Academies
Improving Educational
Standards
Alan Yellup OBE
Chief Executive officer
Wakefield City Academies Trust [WCAT]
ayellup@wcatrust.org
Session Aims
To:
 keep you awake and engaged
 some disclaimers
 a little background
 a tough school improvement journey
 shaping my improvement philosophy
 becoming an academy & sponsor of academies
 MATs and raising standards
 having some fun* along the way
*archaic concept little used or valued in education
OED definition: Enjoyment, amusement, or light-hearted pleasure
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jargon
Ofsted
unnecessary bureaucracy
pedlars of doom
experts
‘eye’ specialists
those lacking compassion
The Life And Times Of Alan
FrrFreeman
City of
London
Steering groups
A Tough Journey
Of School Improvement
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11-16, multi ethnic - inner city location
mile from the city centre-tough troubled estate
very high social & material deprivation
buildings – old and outdated [Not on the Grand Tour!!]
low ability intake – [invariably bottom 10% Nationally]
86% families hard pressed/modest means
little family history of FE or HE
rock bottom of every KPI
low morale/anomie – staff, students, parents & LA
located in a city famous only for rhubarb
My welcome to Headship
Student Context
Unvalidated Results 2015
iGCSE Tainted!
Key Performance
Indicator
WCA %
All Nat
Schools
%
Late 1990s
%
5A*-C
English/Maths
A*-C
English/Maths
A*-C English
56
52.8
9
62
64
54.9
68.1
12
16
A*-C Maths
81
68.0
9
Value Added
1020
1000
E*
Remember these are students who enter school well below national
and local averages- many English non speakers
Resultant Recognition
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National Teaching School
DfE Approved Academy Sponsor as a MAT
Beacon status
3 consecutive Outstanding Sec.5 reports
HPSS HPSS
IQM
Leading Edge Lead School
Specialist Maths & Computing College
Consultant School – Tribal, ISP and SSAT
Pathfinder School - Whole Education
National Support School
Summary Of My Journey
So What Did I Learn
From the outset of headship
central to all school improvement is:
a) High quality leadership
fostering a positive school ethos
in which everyone matters
and is valued
b) Collaboration is key
Acquired Wisdom From
My Leadership 1st XI
1. Plato
Manager: Crossley
2. Newton
6. Hoffer
4. Churchill
7. Koestler
9. Jones
Ass’t Manager: Goethe
5. Einstein
3. Disraeli
8. Archibald
11.Shaw
10.Waller
Worth Remembering
Leadership can effect cultural change for better or worse
 Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion
 the sociological difference between the concepts of Power
[low level] and Influence [high level]
 coercion breeds the respect of the coward for the bully
 not what you say but the way you say it!
 “How much easier it is to be critical than correct”
 “Success is the ability to go from one disaster to another
with no loss of enthusiasm”
 “Education always exists in a state of perilous equilibrium”
 “Learners inherit the earth while the learned remain
beautifully equipped for a world which no longer exists”
I Learned
 students won’t learn from staff that they don’t like or
respect
 staff won’t give 100% for leaders they don’t like or
respect
 if teachers believe then students will achieve
 the purpose of an organisation(dept.) is to make ordinary
people do extraordinary things
 if staff are good enough then students are smart
enough
 Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal development ZPD /MKO
really works
That : TP = f {m+ a+ w.s + w.env}
I Learned
the best buildings have strong foundations
sustainable success comes through hard work
think big, but start small
the principles of good leadership are simple and uncomplicated
a visit from the mystical East taught me to never be pompous or
complacent
 To be resilient and combat:
o negativity
o top down - coercive approaches
o the energy sappers
o the pedlars of doom and gloom
o the inset terrorists
o Ofsted
o media negativity
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How To Develop A Leadership Model
For Sustainable Success
I Learned School Improvement is
Not Just About Systems!
It’s Who uses them and How
Through Put
Input
Ethos
Student attitude
Pedagogy
Curriculum
Support activities
Enrichment
Output
I Learned
That Raising Aspirations
Is about:
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The Key feature:
If teachers believe then
students will achieve’
‘if they don’t -then they wont’
staff morale
tackling negativity
using comparative data to dispel myths
the positive use of data
showing students we value their work
improving social/work spaces and school appearance
involving students / staff in the target setting
greater use of encouragement, praise and reward
removing fear of failure
making them all feel a million dollars
retaining dignity-not what you say but the way you say it
Our Key drivers of Change
Involved:
 changing the culture and ethos:
 astute leadership
 setting out to win the staff & students
 stressing EPM not ECM
 focusing on positives
 dismantling negative power bases
 distributing leadership
 identifying movers & shakers
 emasculating the INSET ‘terrorists & cynics’
 using Influence not Power
Alan Yellup - Headteacher
I Learned Leading Change
occurs Best
When people feel:
valued, respected and have a sense of ownership
they are working in partnership
motivated and enjoying their work
they are consulted & listened to
they have developments staged
resistance is best overcome by non - coercive
methods
 think it was their idea in the first place
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Benefits Of A Whole Education
Relentless focus on a fully rounded education developing a
range of:
 Skills
happy
 Knowledge
necessary for a
&
life
 Qualities
successful
 Qualifications
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relevant and engaging learning experiences
investing in the primary schools
collaborating with our primary partners
looking beyond narrow constraints
rich and diverse curriculum
developing character
raising standards with dignity - not by coercion and threat
placing high value on trust
using inside out knowledge & collaboration
having some fun along the way
Staff Recruitment
Key to sustainability
R + D + PC
High Retention Rates
 positive discrimination - single fields
 promotion from within whenever possible
 stress the ethos
 talent spotting TAs, HLTAs, ITT students……
Helped by:
Staff Retention
 ‘staff first’ culture
 positive ethos and culture
 investment in staff
 strong pastoral support systems
 financial incentives
 support +training
 ‘ACE’ days/making them feel valued
 offering career progression within school
I Learned About Data As The Elixir
Of School Improvement ??
It:
 can make an important contribution
 can be a vital element of school improvement
 needs to be complemented by good teaching and
learning and a positive ethos
 doesn’t produce any solutions, but does help you
ask the right questions
 should always be used to motivate
 is sometimes used to de-motivate and demoralise
 can be overwhelming – huge range on offer
 it is easy to draw the wrong conclusions
Why Then Bother
With Academy Status?
We had:
 several national accolades
 outstanding Ofsted reports for a decade
 high profile in the community
 we were successful so what was the motivation?
Why not simply continue?
Was it:
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o
o
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o
o
ego?
empire building?
escape from the LA?
dash for freedom?
additional monies?
chance to increase my salary?
Why An Academy?
To:
 remove the risk factor from some of our successful initiatives
 have more control over our destiny
 freedom to shelve some restrictive bureaucracy
 work in partnership with the LA - not as landlord and tenant
Not to:
 compromise working conditions
 work in isolation
 abandon all LA services
 withdraw support for the LA
 impose new expensive uniforms etc..
 just look after our own interests
 brandish academy status
Why A MAT?
 DfE request to become a sponsor
 moral imperative
 debated other forms of sponsorship:
o
o
o
o
soft federations
hard federations
collaborative agreements
umbrella trusts
Originally argued for an umbrella trust!
Why A MAT?
 ultimate level of control essential
 impediments to success can be tackled and removed
 skill set and capacity to support and help others raise
standards
 10 year record of improving school standards
nationally
 WCA failing school serving a deprived area with very
low prior attainment, nationally
transformed
to outstanding:
 good MATs offer:
o long term sustainable development/improvement
o secure better life chances for disadvantaged children
o secure better career prospects/conditions for staff
Why A MAT?
‘”by schools for schools” philosophy and practice
with long term commitment’
 ability to tackle the education universe’s ‘Black holes’
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vehicle for significant genuine collaboration
opportunity to retain/develop talent
enhanced recruitment opportunities
can effect greater economies of scale re- resource
Don’t kid yourself its easy though!
Our Vision
We become outstanding in all aspects
[It’s not only results that matter]
Trust at the heart of all we do
Positivity a universal driver
Complacency becomes an alien concept
Total respect at all times non negotiable
Together to become the most successful and unified school
improvement group in the country
Our Ethos
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not empire driven
working with not doing to
context/needs driven support
preaching barred
we learn and benefit too
no one size fits all –despite current rhetoric
sharing and nurturing successful strategies
taking out the fear- building confidence
minimising the bureaucracy
flying in the face of ‘faddism’
never settling for second best
WCAT Values
Based around WCA’s successful formula
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integrity and respect
second best not good enough
EPM not ECM
no stripping of dignity, but never shirking tough
decisions tough love
Its not what you say
It’s the way that you say it
Its not what you do it’s the way that you
do it
That’s what gets results
Trust me!
WCAT’s Approach
To:
 raise/maintain morale
 tackle negativity
 overcome resistance
 use comparative data to dispel myths
 use data positively
 value students and pupils/colleagues and their work
 improve social/work spaces and school appearance
 encourage, praise and reward
 remove fear of failure
 make them feel a million dollars – sometimes ‘tough love’
Benefits of MAT Membership
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sharing of expertise
flexible sharing of resources
development of positive networks
support delivered on a regular and large scale
insurance against the rogue Ofsted inspection
helps recruitment
puts talented leaders in tough jobs
talent spotting and development
Is There An Optimum Size?
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numerically No!
some small MATs 2-10 very good
some awful
some large 15+ MATS very good
some large MATs awful
beware comparisons MATS have varying approaches:
o some refuse the most difficult
o some specialise on supporting the most challenging
 the myth of one conversion per year
 size only matters if you expand beyond your ability to
deliver
Collaboration Pitfalls
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pomposity
one size fits all
the eye specialists
the experts
breach of trust
preaching
fear
not protecting dignity
denial
anomie
To:
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What Makes WCAT
Different?
work by invitation ~ set up to support challenging schools
build confidence/esteem/retain dignity
tailor support to context- ’no one size fits all’
retain governance at local level
provide career opportunities/development across the
WCAT
work with-and not do to [By schools for schools]
education our prime focus, but on secure base
employ a large central expert [‘hands on’] support team
Offer first class CPD delivery through our National Teaching
School Alliance
establish networks in all fields and share best practice
achieve efficiencies from economies of scale
WCAT Secondary Academies
LA
Academy
Age
Range
NOR
Teaching
Staff
Other
Staff
Ofsted
Entry
Ofsted
WCAT
Wakefield
Wakefield City
11-16
650
48
46
O
O
Wakefield
Hemsworth
11-18
1448
110
143
SM
RI
Doncaster
Balby Carr
11-18
1158
80
117
SM
RI
Sheffield
Yewlands
11-16
856
59
67
SW
SM
East Riding
Goole
11-18
911
71
139
SM
RI
Doncaster
Mexborough
11-18
843
53
73
SM
NYI
Wakefield
Freeston
11-16
840
53
70
SW
NYI
Bradford
Hanson
11-18
1714
111
63
SM
NYI
Bradford
UAK
11-18
645
54
88
RI
NYI
9065
639
806
Totals
9
WCAT Primary Academies
LA
Academy
Age
Range
NOR
Teaching
Staff
Other Ofsted
Staff Entry
Ofsted
WCAT
Wakefield
Havercroft
3-11
211
10
27
SM
RI
Wakefield
West End
3-11
245
10
34
SM
Good/w
Doncaster
Montagu
3-11
451
22
50
SM
NYI
Doncaster
Willow
4-11
416
17
39
SM
RI
Wakefield
Heath View
3-11
372
17
35
RI
NYI
Rotherham
Brookfield
3-11
253
15
27
SM
NYI
Wakefield
Bell Lane
3-11
292
13
25
Good
NYI
Doncaster
Carr Lodge*
3-11
180
11
20
NYI
NYI
New build
Wakefield
Kinsley
3-11
237
11
18
Good
NYI
Doncaster
Morley Place
7-11
275
14
32
RI
NYI
Doncaster
Waverley
3-11
324
16
52
3256
156
359
Totals
11
NYI
WCAT Academies
High Crags
WCA
Havercroft
Brookfield
Infra structure to support S2S
To deliver quality support
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We established a solid infrastructure
governance
business & admin core & extended
finance
education team(s) core & extended
detailed scheme of delegation
WCAT Governance
Members
5
Trustees
11
IECs
Interim Executive
Committees
LGBs
Local Governing Bodies
Committees
Audit & Risk
Finance & Gen Purp’s
Remuneration
Performance
IEBs
Interim Executive
Boards
Education Teams
Chief Executive Officer
Chief Office Education
Senior Directors
Teaching
School
SLEs
Lead Directors
Secondary
Associate Lead Director
Cross Phase
Directors
Primary
Associate Directors
Structure
Business Finance & Admin
Chief Executive
Chief Operations Officer
Outsourced
services
Branding
Admin & Project
management
Officer
Finance
Director
Secondary
Office
Manager
HR
Health &
Safety
Strategic
Building
Strategy
Business/admin
4 Business
Assistants
Procurement
Officer
Finance
Director
Finance
Director
Primary
3 Finance
Managers
Payroll
Manager
What Do We Think
Of The Show So Far
Has it worked:
 We think so positive WCAT academy Ofsted reports on quality
of work
 positive Ofsted Focused Inspection Report
 positive EFA Inspection Report
 teacher/support staff strikes averted
 classrooms opened up
 climate, culture and leadership change effected
 raised staff morale amongst most staff in challenged
academies
Achievements Contd..
 significant performance gains
 some of the most broken schools repaired
 results at KS 2,4 and 5 raised in WCAT academies
[apart from those involved in GCSE English exam debacle]
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numbers on roll improved for 2015 [look positive in 2016]
bringing financial management under control
safeguarding improved
presentation of students improved
tough at times
beware the enemies from within
watch out for butchers bakers and candlestick makers!
would we do it all over again?
Securing The Achievements
 sound infrastructure
 living the vision
 living the values
 honouring the modus operandi
& the scheme of delegation
BUT
The Quality of our Leadership
will Define
The Limits of our Success
No pressure then!