Middle leadership feels much the same as it did when I was a KS4 co-ordinator, although now I have slightly more responsibility and the buck will stop with me, if results this year are not where they should be. However, I’m trying at this stage not to worry about that, as that is the culmination of all the work that has gone before and all the work that will still have to come. Also, there are so many other factors that come into play, I think it is important to focus on ensuring what we do as a team and as part of the wider school is consistent and ensures that we are working towards the best possible results for every student all of the time and not focusing on the what ifs.
I’m extremely lucky that my predecessor left me with a team of excellent, forward thinking, hard-working and reflective teachers, a department that is well ordered and systems that work. That’s not to say that there haven’t been changes, but fundamentally the systems and routines and the foundations are incredibly stable. This means that I recognise how lucky I am to be able to have come into a school with solid systems, schemes and approaches that I believe work. It also really helps that with mixed ability groupings already in place, spacing or interleaving already embedded in Key Stage Four, there are no major directional or structural changes that I’d want to make in the department.
However, there are things that I have found different or difficult as a middle leader. Some of these are as follows:
The whole school raising attainment agenda. This works really well and is a systematic, whole school approach to targeting students who are doing well in English but not so well in Maths or vice versa, there is also a focus on other subject areas as well, but our main focus is between Maths and English. Every two weeks, we look closely at raising attainment with the Maths head of department, and my line manager who is in the SLT. This is a great approach, but not knowing the students was a huge barrier and unsurprising as I was new to the school. As I get to know the students though, the names and the informal discussions about how students are getting on in the English office is really helping and I’m beginning to feel that I can speak with confidence about where different students are and what we as a team are doing with them to help them.
Ready to Learn – this is the whole school behaviour system with the mantra “every adult, every time” which again I think is excellent and really works as there is no grey area, I know and the students know exactly what they should be doing. However, coming from a position of experience as a teacher has made it difficult to know when to step in and use the system. I’m happy with how I use it in Key Stage three and still slightly worried that I’m not using it quite as effectively in Key Stage four. However, because I’m aware of this, I have been brutally honest about this and made other people aware and reflected openly on situations where I could have used the system more effectively.
I’m not sure if being so open and honest in my reflections is a good thing as a middle leader. I don’t want to appear weak as a leader, but I’m also human and being honest and reflective is part of the way I am, both in school and out of it. I don’t want to pretend that I always get things right, because that wouldn’t be true. Equally, I don’t want to seem ‘wishy-washy’ and indecisive. It’s a fine balance to strike and while I won’t always get it right, I know that I’m trying. If in doubt “honesty is the best policy” is a good mantra and hopefully that will stand me in good stead.
Managing/Leading staff and knowing when to say something and when to not say something. There are times when leading people it means making a judgement call and this is a tricky one. If someone is doing something that needs addressing, then I will happily do it, with kindness of course, but part of the process for me has been about stepping back and considering the impact of what I’m going to say and deciding whether I should say anything or whether to leave it. Sometimes, not saying something or addressing an issue is the right course of action, other times saying something and addressing it head on is important. I am a people pleaser, which makes this part of the job, one that I perhaps find most difficult. However, having difficult conversations is part and parcel of the job and is something that needs to be done carefully and on a case to case basis and differently for the different people, so again doing this with kindness and consideration for the person is something that is paramount.
Being considerate of the amount of work I delegate to the team and especially to the Second in Department, who is a consummate professional, has a incredibly strong work ethic and is brilliant in the classroom and as a sounding board for me. I’ve thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed working with the team, but I am aware that workload can be an all-consuming battle and I’m also conscious that I don’t want to make decisions that will increase workload, stress or tip the balance. This means that when I make decisions about how to and when to delegate I try to consider the workload aspect and think about whether it is reasonable. I also know that as a self-confessed over worker and perfectionist (something that is a double edged sword in teaching) I have to think carefully about whether what I’m asking is reasonable and not revert to thinking “well I can do that in 10 minutes” and assume that, that is the pace for everyone else, as often it isn’t the case. I’m also aware that the Second in Department is always happy to listen, support and give advice, but I know that I have to be careful not to overstep the mark and use her as a sounding board for everything, as that is unfair and adds pressure to her too.
The following are things that I want to continue working on:
Recognising the strengths of the team and making sure that they know I see these.
Recognising my own weaknesses and working on these.
Continue building trust in the team and trust in my leadership.
Getting the work life balance right.
Being reflective
Getting to the end of the year and feeling like what I’ve done, changed, adapted has added to, and not taken away from the experience the team, the students and the wider staff in my school have from English.
All in all, I’m enjoying leadership, having autonomy and being able to set the pace, the workload and celebrate the achievements of the team and being halfway through the year feels like a real achievement. Now, I hope that the results and student satisfaction with their results reflect the hard work and effort that the team have put in.
susansenglish 