This week for me has been about policy and how it relates into actions that impact on our young people. Policy according to Wikipedia:
A policy is a statement of intent, and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by the Board of or senior governance body within an organization whereas procedures or protocols would be developed and adopted by senior executive officers.
On Monday at DMT we had our regular management meeting with the union representatives. This was the first one that I attended as Head of Service and was very interested in how the interpretation of policy is taken forward by the reps on behalf of their members. Policy is only useful if it supports the actions and indeed supports those who deliver outcomes.
On Tuesday it was the first Head Teacher meeting of session 2016/17. This was an important meeting to explore together the policy implications regarding the direction of change for improvement which has been set out by Scottish Government. We also took time to explore the data from both SQA results and the National Improvement Framework (NIF) achieving a level. There are some important issues coming through from this data especially in relation to literacy and numeracy improvement.
The key policy areas for the NIF are:
- School Leadership
- Teacher professionalism
- Parental Engagement
- Assessment of children’s progress
- School Improvement
- Performance Information
This has been interpreted into the following priorities in action for Argyll and Bute Education Service during service 2016/17:
- Literacy Improvement Strategy
- Numeracy Improvement Strategy
- Health and wellbeing
- Data for improvement and moderation
- Closing the attainment gap
- Leadership
- Developing Young Workforce
- Early Intervention
Policy needs to become actions and everyone needs to become involved in the priorities to make a difference.
On Wednesday I was taking on the Manager role more than Leader of my remit. It was a day for me of trying to manage the backload of administrative duties. I have a heavy daily email box which is very varied and can be as diverse as complaints, to elected member enquiries, to school enquiries, to staffing, to service planning, to budgets, to invitations to events. I also managed some time on Wednesday to catch up with some colleagues in relation to the Named Person Service. This is an area which is currently being looked at nationally.
On Thursday it was Community Services Committee where policy setting was very much on the agenda. Education Services presented 8 Papers. For me one of the most exciting was the Learning Technologies paper.
This paper really demonstrated the skills our young people need for the future and integral to future developments in Argyll.
Another paper which was approved for consultation and will move through policy is the Parental Engagement document. This document is currently out for schools and parents to review and add comments.
Parents are a hugely important part of any improvements in attainment and achievement. We need to ensure we get this partnership right and look at ways to supporting parental involvement which is meaningful. Schools and staff looking for ideas related to parental engagement should look at the Parental Toolkit by Education Scotland.
Parents are the first educators a child has and their engagement is so important. This is why the work of the Kintyre Family Pathway and the developing Cowal Family Pathway has been so successful. This work had developed from the Early Years Collaborative. Kathleen Johnston Education Officer and Patricia Renfrew, Consultant Nursery, Children & Families – Argyll & Bute CHP, have been leading on this work and have secured national interest in this work.
https://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/community-planning-partnership-local-stories
I was reminded of this value of parental engagement on Saturday evening while I was attending a family wedding. The wedding had at the centre of it, a real family ethos with the youngest members of the family so very much involved. A child can only thrive when surrounded by this level of support. These two young wedding guests were so enjoying the interactions across the generations.
On Thursday evening I was delighted to accept an invitation to the 2016 Awards Ceremony at Hermitage Academy. The evening was a true example of celebration of achievements. Pupils from S4 to S6 pupils were involved. Awards were for academic success in the latest exam diet and awards for the most outstanding commitment to the life of the school. One of the things that struck me was the sheer pride of each of these young people and the support of their families in acknowledging their success. I drove back feeling a pride in being part of a system which allows every young person to achieve their best. Success is only possible when staff care and nurture success. I like this diagram which shows how complex achieving success can be.
By Friday morning I was beginning to feel the impact of the week and feeling a little bit jaded. The best antidote for me was to pop in to the Argyll and Bute Leadership Education(ABLE) course. This course is designed for enabling leaders 
to develop at any level within the school. This session there are 13 taking part and I joined a group who were reflecting on their own leadership styles and priorities. The time spent with the group absolutely filled me with energy and great hope for the future of education in Argyll and Bute. I left the room with a spring in my step and a feeling of being so fortunate to be heading up Education in Argyll and Bute. The talents of his group will be nurtured and challenged by Sandra Clark, Education Officer and a good friend of Argyll and Bute, Jay Helbert, Lead Professional with SCEL. We are delighted to be working in partnership with SCEL on this venture. I would recommend a visit to their website for anyone interested in leadership. http://www.scelscotland.org.uk/
Policy is important for any organisation and one of my key roles is ensuring that National Policy is interpreted in Argyll and Bute in a relevant and meaningful way. A way which will allow the actions of all staff to provide really positive outcomes for our young people. I am totally committed to policy for action not policy for stifling action. It is vital I get this right to allow all of the staff to feel supported to do their jobs well.
In the coming week I hope policy helps you to provide for our children and their future.
