The SMT: Shared warmth, accountability and purpose

Journal entry:

Is my management team stable, aware of policy and new research and guidance, and moving with a clear direction? Is succession planning necessary and if so, in place?

We’ve all heard of the concept of impostor syndrome.  If you feel it, please don't worry in the slightest. It is sensible to always be suspicious of those who crave, dream of - or worse, expect - positions of leadership.  

The reasons behind such ambition are often questionable - more money; the need to satisfy the expectations of others; a sense of entitlement or superiority or need to act out authority.  None of these are qualities required to lead a team effectively and sustainably through the execution of a shared warmth, accountability and purpose (three things that do not always go hand-in-hand).

Indeed, it is my philosophy that the most effective headteachers are those who create a team of leaders - each far better at their role than the head themselves. Although this quickly leads to unnerving feelings that one is surplus to requirements, there is a true sense of satisfaction and accomplishment to such an approach, as well as a security and assuredness within that leadership team, were any one of them, particularly the Head to not be available.

Every one of the current Senior Academic Management team and Business Management team at Cransley - except maybe two - were persuaded and promoted because, whilst they were already had the potential to lead others in their field, they hadn’t recognised it in themselves. They required only the opportunity to build experience and dedicated training or coaching to become leaders.

Mrs Clare Lancaster had been an experienced Geography teacher for many years at Cransley, but was persuaded by my predecessor Simon Leyshon to take the role as ‘Head of Faculty’ - a rather functional title tenuously grouping half of the subjects teachers.  Deputy headship came in temporary form, by abhorring the vacuum left by the long-term absence of my previous Deputy (someone I employed from outside of the school - I was after all, and new and inexperienced Head).  It didn't take long to develop trust and awareness of Mrs Lancaster’s potential as a permanent Deputy headteacher and Senior Academic leader.  She will be missed as she steps away from the role at the end of this year, after seven brilliant years - although, thank goodness, she’ll only be upstairs teaching Geography.

Mr Rob Morris was the only member of my management team who was employed from outside of Cransley, specifically to take the Deputy Headteacher role and lead the Junior School into a new era.  His previous 15 successful years of teaching across a variety of difficult primary schools locally, clearly gave him both the clarity of exceptional practice and the understanding of pedagogical development needed to continue to make the Juniors into one of the very best settings for any young person. Mr Morris is now completing his Master in Educational Leadership after 18 months of demanding study and analysis, with a deserving distinction. I am sure he has been sought by other schools, with several high level vacancies recently arising amongst large independent settings, and I trust that his heart and soul is definitely Cransley’s for a little while yet.

Mrs Clare Holt had the role of administrator and PA to the headteacher, but her commitment to the school, knowledge of families and awareness of the Estate gave her more potential than had been realised.  Bespoke training alongside a specialist Health and Safety consultant, and extensive training to complete her catchy ‘NEBOSH General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety’ (learning alongside her peers in British Nuclear Energy, no less), provided her with the skills and confidence to not only run but rapidly develop the Estate, and managing the complexities of a company workforce as Operations Manager. (P.S. It’s a special birthday for her today.  Can’t say which one.)

Mrs Suzanne Parrott’s corporate experience as an accountant with PWC and local awareness made her a superb appointment almost 11 years ago as the Director of Finance of a school which, for some years prior to that, had perhaps lacked that direction.  The task was considerable, and made even more urgent by the troubles Cransley experienced in 2016.  Her superb bookkeeping, analysis and budgeting was utterly essential in the School’s regrowth, providing a deepening reliability and security in its management accounts, financial prudence in its investments and accountability on the performance of Cransley School Ltd.  It is not surprising, now that both of her children have left Cransley having had wonderful achievements here, both earning the position as Head Pupil, that she has been tempted back into the corporate sector this November. 

Mrs Jill Pargeter’s presence was clear for all to see, and hear, as a teacher of PE (the ability of a sports coach to be able to halt a pupil at 200 yards amongst a crowd being near-mandatory). However her absolute awareness and functional care for the wellbeing of all children in the school only became truly apparent as she dedicated herself to understanding the law and statutory guidance around child protection as the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead.  This role requires the facility to have the most difficult of conversations with pupils, parents and staff, as well as local authority designated officers, social care and even the police. Combine this with ensuring the highest standards in pupil behaviour, and we have one of the most difficult jobs in any school.  Mrs Pargeter has executed this role without fail and she deserves her calm and peaceful retirement at Easter.

The COVID-era accelerated the next stage in Mrs Jill Cosgrove’s career from a capable and effective business studies and computer science teacher to Assistant Headteacher.  As the need to develop an online facility became apparent, she saw the opportunity and led the considerable development of CSO through the Google Workspace for Education, with all of its new policies, new systems, new pedagogy and new resources.  What is now second nature to us all and utterly integrated to the future of education, then required careful coaching of a staffing body who, at the time, were split in half - those who could but didn't know how and those who didn't want to in the first place.  A strong personality in the classroom and staffroom has developed the necessary sensitivity and awareness to be a successful manager.  Now, she takes the complex but rewarding lead in the mentorship of new students and early career teachers, alongside her management of systems and academic administration.

Once upon a time in Trafford, there was a group of young teachers fresh into their careers - many of whom were both capable and carefully coached in new ways of classroom management, an awareness of the many varying needs of pupils and the use of technology to better their opportunities and realise potential.  One of these was Mrs Sarah Hanson who took the time, not only become an excellent primary teacher, but an expert in dyslexia, its diagnosis and the pedagogical approach required to bring equity to pupils’ experience in the classroom.  Mrs Hanson joined Cransley as a remote dyslexia assessor and support teacher, ten years ago, before being persuaded to come back to the classroom. A little encouragement was required for her to see her own potential as the School SENCo, and take on the hugely difficult task of managing a number of Educational Health Care Plans from six different local authority SEN teams and systems, GCSE access arrangements and the day to day excellent practice and differentiation in the classroom.

It struck me recently that most of the Junior School parent group did not know the make up of the SMT, and maybe this has now been rectified. Undoubtedly each of my team will be suitably modest and embarrassed to be praised in such a way, but I feel parents should know the experience and expertise driving the school forward.

I have asked each one to add a written piece on chosen area to be shared on this Journal. Watch this space.

The three members of the management team who are leaving this year, have, thankfully, given me the notice, time and the opportunity to find and recruit exceptional successors for the continued growth and development of the school and have a smooth and effective transition.

This is the legacy of any true leader. I owe them a great deal of thanks.

Richard Pollock

Headteacher

Our Governors: A Necessary Pedantry

In my journal…

Are our policies and practices reviewed, updated and compliant? 

Is the Board fully informed?

Monday evening brought about the first of three termly full Governing Board Meetings.

The six current Governors of Cransley School, chaired by Professor Darren Walter, have been drawn from a range of professional and personal backgrounds, including present and past parents, and volunteer necessary experience, constructive thought and analysis to the leadership of the School.

Good governance ensures the highest standards in the School's strategic leadership, financial health, and educational standards while upholding its ethos and vision.

This requires members to act with integrity, make effective, strategic decisions, and hold the school accountable through clear roles, responsibilities, and performance monitoring. 

Key responsibilities include ensuring financial sustainability, providing a safe and compliant environment, and fostering a diverse and effective leadership, building strong, supportive relationships between the board and school leaders.

We have three sub-committees of three or four governors, each of which also meets a minimum of once a term - Academic and Wellbeing; Welfare, Risk and Compliance, and Finance, Business and Premises.  Each reports back to the full Board.

Professor Walter and I meet each week to discuss a range of issues.

As the headteacher and Chair, we need our governors, both current and future, to be committed, loyal and utterly pupil-centred, academically and pastorally, through an understanding of our values, a critical friendship, a necessary pedantry, maybe, and a willingness to do an awful lot of reading. 

There are in practice over 30 Cransley School policies, describing the necessary practice required to ensure the school is compliant against the Independent School Standards regulations (ISSRs).  Policies from safeguarding and child protection to behaviour management, safer recruitment to curriculum and assessment, Trips and risk assessments to first aid and intimate care.

Many of these can extend over 80 pages, and my management team and I have to pore over these to ensure compliance and good practice, and submit them to the board for reading, review and final ratification, just as an ISI inspector would, before they are then published, and any changes to our practice made.  The review cycle usually takes two years, but several key policies require annual review.

Staff are then required to read and understand many of these policies.

Cransley School has been compliant throughout the last 12 years, confirmed by three increasingly glowing ISI inspections, and interim material change inspections (made necessary by our growth in numbers).  The last inspection was in November 2023, when, despite being only the 46th school to be inspected under the new format, assessed to have a ‘significant strength’ setting us apart from many other schools who have been inspected since.  In fact I believe only 12 of all independent schools in the North-West have such a (to quote the Junior School PPB) special mention.  

The three-year inspection cycle will bring the next ISI visit in a year’s time and not only has Cransley continued to consolidate its practice, but its educational provision is growing and developing more than ever, and the governors and senior leaders more experienced with each day.

The parental and pupil voice dominates the inspection process and outcome.  To that end, I will be sending a general review survey to parents in October, which I ask you please to take time to complete.

In the meantime, we press on through a busy term.  As I type, the rain is still hammering down after 12 hours.  Thank goodness we delayed our Open Day…

Yours

Richard Pollock

Headteacher

Development: The Second Curve

This happens at the start of every year.  I half-write a journal entry and then something else note-worthy happens, I begin another entry and I neglect to complete both.  The result is either a huge single entry full of items, or three shorter entries in close succession (surely much preferred).

Grab a coffee/chardonnay/small dog and read at your convenience. 

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Dear Journal

Has the year begun well?

Is our events calendar full, fun and shared?

Are the staff focused, trained, motivated and equipped for the year ahead?  

Is the new timetable working?

Are Friday Afternoons running smoothly?

It never fails to astonish me how different two adjacent weeks can be as the summer closes and a new school year begins.  From a peaceful planned period of completion of the Estate works at the end of August, to the high energy of a now-major, year-opening festival and the full influx of hundreds of fresh and refreshed faces.

To see Cransleyfest in full flight: lights dancing on the Hall; guests dancing on the lawn; fireworks dancing in the eyes, allows me a moment to take stock of the school’s ever progressing development, as it begins the academic year.  That moment to take a long breath before the show begins.

I watched this time with a more critical eye after five iterations of the event, and concluded - rightly or wrongly (someone will eventually let me know) - that the festival itself is still engaging for all ages, entertaining, well-timed and worth holding.  

Note to self, to speak to the team who sorted the weather…

The Cransley events calendar (see the schoolbase portal or Mr Morris’s recent email) is packed full of more and more occasions, for pupils and parents alike with every year that goes by.  And as a result this term tends to sweep by in a blur.  There is not a week that goes by without a major event taking place in school - from Head’s coffee mornings, parents evenings, ISA Art exhibitions, promotional filmmaking, guest speakers, trips and activities out of school, Harvest, Fireworks and Christmas festivals and productions and services, Open days, open afternoons, makers’ markets, occasions when we are hosting both Mr Morris’s Association of Junior Independent Schools and my group of fellow ISA Headteachers in the North West,  and much more.

My colleagues and I recognise that being a Cransley family is as much about a sense of experience and opportunity as it is about anything else.  I hope we meet that brief.

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As employees of the school, we are part of a truly talented group of colleagues, each ever-increasingly expert in their field.

The year began with two intense training days for staff on mandatory safeguarding and child protection, our next careful but confident strides in the development use of AI in teaching and assessment, some exemplary pedagogical research, a wider sector overview and my outline development curve for the year ahead.  

If you are unlucky enough to find yourself talking with me at a Head’s coffee morning, I might chunter on about Sigmoid Curve theory, which describes a common life cycle pattern of growth, maturity, and decline, observed in various systems like businesses, products, technologies, and even individuals. 

If you haven’t encountered such a dull conversation topic before, it's an S-shaped concept curve that begins slowly, then enters a period of rapid, almost exponential growth, followed by a slowing growth rate as it approaches a plateau of maturity or saturation.  It can model projects, physical and mental activities, even relationships.

Sigmoid Curve Theory 1

A crucial aspect of the sigmoid curve theory, especially in business, is the concept of the "second curve" (yellow dotted curve above) which must be identified and started before the first one peaks, not once it is in decline (brown dotted curve).

The second curve initiates by recognising slowing growth from a previous curve, and the need for something new.  Progress isn’t immediate, because everyone gets twitchy - no one likes change and people love WhatsApp. Problems have to be predicted and addressed, plans have to be fail-safe and accurate, even when based on soft data and theory.  Time and effort and thought and collaboration is required.

Then, after this, when everything is readied, the change takes place and everyone starts to see the benefit of why the second curve was bought in in the first place.  Eventually these benefits become appreciated and normalised.  Everyone settles in, and growth is allowed to happen. 

Sigmoid Curve Theory 2

Having been the headteacher now for over nine years, and deputy prior to that, there have been hundreds of different curves which together have led to the school’s continued development - pedagogically, financially, operationally - and a school of our size is more flexible and adaptive than many other larger schools in bringing about those changes successfully.  

The latest major Sigmoid curves, amongst others are the development of AI in teaching and learning practice (more of which will be shared in another journal post) and the new timetable.

We may still be coming out of the ‘uncertainty’ stage, but we can see the reality backing up our theory, and that the decision was the right one.  Talking to parents and pupils and colleagues, even seeking out those who objected a few months ago, we can see that the benefits are being recognised and appreciated: Pupils don’t really notice the longer day, but teachers appreciate the increase in teaching time, and both feel that the Friday afternoon is a happy reward.  We know that the Friday lunch service is being fine tuned and we will better ourselves with every week.  If we are still making the mistakes in November, then complain.  I am right here, and ready to listen.

I would love for other schools, and their staff and pupils, to follow suit, and reap the benefits (and they are indeed asking) but to be frank, they all are far too large and rigid to move on such an idea.  Our agile, aspirant and flexible nature makes Cransley true pioneers in doing this.

Enough for now.  You have finished your cup of tea and I am heading home.

Yours, as ever

Mr Pollock

Headteacher

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Next Journal entry:

Are our policies reviewed, updated and compliant? 

Are the Board fully informed?