from a principals’ meeting - ssat€¦ · project 5: mep/stem • development of maths excellence...

SSAT NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2016

…making the impossible possible…

From a Principals’ Meeting

to a Meeting of Principles



What is SASCAL?

Stoke Association of School,

College and Academy Leaders



Inaugural SASCAL Conference in 2012:

‘Collaboration in an Age of

Competition’TOWARDS SECONDARY PARTNERSHIP IN

STOKE-ON-TRENT



‘The purpose of our partnership is to

provide greater breadth of opportunity for

all young people in Stoke-on-Trent and to

drive educational improvement in those

areas where we as schools are stronger

together than we are on our own’

Outcomes of Partnership

improved educational offer for all young people in the city

improving educational outcomes and life chances

morale in schools and the confidence of all staff is improved

good teaching in every secondary classroom in the city

leadership and management is good or better in every school



Principles: Two principles underpin our commitment:

Ubuntu: we and our schools derive self-assurance from

knowing that we belong in a greater whole; we are open and

available to others, affirming of others, not threatened when

others are successful; and we are diminished when any one

of our partners is diminished

Adding value through partnership: we will only work

together in ways that demonstrably add value for young

people and for which we have made a convincing business

case



Who is in SASCAL?



Academies 12

Maintained Schools 2

Colleges 3

Special Schools 4

Local Authority 1

Universities 2

Virtual School 1

Alternative Providers 2

Who is in SASCAL?



Multi-Academy Trusts 6Teaching School Alliances 3

SCITTS 2

CPG

Business Meeting

Working Groups

Facilitator Chair



What does it cost…and what do you get?



Cost per organisation £1,850

Smaller organisations £500

Total Income c £40,000

What do you get?

Core Offer

• Leadership Development through Collaboration and

Peer Review

• Teaching, Learning and Subject Networks

• Collective,

• Quality Assured Alternative Provision

• Whole City Cultural Enrichment Programme

• Teacher Recruitment and Retention

• Partnership Working in STEM

• Coherent Post-16 Progression

• Subsidised Places at the Annual Conference



What do you get?

Project 1: Senior Leadership

• Two Development Days (November and February)

• Annual Two-Day Residential Conference

• Peer Review Programme

Not to mention…



What do you get?

Project 2: Subject Networks

• Termly Subject Meetings

• Subject level teaching and learning

development

• Subject enhancement events

• Evaluation of achievement across exam

boards

• Post-levels assessment strategies

• Sharing of resources and good practice

Not to mention…



What do you get?

Project 3: Alternative Provision

(harnessing the collective strength of partners to

manage exclusions and ensure high quality, cost-

effective provision)

• AP Board to supervise all placements

• Develop city-wide attachment awareness

strategy

• Development of ‘fair access’ protocols

Not to mention…



What do you get?

Project 4: Whole City Cultural Enrichment

(encouraging a vibrant culture of collaboration and

enrichment to widen students’ horizons and

aspirations)

• Art showcasing event and SASCAL Calendar

• Photography competition

• Public speaking competition (run by Rotary)

• Creative writing competition in collaboration

with the Stoke Literary Festival

• Community choir

• Performance extravaganza

Not to mention…



What do you get?

Project 5: MEP/STEM

• Development of Maths Excellence Project

• Bursaries for Maths teachers coming to Stoke

• Trained SLMs offering school to school

support

• Keele Maths undergraduates working in

schools

• Saturday morning Maths classes at Keele

• Establish Science Excellence Project

Not to mention…



What do you get?

Project 6: Teacher Recruitment and Retention

• Working with city council on teacher recruitment

policy

• Partnership with HE/Business/Teach First

• Cross-city CPD guarantee

Not to mention…



ASCL – Blueprint for a Self-Improving System



‘Build system leadership capacity.

Working with other schools in your area to agree and

implement strategic approaches for addressing

systemic challenges, such as succession planning,

subject networks and school to school support…’

Evidence from the Research…



Having an external facilitator provides authority and a

sense of difference

Hillingdon TSA

The key to success is strong leadership driven by a

clear moral purpose, direction and mission…

Hutchings et al 2014

Leading in a self-improving school system is not about

being ‘top dog’

Hargreaves 2010

Advantages of an organisation like SASCAL



• Commitment to the locality

• Peer accountability

• Inclusive

• Sustainable, long-term

• Low-cost

• Touches everyone in the community

• Involves the LA and other agencies

• Brings professionals together

• Sources school improvement from within

• Breadth and depth of professional development

• Builds bridges in the community

from a principals’ meeting - ssat€¦ · project 5: mep/stem • development of maths excellence...

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