Taking kids on holiday during school term. Refusals, fines?

I asked what these “management levers” you talked about might be?

There is a need to better understand motivations and ensure that staff are motivated and rewarded appropriately.
A viable combination of carrot and stick will be required, but will vary across schools and staff – hence the need for better managers who haven’t been promoted into managerial positions because they were good teachers.

Levers could include, but are not limited to
Better pay
Reduced admin
More/less responsibility
More flexible hours / part time working
Development opportunities (training, sabbaticals etc)
Pretty much similar to any other medium to large size business.

Of course this all needs to be supported with an appropriate performance management system.

It’s really not rocket surgery.

All those would cost money and as such wont happen.

Could you explain what appropriate performance management would look like?

All those would cost money and as such wont happen.

Needs to be offset against the costs of poor retention rates, and if they are that bad, it shouldn’t be difficult to make the case on cash savings alone.

Their children so do whatever they want with their education but try not to blame others.

As for the school what’s the big deal if parents want to take their children for holidays?

Affect school rating? Then let the parents know if they take their children out beyond certain number of days then they can sit for exam as independent candidate problem solved.

Well I’d agree that long term structural change would improve the teachers lot BUT that would cost a lot and it would also not stop parents thinking that their precious cheaper holiday is worth more than their kids education.
A great education can give you 40 or 50 years of awesome holidays.

what is rocket surgery?

Did you mean rocket science, or brain surgery?

good management techniques, all of which were no doubt taken from the 1990’s big book of management, I think you will find leadership theory has moved on a fair way since then!

Have you heard of austarity?

A great education can give you 40 or 50 years of awesome holidays.

Unless you have kids. 😉

I always find the fundamental problem is that because everyone attended school , they all think they are an expert on education and how schools work.

PGCE students are always stunned in their first placement at how different school is when you are not a pupil!

Have you heard of austarity?

Yeah their first album was good but the second one was a let down.

Unless you have kids.

think you will find leadership theory has moved on a fair way since then!

Similar stuff, different labels. But tbh, I’d settle for solid 90s management as an improvement of the current situation.

What is your experience of the current situation? Also could you tell me what this proper performance management would look like.

In Finland a world leader in education they attract teachers from the top 20% of graduates. In the UK its the bottom 20%.

Money doesn’t appear to be the motivator either, as English and Finnish teachers appear to have pretty much identical salaries.

http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/teachers-salaries_teachsal-table-en

Yep. Salary isnt to bad once you have been doing it a while. I wonder how the whole package compares though.

Yep. Salary isnt to bad once you have been doing it a while

Oh dear! It’s time for the “I hope you’re not an English Teacher” posts.

Fire away. I couldnt care less

Former chair of school governors + provided consultancy and senior mgt/leadership training to various local authorities including education departments.

The key is that good teachers don’t necessarily make the best leaders/managers.

And with that, I’ll back out gracefully.

a_a, I hope you’re not an English teacher. 😛

Oh I won’t don’t worry about that. Not with my dyslexia and poor grammar skills.

DD you heartless beast!!

I warned you.

provided consultancy and senior mgt/leadership training

Well you’ve certainly got the lingo!

The key is that good teachers don’t necessarily make the best leaders/managers.

Did you get paid for stating the bleeding obvious, whilst not answering the question?

I don’t think he’s pushing the envelope at all AA.

I would start by ensuring every school had a change manager advising the head-teacher or maybe just replacing the head teacher.

The Change Manager should have an assistant though and they should have a secretary.

😀

Currently SLT, all of my colleagues either have MA’s in educational leadership or MBAs, I would be doing MBA in addition to my MA but I am currently working on qualifying as an ofsted inspector. Also been an LA appointed governor sent in to support struggling governing bodies! I am alsoqualified with EQR to carry out reviews of 6th form colleges and report to their SLT and corporation.

Please don’t assume that all those who elect to go for SLT get there on the basis of long service. In addition to an intensive 2 day interview I had psychometric tests and prelim interviews by the recruitment consultancy before I got this job.

Shall I step back quietly now and shall we work on the assumption that both of us have expertise?

It turns out I don’t have to worry about any fines, just asked permission and the extra time off was granted 🙂

I wonder how many of the people who think that their kids are super advanced, actually are. Also if they don’t do as well as expected I wonder if it’s the schools fault that little Timmy isn’t as bright as he should be….

Or maybe different people have different priorities and ideas about what they want their kids to learn and get out of life?

If your priorities conflict with those of the state education system, then you have alternatives.