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The National Education Trust is an independent charitable foundation dedicated to the promotion and sharing of excellent practice and innovation in education. |
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Our work influences national policy and practice. We have worked with other major education organisations, several thousand school leaders and classroom practitioners across our aspire and inspire, national resource and independent services strands. The National Education Trust continues to bring people together, shares what works, provides sustainable improvement for education leaders, and ensures better outcomes for all learners.
To find out more, read on for some real examples of our work: Nick Batchelar, Service Director, Bristol Local Authority We contracted with NET to work with a group of twenty-four schools rated satisfactory by Ofsted, which we felt were static or had elements of underperformance. We were keen to ensure that the project built on the progress made, as well as supporting and reinforcing the messages we were giving in our other school improvement work. The project had three main strands:
We have been very pleased with the work of NET in the authority. Sharpness of observation has combined with professional openness to create a style which schools appreciate and like. NET continues to be a very good source of ideas. The Associates have also been skilled in working with the grain of what we are trying to achieve in the Authority. As a result, it has had a strong influence on attitudes and expectations, which we believe will translate into improved school performance. Simon Knight, Deputy Headteacher, Frank Wise Special School, Oxfordshire Our school, rated outstanding by Ofsted, caters for pupils with a very wide range of needs. As a NET Advocacy School, we have both attended and hosted events organised by NET. NET also offers internships for those interested in educational policy, and we have had interns working here. We hosted a NET conference for around 30 people, including national policy makers, focussing on creative technology and in particular the role that it plays in special education. As part of the day, pupils at the school were invited to make a presentation for which they were paid just like any other speaker. The discussions we then had about the technology were therefore not simply theoretical but rooted in practice, as the pupils were using technology themselves. For us it was a chance to share and celebrate our practice, and for participants it was an opportunity to voice their issues and concerns directly to those who can influence national policy. I also took three secondary-age students to NET's Annual Lecture in London. As well as being a great experience for them, it was a chance to develop their social skills. I was very impressed by the way they were received. They were treated as delegates, had their own packs and were invited to talk to the Children's Commissioner and give her their own perspectives. Jan Buckland, Executive Headteacher, Kingsholm CE Primary School, Gloucester I have been involved in number of NET programmes, and benefit enormously from the network of outstanding and like-minded providers. Some years ago I attended a conference organised by NET at a local primary school that was already an Advocacy School. The idea of holding the event at a school was that it gave the opportunity of seeing outstanding practice as well as talking about it. I went back to school enthused, and then made enquiries about how we could become an Advocacy School ourselves. NET made a visit and decided we met the necessary criteria. We now hold a conference at the school every year, and benefit from the input of national speakers and other outsiders. Our two most recent events have been on the subjects of community cohesion and 'sparkling classrooms'. I have really enjoyed being able to observe excellent practice in other schools through my NET contacts, but hosting events brings its own rewards. The children love to show off, and feel good about being in a successful school that others want to visit. The staff are boosted by receiving compliments on their work and by having to explain and justify their approaches to others. From the leadership point of view, the events help to keep me on top of things, and to feel that, as a school, we are at the forefront of developments. Ofsted judged us to be outstanding, but we need to make sure that we carry on being outstanding. My involvement with NET feels like a good insurance policy, as it certainly guards against complacency. Paul Bennett, Operational Director, National College for Leadership of Schools and Children's Services I have been involved with NET since its inception and it is reassuring to work with people who are motivated by a desire to make a positive difference rather than a profit. NET's independence is attractive. It is not constrained by government policy, actively challenges current orthodoxies, and encourages people to innovate and take risks. At the risk of sounding pompous, NET always seems to be driven by a moral purpose which influences not just what it does, but the way that it does it. I have spoken at NET conferences and other events and have been impressed by the quality of speakers, the level of debate, and the unearthing of genuinely innovative practice. The network of schools encourages the sharing of good practice, and gives participants the confidence and conviction to think creatively and to challenge themselves and others. One example of the National College's successful collaboration with NET was in work on the Children's Charter for Learning. We held a conference for 170 nine-to eleven-year-olds where we asked for their views on what makes a successful curriculum. The event was attended by national policy makers, who were able to contribute and to listen. By the end of the day, the children had produced a PowerPoint presentation consisting of a number of slides. This was posted on the NET website, presented to the then Director of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, and submitted to the Rose Review of the Primary Curriculum. The best thing about it was that the ideas came not, as usually happens, from the providers, but from the consumers themselves. Maggie Donaldson, Senior Primary Adviser, Reading Local Authority One of the services NET provides is called 'Blink', a kind of mini school review. An associate makes a one-day visit to a school, spending a short time observing in all classrooms and talking to staff and pupils. At the end of the day, thoughts are shared with senior managers and an agreed report and action plan are produced. The way this process differs from similar types of school review is that it is done collaboratively – and forensically - so that the school shares ownership of the recommendations. The expertise and skill of NET personnel has ensured that judgements have been fully accepted and trusted, so that follow up has been more effective than it might otherwise have been. 'Blink' was used very successfully with our Local Authority which had a number of failing schools and others whose profile suggested they were struggling, or at the very least not improving. While they were involved in the project, the headteachers received training on how to conduct the reviews for themselves and each other. As a result of this work, not only did the schools themselves improve, with a significant shift from Ofsted 'satisfactory to 'good', but the approach has proved to be an invaluable tool for continuing improvement. We have also seen excellent results from the 'Good to Great' programme, where schools already rated good by Ofsted are encouraged to raise the bar. NET believes that in order to do this they need to understand what 'outstanding' looks like, so, as always with NET, opportunities are provided to visit and reflect on outstanding practice nationally. Several of the schools that have participated have been rated outstanding on their subsequent inspection. Peter Shepherd, Chief Learning and School Improvement Officer, Redbridge Local Authority All phases of education here have been involved with NET programmes, and I have to say their brand in this authority is very strong. We initially recommended to some schools that they should take part, but others were very keen to be involved when they heard about the quality of what was on offer. Eleven of our primary schools took part in the 'Good to Great' programme. This programme includes a 'Blink' review by a NET associate, followed by cross-school visiting and observation. When the schools got together, the discussion was tightly focused and the feedback was very positive. All the schools are keen to continue their collaboration, and feel they have gained enormously from their participation. We had similar success with the reviews of our Children's Centres. Again, these used the 'Blink' methodology. They included individual feedback, discussion rather than bald judgement, and a helpful written summary at the end. The comment of one of the headteachers was typical of many: "He (the NET Associate) provided real insight and direction. He was a pleasure to work with, and I learned so much". I also attended a NET seminar on transforming the secondary school environment, based at a school in another part of the country. I was so impressed by what I saw that I took a group of headteachers back to the school. Like me, they were amazed at the creative use of space both inside and outside to influence and improve the way children behaved, the way they learned and the way they felt about the school. The visit served to illustrate what is possible in a very tangible way. Paul McAteer, Headteacher, Slough and Eton CoE School The school I joined had been rated 'good' by Ofsted in its most recent inspection, but this seemed to have led to complacency rather than further effort. I was meeting a fair degree of resistance from both staff and governors, and thought that an independent pair of eyes would be helpful in moving things forward. A 'Blink' review from NET was duly conducted. While it was done in a very constructive and supportive manner, its conclusions were extremely hard-hitting. They led to a chain of events where the Governing Body was replaced by an Interim Executive Board and the performance of some key staff came under intense scrutiny. In preparing for our latest inspection, we again used NET to conduct a mini review and to work with the senior leadership team. This turned out to be an extremely useful exercise. One of the issues identified was the low starting points of many of our speakers of other languages. The recommendation that we should aim to get all to at least Level 4 by the end of Year 7 led to highly effective action and an almost immediate improvement. The school was inspected recently and was found to be outstanding. As part of the NET programme of seminars, I hosted in a previous school an event aimed at provision for non-native speakers of English. A crucial part of the day's events was listening directly to pupils new to the UK. They spoke graphically about what they felt like when they first arrived, and what they needed to help both their general progress and their progress in English. The event had a big impact on visiting delegates, and reportedly influenced practice back in their own schools. My involvement with NET has been, and continues to be a catalyst to further action and improvement. As the educational landscape changes the need is often for new and different ways of working. Discussion of these issues through the NET network and at seminars and conferences continues to enthuse me and give me ways forward. The network of support that NET provides will continue to be invaluable in enthusing me and in helping me to think creatively. |
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| Copyright © National Education Trust 2012 The National Education Trust asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this web site. Unless otherwise specified, all material on this website may be used for non-commercial purposes, on condition that the source is acknowledged. The National Education Trust is not responsible for the content of external websites. |
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