After a very intense, though satisfying university day, considering thorny educational issues, I am left with the stark realisation that a Head teacher must square the circle.
As always I have more questions than answers… I suspect this greatly frustrates even the most patient member of my wonderful team.
We are asked to and tasked with closing the poverty related attainment gap. And to get it right for every child. No educator would argue against doing our best for our children. And we are asked to do so quickly…our children are not children forever. Year on year evidence of progress is required. As is termly tracking and evaluation of the impact of interventions. The National Improvement Framework from 2016 onwards requires this from the Scottish education system.
Measuring surely proves things are working … so we must measure and evaluate often. We measure and evaluate all our public services, to ensure quality of provision for all, so education should be no exception.
And yet … and yet … I still have questions!
What about providing a developmental pathway for our learners? For they are children on their way to adulthood first, and learners second.
What about the notion that long term sustainable change happens over … a longer sustainable period of time?
What about if measuring short term interventions is not what developmental processes should be about?
What about thinking in terms of development rather than of deficit … and considering are children in school to be ‘fixed’ or to flourish?
What about if OECD notions of improvement, performativity, teacher quality and accountability really just benefit the needs of capitalist and neoliberal societies rather than the actual developmental needs of our children? (For they are children first).
The purpose of education is hotly debated. Many of my questions are those which have circulated society a long time and we are still no closer to answering them. As policy makers continue to privilege scientism at the expense of holistic approaches, I suspect we never will.
Taking one approach over another requires conviction and certainty, and yet I’m not yet that convinced nor that certain.
So I’m enquiring into how we can improve things for the children in our care to allow them to flourish and succeed in the 21st Century.
In squaring my circle, I suspect I’ll take a context-based approach to ensure that we continue to develop the whole child, whilst ensuring we can evidence those incremental improvements required. In considering the Standard for Headship it is not just what we think, but what we do as Head teachers which counts.
And I’m counting on us doing the right things which help all our children flourish.
The Enquiring Head Teacher 