The We Lead Well Podcast

It is one thing for a school to talk about values. It's another for a school to make them a living, breathing part of every aspect of school life in a way that transforms the entire community. Such is the power of Values-based Education (VbE for short), something that Julie Rees brings to life in the schools she leads and why so many people flock to visit her school to see for themselves. And come away entirely moved by the experience. Julie is an experienced and successful primary school leader who fully embraced the concept of Values-based education when she first came across it several years ago in her previous school. It totally transformed that school – a small village primary school – and she was then keen to apply such an approach in a more challenging environment, a large market town primary school with many issues relating to rural poverty and deprivation. And it worked, transforming everything almost overnight. The process in many ways is quite simple and starts with identifying seven core components to be followed across the school: Authentic modelling by adults of positive values Developing an 'inner curriculum' of thoughts, feelings and emotions Ongoing reflective practice The creation of the Values-based Education environment Building the Values-based Education curriculum Developing quality leadership The development of an ethical vocabulary These components are embedded by taking any of a number of values - from honesty and friendship to trust and responsibility – and exploring them in depth and across the whole school on a month-by-month basis. In this way they become embedded not only in the school but in every member of the community, making that community all the richer as a result. @julierees100 @WeLeadWellPodc1 vicki@weleadwell.co.uk www.transformeducationcoach.com www.heateacherchat.com www.teachwellalliance.com  

This week's episode sees the return of the brilliant Dan Edwards, Primary Executive Principal.  Dan and I discuss many of the aspects of educational leadership and how we can do things differently in order to support the wellbeing of our staff, including quality assurance and CPD. vicki@weleadwell.co.uk www.transformeducationcoach.com @WeLeadWellPodc1 www.headteacherchat.com www.teachwellalliance.com DanEdwardsword@wordpress.com #SaturdayEdChat @SaturdayEdChat

Jo Evans is CEO of St Christopher’s Multi Academy Trust, currently 18 primary schools across Plymouth, Torbay and Devon Local Authorities. Jo has been re-energising the organisation to work collaboratively, operate effectively and continue to grow in a sustainable way. Jo has a very strong research informed background, being part of the Cambridge Primary Review Board of Directors. She has been a leader in a range of rural and city schools, in which she has taken one school from Special Measures to Outstanding and the most recent from Good to Outstanding. This has been achieved through her resolve to provide a principled approach to education.  Jo has recently written a book chapter for Routledge, “Aims into Practice” and has been involved in the creation of the Church of England Professional Qualification for Headship. vicki@weleadwell.co.uk @WeLeadWellPodc1 www.headteacherchat.com www.teachwellalliance.com

Alison Kriel was born in South Africa and educated around Africa and in Ireland and the UK. She has worked in several schools, led two schools and have experienced all the education-related challenges and worked to transform the lives of thousands of children. After completing her teacher training she taught infant classes for three years before becoming a Year 6 teacher and maths coordinator at Gayhurst School in Hackney.  After one year she was appointed as Deputy Headteacher.  In 1999 I became the founder Headteacher of Betty Layward School, which was built in response to a sharp increase in the under-five population in Stoke Newington, London. The school grew to become a highly successful school, the most oversubscribed in the borough; noted for its dynamic curriculum and strong leadership. Due to her success at Betty Layward, during 2008, Alison was asked to go to the Local Authority-managed Northwold School in Hackney to act as Executive Headteacher before a visit from Government school inspectors.  The school was failing and had a high turnaround of leaders and teachers, with staffing attendance at just 64%. Thanks to the hard work of the team, under Alison's leadership the school grew from a failing school in the bottom 1% of schools to a highly successful school in the top 0.1%.  The school achieved high results and success throughout Alison's headship.  One of the key reasons that the school was so successful was that Alison believed in supporting staff wellbeing and, as a result, could recruit a talented team and sustain staffing attendance at 97% and above. When she left Northwold in 2017, after taking it through the academy conversion process, it was the highest performing school in the borough, third in London and 70th nationally. Since leaving Northwold Alison has been working as a consultant and speaker. She founded Above & Beyond in 2017. alisonkriel.com vickimaguire@weleadwell.co.uk @WeLeadWellPodc1 www.headteacherchat.com www.teachwellalliance.com

Mike Nicholson has over seventeen years experience in education as an English teacher and middle leader. Having worked in schools from every Ofsted category he has a wide range of experience across the educational spectrum and early in his career began to develop a reputation for his ability to have an impact on boys and young men deemed ‘difficult’ and ‘challenging’. Recognition of his work with this group led to a nomination for a Pearson National Teaching Award. In 2009 Mike took a sabbatical year to manage an education program called The English Language Improvement Centre in a rural area of Ethiopia, Africa. Whilst the conditions during this time were very challenging it provided Mike with a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience and a chance to change lives by developing the literacy skills of many who had previously been unable or denied the chance to learn. Over the years Mike became increasingly interested in how our male pupils’ understanding of masculinity played such a pivotal role in their attitudes and behaviours. Researching, developing and piloting an early version of the Progressive Masculinity Program allowed him to see how so many of our young men put on a performance and a mask of what they think it means to be ‘a man’ gleaned from films, games, social media etc. The refined version of the Progressive Masculinity Program is Mike’s effort to give our young men the freedom and confidence to remove this mask and, through open dialogue and practical activities, reconstruct a healthier and more open-minded understanding of what it can mean to be ‘a man’. www.transformeducationcoach.com www.headteacherchat.com www.progressivemasculinity.co.uk www.teachwellalliance.com vicki@weleadwell.co.uk @WeLeadWellPodc1

Dr. Carmen Bergmann is Managing Director for Challenging Learning. She is also co-creator for key aspects of online services, including book studies, conferences and lesson plan downloads. She is the host of an in-depth webinar series, co-author of School’s Out, Learning’s In and principal author of the Challenging Learning blog. Her excellent reputation for guiding and encouraging staff online and in-person has led to powerful cultural change in pedagogy and leadership around the world. Before joining Challenging Learning, Carmen was the assistant superintendent for a Regional Office of Education, advising and supporting schools in 30 school districts in central Illinois. This followed 11 years as a teacher, nine years as a principal and three as Director of Elementary Education. She has a master’s degree in administration, a superintendent’s certificate and an EdD in Education Administration Foundations. www.challenginglearning.com vicki@weleadwell.co.uk @WeLeadWellPodc1 www.transformeducationcoach.com www.headteacherchat.com www.teachwellalliance.com  

This week on the show I chatted to Malarvilie Krishnasamy, educational leadership consultant, coach and trainer.  We shared our thoughts on lots of things education including managing change, creating effective CPD and engaging staff.  Malarvilie is full of energy and has a real passion for improving outcomes for young people through coaching in schools. vicki@weleadwell.co.uk @WeLeadWellPodc1 https://www.malcpd.com/ www.transformeducationcoach.com  

Will you help #breakthebias? Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women's equality. Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias. Celebrate women's achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality. In this week's episode, I'm joined by Vivienne Porritt from WomenEd who shares the programme for International Women's Day. @womenEd @WeLeadWellPodc1 #breakthebias vicki@weleadwell.co.uk www.transformeducationcoach.com

In this, the 50th episode of the We Lead Well podcast, we welcome back the inimitable Drew Povey.  Drew and I chatted about all things leadership including what he's learned about leading effectively, what he learned from the leaders he worked with and the advice he would give to aspiring leaders who listen to the show.  He also recommended some leadership reading to help you to keep learning. www.transformeducationcoach.com www.headteacherchat.com www.teachwellalliance.com www.drewpovey.co.uk vicki@weleadwell.co.uk @WeLeadWellPodc1 @drewpovey  

In this episode, I chatted with teaching and learning expert Kate Jones.  As a blogger and writer she has written for many educational blogs and magazines including Teach Middle East magazine, Education Journal Middle East, UKEd magazine, Innovate My School and Teach Secondary. Kate is also an experienced coach and mentor and supports senior leaders with professional development.   She has presented at various high profile events across the UK and overseas including a keynote presentation at the UAE University focusing on innovation across the curriculum and I am delighted to be the keynote speaker at the Abu Dhabi Teaching and Learning Conference in February 2020. She has also presented in Qatar, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Hong Kong. www.lovetoteach87.com Retrieval Practice: Resource Guide: Ideas & activities for the classroom Retrieval Practice 2: Implementing, embedding & reflecting The Teaching Life: Professional Learning and Career Progression Love to Teach: Research And Resources For Every Classroom Retrieval Practice: Research & Resources for every classroom: Resources and research for every classroom Wiliam & Leahy's Five Formative Assessment Strategies in Action (In Action Series)