a SIP for the past four years and really value the relationships that have been built with head teachers, governors and pupils. So much so that I want to continue to work in a similar way, at least in the next twelve months, until things settle down and we can see what schools will need under the new arrangements that I can help with.

So......... I have invented "SIP Replacement Therapy" !

Special Offer!

Between April 2011 and the end of March 2012 Inspir.ed will offer three full days in school supporting school leaders and their governors in self evaluation and school improvement initiatives of their choice. The daily charge is reduced from the normal £400 per day to £333. Thus, for less than £1000 (and at a saving of £201 on Inspir.ed’s normal daily rate) the school would secure the services of a highly professional “CRITICAL FRIEND” whose sole aim would be to provide quality support and challenge to schools seeking continual improvement in meeting the unique needs of the communities they serve.

The number of schools I can accommodate is limited, but if you are interested in this offer , or would like to discuss other forms of support or training that could be personalised to your needs, please contact me through this site and I will be pleased to help.

 Heads Together-On the CASE

The first meeting of this group was very well attended and fresh coffee and homemade doughnuts were the order of the day in pleasant surroundings at St Keyna Primary School. Dedicated to providing time and space for quality discussion of current issues around Curriculum, Assessment and  Self Evaluation, this collaborative network of leaders will meet three times a year to receive up to date information and news of useful resources available to help them improve and develop the way they want to-creatively !

The next meeting will take place on the morning of March 14th at a venue yet to be decided (watch this news space) and the featured refreshment will be Dorset Apple Cake!

Finally, for your information, a group called "Whole Education" is worth keeping an eye on. They are running a series of conferences (  "Whose Curriculum is it anyway?" ) in the next few months where keynote speakers are John Durnford /or Mick Waters and workshop sessions feature schools that are doing really innovative things that smack of 21st rather than 20th century educational approaches.

I really hope someone gives Mr Gove a free ticket!!

Have a good term!