Sir William Atkinson Former Executive Head Phoenix High

Sir William Atkinson Former Executive Head, Phoenix High School

Transformation Through Adversity Thursday 7 th June 2018 Queen Margaret University Sir William Atkinson MA D(Open Uni) DL FRSA

White City • The White City Estate is ranked within the top 5% of the most deprived neighbourhoods nationally with regard to income level and within the 10% most deprived with regards to barriers to housing and services • 53% of tenants are in rental arrears • Wormholt and White City Ward has one of the highest standardised mortality rates • Birth rate and domestic over-crowding highlight significant health problems on the White City Estate • Highest concentration of residents on Council’s Disability and Mental Registers, as well as those receiving Community Care packages to support independent living at home 3

The Mail On Sunday • “INDEPENDENT Inspectors believe that it is possibly the worst school in Britain • A generation of inner-city children, many from poorer backgrounds have been, still being betrayed by a school, which is consistently failing to equip them for life • This is a story of a school in despair, of a comprehensive so out of control that this week Education Secretary John Patten, will name it as one of the worst in Britain • It is so bad, so obviously failing its pupils, that it may become the first in this country to be taken from council control and handed to a team of experts run under directions from Westminster. ” 4

Daily Mirror 5

TES

Ofsted: Key Judgements • There is little sense of coherent management and direction within the school • …. the implementation of policies and procedures is inconsistent between and within the main areas of the school • The school has no systematic and underpinning culture of monitoring and evaluation to inform its subsequent actions using clear, shared and agreed criteria • There is no evident and distinctive positive ethos in the school • Some staff display a lack of self confidence in their ability to ensure a suitable working environment 7

Overall Effectiveness • "The Phoenix is a remarkable School; it continues to transform the life chances of both students and their families. It can do this because the School operates from a deeply rooted understanding and heart-felt appreciation of the challenging circumstances that many of the students come from. ” • “The School is exceptionally well led by a charismatic, indefatigable headteacher who receives excellent support and challenge from a fully committed governing body. He is very ably supported by a cohesive senior leadership team who consistently deliver the School’s vision. Their resilience is a key factor in the School’s success. "

Outcomes • GCSE Results 2006 - School judged most improved in England based on maths and English GCSE results • OFSTED 2008 – School judged Outstanding • CVA Results – 5 year trend (all secondary schools) January 2011 – 2 nd January 2010 – 1 st January 2009 – 4 th January 2008 – 9 th January 2007 – 2 nd 9

Mindset In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work – brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment. Virtually all great people have had these qualities. Carol S Dweck 10

The Purpose of Education • Education needs to prepare students to… v Deal with more rapid change than ever before… … for jobs that have not yet been created… … using technologies that have not yet been invented… … to solve problems that we don’t yet know will arise • It’s not about more of the same, but about new… v Ways of thinking – involving creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving and decision making v Ways of working – including communication and collaboration v Tools for working – including the capacity to recognise and exploit the potential of new technologies v The capacity to live in a multi-faceted world as active and responsible citizens Andreas Schleicher, January 2010 11

Phoenix High School’s Code of Expectation: Expectations of the Learning Process In order to help students learn effectively it is necessary to create the means whereby they: • know what outcomes are expected from the work they do in class or at home • know their targets for all their subjects and the required steps needed in order to achieve such targets • are encouraged to work in a variety of ways as independent learners, as a partner and as a member of a group or team • are able to manage aspects of their own learning • are given active learning tasks which are not only challenging but also inspire and enthuse, thus utilising their talents and abilities to encourage measured risk taking in a climate where creativity and success is celebrated • develop transferable skills by communicating in different modes, transferring and representing information, research and other study skills 12

Facilitative Role of the teacher Didactic Authentic Nature of activities Contrived Questioning Attitude to knowledge Extended Organisation of time Bell-bound Workshop Organisation of space Classroom Group Approach to tasks Individual High Visibility of processes Self-managing Role of the learner Learning to Learn Certain Hidden Directed

Succeeding in Adversity • Clear idea of what success will look like • High expectation is required at every level of the organisation • High quality teaching and learning • Continuous Professional Development

Succeeding in Adversity • Recognition that Distributive Leadership is more effective than Heroic Leadership • Recruitment and retention of the best people • Growth Mindset is central to growing individuals • Benchmark against the best

Succeeding in Adversity • Relevant and challenging Curriculum • High quality careers education • Effective feedback is important tools for deep reflective learning • Monitoring for Development

Succeeding in Adversity • Student and staff must have an effective voice • Ability to thrive on crumbs • Avoid painting by numbers

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