FactorsAffectingtheBrokeringofSpecialistLeadersofEducationby
TeachingSchoolAlliances
JulieJacquelineBarbaraGrant
MAbyResearch
UniversityofYork
Education
December2015
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Abstract
InrecentyearsinEngland,thepoliticalshifttowardsdecentralisationofgovernmenthasmanifested,withinthefieldofeducation,intheadvocatingoftheschool-led,self-improvingsystem.Theemergingpolicywascrystallisedinthe2010WhitePaper,TheImportanceofTeaching(DepartmentforEducation,2010).ThePapercalledforthoseleadersandschoolswhoweremosteffectiveto‘narrowthegap’betweentheoutcomesofpupilsinneighbouringschoolsthroughtheformationofTeachingSchools(TS).ItwasintendedthattheseTeachingSchoolswouldtoformlocalnetworkstomeetlocalneed,knownasTeachingSchoolAlliances(TSAs).Thisstudywillexploretheimplementationofonestrandofthe2010policy,whichstipulatedthatTSAsshouldrecruitanddeployanewtypeofconsultant,SpecialistLeadersofEducation(SLEs),toengageintheschool-to-schoolsupport.
However,throughpersonalexperienceandanecdotalevidence,IbecameawarethatSLEswerefrustratedthattheirTSAwasunabletoengage,or‘broker’,themasfrequentlyastheyhadanticipated,sotheywerenotbeingdeployedintoschoolstosupportimprovements.Consequently,IwascompelledtoinvestigateifotherTSAswerebrokeringtheirSLEsmorefrequentlyor,ifnot,identifythefactorsinhibitingtheprocess.ThisstudywillidentifythreecasestudyTSAsandinvestigatethefactorsaffectingthebrokeringoftheirSLEs.IwilladdresstheissueofSLEbrokeringthroughthreekeyresearchquestions:theextenttowhichSLEsarebeingbrokeredbyeachTSA;theorganisationalfactorswhichaffectthebrokeringofSLEs;theindividualcharacteristicsoftheSLEs,theirbrokersorclientschoolswhichaffectbrokering.
InordertogatherdatafromparticipantsineachcasestudyTeachingSchoolAlliance,IrequestedtheTeachingSchool’srecordsofdeploymentsundertakenbyallSLEsduringthescopeofmyresearch,thetimeframeforwhichisexplainedinChapter3,andIalsocarriedoutinterviewswiththeschoolleaderresponsibleforoverseeingthebrokeringoftheSLEswhoweredesignatedtocarryoutschool-to-schoolsupport.Fromthen,ItriangulatedthedeploymentdataIhadcollatedandanalysedandthebrokerinterviewswithtwofurther,concurrentwavesofinterviews:IinterviewedtwoSLEsfromeachTSA,6intotal,gatheringtheviewsofanSLEwhohadbeendeployedmorefrequently,andanSLEwhohadbeendeployedlessfrequentlyineachcase.Ialsointerviewedthoseoperatingatamorestrategiclevel,namelytheSchoolsCommissionerfortheDepartmentofEducation,FrankGreen,andaseniormemberofthethenrecently-formedTeachingSchoolsCouncil;therolesoftheseeducationalleaderswillbedefinedinChapters2and5.
Thestudywillfindthatthelackofaclearblueprint,coupledwiththepaceofchangeintheschoolsystem,hasgivenrisetogreatvarianceandcomplexityinthisschool-ledsystem,andthatnoneofthethreeTSAswheredeployingtheSLEstoextentintendedbythepolicy,therebynotcomprehensivelyaddressingthelocalneedtoimproveschools.Akeyfactorwasthat,duetothislackofblueprintandclearcommissioningprotocolsintheearlystages,SLEswererecruitedanddesignatedwhowouldnotbeindemand;fromthemacro-level,increasedpressureofaccountability,coupledwithalackoffunding,wascausingschoolstonarrowtheirpriorities.Inaddition,issuespertainingtofinance,capacity,geography,localandNationalpoliticalissues,therecognitionoftheroleofSLEs,aswellastheorganisationandgovernanceofTSAs,allpresentedbarrierstobrokinginallthreecasestudyTSAs.Essentially,thecomplexityanddiversityinthenewschool-ledsystem,forsomeTSAs,hadresultedinatensionbetweencompetitionandcollaborationthatpreventedSLEsfrombeingbrokeredasfrequentlyasthepolicyhadanticipated.
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Contents
Abstract p2
Contents p3
ListofTables p8
ListofFigures p9
Acknowledgements p10
Author’sDeclaration p11
1Introduction p12
2 LiteratureReviewandContext p17
2.1 Macro-level:NationalPolicyandContext p17
2.1.1 TheEducationalLandscape:aRetrospective p17
2.1.1.1 GovernanceReforms p17
2.1.1.2 CurriculumandAssessmentRedesign p19
2.1.1.3 AccountabilityReforms p20
2.1.1.4 EnglishEducationalReforminanInternationalContext p21
2.2 Macro-level:theContextofTeachingSchoolAlliances p22
2.2.1 TheContextofSelf-ImprovingSchoolSystems p22
2.2.2 TheTeachingSchoolandTeachingSchoolAlliance p24
2.2.3 TheEvolutionandRolesoftheNationalCollege p25
2.2.4 TheRolesofNationalLeadersofEducationandLocalLeadersof
Education p25
2.2.5 AdvisersandConsultants:aBriefContext p26
2.2.6 TheRolesofSpecialistLeadersofEducation p28
2.2.7 TheMissingMiddle:SchoolCommissioner p30
2.3 Meso-level:OrganisationalSystemsandChallenges p31
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2.3.1 TheModeloftheTeachingSchoolAlliance p31
2.3.2 TheRegionalPicture p33
2.3.3 PartnershipCompetencies p35
2.3.4 RecentResearchonSpecialistLeadersinEducation p37
2.4 CaseStudiesofSystemLeadershipandSISSontheGlobalStage p39
2.4.1 Finland p39
2.4.2 Victoria,Australia p40
2.5 CollaborativeLessonsfromOtherSectors p41
2.5.1 LessonsLearnedfromSystemLeadershipinHealthcare p41
2.5.2 LessonslearnedfromPartnershipsandAlliancesinBusiness
p41
2.6 Micro-level:IndividualPlayersinEducationalPartnerships p43
2.6.1 SystemLeadershipCompetencies p43
2.6.2 ResistancetoChange p43
2.7 SummaryandResearchPriorities p45
3 ResearchDesignandMethodology p46
3.1 ResearchDesign p46
3.1.1 ResearchQuestionsandRationale p46
3.1.2 ParadigmsandPracticalities p47
3.1.3 ResearchDesign p48
3.2 Sampling p49
3.2.1 SamplingMethodforSelectingCases p50
3.2.2 Piloting p51
3.2.3 SamplingMethodsforInterviewees p52
3.3 ActionResearchandDataCollectionMethods p53
3.3.1 CollectingQuantitativeData p53
3.3.2 CollectingQualitativeData p54
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3.4 EthicalConsiderations p55
3.5 ProblemsEncountered p56
3.6 CollationofData p58
3.6.1 QuantitativeData p58
3.6.2 QualitativeData p59
4 ResearchFindings:ContextandDeploymentData p62
4.1 ContextualFindings p62
4.2 FindingsfromDeploymentData:Meso-level p63
4.2.1 FrequencyofSLEDeployment p64
4.2.2 TargetingSchoolsinNeedofSupport p65
4.2.3 Organisation,LocalPoliticsandFunding p66
4.2.4 AllianceMembershipandCollaborationwithOthers p68
4.2.5 PhaseofClientSchools p69
4.2.6 GeographicalFactors p69
4.3 FindingsfromDeploymentData:Micro-level p77
4.3.1 PhaseandSpecialismofSLE p77
4.3.2 SystemLeadershipCharacteristics p80
4.4 Summary p80
5 ResearchFindingsfromInterviewData p81
5.1 FindingsfromInterviewData:Macro-level p81
5.2 FindingsfromInterviewData:Meso-level p84
5.2.1 Organisation,LocalPoliticsandFunding p84
5.2.2 AllianceMembershipandCollaborationwithOthers p88
5.2.3 PhaseofClientSchools p92
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5.2.4 GeographicalFactors p92
5.3 FindingsfromInterviewData:Micro-level p93
5.3.1 Location,PhaseandSpecialismofSLE p93
5.3.2 SystemLeadershipCharacteristics p94
5.4 Summary p96
6 ConclusionsandReflections p97
6.1 Macro-levelConclusions p97
6.2 Meso-levelConclusions p99
6.2.1 FrequencyofSLEDeployment p99
6.2.2 TargetingSchoolsinNeedofSupport p99
6.2.3 Organisation,LocalPoliticsandFunding p100
6.2.4 AllianceMembershipandCollaborationwithOthers p100
6.2.5 PhaseofClientSchools p101
6.2.6 GeographicalFactors p101
6.3 Micro-levelConclusions p102
6.3.1 PhaseandSpecialismofSLE p102
6.3.2 SystemLeadershipCharacteristics p102
6.4 ReflectionsandCritiqueofStudy p103
6.5 Recommendations p105
Appendices p107
Appendix1:SLEApplicationFormwithselectioncriteria p107
Appendix2:ProfilesofContextandCharacteristicsofCaseStudyTSAs p118
Appendix3:InformedConsentForm p122
Appendix4:Semi-structuredInterviewSchedules p123
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Glossary p124
References p125
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ListofTables
4.1 SummaryofAnalysisofDeploymentData:Meso-level1 p644.2 OfstedInspectionGradingofMaintainedSchoolsandAcademiesintheEast
Midlandsp65
4.3 SummaryofAnalysisofDeploymentData:Meso-level2 p674.4 KeytoFigures4.2.1to4.4.2,NetworkMapsofSLEDeploymentActivity p724.5 SummaryofAnalysisofDeploymentData:Gender p78
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ListofFigures
2.1 MatthewsandBerwick’sTSAModel p322.2 AllianceModelofTSA1 p322.3 ARepresentationofSchools’OrganisationinanLARegion p342.4 EmergingModelforTeachingSchools p372.5 Hargreaves’TSAModel p372.6 West-Burnham’sTaxonomyofSystemLeadership p432.7 ASynthesisofChangeModels p444.1.1-4.1.3
TotalDays’DeploymentperSLE,byDistancefromBroker p71
4.2.1-4.2.3
OverviewofNetworkMapsofSLEDeploymentActivity p72
4.3.1-4.3.3
DetailedViewsofDeploymentActivityforTSA1 p74
4.4.1-4.4.2
DetailedViewsofDeploymentActivityforTSA2 p75
4.5.1-4.5.2
DetailedViewsofDeploymentActivityforTSA3 p77
4.6.1-4.6.3
PercentageofTotalDays’DeploymentbySpecialism p78
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Acknowledgements
Sincerethankstomysupervisor,DrPaulWakeling,forhispatience,encouragementandadvice;tomyfamily,friendsandcolleaguesfortheirsupport;tothoseschoolleaderswhoselflesslyparticipatedinthisstudy.
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Author’sDeclaration
I declare that this thesis is a presentation of original work and I am the sole author. This work has not previously been presented for an award at this, or any other, University. All sources are acknowledged as References.
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1Introduction
Myresearchisconcernedwithaparticularelementoftheeducationalpoliciesforschoolsand
academiesinEnglandthatcameintobeingwiththepublicationoftheConservative-led
CoalitionGovernment’s2010WhitePaper,TheImportanceofTeaching(Departmentfor
Education,2010).Thisstudyinvestigatesthesuccessofoneaspectofthiscomplexreform
package,namelythedeploymentofexpertmiddleleaders,SpecialistLeadersofEducation
(SLEs)toprofessionallydeveloptheirpeersinlesssuccessfulschools.Asapractitioner
involvedintheimplementationofthispolicy,mykeymotiveistoilluminatemyexperiences
throughsocialscientificinsight.
Inrelationtothisstudy,themostpertinentofthepoliciesheraldedbytheWhite
Papercentredonthewayinwhichschoolsweretosupporteachothertoeffectschool
improvement,asopposedtostrategyforimprovementbeingapromotedbytop-down
initiatives.Thisschoolofthoughtwasnotanewone:academics,suchasDavidHargreaves,
andschoolleadershad,throughthepreviousdecade,advocatedthevalueofcollaborative
networkswithintheeducationsystem,theleadersofwhichnetworkswouldpromote
improvementsandpolicychangefromwithin.ThetheoriesheexpoundedinEducation
Epidemicgaverisetothemeta-languageoftheself-improvingschoolsystems,orSISS:
“…weneedcomplexsystemsoforganisationandprovisiontobecapableofadapting
assystemstonewdemandsandnewpossibilities.Andiftheyaretobeembedded
permanentlyincommunities,andbegenuinelyresponsivetothem,theymustbeable
tosustainthisprocessofadaptationontheirown.”(2003,p.10)
Theevolutionofthinkingandofpolicy,inrelationtotheseSISS,willbeexploredmorefullyin
Chapter2.Myresearchwillexplore,inpart,howtheEnglishschoolsystemhasrespondedto
thechallengeofself-adaptationwithinacontextofcomplexandfast-pacedreform.
Inpractice,the2010WhitePaperservedasacatalystforthecreationofsupportive
networksofschools.Inshort,forthepolicyandpracticewillbedetailedinensuingchapters,
theseweretohaveaTeachingSchoolatthecentre,or‘hub’,ofanetwork.Aschooldeemed
OutstandingbyOfstedcouldapplytobecomeaTeachingSchooland,ifsuccessful,its
HeadteacherwouldbedesignatedaNationalLeaderofEducation(NLE).Asdetailedin
Chapter2,thisdrewontherolesandpracticeestablishedpriortothe2010WhitePaper,with
theNationalSupportSchools(NSS)programme,underthepreviousLabourgovernment,a
programmethatwasdirectedbythethenNationalCollegeforLeadership.TheTeaching
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SchoolwouldbeencouragedtoestablishanAlliance,ornetwork,ofschools,whichwould
worktogethertoraisethestandardsoflocalschoolswhoseoutcomeswerelessstrong.Akey
distinctionintheCoalitionGovernment’spolicy,fromthosepertainingtoschool-to-school
supportunderthepreviousLabourgovernment,wasaseverancefromLocalAuthoritycontrol.
TheGovernment’sagendaforincreasingdecentralisationisverysignificanttothecontextof
thisresearchstudy.
In2010,IhadrecentlybeenappointedasaDeputyHeadofasecondaryschool,and
thereforeheldakeeninterestastohowthenewpolicieswouldimpactuponschoolslikemy
own,aninner-citycomprehensivewhichhadheldAcademystatussince2006.Myschoolwas,
bythisstage,designatedaNationalSupportSchool(NSS)butdidnotfulfiloneofthecriteriato
bedesignatedasaTeachingSchool.However,myschool’sNLEhadaremittosupportother
schoolswithwhomwehadthenformeda‘federation’,orofwhomwehadassumedstrategic
leadershipandsponsorship.Fromthisplatformofschool-to-schoolsupport,myschoolwas
keentoworkcollaborativelywithamoreextensiverangeofschoolsandsojoinedthe
TeachingSchoolAlliance(TSA)ofanotherschoolintheregion.Inturn,Iwaskeentotakea
leadroleinthiscollaboration,andsoappliedforandwasdesignatedintheroleofSpecialist
LeaderofEducation(SLE)inthefirstwaveofrecruits,inMay2012.SLEsweretobedeployed
byTSAstosupportotherschoolsbycoachingotherleaders,thusbuildingsustainable
leadershipcapacity(seeChapter2).ThedeploymentofSLEs,andSchool-to-schoolSupportin
general,aretwoofthe‘Big6’ofaTeachingSchool’sresponsibilities,withtheothersbeing
InitialTeacherTraining,ContinuedProfessionalDevelopment,Leadership&Talent
ManagementandResearch&Development(TheNationalCollegeforSchoolLeadership,
2013b).
Theoriginofthisresearchstudystemsfrommypersonalexperiencesasadesignated
SLE.Attheoutset,Iwaseagertoreachbeyondthepupilsinmyownschoolandtowork
collaborativelyto‘narrowthegap’inoutcomesforthosepupilswhoselife-chanceswere
disadvantagedasaresultoftheschoolswhichtheyattended.However,Iwasnot‘brokered’
tobe‘deployed’asanSLE,andIquicklybecamefrustrated.Anecdotalconversationswith
colleagueswhowerealsoSLEsrevealedthatmanyofthemfeltsimilarlyfrustratedbecausethe
policywasnotbeingeffectivelyimplemented‘ontheground’;theywerebeingdeployedfor
onlyafractionofthe“upto15days”intended(TheNationalCollegeforSchoolLeadership,
2013b),iftheywerebeingdeployedatall.Byearly2013,thesereflectionspromptedsome
initialreading,andIdiscoveredtherewasagapindetailedresearchinthisarea.Broadcase
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studiesofgoodpracticehadbeencommissionedandpublishedbytheNationalCollege1but
theseonlyevaluatedsomeoftheSLEdeploymentsthatweretakingplace,ratherthan
investigatingthefrequencyofdeploymentsandthefactorswhichmightbeaffecting
deploymentrates.
Therefore,Ielectedtocarryoutaresearchproject,theaimofwhichwastoascertain
theextenttowhichSLEswerebeingdeployedinanumberofTSAs,andtoidentifyfactors
whichaffectedthebrokering–orlackofbrokering–whichwastakingplace.Having
conductedareviewofrecentandcurrentliteratureandpolicy,IengagedthreeTSAsto
participateascasestudies.Ineachcase,Iwasabletocollateandanalysedeploymentdatafor
thescopeoftheproject2,whichranfromMay2012toApril2014,toidentifythestructuresand
systemswhichgovernedeachTSA,tointerviewtheschoolleadersresponsibleforbrokering
anddeployingtheAlliance’sSLEs,andtointerviewsomeoftheSLEsthemselves.Ialso
gatheredsecondarydata,suchastheOfstedgradingofschoolsintheregion,toprovide
furthercontexttoandtoaidevaluationoftheprimarydatacollected.Inthesummerof2014,
Ibecameacquaintedwiththeextensiveresearchprojectundertaken,TheEvaluationof
TeachingSchools,ledbyQingGu(Gu,Rea,Hill,Smethem,&Dunford,2014).Thereportofthe
findingswaseventuallypublishedontheNationalCollegewebsiteinearly2015.Itoffered
someinterestingevaluationoffactorsaffectingSLEdeploymentinits18casestudyschools;
however,sincethereportcoveredthewholespectrumTeachingSchools’responsibilities,the
reportpublishedonlyaselectionofoverviewfindings,whichwillbereferredtofurtherindue
course.Mostnotably,thereportsuggestedthatSLEdeploymentwasthemostdifficultaspect
of'TheBig6’toachieve.Iintendtoreport,inthisthesis,theextenttowhichmythreecase
studyTSAswereabletorespondtotheremittorecruitanddeploySLEs,andtoprovidedepth
ofdetailregardingthefactorsaffectingthisverynarrowtrancheoftheTSAs’outreachwork.
TheliteratureandpolicyreviewofChapter2isorganisedintothreebroadareas:
firstly,thepolicy,researchandissuespertinenttoTSAs,collaborativenetworksandSLEsatthe
national,macro-level;secondly,themeso-levelissueswhichrelatetotheorganizationofTSAs
andthebrokeringofSLEstoclientschoolsattheorganizationalorregionallevel;finally,
1SeeGlossaryforasummaryof,andChapter2forfurtherdetailof,theevolutionoftheNational2AsdetailedinChapter3,thescopeoftheactionresearch,withregardtogatheringthedatawhichdetailedthedeploymentsundertakenbyeachSLEdesignated,orappointed,byeachTSAranfromMay2012toApril2014:thefirstwaveofSLEsweretrainedandavailablefordeploymentsbyinMay2012;sinceTSAsarerequiredtosubmitevidenceoftheiroutreachworkattheendofeachfinancialyear,IhadanticipatedthatTSAswouldhaveproducedsetsofdeploymentdataforthispurposeandthattheendofthefinancialyears,therefore,wouldprovideclearparameterstothescopeofthisphaseofresearch.Chapter4includesreflectionsonthecomplicationschallengesencounteredregardingthis.
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considerationisgiventotheorieswhichwillilluminatethedegreetowhichindividual,or
micro-levelfactors,suchasresistancetochange,mightimpactuponthebrokeringofSLEs.To
addcohesionthethesis,overall,Iwillshapeitssubsequentchapters,whererelevant,intothe
threetiersofmacro-,meso-andmicro-levelconsiderationsandfindings.
InChapter3,onResearchMethods,Idistillthoseissuesforinvestigation,as
establishedattheendofthepreviouschapter,intoasetofthreeresearchquestions.Ithen
presenttheresearchdesignandmethodsthatwereadoptedtoinvestigatethosequestionsin
anattempttoidentifyandunderstandthefactorsaffectingthebrokeringofSLEs.The
approachtotheactionresearchphasesoftheprojectisdescribed,suchashowtheSLE
deploymentdatawascollatedandanalysedandhowandwhythesemi-structuredinterview
schedulesweredevised.Thechapteralsoexploreswhyaface-to-facechannelwasfavoured
forinterviewingHeadteachersandotherschoolleadersinchargeofthebrokeringofSLEs,
whereasthechanneloftelephoneinterviewswasutilizedtoconductthesubsequent
interviewswithtwoSLEsfromeachcasestudyTSA.Thechapteralsoexploreshowthe
opportunityarosetoconducttwo‘elite’interviewswiththeDfE’sSchoolsCommissionerand
withaseniorleaderinrecently-formedTeachingSchoolsCouncil,andhowtheoriginal
researchdesignwasadaptedtocapitaliseontheopportunitytotriangulatemyfindingswith
primarydatafromthoseoperatingatthemacro-levelofeducation.
Thosefindingsfromprimarydataispresentedovertwochapters.Chapter4covers
theresearchfindingsfrommycontextualresearchandfromdeploymentdata,andcontains
quantitativedataregardingthefrequencyofSLEdeploymentineachTSA,andthe
characteristicsoftheSLEsdeployedandoftheclientschoolswhohavebeeninreceiptof
support.Asaforementioned,thisprimarydataisilluminatedbysecondarydata,suchasthe
profileofschools’performanceintheregion.Furtheranalysisisthenbepresented,suchas
thegeographicalactivitypertainingtodeploymentsatthemeso-level,ortherelative
frequencyofdeploymentofSLEsbyspecialism,atthemicro-level.Thequalitativeresearch
findingsfrominterviewdataisthenbepresentedinChapter5.Thefindingsrevealthat
approachto,frequencyof,andnatureofthedeploymentofSLEsvarieswidelyacrossthethree
casestudyTSAs.Appendix2includesdetailedfactfilesofthecharacteristicsofeachcase
studyTSA,andahierarchicaldiagramtoillustratehowtheresponsibilityforthebrokeringof
SLEsisappointedineach;sincethesedifferencesarequitepronounced,itisintendedthat
Appendix2bereviewedinconjunctionwithChapters4and5toaidclarificationforthose
readersunaccustomedtotheorganisationofTSAs.
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Finally,Chapter6bringstogetherthefindingsfromthedifferentstagesoftheresearch
studythataimtoidentifythefactorsaffectingthebrokeringofSLEsduringtheinitialyearsof
practice.Ievaluatetheextenttowhichmyresearchsupportsordepartsfromexisting
researchinthefieldofcollaborativeschoolnetworks,andtheextenttowhichthepertinent
policiesofthe2010WhitePaperarebeingimplementedintheeverydaypracticeofTSAs.This
isfollowedbyreflectionsuponthechallengesandissuesencounteredduringtheresearch
journey.Toconclude,recommendationsforbestpracticetoenhancethefrequencyand
appropriatenessofSLEdeploymentareoffered.
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2LiteratureReviewandContextAsoutlinedintheintroductiontothisthesis,myfocusisuponthedeploymentofSpecialist
LeadersofEducation(SLEs)byNationalLeadersofEducation(NLEs)forthepurposeofschool-
to-schoolsupport,withintheframeworkofsystemleadership.Areviewofcurrentpolicy,ata
national,macro-level,willformausefulstartingpointtocontextualisetheparametersand
natureofsuchsupport,throughanoutlineoftheintendedrolesandfunctionsofTeaching
SchoolAlliances(TSAs),NLEsandSLEs.TheroleoftheNationalCollegeofSchoolLeaders,and,
initslatestincarnation,TheNationalCollegeforTeachingandLeadership,inmanagingthese
peopleandprocessesisanotherimportantpieceofcontexttoconsider.Thesepoliciesand
procedurescanbeilluminatedbyareviewofresearchandthinkingwhichunderpinsthem,
bothintermsofeducationalthinkersintheUKandoverseas,andthoselessonsthatcanbe
drawnfromthedeploymentofsimilarpoliciesinothersectors,namelybusinessandhealth.
Areviewofotheraspectsofeducationalreforminrecentdecadeswillprovidea
platformfromwhichtoconsiderthepotentialchallengestosystemleaders,andschoolleaders
morebroadly,inthesuccessfulestablishmentofalliances.Alongsidethis,recognitionofthose
organisationsandpersonnel,suchasthoseintheLocalAuthority,whooperatebeyondand,
perhaps,inoppositionto,thesystemleadersofTSAs,willfurtherinformthestudy.Atameso-
level,anexaminationofemergingmodelsandcompetenciesforeffectivealliances,proposed
bykeyeducationalthinkers,shouldilluminateareviewofsomecurrentbarriersand
complicatingfactorsinpractice.Theactionresearchaspectofthisstudywillthenexplorethe
issuesimpactinguponschool-to-schoolsupportatbothanorganisationalandanindividual,or
micro-,level.
2.1Macro-level:NationalPolicyandContext
2.1.1TheEducationalLandscape:aRetrospective
2.1.1.1GovernanceReforms
Inordertoappreciatethechallengespresentedtothoseattheforefrontofsystemleadership,
itisessentialtorecognisetherapidandattimescontradictoryreformsingovernance,
accountabilityandcurriculumwhichhavebeendirectedbyasuccessionofgovernmentsin
recentdecades;theseimpactuponthepotentialforeffectivestrategicalliancestobeformed
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andsustained,aswillbeexploredbyexaminingtheresearchofHargreavesandothersindue
course.
TofirstconsiderBall’sperspectiveonthechangesofgovernanceinstateeducation,
theEducationReformActwasfundamentalinopeningthegateto“privatisation(s)”(Ball,
2007)anddecentralisationfromlocalgovernmentwhichunderpintheself-improvingschool
systemwhichiscurrentlyindemandbypolicymakers.However,withhisfocusonthe
“discursive-strategicshifts”(2007,p.171)fromtheKeynesianWelfareStateinthelatter
stagesofthetwentiethcentury,Ball,drawingonJessop,doesnotacknowledgethatastate-
ledcomprehensivesystemhadonlycometopassacenturybefore,withthelandmark1870
ElementaryEducationAct.Therefore,heexaggeratesthepermanenceandstabilityofa
comprehensivesystemwhichhadactuallyonlyexistedintheformheapplaudsforafewpost-
wardecades.
Throughtheirresearch,Abbott,RathboneandWhiteheadexploresimilarthemesto
Ball(Abbott,Rathbone,&Whitehead,2013).TheyindicatethatBritain’seconomicproblems
ofthe1970sreachedaclimaxinthe“breakdownofconsensus”by1979(pp.54-79),andthat
Thatcher’ssuccessiontopowerpromptedamovetowardsmarketisationandcompetitionin
educationwhichcanbeseenastheprecursortothecurrentpoliciesofdecentralisationin
whicheducationalsystemleaders,suchasNLEsandSLEs,attempttoofferschool-to-school
support.Akeysea-changeineducationalpolicyinthelastcentury,andonewhichbookends
theprofessionalmemoryofmanyseniorleaderstoday,istheEducationalReformAct
(DepartmentforEducationandScience,1988).The1988GrantMaintainedStatusandthe
LocalManagementofSchoolspolicyannouncedthepowerofgoverningbodiestoentirely
removeaschoolfromthecontrolofthelocalauthority,andintothedirecthandsofcentral
government(Abbott,Rathbone,etal.,2013).Withmore“privateactors”governingCity
TechnologyColleges(CTCs)andAcademies,thepowerofthelocalauthorityisreduced(Ball,
2009,p26,p85ff).Thechangingbalancebetweenpublicandprivatesectors,willbeexplored
morefullyatameso-level;asAbbottetalreflect:“..therapidpaceandamountofreform
continuedwiththeintroductionofarangeoflandmarkpolicies...”(Abbott,Rathbone,etal.,
2013p.152).
StephenMachinandcolleagueshaveexploredthestatisticalchallengesin
demonstratinganyimprovementinstudentperformanceinthevariousincarnationsofthe
Academiesmovement,underdifferentgovernments(Machin&Silva,2013;Machin&Vernoit,
2010;Machin&Vernoit,2011).Hisoverarchingargumentisthat“coalitionacademies”do
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not,unlikethepreviouswaveofacademiescreatedduringtheLabourGovernment,servethe
mostdisadvantagedstudentsinEngland(2010,p.21).Furthermore,hisanalysisconcludes
that,eveninthoseacademiesthatconvertedpre-2010,thereisnoimpactevidenceofless
ablestudentsimprovingtheirperformanceattheendofKeyStage4(2013,p.9).
However,perpetuatingdistrustoftheAcademiesmovementwillperhapsbea
contributingfactortothechallengesfacingthosewhowishtoestablishsuccessfulschool-to-
schoolsupportnetworks.Furthermore,theexpansionoftheAcademiesmovementcouldbe
seentohavepromptedaninfluxof“privateactors”whoseplanningandcapacityarelesswell-
consideredthanthoseoftheirforerunners.Section1.3ofthischaptergivesabrief
considerationtotheaccountabilitypressuresthataredesignedtooffsetthefreedomsofthe
currenteducationallandscape.
Finally,intheveinofgovernanceoftheschoolsystem,Ball’sotherwiseilluminating
examinationoftheissuesofprivatisationofstateeducationseemstoexcludeconsiderationof
thehistoricexistenceofBritain’spublicschoolandgrammarschoolsystems.Thisaspectof
privatisationisconsidered,however,byWalfordinhisbook,PrivatisationandPrivilege,which
describesthe“strongopinions”whichprivate,fee-payingschoolscanincite.Walfordgoeson
todrawsomeparallelsbetweentheCTC/Academymovementsandprivateschoolsinhisstudy
(2011,p.85-102).Itwillbefruitfulforthisstudytoconsiderperceptionsofelitisminthe
Academymovement,whichsitsontheboundarybetweenstateandindependentschooling,
whenexploringissuesofidentityandtrustwithinthefieldofschool-to-schoolsupport,atthe
meso-andmicro-level.Those“nodal”schools(Hargreaves,2010,p.17,drawingonHamel&
Prahalad,1994)atthecentreofTeachingSchoolAlliancesarelikelytobeprivately-sponsored
academies,orformergrammarschoolconverter-academies;iftheschoolswhoarepotential
clientsforschool-to-schoolsupportremaininthecontrolofthelocalauthority,thiscouldgive
risetopoliticalconflictatthemeso-levelwhich,inturn,couldbeabarriertothebrokeringof
SLEs.
2.1.1.2CurriculumandAssessmentRedesign
WhileIhavetouchedoncurriculumspecialismswhenconsideringgovernance,itisworth
brieflyconsideringthecontributionofcurriculumandassessmentredesigntothechallenges
presentedtoschoolleaders.SwiftlyfollowingtheintroductionofGCSEsin1986,The
EducationReformAct(DepartmentforEducationandScience,1988)gavebirthtotheNational
20
Curriculumandmuch-malignedStandardisedAssessmentTests(SATs).Sincethen,with
hindsight,schoolleadersandtheirstaffenjoyedaperiodofrelativestabilityuntiltheplethora
ofreformswhichweretriggeredbytheCoalitionGovernment’srapidpublicationoftheWhite
Paper,TheImportanceofTeaching(DepartmentforEducation,2010).Whileschoolleaders
mightwelcomeaspects,thesheervolumeandpaceofcurriculumandassessmentredesignisa
challengetoanyinstitution–whetherOutstandingorinSpecialMeasures–withsignificant
changesacrossallkeystagesandphases,withinthreeyears.Thepotentialimpactonthe
focusofthisresearchstudy,onSchool-to-SchoolSupport,isthatschoolleadersareforcedto
turninwards,ratherthanoutwards,astheyleadalloftheschool’sstakeholdersthroughthis
periodofchange.
2.1.1.3AccountabilityReforms
ThenatureofaccountabilityinothercountriesdeemedtohaveprogressiveSISSnetworkswill
becomparedlaterinthischapter.WithinEngland,theEducation(Schools)Act(Department
forEducation,1992)heraldedthearrivaloftheOfficeforStandardinEducation(Ofsted);
teachermoraleplummeted(Abbott,2013,p.119).1994sawthelaunchoftheotherkey
toolkitintheendeavourtoraisestandards,thePerformanceTables,which,inherministerial
Foreword,Shephardclaimsareinthespiritofinformingparentalchoice(Shephard,1994).The
currentCoalitionGovernmenthavechangedandincreasedthecomplexityofperformance
tablesviatheirStatementofIntentonanannualbasis.Thedecentralisationwhichisclaimed
tobeakeyelementintheWhitePaper(DepartmentforEducation,2010),doesindeedequip
thosewhoembracetheAcademyorFreeSchoolmovementswithfreedomtodetermine
aspectsofschoollife,suchasacademicyearanddailystructures,payandconditions,and
certainflexibilitiesregardingthedeliveryoftheNationalCurriculum.Theseinstitutions,which
areoftenthekeyplayersinanyTeachingSchoolAlliance,arecutadriftfromtheLocal
Authority,whosechangingrolewillbeconsideredlaterinthischapter.
TheperceptionoffreedomrequirestheGovernmenttobeseentobeholdingschools
toaccount;asAbbottreflects:“Acrucialpartofgivingmoreautonomytoschoolsistheneed
toprovetheyareaccountable.”(Abbott,Rathbone,etal.,2013,p.184).Thustheincreasing
pressureofperformance-tableaccountability,alongwiththedirectfundingfromcentral
government’sEducationFundingAgency,couldbeperceivedasare-centringofcontrolfrom
centralgovernment,ratherthantheconverse.Aswellasthecompulsiontoturninwards
whenunderaccountabilitypressure,thereisalsoincreasinglikelihoodforleadersofAlliance
21
partnershipstobelessinclinedtosupportthegrowthofneighbouringschoolswhenDfEand
Ofstedrationalemeasuresallschoolsagainstthenationalaverage,withanobviously
impossibleexpectationforallschoolstobe“betterthanaverage“(Gove,2013).Thisisafar
cryfromHopkins’visionfor“Everyschoolagreatschool”(Hopkins,2007)andcaused
indignantresponsesfromtheteachingcommunity3.FearfulHeadteachersneedonlylookto
thefateoftheWellingtonAcademyHead,AndySchofield,whohadhisemployment
terminatedbythetrusteesathisAcademy’sindependentschoolsponsor,WellingtonCollege,
reportedbytheTESas“footballmanagersyndrome”(Vaughan,2013b).Thisresearchstudy
hopestoexplorethevalidityofGilbert’sviewthataccountability,initself,isatooltopromote
collaborativeself-improvement(Gilbert,2012)orwhether,tothecontrary,thefearit
generateserectsbarriersofcompetition.
2.1.1.4EnglishEducationalReforminanInternationalContext
Finally,thereviewofthelandscapeinwhicheducationalsystemleadersarecurrently
operatingmustconsiderthepreoccupationofthecurrentgovernmentwithhowthe
performanceofstudentsinUKschoolscomparestothoseontheinternationalstage,as
measuredbytheProgrammeforInternationalStudentAssessment(PISA)testsofthe
OrganisationforEconomicCo-operationandDevelopment(OECD).Whilethedebate
regardingtheirvalidityisbeyondtheparametersofthisresearchstudy,theambitionof
politiciansforEnglandtobedeemed‘worldclass’intheeducationstakesisverycentraltothe
self-improvingschoolsystemdesiredbythe2010WhitePaper.TheOECDandtheSpecialist
SchoolsandAcademiesTrustpublishedabroad,two-volumestudyonthepolicyandpractice
inregardtoschoolleadership(Pont,Nusche,&Hopkins,2008),inresponsetothe21st-century
climateof“rapideconomicandsocialchange”with“agreateremphasisontherelative
performanceofdifferentschoolsandeducationsystems,betweenschools,schoolsystemsand
countries.”(2008,p.3;p.9)Thestudycallsforachangeinhowschoolleadersaresupportedto
workcollaboratively;theworkoftheNationalCollegeforSchoolLeadership,andthe
formationofTeachingSchoolsandtheirAlliancescanbeseenasanemergingresponsetothis
need.
Inthethirdofhisrecentseriesofthinkpieces,Aself-improvingsysteminan
internationalcontext,HargreaveslaysasidetheissueofthevalidityofthePISAtests.Instead,
3Educationalforumsandblogscapturedthemoodofennui,suchasthewebsiteLeftFootForward(Bloodworth,2013)
22
hereflectsonwhatcanbedrawnfromthe“Confucian”ideologyofChina,whichpromotesa
collaborativeculture,albeitanarrowonewithbarrierstoinstitutionalorpublictrust,orthe
decentralisedsystemofFinland(D.Hargreaves,2012b).Heraisesthequestionofhow
successfulpolicytransfercanbeifpoliciesareonlypartiallytransferred,orifweattemptto
transferprocesseswithoutatransferofculture.PasiSahlbergmoreovertlyoutlinesthekey
issuesthatseparatethepoliciesofFinnishEducationandthosenationsthatwouldwishto
emulatethem–or,ashewouldputit,those“infectedbytheGERM(GlobalEducationReform
Movement)”:Finland’seducationsystemisbasedoncooperation,notcompetition;itdoesnot
havediversechoiceofschooling,orbelievethatdiversityinitselfwillbringimprovement,as
eachschoolisfocusedonachievingthebestforeverychild;nordoesitcurrentlyhavethe
pressuresofstandardisedtestingandcomplexperformance-tableaccountability(Sahlberg,
2011).Alexander’scritiqueofthe2010McKinseyReportonworld-leadingschools(Mourshed,
Chijoke,&Barber,2010)isilluminating:“TheMcKinseyreportdoesnotsaythatthebest
performingschoolsystemscomeoutontopbecausetheyaresmallandrich,butifyouplay
thegameofeducationalcauseandconsequenceatthissimplelevelthatiswhatyoumight
conclude.”(Alexander,2010,p.814)Whilethisisaself-confessedgeneralisation,Alexander
corroboratesSahlberg’sandHargreave’sconcernsthataspectsofothernation’spoliciesare
beingselectedfortransferwithoutappropriateconsiderationofthecontextthatgrewthose
successfulsystems.
2.2Macro-level:theContextofTeachingSchoolAlliances
2.2.1TheContextofSelf-ImprovingSchoolSystems
Themostsignificantofallpolicyreformstothefocusofthisresearchstudyis,ofcourse,the
WhitePaper,TheImportanceofTeaching,of2010.AsmentioninmyIntroduction,priorto
thisHargreaveshadestablishedthediscourseonself-improvingschoolsystems(SISS)inhis
2003text,EducationEpidemic;theself-improvingschoolsystemwouldseeeffectiveschools
supportotherschoolstoimprove,ratherthanthesystembeingreliantontop-downinitiatives
topromoteimprovements.
The2013publicationbytheNationalCollegeforTeachingandLeadership,Teaching
schools:firstamongequals?conveyedhowBerwickhimself,hadbeeninstrumentalinthe
driveforteachingschoolsinEngland.2004sawhisProposalsforanationalnetworkof
teachingschools:submittedtotheCabinetOffice(Matthews&Berwick,2013)Theseideas
23
werefurtherhonedinhispaper,Theteachingschoolconceptin2007,andarereflectedinthe
TSAinitiativewehavetoday.Hisuseoftheterm‘concept’hasbeentranslatedto‘model’by
thetimeof2010WhitePaper;reflectionsontheinterviewphaseofthisstudywillarguethat
the‘model’wasnotsufficientlydevelopedtoofferappropriateguidancetosupportefficient
realisationofTSApolicy.
TheTeachingSchoolconceptdrewfromanumberofpartneringprojectsfromwithin
England,aswellasfromoverseas,asbrieflyexploredthroughtheideasofHargreaves.Within
England,someoftheseforerunnershaveceased,suchasEducationActionZonesandthe
LondonChallenge.OtherscontinuetooverlapwithTSAs,suchastheregionalThamesValley
SchoolsPartnership.Inaddition,therearenationalpartnerships,ofwhichthemostpertinent
tothisstudyistheSpecialistSchoolsandAcademiesTrust(SSAT).
ItwaswhileworkingwiththeLondonLeadershipChallengeofLondonChallengethat
Berwickhonedhisideasforateachingschoolnetwork,drawingonmedicalprecedents,which
willbeexploredlater,andthebestpracticechampionedbytheUCLALabSchoolintheUSA.In
particular,thefusionofresearch,innovationandteachingpractice“havebeensharedwith
schoolsaroundtheglobe.”(Matthews&Berwick,2013,p.11)Atthetime,hewasheadof
RavensWoodSchool,whichbecamethefirstpilotTeachingSchool.
HillandMatthews(2008;2010)haveextensivelyreviewedtheimpactofthose
designatedasNLEs,arolewhichpre-datestheWhitePaperandwillbediscussedindetailin
section2.4ofthischapter.Inthe2010report,theiranalysesofOfstedandperformancedata,
aswellas‘softer’impactsuchasthedevelopmentandprogressionofschoolleaders,was
overwhelminglypositive.(2008,p.88)However,theyconcludethatNLEsarebeingunder-used
onastrategiclevel,needtobecommissionedto“developandimplementanimprovement
strategythroughoutthelocalauthorityareaorsubregion”(p.116).
InhisroleasakeyfigureheadfortheTSAinitiative,Hargreaves’valuesandvisionwere
embracedbyschoolleadersduringkeynotespeeches,andheauthoredseveralthinkpiecesfor
theNationalCollegeofSchoolLeadersonthetopicofcollaborativenetworks(2010,2011,
2012a,2012b).Amoredetailedreviewofthepartnershipcompetencesproposedby
Hargreaves,andotherkeythinkers,willbeexploredmorefullywhenconsideringrolesatthe
meso-level.
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2.2.2TheTeachingSchoolandTeachingSchoolAlliance
Asdiscussed,theTeachingSchoolmodelhadbeenemergingoverseveralyears,fromthetime
ofBlair’sLabourgovernment,andSchool-to-SchoolSupport(S2SS),andtheaugmentationof
schoolleaders'capacitytoleadaself-improvingsystem,werekeyfeaturesofthecurrent
Coalitiongovernment'sinitialWhitePaperoneducation(HMGovernment,2010,p.68-74).
Emphasiswasplacedon“increasedauthority”and“greaterautonomy”forschoolsto:
…makeiteasierforschoolstolearnfromoneanother...ThenetworkofTeaching
Schools...arebestplacedtoleadsystem-wideimprovementinthearea…Wewilllook
totheseschoolstobrigadetogetherandbrokerasnecessarythedifferentformof
supportthatotherschoolsmightneed.(2010,p.23)
Theensuingpledgewasto:“…makesurethateveryschoolhasaccesstothesupportitneeds
throughNationalandLocalLeadersofEducation,TeachingSchoolsandleadingteachers,orby
workinginpartnershipwithastrongschool.“(2010,p.74,myemphasis)Thefirstroundof
teachingschoolapplicationssubsequentlyopenedtoschoolswhowerejudgedtobe
outstandingbyOfsted,withthefirstwaveof100TeachingSchoolsbeingdesignatedin2011
(TheNationalCollegeforSchoolLeadership,2011).ByApril2013,360TeachingSchoolshad
beendesignated,withatargetof500teachingschoolstobedesignatedby2014-5(The
NationalCollegeforTeachingandLeadership,2013b).Hargreave’svisionwasthataTSshould
notbe:“thepositional,topdogtypeofleader,butrathertheleaderwhohastheright
knowledgeandskills(competence)toengageintherightkindofprocessesthatproducethe
intendedresultsofthepartnership(2011,p.5).Similarly,MatthewsandBerwickstatethat
teachingschoolsare“emphaticallynotintendedaselitist‘lonerangers’”(Matthews&
Berwick,2013,p.5);however,theinterviewfindingswillexplorethatleadersofneighbouring
schoolsmayholdcontraryviews.
Anotherpotentialchallengetoaself-improvingschoolsystemisthatofcompetition.
Ballidentifiesthe“privatisationofdecisionmaking”asakeydriverinthetensionbetweenthe
emergenceofcompetitioncultureandmoralimperativetocollaborate(2007,p.9).Itmaybe
importanttoconsidertowhatdegreetheTeachingSchoolmaythemselvesbereluctantto
enterintocollaborativeprojects,inthelightofthecontextoftheotherpolicyreformsoutlined
atthestartofthischapter.
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2.2.3TheEvolutionandRolesoftheNationalCollege
Itisusefultobrieflydiscuss,here,theevolutionofTheNationalCollege,asthismayhave
somebearingontheprofession’sresponsetoitsinitiatives,includingmyfocusofSchool-to-
SchoolSupport.
TheNationalCollegeforSchoolLeadershipwasformedin2000,asanon-
departmentalpublicbody.In2009,itsremitwasbroadenedin2009,whenitbecameThe
NationalCollegeforLeadershipofSchoolsandChildren’sServices,remainingasanon-
departmentalpublicbodyuntil1April2012,whenitbecameanexecutiveagencyofthe
DepartmentforEducation.Itsmostrecentevolutionwason1April2013,whenmergedwith
theTeachingAgencytobecomeTheNationalCollegeforTeachingandLeadership(The
NationalCollegeforTeachingandLeadership,2013a).
Anecdotalevidencewouldsuggestthatthistransitionfromanorganisationforthe
professionandoftheprofession,toagovernmentagencywasnotwell-received.Asone
tesconnectforumcontributorposted:“Anothersticktobeatyouwith”(lexus300,2013).It
couldbethatthealignmentoftheNationalCollege-andwithit,TSAs–tocentralgovernment
isafactorinanymistrustassociatedwiththeleaderswhoaretobebrokeredinschool-to-
schoolsupport.
2.2.4TheRolesofNationalLeadersofEducationandLocalLeadersofEducation
ThefirstNationalLeadersofEducation(NLEs)weredesignatedin2007-8,priortothelaunch
oftheTeachingSchoolinitiative:
TheNationalLeadersareoutstandingheadteachersofoutstandingschoolswho
committosupportingotherschools.TheirschoolsaredesignatedNationalSupport
Schools,becauseasheadteachersworkingwithotherschoolswhichmaybe
struggling,theyareexpectedtodrawontheestablishedstrengthsoftheirownschool
inordertosupportimprovement.LocalLeadersofEducationaresuccessfulhead
teacherswhooffersupporttoheadteachersofotherschoolsthroughcoachingand
mentoring.(DepartmentforEducation,2010,pp27-8)
Intermsofdistinguishingthetworoles,NLEapplicantswillhaveaproventrackrecordof
leadingschoolsto‘Outstanding’,asjudgedbyOfsted;LocalLeadersofEducation(LLEs)could
26
haveledschoolstoajudgementofatleastGood.SinceitisNLEswhobrokerSLEsupport,I
willfocusontheNLErole,here,but,forthesakeofclarity,anLLEwouldworkmoreflexibly
andwithinlocalpartnerships(TheNationalCollegeforSchoolLeadership,2013b)
Thegovernmentcommittedtocontinuetorecruittowardsitstargetof1,000NLEsby
2014-15,with800alreadyinoperation.By2010-11,870schoolshadbeensupportedbyan
NLEinaformalcapacity;HillandMatthew’sreviewofthisworkwasbrieflydiscussedearlierin
thischapter.(Hill&Matthews,2010).Inbrief,anNLEcouldoperateviadifferentmodels.
Firstly,anSLEcouldcommittoatemporaryprojectinwhichs/hewould,attherequestof
OfstedviatheNationalCollege,workwithaclientschoolinneedofimprovementforan
agreedtimeframe,fromapproximately6to18months.ThesecondmodelbywhichanNLE
couldfulfiltheirobligationsistoleadschoolimprovementthroughpermanentlyfederating
withaschoolinchallengingcircumstances.From2010,thethirdmodelwastochampion
systemimprovementthroughleadingTSA.Atthetimeofwriting,anNLEcouldwork
independentlyfromaTSA,followingeithermodeloneor,ifanacademyleader,modeltwo,or
workwithinthescopeofaTSAandfollowmodelthreeandalsopossiblymodel2.NLEsare
registeredonacentraldatabasewiththeNationalCollegeandanyNLEcanrequest
deploymentofSLEs,althoughtheSLEleadattheTSAwouldberequiredtoapprovethe
brokering.
2.2.5AdvisersandConsultants:aBriefContext
BeforetheroleoftheSLEisconsidermorefully,itispertinent,here,toconsiderother
advisoryroles,pastandpresent,whichmayimpactuponthesuccessoftheinitiative.
Historically,theroleofaspecialistadvisoryvisitortoaschoolwouldhavebeenfilledbytheLA
Advisor.Now,though,asWatermanreflects,theroleoftheLAineducationis“much
narrower”,statingthatthe2010WhitePaperis“...recastingtheroleoftheofthelocal
authorityasanadvocateandchampionforparents,schoolsandfamilies...Thedefacto
disappearanceofthelocalauthorityasamajorplayerinschooleducationcouldalsoseea
quickeningofthemoveforschoolsinageographicalareastoformfederations...”(Waterman,
2013,p.952).PriortotheshrinkingoflocalgovernmentbudgetsandtheredundancyoftheLA
duetoGove’sAcademiesboom,anecdotalevidencewouldsuggestthattheLAAdvisorhad
losthisorherlustre.Howeverpersonableorexperienced,theycouldbeperceivedas‘outof
27
touch’withcurrentpractice.Inthisvein,theGuardiancapturedaHeadteacher’sperception
ofbureaucracy,duringtheLabourgovernment’slasttermofoffice:
‘Onmygravestonewillbewritten,“Hediedofconsultancy,”’saysoneheadteacher.
‘Inanyoneweek,I'mtakingaroundandexplainingthecircumstancesofmyschoolto
asmallarmyofadvisers.’(Shepherd,2008)
Ofcourse,suchavalue-ladendescription,much-cherishedbytheGuardian,ofinvadingforces
mightrevealthisHeadteacher’sreluctancetochange,andattempttoconcealhis
misconceptionsofwhattherootissuesattheheartofhisschool’sperformanceindeedare;
however,furtherconsiderationofthepsychologicalmodelsofchange–andresistancetoit–
willbeexploredatthemicro-level.However,forleadersoflesssuccessfulschools,reluctance
toengagewithexternalsupportcouldbeaproductoftheeitherthevolumeortherapid
evolutionofadvisors,andcouldbeabarriertoengagementwithNLEsortheirSLEs.
ToconsidercurrentcompetitorstotheservicesprovidedviaTSAs,anecdotalevidence
suggeststhatone-offtrainingcourses,suchas‘TheYear8Dilemma’,arerapidlydecliningin
popularity,withtheteachingprofessionsatiricallyreworkingthecriticalsayingthatoncehad
themasthesourceofderision:“Thosewhocan’t,train.”However,theHeadteachers’unions
offeranextensivepricelistforCPDcourses,andtheSpecialistSchoolsandAcademiesTrust
(SSAT)isasubscription–notanot-forprofit–organisation,whosecollaborativeapproachto
networkingisofpotentialinterestasanationalcompetitortothemorelocalisedworkofthe
TSA.Forexample,SSATconsultants,whocanbehiredfor£750(members),or£1,125(non-
members),plusVAT,forfourdays’work,mightbeseenasdirectorcompetitors,asitwere,to
SpecialistLeadersinEducation.Inasimilarvein,Balldescribestheriseinthesaleofsupport
andimprovementbyconsultantsandadvisors(2009,p.140).Whatevertheireffectiveness,
theintentionismorefar-reaching,namelytoenhancetheperformanceoftheorganisation,
andthereforethequalityofprovisionofallstudentsinit,ratherthanchargingforanoff-the-
shelfsetofworksheets.
Ballmightfeartheconsequencesoftheshiftfromastate-/local-authority-drivensupport
network:“They[schools]arespacesinwhichnewkindsofpolicyactorscanactouttheirideas
abouteducationandpersonalcommitments(social,moralandreligious).”(2007,p.190)
However,itcouldbearguedtobemoresustainableandeffectiveforouryoungpeoplethat
theseactorsareNLEsandSLEs–manyofwhomwillbefromtheprivatisedsectorof
Academies–whosemoralimperativetosupportothers,atnofinancialgaintothemselves,fill
thespacethenurtureemergingleadershipcapacityinotherschools’spaces,astheydointheir
28
own.Conversely,itcouldbearguedthatthecompetitionbetweenTSAswillinhibitthe
embeddingofopenandaltruisticnetworks.Theissuescompetitionandidentityin
partnershipswillbemorefullyconsideredalongsidelessonsfromthebusinesssector.
2.2.6TheRoleofSpecialistLeadersofEducation
TosupporttheworkofNLEs,theroleoftheSpecialistLeaderofEducation(SLE)wascreated
foroutstandingmiddleandseniorleaders,withasuccessfultrackrecordofschool
improvement,suchasAssistantHeadteachers,keystageleadersorsubjectleaders,whocan
offeraleadershipspecialisminapriorityarea,asdeemedbythegovernment.Thesespecialist
areasincludecurriculumleadership,CPD,academyconversionandphonics,alongwith
achievementinarangeofsubjectareasorphases(TheNationalCollegeforSchoolLeadership,
2013a).Whiletheexactnatureofdeploymentmayvary(seebelow),inessence,anSLEwill
workwithamiddleleaderinaschoolwhoisneedofsupporttoenhancetheirleadershipof
thespecialistareathroughcoachingandactionplanning.Evidenceoftheimpactofthe
supportmustbegathered,withtheintentionthattheleaderinthesupportedschoolwill
sustainimprovementsoncethesupportoftheSLEiswithdrawn.
Whiletheindividualmustbe‘Outstanding’4,hisorherschoolmightnotnecessarilybe
deemedsobyOfsted,sinceallSLEsmustberecruitedandbrokeredbyaTeachingSchool.The
termOutstanding,whenappliedtotheSLEapplicant,referstotheOfstedInspection
FrameworkforLeadershipandManagement(Ofsted,2013,p.19-20),whichfocuseson
accurateself-evaluationtosupportavisionforimprovement.EachTSAmustsuccessfullybid
torecruitaspecifiednumberofSLEs;initially,thesewererecruitedinSLE'cohort'recruitment
round,butinSpring2014therecruitmentmodelwasadaptedsoSLEswereonlyrecruitedon
anad-hoc,needs-ledbasis.Afteranassessmentday,anapplicantwouldhopetobe
designateduponthecompletionofcoretrainingmodules,whicharedeliveredbyanumberof
theTSs.TheSystemLeadershipProspectusfortheNCdeclarestheaimfor“nationalcoverage”
ofSLEs,andstates:
Modelsandtypesofdeploymentwillvary.Forexample,onedeploymentmightbea
two-daydiagnosticexercise,whilstanothermightrequireathree-monthfull-time
supportrole.Timemaybetakenasablockofconsecutivedaysorspreadoveralonger4Theapplicationformandassessmentdayservetogatherevidenceofabroaderrangeofcriteria,whicharedetailedinAppendix1,alongwithevidenceofcommunicationandinterpersonalskills.
29
period.Thereisnominimumormaximumtimecommitment.SLEsandschoolswill
needtothinkcarefullyabouttheircapacityandnegotiatetheiravailability
together…ItisimportantthatSLEsareactivelydeployed...[and]provideevidence
thattheirworkhashadapositiveimpactonoutcomesforchildrenandyoungpeople
bydevelopingleadershipcapacityinotherschools(TheNationalCollegeforSchool
Leadership,2013b,p.5).
Thisresearchstudywillexaminetheissuespresentedbytheshiftinglandscape,froma
LocalAuthority-centredsystemtoa‘freemarket’ofschool-schoolsupportbrokeredby
TeachingSchoolAlliances,forthosefivecohortsofSLEswhowillhavebeenrecruitedand
designatedbyMay2014.IfNLEsandSLEsarenotfullyandeffectivelydeployed,theSLE
initiativeisfailinginitsmissionto‘narrowthegap'throughbuildingleadershipcapacityby
workingdirectlywithleadersinotherschools.
ToreturntoTheSystemLeadershipProspectus(NCTL,2013),exactlywhois
responsibleforpayingfortheservicesofanSLEisanintentionallygreyarea:
TheremaybepaymentforspecificSLEdeployments,eitherfromschoolsreceivingsupportorfromtheircommissioningbodies,toreimbursetheSLE'sschoolforbackfill
orsupplycover.Anysuchpaymentwillbeagreedandmanagedbytheteachingschooland/orotherschoolsinvolved.(2013,p.4)
TSAs’chargesforanSLEvary,butaverage£400perday;inaworldofshrinkingbudgets,itis
probablethatsuchfeeswillbeprohibitiveforanykindofsustainedrelationship,especiallyfor
thoseinstitutionswho‘RequireImprovement’orareinSpecialMeasures-namely,thevery
schoolswhomthesystemmostneedstosupportintheimprovementofeducationaloutcomes
forchildren.Forthosewhocanaffordthefees,eachTSAisresponsiblefordevelopingitsown
brokeringandevaluationsystems.Forexample,aTSAmightrequireaHeadteacher,NLEorLLE
tocontacttheHeadofSchool-to-SchoolSupportforaninitialdiscussionofneeds,withthe
'clientschool'havingidentifiedwhichspecialismsareofferedbyaparticularTSfromalistof
SLEsontheNC'swebsite;however,Iwouldarguethatapotentialclientwouldneedtobe
awareoftheexistenceofthisdirectory.Eventhen,politicalsensitivities,suchasaffiliationto,
ormistrustof,particularAcademychainsandsponsors,couldbeadeterrenttoappropriate
supportbeingsought.Ifappropriate,anSLEwillthenbebriefedanddelegated,andconduct
initialresearchpriortomeetingwiththemiddleorseniorleaderintheclientschool.IftheSLE
brokeringhasprogressedtothisstage,thereareavarietyofadditionalbarrierstobe
30
overcomeifleadershipcapacityistobeeffectivelybuilt,andleadershipsustained,but
evaluationoftheproceduresandimpactofSLEworkgobeyondtheparametersofthisstudy.
ClearandeffectivemarketingoftheroleoftheSLEisanotherchallengingarea.
AnecdotalevidencesuggeststhatinLocalAuthoritiessuchasPeterborough,whereLAadvisors
arestillcomparativelyactive,the'unknownentity'ofanSLEcouldbealessattractive
prospect.ThereisaneedforthoseTSAsinvolvedintheearlyrecruitmentwavesneedto
promoteSLEswithin-and,indeedacross-TeachingSchoolAlliances,andthentothose
strugglinginstitutionswhoarenot,duegeographicalorpoliticalcircumstances,involvedin
effectivecollaborationwiththecolleagues,thesystemleaders,whohavethemoralimperative
tosupportthem.Schoolleaderswhowouldliketorequestsupportcandosoonlineviathe
NationalCollege’sSchooltoschoolsupportdirectory(2013)butthoseschoolswhoarenot
currentlymembersofanallianceareunlikelytobeawareofthisprocess.
2.2.7TheMissingMiddle:SchoolCommissioners
Inhispaper,TheMissingMiddle:theCaseforSchoolCommissioners,RobertHillproposesthe
needfora“middle-tier”ofcommissioners.Insomewaysfillingthevoidleftbydiminishedrole
oftheLA,aforementioned,theywouldoperateataregional,ormeso-level,topromotethe
brokeringofappropriateschool-to-schoolsupport,amongotherduties:“[They]wouldbe
high-calibreindividualswhowouldcommandtheconfidenceandrespectofschoolleaders...
Therolewouldbeasmuchabouttheexerciseofinfluenceandsoftpowerasexecutive
responsibilities.”(Hill,2012,p.4)
InDecember2013,thegovernmentdecidedtoappointeightRegionalSchools
CommissionersfromSeptember2014,buttheirroleismorelimitedthanHill’sproposal.They
willmakedecisionsonapplicationsfromschoolswishingtobecomeacademies,orfrom
sponsors.Inaddition,theDfEwebsitestates:“Theywillalsoberesponsiblefortakingaction
whenanacademyisunderperforming.Thecommissionerswillnotbeinvolvedwithacademies
thatareperformingwellorwithlocalauthority-maintainedschools.”(Departmentfor
Education,2013b,2013d;Education,2013)FrankGreen,NLEanddirectoroftheIndependent
AcademiesAssociation,tookovertheexistingnationalpostofSchoolsCommissionerin
September2013.Keychallengestohistwo-yeartenurearetopromptmoreprimaryschools
31
toconverttoacademystatus,aswellastoencourage“school-to-schoolcollaborationand
support”(DepartmentforEducation,2013c).
Itisinsomewaysaperversenotionthatthesystemwouldneedaleadertoleadits
systemsleaders,especiallyasitiswithinTheNationalCollege’sremittofacilitateappropriate
school-to-schoolsupportviaitsNLEsandLLEs.However,considerationofthecapacityofNLEs
atameso-andmicro-levelwillrevealthechallengestothemtodeliverthevisionofaSISS.
2.3Meso-level:OrganisationalSystemsandChallenges
2.3.1TheModeloftheTeachingSchoolAlliance
The2010WhitePaper(DepartmentforEducation,2010)drawsaparallelbetweenthe
proposedTeachingSchoolAlliancemodelandthatofteachingHospitals,butdoesnot
evidenceorreferencethisinanyway.Theaptnessandlimitationsofsuchaparallelwillbe
discussedlaterinthischapter.Inreality,thereisnosetmodelforaTeachingSchoolAlliance,
althoughallmusthaveanexecutiveboardatthecentreofthe‘hub’,andmusthavelead
personnelwhodeliveronthe‘Big6’elementsofinitialteachertraining(ITT),continued
professionaldevelopment(CPD),leadershipdevelopmentandsuccessionplanning,research
anddevelopment(R&D),andSchool-to-SchoolSupport,toincludeSLEs.Itistypicalthata
singleteachingschoolwillbeatthecentreofthehub,althoughothermodelsarepermitted,
suchas‘job-share’or‘multiple’TeachingSchoolsleadingtheAlliance(Leadership,2012).
EachTSAisusuallymadeupofanumberofprimaryandsecondaryschoolpartners
andwilloftenincludespecialschoolsanduniversities;theTSwilldeterminewhichofthese
partnersare‘strategic’orkeypartnersatthepointofapplyingtotheNCtobecomeaTS.Each
TSwillalsodeterminethefinancialmodelforitsoperationatthetimeofapplication.
Typically,analliancepartnerwillpayasubscriptionwhichwillentitlethemtoanumberofCPD
sessions,aswellasattendanceatoneormoreofthehubmeetings.Otherlocalschoolswho
havenotchosentobecomeanalliancepartnerareabletopayforCPDcoursesonanadhoc
basis.Figure2.1,below,illustrateshow,inthespiritofdistributedleadership,responsibility
foreachelementissharedbetweentheteachingschoolandoneormorestrategicpartners.
Thetheoristswhopromotedistributedleadershipwillbeexploredlaterinthischapter.
32
Figure2.1MatthewsandBerwick’sTSAModel:Radialorganisationalstructure:schematicexampleinvolvingateachingschool(TS)andfivestrategicpartners(SP1-5)(Matthews&Berwick,2013)
Inreality,ateachingschoolmaychoosetocombinesomeoftheseelementstobeledbyaparticularstrategicpartner,asillustratedintheexamplebelow.
Figure2.2AllianceModeofTSA1
33
Asisevidentinbothofthesemodels,distributedleadershipmeansthataleaderotherthan
theallianceleadermayberesponsibleforco-ordinatingschool-to-schoolsupportandthe
brokeringofSLEs.Whilethiscanbeseentobebuildingcapacitywithinthealliance,it
heightenstheimportanceofwhatHargreavesterms“fitgovernance”(2012b,p.6ff;see3.4
below).West-Burnhamhighlightskeyissuesinthisrespect:systemsleaders“generallywillnot
havethesamepositionalauthoritythatisassociatedwithheadship”.Healsopredictsthat
therewillbe“increasinguncertaintyandambiguity”,aswellas“increasinglyvague
accountability”forschoolleadersintermsoftheirallianceresponsibilities.(West-Burnham,
2011).
Itwouldseemthatthereisnonationaldatatoillustratehowmanyoftheschools
whicharemostinneedofsupport–namelythosewhoarenotjudgedtobegoodorbetter–
aremembersofateachingschoolalliance.However,itwouldseemlikelythattherearea
numberwhoarenotalliancemembersandwho,therefore,maynotbemindfulofthesupport
andserviceswhichcanbeofferedbyaTSA-shouldtheybeabletoaffordthem;theaction
researchphaseofthisstudyexploresthecontextoftheschoolssupportedbyeachcasestudy
TSA.Inessence,theleaderinchargeofSchool-to-Schoolsupportmayneedtoreachacross
andbeyondtheAlliance,whichmaybeanaddedbarriertobrokerage.
2.3.2TheRegionalPicture
Toappreciatethecomplexitytothepictureofschool-to-schoolsupportonthismeso-level,itis
importanttorecogniseanygeographicalandpoliticalissuesthatneedtobeovercome.While
MatthewsandBurgesshavedesignedclearstructuresforindividualTSAs,thereisanotable
lackofclarityintheco-existingnetworksinanygivenLAarea.Mydiagram,Figure2.3,below,
isarepresentationofthenatureofnetworksandautonomousinstitutionsinsuchanarea.
WhiletheremainingLAschoolsfallwithintheregionalboundary,thealliancemembersof
teachingschoolscanstretchbeyondthatboundaryintoneighbouringcounties.‘Satellite’
alliancemembersmayevenbelocatedattheopposingendofalargerregionalarea,suchas
theEastMidlandsorYorkshire.
ChrisHusbands’Foreword:Aviewfromhighereducation(Matthews&Berwick,2013)
voicesnaturalconcernsregardinggrowingdecentralisation:“Asschoolsbecomeincreasingly
autonomous,therearefearsthatschoolswillturninwards,protectiveofthesecretsofsuccess
ordefensiveaboutshortcomingsorweaknesses...theteachingschoolallianceisacounter-
34
balance:areminderthatcollaborationandco-operationareessential...”(2013,p.3)However,
withalliancemembershipverymuchoptional,unlessaschoolisfederatedtoaschoolwithin
it,thefragmentarynature,thebalkanisation,willnotbediminished.Moreover,inareaswhere
severalTSAsexistincloseproximity,competitionbetweenTSAscouldcauseaffiliationsto
becomepoliticallyfraught.Abbottetal’scasestudyofBirmingham’sPrimarySchool
ImprovementGroupalsoutiliseshostileimagerytodepictthecurrenteducationalclimateata
meso-level:“Thereistheequivalentofa‘WildWest’grabforterritorywithnewandexisting
providersscramblingforaroleintheneweducationallandscape.”(Abbott,Middlewood,&
Robinson,2013,p.1).InBirmingham,theLAwastaskedwithdeveloping“amoreformal
approachtoworkingwithNLEsandLLEs”(2013,p.1).Theresearchconcludedthatthe
relationshipbetweenthetwoHeadteachers–supporterandclient–is“mosteffectivelyseen
asaprofessionalworkingpartnership”(p.12).
Figure2.3ARepresentationofSchools’OrganisationinaLARegion
35
Ball(2007)alsoexpressedconcernsregardingthecomplexityofnewnetworks,versusthe
‘hierarchical’systemspriortodecentralisation(p.12).Lookingforwardtomyownresearch,it
maybefruitfultoinvestigatehowmanynon-academyschoolsaremembersofTSAs.Andhow
manynon-academyschoolshaveengagedwithaTSAinthearenaofschool-to-schoolsupport.
ItmaybethatleadersinsomeregionsaremorefrequentlycrossingLA-academyboundaries.
Forexample,AlanLee,ExecutivePrincipalofafederationinBedfordshire,conductedhisown
researchintotheessentialqualitiesofwhatheterms“theboundaryspanners”(Lee,2012,
subtitle).Thenounspanners,here,hasdualconnotations:firstly,spanningclustersor
geographicaldistancesand,secondly,beingatooltofixcollaborativepartnerships.
Onafinalnote,West-BurnhamdrawsonBuonfinoandMulgan’sPorcupinesinWinter
metaphorformodernBritishcommunities(2006)toillustratehowschoolsmightnaturally
keepadistancefromtheirneighbours,withthequillsenforcingthatdistance.Themetaphor
extendstoillustratehowtheyonlycometogetherintimesofneed,whenthediscomfortof
eachother’squillsmustbeenduredforthesakeofwarmth.(West-Burnham,2011).Unless
schoolscanovercomesuspicionanddivisivecompetitiontoshedtheirquills,andbecome
comfortableinpartnershipsandnetworks,thenthepotentialbenefitsofschool-to-school
supportwillnotberealised.InordertopromotecollaborationbetweeneachTSA,andto
promote“aninclusiveschool-ledsystem”,theTeachingSchoolsCouncil(TSC)waslaunchedin
2014(TeachingSchoolsCouncil,2014);theneedforsuchasetofregionalTSCleaderstobe
appointed,fouryearslater,suggeststhatthepolicyofthe2010WhitePaper,aforementioned,
ofschools“brigadingtogether”,wasflawedinitslackofsteerandblueprintforacoherently
organisedsystemofnetworks.
2.3.3PartnershipCompetencies
ThepapersofbothHargreaves,andMatthewsandBerwick,havepresentedadetailedand
reflectivesetofcriteriathattheybelieveaTSAshouldembody.Thesediagrammatic
representationsreflectboththecomplexnatureoftheseorganisationsandalsowhatmightbe
consideredtheappropriatelevelofabstractvaguenesstopermiteachTSAforthe“self-
adaptation”necessarytomatchtheneedsofitslocalcontext(D.Hargreaves,2003,p.7).My
researchactionwillexplorewhetherthelackofinstructional‘blueprint’,whichpermitslocal
solutions,resultsinalackofcoherenceorefficiencyintheworkofthoseattheleadingedgeof
theself-improvingsystem.
36
Figure2.4EmergingModelforTeachingSchools(Matthews&Berwick,2013)
Figure2.5Hargreaves’TSAModel(D.H.Hargreaves,2012b)
Theestablishmentofthesecompetencesmaywellbefurtherinhibitedbythediversityof
playersinthesenetworks,andinthediversityofthesenetworksthemselves,intermsoftheir
ownorganisationandfinancialmanagement:notallAcademiesareTeachingSchools,oreven
37
arepartofanAcademyChainoraTeachingSchoolAlliance(TSA);TSAscurrentlyco-exist
alongsidetheirpreviousincarnationofNationalSupportSchools;notallleadersofTSAsare
NLEs(althoughtheymusthaveoneintheAlliance)andnotallNLEsareinaTSA.Furthermore,
thegeographicalcontextoftheTSAanditspartners,asdiscussedpreviously,couldaddfurther
complexitytothechallenge.
Hargreavesidentifiesanimportantaspectthatisacrucialconsiderationforthe
“alliancearchitects”whoneedtobuildandmaintainnetworks:“Muchschool-ledinnovation
failstoprosperbecauseitlacksadistributionsysteminwhichpeoplearemotivatedtoshare,
asbothgiversandreceiversofinnovation.”(2012b,p.30,myemphasis).Hegoesonto
expoundontheneedforallianceleaderstobe“creativeentrepreneurs”(p.31)inorderto
marketthemselvespositivelyandcreateaclimateoftrustinwhichsocialcapitalcantakeroot.
Themanagement-basedtheoriesthatunderpinthisthinkingwillbefurtherexploredlaterin
thechapter.Whilesuch“architecture”ischallenginginitself,therearepotentiallymore
complexchasmstobebridgedwhenschool-to-schoolsupportcrossesthesealliance
boundaries.Therefore,Hargreavesandothershaveturnedtotheworldofbusinesstodraw
onthevitalprofessionalqualitiesthatcaninformthenecessaryevolutionofschoolleaders
intosystemleaders.Thesewillbesummarisedlaterinthechapter.
2.3.4RecentResearchonSpecialistLeadersinEducation
Arecentlycirculatedreportevaluatestheexperienceofschoolsthattookpartinthepilotof
theSLErolein2010-11.(HOSTPolicyResearch,2012;Research,2012)Whileitwaspublished
in2012,itwasnotcirculatedtoTSAsviatheNationalCollege’sonlineTeachingSchool
Communityuntillatein2013.Itsintentionistoprovidepracticalrecommendationstosupport
therecruitmentanddeploymentofSLEs.However,thevastmajorityofitsfocusisuponbest
practiceaftersupporthasbeenbrokered,whilethefocusofmystudyisontheissuesthat
preventthebrokeringfromactuallytakingplace.Afewoftherecommendationsmadeare
nonethelesspertinenttomystudy:
• ThebrokermustknowallSLEswell,toensureappropriatematchingtoclients(p.9)
• ‘Penportraits’ofSLEsexperienceandspecialismsareusefultosupporttheabove,and
alsoasamarketingaid(p.9)
• Financialproceduresneedtobeastransparentaspossible,andpublishedontheTSA’s
website(pp.20-21)
38
• Apro-forma,availableonthewebsiteshouldnotbe‘off-putting’initscomplexityto
any‘localauthorities,diocesanbody,individualschoolsoranotherteachingalliance’
whowishtorequestsupport.(AnnexB,p.iii)
Whenproceedingwithmyownresearch,Ihopetodeterminewhetherthese“practical
suggestions”havehadanimpactondeploymentofSLEs,orwhethersystem,socialor
psychologicalbarrierstoengagementoutweighthebenefitsoftheseoperationalprocedures.
SubsequenttotheHOSTreport,thefindingsofalargeresearchprojectwaspublished
inApril2014andavailablemorewidely,viatheNationalCollege’swebsite,inearly2015,after
Ihadcompletedtheactionresearchstagesofmyownsmallproject.EntitledTeachingSchools
Evaluation:EmergingIssuesfromtheEarlyDevelopmentofCaseStudyTeachingSchool
Alliances,thisresearchspanned18casestudyTSAsandallsixofthe‘BigSix’responsibilities
whichTSAsaretaskedtodeliver(Guetal.,2014).Asalludedtoinmyintroduction,the
publishedreport,totallingonly62pages,providesanilluminatingoverviewofkeyfindings;
however,theformatofthereportdoesnotpermitthepublicationofanydetailedevidenceof
theresearchwhichunderpinnedthesefindings.Nonetheless,severalofthefindingsofQing
Guandherteamareparticularlyrelevanttomystudy:
• TheTSAs’managementoffinancesvariesnotably(p.29)andthesustainabilityof
these‘quasi-businessmodels’(p.5)isanemergingpriority;
• Prospectiveclientschools“appearedtobewaryofseekinghelp”fromaTSA,or
rejectedNationalCollegefunding,duetofearsthat“’theymighttakeusover’”and
convertthemintoasponsoredAcademy(p.46).Thisalsobearsweightformicro-level
reflections;
• LackofunderstandingoftheroleofanSLE,andhowitdifferedfromthatofthe
formerAdvancedSkillsTeacher(AST),couldbeproblematic(p.40-41)
• A“positiverelationship”withtheLAaided“efficientco-ordinationbetweentheLA
andtheTSA”onthedesignationanddeploymentofSLEswasimportant,aswasthe
needforSLEstobe“deployedinawaythatreflectsaschool’sstrategicneeds,aspart
ofawiderteam.”(p.41-42)
• The“strengthsofindividualsarebecomingknown”(p.44),whichIbelieveisboth
significantinthemarketingoftheSLEroleandtheneedforaclientschooltobe
confidentthattheyaregetting‘valueformoney’.
• Inparticular,primaryschoolswerefoundtolackthefinancialresourcestoengagethe
supportofSLEs(p.7),ortoestablishanAlliancethemselves(p.30).
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2.4CaseStudiesofSystemLeadershipandSISSontheGlobalStage
WithafairlynarrowfieldofrelevantresearchintheUK,theremaybeusefullessonstobe
learnedfrominternationalstudies.TheclearrecommendationoftheOECD’sImprovingSchool
LeadershipVolume2:CaseStudiesonSystemLeadership(Pontetal.,2008)issimplythis:“Let
schoolleaderslead.”(p.11).Highlightsofthefindingsofparticularcasestudiesare
summarisedbelow.
2.4.1Finland
OfespecialinteresttothisstudyarethereflectionsofHargreavesetalontheFinnishculture
of‘trust,co-operationandresponsibility”whichwerevoicedascornerstonestoFinland’s
educationsuccessbyprofessionalsatalllevelsofthesystem,fromministrytochalkface(A.
Hargreaves,Halasz,&Pont,2008)Theycontinue:“Problemsaresolvedthroughco-
operation...Ifpeopleinaschoolarenotleadingwell,thestrategyisnottofirethembut,in
thewordsofaTampereadministrator,‘totrytodevelopthem,actually’”(p.82).Thestudydid
reveal,however,thatFinlandneededtoworktowardstruecollaborationwithinschools,and
thataconcerninsustainabilityofsystemleadershipwasafuturepriority.However,in
summary:“Finlandexhibitsapatternofsystemleadershipinstrongculturalandvertical
teamwork,networking,participation,targetsettingandself-evaluation.Hierarchiesarenot
feared,andinterventions(ascomparedtoco-operativeproblemsolving)arevirtually
unknown.”(p.84)
ConsideringthediversetypesofnetworkthatcurrentlyoperateacrosstheUK,the
authorswarnagainst“looseandgeographicallydispersed”networks.Itwillbeofinterestto
determinewhetherTSAsinEnglandaremoreprolificintheirschool-to-schoolsupportare
thosewhosegeographicalcontextsaremostconducivetothis.Otherconclusionsregarding
the‘Finnishsuccessstory’ofinteresthereformastarkcontrasttotherapidpolicyreformsin
Englandwhichwereoutlinedearlierinthischapter:“Buildingafuturebyweddingittothe
past;supportingnotonlypedagogicalchangebutalsocontinuity.”(p.92)Finally,othernations
whowishtoemulateFinland’ssuccesswouldneedtoimplement“widespreadsocialand
economicreform”ratherthatexpecting,asisperhapsthecaseinEngland,thattheeducation
systemaloneisresponsibleforrevitalisingoureconomyandsociety.
40
2.4.2Victoria,Australia
Asadensely-populatedandurbanisedstate,Victoriapresentscertaincontextualparallelsto
England.AkintoEnglandandFinland,championingemergingleadersisapriorityfor
sustainableleadershipwithinitsBlueprintframework.(Matthews,Moorman,&Nusche,
2008).Theauthorsascribetheregularcommunicationsofthedeputysecretarytoprinciplesas
acontributingfactorinthe“cultureofreflectiveleadership”whichisestablished(p.189);in
England,perhapstheregularcommunicationsofBillWatkin,OperationalDirectoroftheSSAT,
bridgethegapincommunicationsbetweengovernmentandacademyleaders,ratherthan
leadersfeelingfullybriefedbygovernmentofficesthemselves.
AnotherkeydifferencebetweenEnglandandVictoriawhichcanbedrawnisinthe
natureofaccountabilityframeworks,whichcouldimpactuponthereceptivenessofleaders
whorequiresupporttothesupportonoffer.OfVictoria’s“intelligent”accountability
framework,theauthorsnote:
Thedifferingrequirementsofschoolsareaccommodatedbyaflexibleaccountability
arrangement.Ratherthanusingaccountabilityasamechanismtodistributesanctions
andrewards,theVictoriangovernmentusesperformancedataasabasisfordecisions
oninterventionandsupportstrategies...[which]include:coaching;mentoring;...
expertconsultants;...co-operativearrangementsbetweenschools...(2008,p.202)
ThesimilaritiesinthepolicyandapproachesofthesupporttobeofferedbyTSAsisevident.
AswiththeFinnishcase,however,itcouldbeenvisagedthatthepracticesofschool-to-school
supportofVictoriacannotbesuccessfullytransferredtoEnglandwhiletheaccountability
cultureissomarkedlydifferent.Inaddition,theauthorsreportonthe“carefullycalibrated
sequence”ofreformsinVictoria(p.208),whichagaindiffersconsiderablytotherapidand
multifariouspolicyreformsactionedinEnglandinrecentdecades.
Finally,the“multi-layeredsystem-wideleadership”ofVictoriaflourishesinaculture
where“communicationiscontinuousandconsultationembedded.”Notably,too,theauthors
relaythatallschoolsbelongtooneof64networks,inadditiontopartnershipsorclusterswith
specialfoci(p.190).Incontrast,asIhavediscussed,Englandiscurrentlyinastateofgreat
fragmentation,withabalkanisationofdiverseTSAorLAaffiliationsor,indeed,noaffiliationat
allforthoseacademiesthatoperateinautonomousisolation.
41
2.5CollaborativeLessonsfromotherSectors
2.5.1LessonsLearnedfromSystemLeadershipinHealthcare
Hargreaveshascarriedoutstudiesontheimportanceofcollaborativetrainingculturesin
surgeryandmedicine(D.H.Hargreaves,1996),buttheredoesnotappeartobemuch
extendedresearchastocomparableorganisationalstructuresbetweeneducationand
healthcare.InHargreaves’paper,heemphasisestheimportanceoftrainingcultures,andthe
reciprocalbenefitstotheexemplarysurgeonandthoselearningbestpractice.Anecdotally,
thenumberofdelegatesattendingawiderangeofCPDcoursesdeliveredbyteachingschools
ortheiralliancepartnerswouldindicatethatthisaspectoftrainingculturehastransferredto
TSAs.However,thereisnodiscussionhereofthenetworkmodelonwhichsuchcollaboration
shouldtakeplace.
MatthewsandBerwicksimilarlyadvocatetheparallelsofthe“concept”ofteaching
schoolsandteachinghospitals,ascentresandconduitsofexcellence(p.9,myemphasis).Itis
interestingtoreflectonapointtheyraise:“therearemanyhospitalsthathaveoneormore
areasofrecognisedexcellence”(p.9)ItistruethatTSAshavearesponsibilitytorecruitSLEs
withspecialismswhichmatchlocalneeds.Asaforementioned,permittedSLEspecialismsare
thosedeemedaprioritybytheNC.However,foraschooltobejudgedasoutstanding,it
needstobestrivingforexcellenceinallareas,sothemedicalparallelhasfurtherlimitations.
Furthermore,thecontextandscopeoftheTeachingHospitalandtheTSAdifferin
anothersignificantway.Fromalayperspective,itwouldappearthat‘underperforming’
surgeonsorhealthleadersarenottargetedforsupportbytheTeachingHospital,intheway
thattheNationalCollegehopestodeployNLEsandSLEsasaninterventionmechanism.
2.5.2LessonsLearnedfromPartnershipsandAlliancesinBusiness
Hargreaves(2012a)drawssomeilluminatinglessonsfromtheworldofbusinessthatoutline
theimportanceof“collaborativecapital”in“complexcollaboration”.Considerationisgivento
boththecharacteristicsoforganisationonthemeso-level,aswellastheattributesrequiredof
leadersonamicro-level.Hisviewisthatalliancesystems-and,thiswouldincludetheSLE
brokerswhoareleadingonschool-to-schoolsupport-need“magnets,glueanddrivers”(p.6-
7)iftheTSAvisionistoberealised.Hargreaves(2010)providesacompellingcaseonthe
benefitsofcollaborativeworkingbysummarisingtherelativesuccessesofITcompaniesinthe
42
USA.SiliconValleyachievegreatersuccessthanarivalregionbyembracingcollaborative
workingandknowledgesharing,whileeachcompanywithinSiliconValleywasstillcompeting
withitsimmediateneighbours.
However,DeeringandMurphy(2007),intheirstudyonpartnershipsinthebusiness
sector,raisesomepotentialissuesinpartnering.TheycitetheresearchofBlakeandErnst,
whofoundthat“80%ofjointventuresendinasalebyonepartnertotheother”(p.29).The
threatof'takeover'inthebusinessworldhassomecurrencyifweapplythistotheeducational
sector.DothoseschoolleaderswhowouldbenefitfromthesupportofaTSAfeelthreatened
byapotential'takeover'byanacademyorchain?Couldthisthreatenedlossofpowerand
identitybeabarriertothemengaginginschool-to-schoolsupport?DeeringandMurphy
advisethat,tocountersuchperceivedthreat,“...leadershipinadistributedorganisationisnot
amatterofcommanding,butofprovidingsuitablecontainmentintheformofrules,
conventionsandsupportsystems.”(p.124)Also,akintoHargreaves’emphasisfortrustand
socialcapital,DeeringandMurphyfrequentlyreturntotheimportanceofanallianceleaderin
thebusinesssector“winningheartsandminds”(p.141).
Fullan(2005)presentedanextensivesummaryofkeythinkersinthebusinessworld
andhowtheirrecommendationsmustbetransferredtoeducationsectorifwearetohave
sustainableleadershipandaself-improvingsystem.ReflectingonOuchi’s2001-2studyinthe
USAandCanada,heisconcernedthatOuchi's“sevenkeystosuccess”arerootedin
decentralisationanddistributedleadership.Fullanstates:“Thereisagrowingproblemin
large-scalereform;namelythetermstravelwell,buttheunderlyingconceptualizationand
thinkingdonot”.AfurtherconcernraisedbyFullaninthisrespectisthatwithoutsufficient
“capacitybuilding”,thesystemcannotbesustained(p.9-10).OfFullan's'EightElementsof
Sustainability',a“Commitmenttochangingcontextatalllevels”through“lateralcapacity
building”aremostpertinenttothisstudy.(p.14,myemphasis).Itisperhapsdueto
fragmentationofEnglishschoolsandschoolnetworksthatacomprehensivecommitmentis
difficulttoattain.AsFullanalsostates:“Networksarepotentiallypowerfulbutcanhavetheir
downsides.First,theremaycometobetoomanyofthem,addingclutterinsteadoffocus...”
(p.19)
Fullanbelievesthatthe“manyinertialforcespullingusbacktothestatusquo”
requiresa“criticalmassofsophisticatedleaders.”HecitesPerkins’(2003)evaluationsthat,in
theprocessofleadingasystem“keyinformationgetslost”.Thisresultsina“regressive
43
interaction[which]constitutesakindofcentrifugalforce,pushingpeopleapartthrough
dissatisfactions,rivalriesandlackofvision.”(Perkins2003p29,citedinFullan2005,pp.46-47)
2.6Micro-level:IndividualPlayersinEducationalPartnerships
2.6.1SystemLeadershipCompetencies
Drawingonthesetransferrablelessonsfromtheworldofbusiness,West-Burnhamhas
producedausefulsummaryofthequalities,behaviourandknowledgerequiredofasystems
leader.Histaxonomy,below,willbeausefulevaluativetooltoapplytofutureresearchinto
thestrengthsandlimitationsofSLEbrokers.
Figure2.6West-Burnham'sTaxonomyofSystemLeadership(2011,p.27)
Inasimilarvein,the2014studyofTeachingSchoolsledbyQingGuidentifiedthatallof
leadersintheirsampledemonstratedthat“theirleadershipisdrivenbyastrongaltruistic
missiontosupportotherschools…”(Guetal.,2014)
2.6.2ResistancetoChange
Therequisitequalities,skillsandcapacitiesofasystemleaderwereexploredthroughearlier
sectionsofthischapter.Throughmyactionresearch,Ihopetoidentifythebarriersto
engagementinschool-to-schoolsupportonamicro-level,throughconsiderationofbarriersto
44
brokeringSLEsthatmightbepresentedbytheHeadteacheroftheschoolrequiringsupport,
otherleadersattheschoolrequiringsupport,theNLEbrokeringthesupport,theSLEs
Headteacher,or,indeed,theSLEthemselves.
TheworkbyresearcherssuchasMatthewsandHill(2010)hashighlightedthebarriers
tochangethatmightbyencounteredbySLEsorNLEsonceinvolvedwithaclientschool:“The
biggestchallengesfacedbyteacherswhoengageinworktosupporttheircolleaguesinother
schoolsis...resistancebythoseunwillingtochange.”(2010,p.16)Myinterest,however,
focusesonthosebarrierstocarryingoutSchool-to-SchoolSupportthatpreventanysupport
frombeingbrokeredatall.Itisplausiblethatsimilarattitudesareprevalent,buttoagreater
degreeoratamoreseniorlevelofschoolleadership.Theseattitudescouldbeacontributing
factorinpreventingaschoolseekingoragreeingtoengagewithappropriatesupport.These
barriersaresummarisedbyFullan(2005),citingHeifetz's'propertiesofanadaptivechallenge
(2004):“Thepeoplewiththeproblemaretheproblem,andtheyarethesolution.”(2005,
p.45)Thesynthesis,below,ofthewidely-utilisedtheoriesandmodelsforexamining
resistancetochangeshouldilluminatefuturefindings.Akintothis,Kotter'snotionof“change
fatigue”mayalsoilluminateresistancetochangeonthepartofsomeschoolleaders,asseen
intheHeadteacherwho“diedofconsultancy”intheGuardianarticleaforementioned.
Figure2.7ASynthesisofChangeModels5
5ReproducedfromTheSilentEdgeTransitionModelisdevelopedfromthreekeypsychologicalprocessesrelatingtochange:theKublerRoss(griefcurve),theKotter(changecurve)andtheConsciousCompetenceModel(USGordonTrainingInternational).(Silent(Edge,2014)
45
Finally, the research of Kegan and Lahey (2001) proposes that for changes in the individual
behaviour, the leader must also change. It can be that a leader's “immunity to change”
preventsthedesiredchangeinanemployee'sperformancefromtakingplace(p.3).
2.7SummaryandResearchPriorities
Thereviewoffar-reachingreforms,thediscussionofthesuccessesofthepredecessorstoTSAs
andsystemleadershipinothernations,alongwithlessonsdrawnfromthesectorsofbusiness
and,inpart,ofhealthcare,suggestsseveralmajorissuestobeconsidered:
• Accountabilitypressuresandthepaceofreformaspossibleinhibitorsofcollaboration
• ThegeographicalcontextofTSAs,andtheneedtoovercomefragmentationofthesystem
• Theneed,therefore,forlocalsolutionswhichmanagethecollaboration-competition
balance
• Theimportanceofsocialcapitaltonurtureacultureoftrusttoovercomestigma,as
evidencedinsuccessfulinternationalcontexts.
Muchoftheliteraturefocusesupontherequisitecharacteristicsofallianceleaderstoleadan
allianceingeneralterms,withlittlefocusonsystemandindividualcharacteristicrequiredfor
thecommissioningorbrokeringorschool-to-schoolsupport,nor,indeed,thecharacteristics
requiredoftheclientheadforthemtoengageinsupport.
Thekeyissueswhichpresentthemselvesforfurtherresearcharethefrequencyofthe
deploymentofSLEs,andwhethersomeTSAsarebrokeringSLEsmorefrequentlythanothers.
WhereSLEsarebeingbrokered,itwouldbeusefulifthecharacteristicsofclientschoolscould
beidentified,sothatanevaluationregardingtherelationshipsbetweenTSAsandthose
schoolsmostinneedcanbeguntobeexplored.Byextension,identificationofthefactorsat
themeso-andmicro-levelwhichareaffectingthebrokeringofSLEscangiveriseto
recommendationsregardingtheefficacyofSLEbrokering.
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3ResearchDesignandMethodology
3.1ResearchDesign
3.1.1ResearchQuestionsandRationale
ThelinesofenquirypromptedbytheLiteratureReview,asrecordedattheendofthepreviouschapter,canbedistilledinthefollowingthreekeyresearchquestions:
Theresearchstudywasdesignedtodetermineanswerstothesequestions,allofwhich
focusedupontheimplementationofthepolicyofschool-to-schoolsupportwhichwas
launchedbythegovernmentWhitePaper,TheImportanceofTeaching(DfE,2010).Thefirst
questiontobeaddressedwasa‘descriptive’one,whoseanswermightgosomewayto
establishingtheextentofanybarrierstotheimplementationofpolicy,aswellashighlighting
examplesofeffectivepractice;theremainingquestionswere‘explanatory’,astheyhopedto
establishcausalfactorsforthesuccess,orotherwise,ofpolicyimplementation.AsAndrews
pointsout,theremaynotbea“clearanswer”toaquestion,buttheresearchwillbesuccessful
if“youhavetriedtoanswerit.”(Andrews,2003,p.3)
Inessence,theresearchtopicwassummarisedas‘FactorsAffectingtheDeployment
ofSLEs’.TociteAndrewsagain,theanswerstothesequestionscouldhavebeen“multi-
factored”anditwasessentialtodesigntheresearchcorrespondingly(2003,P.4).Moreover,it
couldbethattherewerecrucialfactorstobediscoveredwhichwerenotsuggestedbythe
literaturereviewormyanecdotalexperience;throughresearchingtheanswerstothese
questions,Ihopedtogainafullerunderstandingofthewaysinwhichthepolicyofschool-to-
schoolsupportwasbeingimplementedinaselectednumberofcasesduringadefinedperiod
oftime.Whilebroadgeneralisationswouldnotbepossiblewithinthelimitationsofthe
researchdesign,asoutlinedbelow,Ihopeditwouldbepossibletodrawoutsome
47
recommendationsastohowthepolicycouldbemoreeffectivelyimplementedinorderto
increaseSLEdeploymentrates,whererequired,toheightenthepossibilitythattheymight
buildleadershipcapacityand,byextension,‘narrowthegap’ofstudentachievementbetween
andwithinschools.
3.1.2ParadigmsandPracticalities
SincethepolicyandpracticeofSchool-to-SchoolSupportwereandremainnationalissues,
variousparadigmstounderpinthenatureoftheresearchcouldbeconsidered.Whilea
positivistapproachcouldpotentiallyhavedeterminedanobjective,representativenational
pictureandsetofrules,theparametersofthisresearchstudyprecludedthisapproach.Asa
singleresearchercompletingapart-timestudywithinatwo-yeartimeframe,attemptingto
gainanational,objectiveviewwasinfeasible.Furthermore,whenIapproachedthematthe
outsetofmystudy,theNationalCollegedeclinedtoreleaseanydeploymentdatatoanyone
‘external’totheCollege,whichfurtherprecludedanyattemptatdeterminingauniversalview.
Therefore,whilethepracticalitiesdemandedthatthestudysubscribedtoapost-positivist,or
subjectivist,paradigm,thisapproachlentitselftooutcomeswheretheknowledgegained
wouldbe“personal,subjectiveandunique”(Cohenetal,2011,p.6,citingBurrell&Morgan,
1979).Itherebyacknowledgedthatthepost-positivistapproachcouldprovidericher,more
personalresponsesfromschoolleadersimplementingtheWhitePaperatthemeso-and
micro-level.
Hakim’sview,whichshealignstothatofYin(1994:3)isthatthereshouldbeno
hierarchyofdesign:
Eachdoesaparticularjobandshouldbeselectedaccordingtothenatureoftheissues
orquestionstobeaddressed;theextentoftheexistingknowledgeandprevious
research;theresourcesandtimeavailable;andtheavailabilityofsuitablyexperienced
stafftoimplementthedesign.(2000,p.12-13)
Asasingleresearcherimplementingthedesign,Ineededtoconsiderthepracticalitiesofthe
timeavailabletomeandtoanyparticipants,whichwillbefurtherguidedbytheterm-
structuresofacademicyears,whichmayvaryfromschooltoschoolandsoimpactuponthe
timeframefordatacollection.Anysamplewouldneedtobenarrowinitsscope,andfocuson
theexperienceofNLEsandSLEsinschools.AsCohenetalsummarise,“opponentsof
positivism...agreethatthesocialworldcanonlybeunderstoodfromtheviewpointof
48
individualswhoarepartoftheon-goingactionbeinginvestigated”,namelyatthemicro-level
(Cohen,Manion,Morrison,&Bell,2011)p.15
Ideterminedthatitwouldbehelpfultocommencethestudyofeachcaseby
referencetoanypre-existingsecondarydataheldbytheteachingschoolalliancesthemselves,
butthiswouldneedtobesupplementedbyotherapproaches.Cohenetaldrawonseveral
authorswhovaluethepotentialof“integratingdifferentapproaches,waysofviewinga
problem”(2011,p.22)froma“pragmatistparadigm”(OnwuegbuzieandLeech,2005a;
Johnsonetal.,2007:113;TeddlieandTashakkori,2009:4)utilisingquantitativedataaswellas
“narrativeapproaches.”
Adoptingsuchapragmaticandidiographicapproach,Icreatedacase-basedresearch
designwhichfocusedonthe“explanationandunderstandingoftheuniqueandtheparticular
case,ratherthanthegeneralandtheuniversal”andconducted“bothconfirmatoryand
exploratoryresearch,inductionanddeduction,inansweringresearchquestions.”(Cohenetal,
2011,p.6;p.22).Byutilisingacomparativecasestudydesign,Istillhopedtodrawoutsome
usefulinsightswhichcouldsupportenhancementsinthesystemleadershipofeducation.As
Hakimstates,“statisticalsignificanceisoftenconfusedorconflatedwiththesubstantiveor
practicalimportance”ofresearchfindings.(2000,p.7,originalitalics)
3.1.3ResearchDesign
HavingheededHakim’sadvice(2000,p.3)ontheimportanceofcarefulresearchdesign,I
acknowledgedthatmydesignwouldrequireflexibilityanda“sequentialmixeddesign”
(TeddlieandTashakkori,2006,citedinCohenetal,2011,p.25)Suchadesignentails
qualitativeand/orquantitativeapproachesthat:“runoneaftertheother,astheresearch
requires,andinwhichonestrandoftheresearchorresearchapproachdeterminesthe
subsequentstrandorapproachandinwhichthemajorfindingsfromallstrandsare
subsequentlysynthesized.”(Cohen,2011,p,25)
Furthermore,thedesignwouldbeacomparativeone(Bryman,2012,p.53),withthe
samebroadresearchdesignbeingappliedtoeachcasewithinthestudy.Inpractice,having
establishedthesamplingapproachastowhichteachingschoolallianceswillfeatureascase
studies,whichwillbeaddressedlaterinthischapter,theresearchconsistedofthestagesof
actionoutlinedbelow.Anexpedientapproachtotimescaleswasimportant,asthestudy
hopedtocaptureissuesconcurrenttotheimplementationofpolicy;“situationsarefluidand
49
changingratherthanfixedandstatic;eventsandbehaviourevolveovertimeandarerichly
affectedbycontext–theyare‘situatedactivities’”(Cohen,2011,p.17).
Ofadditionalconsiderationtowhichwerefollowedatstage3,wasanypotentialto
triangulatewhatissuggestedbythedataandtheSLEbroker,andtherebydrawoutpossible
reasonsfororagainstengagementintheWhitePaper’spolicy(DfE,2010).Thepotentialfor
triangulationcanbeseenasastrengthof“multi-methodresearch”,asproposedbyBryman.
Theflexibilityofthedesignallowedforthetestingpossibleissuesofcausationwhichthe
literaturereviewofpolicysuggestsinthepreviouschapter,whilebeingopentoothers,in
whatCohentermsa“combinedinductive-deductiveapproach”(2011,p.4,originalitalics).
WhileBryanalsoemphasisestheimportanceofthe“transferability”ofanyresearch
design(2012,p.30),suchaqualityisweakenedbytheneedtotailorthequalitativestagesof
mydesigntomeetthecontext-specificissuespresentedinanyoneofthecaseswhichform
thebasisofmystudy.However,thegeneralprinciplesofmyproposeddesigncouldbe
transferredifthescopeofresearchwasbroadenedtoencompassotherteachingschool
alliances.Indeed,therequirementforflexibilityindesignisdeterminedbytheveryneedto
“understandthebehaviourandthemeaningofthatbehaviourinitsspecificsocialcontext”
(Bryman,2012,p.27).Ihopedthatthethreeelementsofthedesignwouldprovide
triangulationofperspectives,andthereforehighlightresponses,particularlyinthequalitative
strands,whichmightrevealself-censoringorbiasbytherespondents.
3.2Sampling
Aspreviouslystated,thisstudywasofacomparativecasestudydesign,andofasequential
mixedapproach,drawinguponqualitativeandquantitativemethodsasappropriate,aspera
pragmatistparadigm.SincetheNationalCollegewereunabletoreleasetheSLEdeployment
dataofanyTSAtoexternalsources,thenafeasiblenumberofTSAshadtobeapproachedfor
inclusioninthestudy.Whenanalysingandevaluatingthecollecteddatainduecourse,it
wouldbeimportanttorecognisethattheTeachingSchools,SLEbrokersorSLEswhochoseto
participatemayholddifferentavalueposition,or,inthiscase,successindeploymentrates,
thanthosewhodeclined.
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3.2.1SamplingMethodforSelectingCases
Itwaspragmatictobegintheprocessofselectingcasesbydrawinguponmyexisting
professionalcontacts,inthemannerof“convenienceoropportunitysampling”.From
practicalconsiderations,therewillneedtobeacompromiseintermsofthenumberofcases
tobeincorporatedintothesample;withinthetimeavailable,atotalofthreecasesisa
feasiblenumberfromwhichtocollectdataasoutlinedinthedesignsectionofthis
chapter.Thefirstcase(TSA1)wastheteachingschooltowhichIamdesignated,sinceverbal
consenttoparticipateinthestudyhasalreadybeenobtained.Althoughappropriate
considerationmustbegiventotheissuesreflexivity,theinclusionofTSA1providedsome
guaranteethatrelevantdatacanbecollected.
Regardingtheselectionofthetwoothercases,thesewerepurposivelysampledinthat
selectionofcaseswas“onthebasisof[theresearcher’s]judgementoftheirtypicalityor
possessionoftheparticularcharacteristicsbeingsought”(Cohen,2011,p.156).AsCohenetal
judge,suchamethodsupports“lessbreadth”thanprobabilitysampling,but“greaterdepth”
(2011,p.156).IntermsofthespecifictypologiesofpurposivesamplingoutlinedbyCohenet
al,“criticalcasesampling”wouldusefullyrequirethatIselecteachcase,eachTeachingSchool
Alliance,onthegroundsofaparticularsetofcharacteristics.
InextreviewedthedirectoryofTeachingSchoolsalreadyestablishedbythespringof
thefirstyearofmystudy(Leadership,2014)anddeterminedthat,intermsoftravelcostand
time,thetwoothercaseswouldneedtoalsobebasedwithintheCentralRegion,namelyEast
Midlands,WestMidlandsorYorkshire&TheHumberregions.Atthisstage,Iplannedtoselect
theothertwoTeachingSchoolAlliancesbasedontheTeachingSchool’sownschooltype:
whetheranacademy,maintainedbythelocalauthority,orindependentfee-paying;primary,
secondary,orspecialschool;andsoforth.However,itwasevidentthatIwouldnotbeableto
coverallofthevariablesofcharacteristicswithintheparametersofthisstudy,soa
compromiseonthisrangewouldbeessential.
WithTSA1alreadyengaged,InextapproachedfourTeachingSchoolsintheabove
regions,withwhomIormyschoolhadanexistingcontact,viabothe-mailandthenafollow-
upletterwhichwasprintedontheletter-headedpaperofmycurrentschool,alongwiththe
InformedConsentForm,whichwillbementionedlaterinthischapter,tohopefullyassure
prospectiveparticipantsoftheethicalintegrityofthestudy.Fromthiswave,onlyTSA2agreed
toparticipate;itswiftlybecameevidentthatIwouldneedtocompromiseontheintended
51
approachofpurposivesampling.Meanwhile,Irevisedtherecruitmentapproachtorequest
participationbylettersprintedonTheUniversityofYork’sheadedpaper,toremoveany
antipathytowardsmyschool,shouldtherebeany,thatmightinhibitparticipation;bythe
samestrategy,thepositivereputationandcredibilityoftheUniversitymightencourage
participation.Inthissecondwave,IwrotetoanotherelevenTeachingSchoolsfrommy
selectedregions,targetingarangeofcharacteristicsasoutlinedabove,butnoparticipation
agreementwasimmediate.Usingthesameapproach,IthencontactedafurtherfiveTeaching
Schoolswithintheseregions;fromthiswave,threeTeachingSchoolsagreedto
participate.OneofthesewasTSA3,whohadverylimitedSLEexperiencetodate,butwhodid
participateinthefirsttwostagesoftheresearchdesign,Ididnotproceedwiththiscasetothe
thirdstageoftheresearchdesign.Anotherschooldidnotactuallyengageinthestudydueto
long-termillnessandsubsequentrestructuring.ThefinalschoolwasTSA4,whoparticipated
fullyinthestudy.
Coincidentally,allfouroftheTSAswhoparticipatedintheresearchstudywerelocated
intheEastMidlandsregionoftheNationalCollege,givingthestudysomeorganisational
cohesion,asallTeachingSchoolsaremembersoftheEastMidlandsTeachingSchoolAlliance,
abodywhichhasbeenestablishedto“deliverthevisionoftheself-improvingschoolsystem”
acrosstheregion("Introduction-EMTSA,"2015).ThefourparticipantTSAspossessedavaried
rangeofcharacteristicswhichwouldhopefullyprovideaplatformforfruitfulexplorationof
thefactorsaffectingSLEdeployment.
Inadditiontotheschool,aforementioned,whoengagedinparticipationbutlater
withdrew,onlyoneotherschoolreturnedaresponsetoindicatethattheywereunableto
participateinthestudyduetoleadershipcapacity.Tosummarise,therefore,ofthe21
TeachingSchoolsthatwereapproached,fourengaged,oneengagedandlaterwithdrew,one
declinedtoparticipateduetocapacity,and15(71%)didnotrespondtotheparticipation
request.
3.2.2Piloting
SinceIwishedtocompletealloftheinitialinterviews,withSLEBrokers,beforetheendofthe
summerterm,Ielectedtonotengageinaformalpilot.However,sinceBroker1.1wasa
formercolleague,Iapproachedthiscasestudyasapotentialpilot,ofasort.Iwasabletogain
accesstotheTSA’sSLEdeploymentdatapriortointerviews;initialanalysisofthisdataallowed
52
metoidentifyemergingissueswhichformedthebasisoftheinterviewswithTSA1andthe
subsequentcasestudyTSAs.SincethedeploymentandinterviewdatagainedfromTSA1was
illuminating,itwasimperativethatTSA1wasincludedinthethesisfindingsasafullcasestudy.
ThedataprovidedbyTSA1allowedmetodevisethespreadsheettemplateIwoulduse
toanalysethedatafortheotherTSAs.AsIexplainlaterinthischapter,Iwasabletotracethe
sourceoffundingforeachTSA1deployment;however,thevaryingfullnessofdetailinthe
deploymentdatareleasedbyTSA2andTSA3meantthatIwascompelledtoabandonthisline
ofinquiryfromthequantitativeresearch,forthesakeofparity.However,theinterviewdata
providedilluminationwithregardtothisstrandofthefindings.
3.2.3SamplingMethodsforInterviewees
Withregardtothesecondstageoftheresearchdesign,interviewingtheSLEbrokerineach
casestudy,theTeachingSchoolleaderwhowasresponsibleforSLEdeploymentconsentedto
participateinaresearchinterview.However,theactualleadershiproleofeachSLEbroker
variedineachcase:intwocases,thebrokerwastheTeachingSchoolDirectoratthehub
TeachingSchool;inanother,thebrokerwasanAssistantHeadteacheratanalliancemember
school,whowasLeadSLE;intheother,theSLEbrokerwasaHeadteacherandanNLEatan
alliancememberschool,butnottheNLEwhowasinchargeofthehubTeachingSchool.Inthis
lastcase,theresponsibilityforSLEbrokeringwasreassignedduringtheperiodofaction
research.Togainaperspectiveonthisorganisationalrestructuring,Iwasabletoalso
interviewthenewSLECo-ordinatorandtheTeachingSchoolDirectorinthiscase.
IthenusedmyinitialanalysisofmysynthesisoftheTeachingSchools’SLEdeployment
dataasIproceededtothethirdstageofmyresearchdesign,whereIaimedtotriangulate
whattheSLEbrokerandthedeploymentdatamightsuggestwithviewsfromtheSLEs
themselves.IelectedtointerviewonlytwoSLEspercasestudyasIfeltthiswouldbefeasible
toachievewithinthetimeframeofthesecondautumnofmystudy,buthopedthattheywould
sharedifferingviewsontheirexperienceoftheSLErole.Iemployedasimplemethod,
identifyinganSLEineachcasewhohadbeendeployedmorefrequently,andanSLEwhohad
beendeployedlessfrequently.
AsIwasconcludingmysecondstageinterviews,withtheSLEbrokers,anopportunity
arosetoengagetheDfE’sSchoolsCommissioner,FrankGreen,inaninterviewthatIenvisaged
mightofferanoverarchingperspectiveatthemacro-level.Asaconsequenceofthisinterview,
53
Iwaspromptedtoengagearepresentativeofthethenrecently-formedTeachingSchools
Councilinthestudy.IcapitalisedonthecontactwiththeSchoolsCommissionerwhen
engagingtheinterviewparticipantfromtheTeachingSchoolsCouncil,whowasabletoshare
perspectivesfrommacro-,meso-andmicro-levels.
3.3ActionResearchandDataCollectionMethods
Beforecommencingtheactionresearch,Ibuiltupacontextualunderstandingofeach
TeachingSchoolAlliancebyaccessingtheinformationwhichwasavailableinthepublic
domain,viatheirwebsite,andwhichincludedbiographiesofkeystaff,systemleadership
prospectusesordirectories,detailsofAlliancemembers,memorandumsofunderstandingand
guidanceonhowtobrokertheSLEswhichweredesignatedtothatTSA.
AsIplannedmyresearchdesign,itwasmyintentiontobegintheresearchaction,in
thefield,byrequestingfromeachTSAtheSLEdeploymentdata,i.e.therecordofallthe
school-to-schoolsupportinwhicheachSLEhadbeenengaged.Ibelievedthatthiswouldbe
centrallyheldbytheTSA.Formyfirstcasestudy,wheretherewerepre-existingprofessional
relationships,andthereforerapportandtrustwerealreadyestablished,thisishowI
proceeded.Challengespresentedbythedatawillbeexploredlaterinthechapter.However,
initialanalysisofthisdataconfirmedthattheissueswhichhademergedfromtheliterature
reviewwereveryrelevantand,therefore,crystallisedthedirectionoftheinterviewagendafor
theSLEbroker(s).
FortheotherTSAs,wheretherewerenopre-existingprofessionalrelationshipsand,
therefore,rapportandtrustneededtobeestablished,Ielectedtoreversethefirsttwostages
oftheresearchdesign.ByvisitingtheseTeachingSchoolsandbuildingtherelationshipviathe
mediumofthesemi-structuredinterview,IbelievedthattheSLEbrokerwouldbemore
inclinedtosharetheirdeploymentdatawithme.Thisapproachwassuccessful.
3.3.1CollectingQuantitativeData
FromeachcasestudyTSA,IgatheredthedeploymentdataforeachSLEuptoandincluding
Cohort4oftheNationalCollege’srecruitmentwaves,namelythosewhohadbeenappointed
asSLEsinthefirstmonthsofthecalendaryearinwhichIcommencedmyactionresearch.AsI
54
believed,throughmyownexperience,thatTeachingSchoolswererequiredtosubmitreports
ontheiractivityinlinewiththeendofthefinancialyear,andthereforewouldhavecollated
theirownrecordsinlinewiththisdeadline,Ianticipatedthatitwouldberelatively
straightforwardtocollectthisdatafromtheTeachingSchool’sortheSLEbroker’s
administratorineachcase.Adeductiveapproachwouldbeappliedtothisdata,testingmy
assumptionthatSLEsarenotbeingbrokeredasmuchasthepolicyanticipated,namelyupto
15daysperyear.ThisassumptionwasbasedonwhatCohenetalterm“common-sense
knowing”throughpersonalexperience.(Cohen,2011)p.3.Ihopedthatthedatawould
reflectwhatwashappening‘ontheground’ineachTSA,andprovideanindicationastoany
successesorbarriers.
ThedeploymentdatawasenteredintoExcelandwasthenaugmentedthroughfurther
research,suchastheuseofGoogleMapstocalculategeographicaldistances,astravelledby
car,betweenanSLE’sschoolandtheTSA,betweentheSLEandtheclientschool,andso
forth.Inaddition,thecharacteristicsoftheSLE’sschoolortheclientschoolwereresearched
viaeachoftheirwebsites.Dataontheirperformance,intermsofanOfstedrating,was
gatheredfrominspectionreportsontheOsftedwebsite("Findaninspectionreport,"
2014).Wheretheperformancegradingofaclientschoolhadchangedduringthescopeofthe
actionresearch,thiswasalsorecorded.
3.3.2CollectingQualitativeData
Ielectedtoactionthesecondelementoftheresearchdesign,collectingqualitativedatafrom
thoseleadersineachTSAwhowereresponsibleforthebrokeringanddeploymentofSLEs,via
themethodofsemi-structuredinterviews.Drawingupaninterview‘schedule’,ratherthana
tightlypre-determinedscriptofquestions,wouldprovidescopeformore“depth”(Hakim,
2000,p.12)andthesharingoffactorsIhadnotenvisaged(Robson,2002).However,byhaving
amorefluidapproachtothequestioning,thereliabilityofthedatawouldbediminished,ason
adifferentdayortimeImayhavemarshalledtheresponsestothescheduledquestionsina
differentmanner,orexpressedtheminamoreorlessneutralorinfluentialmanner.By
extension,anotherinterviewerwouldbehighlyunlikelytoelicitthesameresponses,even
beforeotherissuesofcharacterand“face”areconsidered.Iwasalsomindfulthat,especially
asafellowprofessional,aninterviewcouldprompt“respondents[to]constructrepliesthat
placetheminabetterlight”(Newby,2010).However,fromthedepthandcandidnatureof
55
thevastmajorityofinterviewrespondents,Iwoulddeemtheapproachtobesuccessfulin
drawingoutstrongpersonalviewsandreflections.
Aspreviouslymentioned,byvisitingtheSLEbroker’sschooltoconductthesemi-
structuredinterviews,Ihopedtoestablishrapportandbuildtrust,tosupportthesharingof
deploymentdata.AnexceptiontothiswasTSA3,wheretheinterviewwasconductedby
telephoneduetotravelconsiderations;thiswastheleastfullandfluidofallthebroker
interviews,perhapsduetothemediumbywhichitwasconducted;however,thelimited
natureofSLEdeploymentbytheTSAmeantthatIdidnotproceedwiththisAllianceinthe
nextstageoftheresearchdesign.
FromCohen,drawingonArgyle(1978),Iwasmindfulthatcriticsofpost-positivists
declarethat“lesscontrolledinterviewscarryevengreaterrisksofinaccuracy”(2011,p.21);
however,Idecidedtoproceedwithsemi-structuredinterviewsasmymethodofdata
collectionsincesubjectivedepth,andnotgeneralizableresponses,wassought.AlloftheSLE
brokerinterviewswerelengthy,rangingfrom38to76minutes.Thelongestinterviewwasmy
first,withtheSLEbrokerwithwhomIhadapre-existingrelationship.Thisintervieweehad
anticipatedareasofknowledgewhichwouldhavebeenvaluabletomeinthisstudy,and
thereforehadbroughtanumberofinformationsourcesregardingthefundingofNLE-led
schoolsupportpackages,inparticular,whichextendedthedurationoftheinterview.Theissue
ofreliabilityisaninterestingone,andIwillreflectonthevalidityofresponsesinparticular
cases,mostnotablythe“eliteinterviews”withtheSchoolsCommissionerandwithaleaderof
theTeachingSchoolsCouncil,inalaterchapter,andreflectonhowthe“languageofhabitus”
andthe“positionofthespeakerinthepolicyprocess”mustbeevaluatedintheinterview
data.(Ball,1994,pp.88-9)
WhenconsideringarangeofpossibledatacollectionmethodswithregardtoSLEs’
views,Irejectedthemethodoffocusgroupinterviewduetopossibleself-censorshipby
respondentswhenothercolleagueswerepresent.Ialsodeemedthatanonlinesurvey,whileit
mightprovideaplatformformoreparticipantsandthereforemore“generalisedtruths”in
analysis,mightnotprovideopportunityforsubjectivedepth.Ielectedtoproceedwiththe
samemethodofdatacollection,semi-structuredinterviews,whichhadprovedsuccessfulwith
SLEbrokers;however,theseinterviewswereconductedviatelephonefortheeaseofboththe
participantsandtheinterviewer.Timewasverymuchalimitingfactor:withtheSLE
interviews,Ipromisedparticipantstolimittheinterviewstoamaximumof15-20minutesin
ordertotryandencourageparticipationofteachersand/orleaderswithhectic
56
schedules.WhilealloftheSLEinterviewsprovidedveryinterestingresponses,hadmoretime
havebeenavailable,theneithermoredetailedorfullerresponsesmayhavebeengiven,as
rapportwasfurtherestablished;conversely,though,thepressureofanotional,orattimes
actual,timelimitmayhavepromptedmoresalientandrobustresponses.
Eachinterviewwasrecorded,usinganiPadapplicationwhichdate-stampedthe
recording,aswellasprovidingaGPSlocationfortherecording.Boththeapplicationandthe
devicewerepasswordprotectedforsafeguardingofdata.Similarly,whenItranscribedeach
interview,theywerestoredonapassword-protecteddevice
3.4EthicalConsiderations
Itwasdeterminedthattheplannedresearchpresentednegligibleriskofharmtoanyofthe
participants.Professionalreputationswereakeyconsideration,andtheanonymityassuredin
theInformedConsentform(seeAppendix3)wasameasuretoprotecttheprofessional
reputationandrelationshipsofeachparticipant.Anexceptiontothepledgeofanonymitywas
FrankGreen,SchoolsCommissioner,whoagreedtotheconditionsofanamendedInformed
Consentform(seeAppendix3),wherebyhiscommentscouldbeascribedtohimasapublic
figure.
HeedingtheadviceofCohen(2011,Chapter5),engagementinmystudydidnot
requireanyintrusionintousualeducationalpractice;Iensuredthatmeetingsortelephone
interviewstookplaceattimeswhichdidnotimpactupontheteachingorpriorprofessional
commitmentsofparticipants.Asaconsequence,breakfastmeetingsoreveningtelephone
callswereoffered.Onafewoccasions,interviewparticipantsemphasisedthatcomments
were“offtherecord”soIhavebeenespeciallycarefultonotincludetheseasindividual
commentsinthechaptersdetailingmyresearchfindings.
3.5ProblemsEncountered
ThedeploymentdataandcomplementaryorganisationaldataprovidedbyTSA1hadsome
unclearormissingelements,suchastheexactstart/enddatesforsomeofthe
deployments.However,itdidprovideaveryusefulstartingpointforanalysisandIdecided
thatIcoulddecipherwhichdeploymentshadtakenplaceduringtheagreedwindow,andmust
57
relyonthedurationofdeploymentdatawhichhadbeenshared,asitwouldbeinfeasibleand
insensitivetoverifyeachsetofdates.Intheothercases,thedatadidnotexistintheformatI
hadanticipated,orthereweregapsinthedataascomparedwiththedataprovidedbyTSA1;I
hadbeenincorrectinmyassumptionthatacomprehensivesetofdeploymentdatawould
needtobesubmittedateachfinancialyearend.Therefore,thecollationandanalysisofthis
datawasdelayed,asIliaisedwiththeseTSs’administratororbrokerinordertorectifyany
missingelementsinthedata,soIcouldcompilethesamesetofdatafieldsforthesakeof
parity.Inparticular,Ineededtorequestfurtherdetailregardingtherecruitmentcohortin
whicheachSLEswasrecruited.Thiswasessentialincomparingthedeploymentfrequencyof
eachSLEandtherebyidentifyingwhichSLEstotargetforparticipationinstagethreeofthe
researchdesign.
Intermsofsampling,thestatisticsincludedin3.2.1demonstratedthat71%,15outof
21,ofTeachingSchoolswhoweresentaparticipationrequestdidnotengage.Formanyof
theseschools,IhadsentduplicatecopiesoftherequesttotwooftheSLEBroker/Teaching
SchoolDirector/NLEorHeadteacher,inanattempttoincreasetheresponserate.Imight
surmisethatthatthelowresponseratewasduetoalackofcapacity,oraconcernthat
engagementmightexposeaweaknessintheTSA’sdeliveryoftheSLEpolicy;asresearch
findingswillevidence,bothoftheseareaswereraisedasconcernsbythosewhodid
participate,andexperiencedleaderssharedthat,ofthe‘Big6’roles,thedeliveryofschool-to-
schoolsupportandthedeploymentofSLEsareprovingthemostchallengingtoTSAs
nationally.
Theengagementofintervieweesinstages2and3oftheresearchdesignalso
presentedafewbarriers.TwoSLEinterviewparticipantshadnotrespondedtometwoweeks
afterrequestsweresent,butre-sendingtheinvitatione-mailandcopyingintheirSLEbroker
promptedpositiveengagement.Whenthetelephoneinterviewstookplace,eachsharedtheir
reservationsregardingparticipation:forboth,timewasanissue;oneoftheseSLEswas
worriedshewould“saythewrongthing’andhadconferredwithherHeadteacherbefore
consentingtotheinterview;thesecondwasconcernedhewouldhavelittletocontributedue
tohislimitedexperience.Staffingchanges,includingthematernityleaveofaTeaching
Schools’administrator,causedrelativelyminordelaysingatheringdata.
Duetopersonalreasons,theSchoolsCommissionerwasunabletobeinLondononthe
scheduleddateformyinterview.Sincemytravelplanswerealreadyinplace,itwasagreed
thatIwouldmeethisteamleaderattheDfEofficesatSanctuaryBuildings,andthenconduct
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theinterviewviatelephonefromaprivatemeetingroom.Boththeadditionalmeetingwith
histeamleaderandtheinterviewwiththeCommissionerwereveryilluminating.
3.6CollationofData
3.6.1QuantitativeData
Havingrespondedtothechallengesofinconsistentincompletesetsofdeploymentdata,as
describedinsection3.5above,IusedanExcelworkbookonwhichtocollatethedata.Witha
separatetabforeachTSA,IthencreatedanidentifierforeachSLEforthepurposeof
anonymity.ThoseSLEswhoweretobeinterviewedbecame,forexample,SLE1.1–thefirst
SLEofTSA1,orSLE3.2–thesecondSLEofTSA3.
ForthepurposeofevaluatingofthefrequencyofdeploymentactivityforeachSLE,I
approximatedthenumberofmonthsanSLEhadbeenavailableforSLEwork,whichwouldbe
uponthecompletionoftheSLECoreTrainingfortheircohort,untiltheendofthescopeofthe
study,theendofthefinancialyearinearlyApril2014.Iemployedthatsameapproachacross
allcasestudyTSAsintheinterestsofparity;althoughtherecouldhavebeensomeslight
varianceinthedatethetrainingwascompleted,allTSAsinthestudytypicallyusethesame
SLEtrainingcentre.Therefore,themaximumnumberofdaysinscopeinwhichanSLEcould
havebeendeployedcanbecalculatedas:
𝑀𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑎𝑣𝑎𝑖𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑙𝑜𝑦𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑀𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟
𝑥 𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑
Or,forexample,asitwouldbetermedinExcel:
=SUM(15/12)*22.5=28
where15daysperyearisthemaximumdeploymentcommitmentperSLE(TheNational
CollegeforSchoolLeadership,2013b).Ihaveaveraged‘availablefordeployment’daysacross
whole12months,astermdatesvarybetweenschools,buttotalteachingweeksaresimilar.
Resultsareroundedtothenearestdayorhalfday,asthesearetheunitsinwhichthe
deploymentdatareportedtheSLEstobedeployedby.Fromthisstartingpoint,Icalculated
thetotalnumberofdays–expressedindaysandhalfdays–thateachSLEhadbeendeployed.
IthenutilizedtheExcelfunctionsoffilters,pivottablesandchartstoprocessthedatasetsthat
arepresentedinChapter4.
59
IinvestigatedtheamountoftimeeachSLE,ifdeployedatall,hadbeendeployedin
actualschool-to-schooloutreachwork,versustheamountoftimetheSLEhadbeenutilisedto
delivertrainingsessions.AsdiscussedinChapter2,theroleoftheSLEshouldbetobe
deployedinschool-to-schoolsupport,ratherthaninthedeliveryofatrainingsession.Forall
furthercalculationspresentedinChapter4,Ianalysedonlythedeploymentstoaclientschool
tocarryoutschool-to-schoolsupport.
InadditiontocalculationsviaExcel,thegeographicalaspectsofdeployments,suchas
thejourneysmadebyeachSLEinrelationtoTeachingSchoolandtheclientschool,were
manuallyplottedusingDigimapsforSchools.ToaidanonymityaspertheInformedConsent
(Appendix3),IthenmanuallyfadedthebackgroundofeachmapusingiPaintforMac.The
mapsofferedpictorialrepresentationsofnetworkactivitywhichfurthersupportedthe
identificationofpatterns,asperBabbie’s‘groundedtheory’referredtobelow.
3.6.2QualitativeData
FollowingthecompletionofPhase2oftheResearchDesign,theinterviewswiththeSLE
broker(s)ofeachTSA,theinterviewsweretranscribed.Initialobservationsoftrendsregarding
thefactorsaffectingthebrokeringofSLEdeployments,alongwithobvioustrendsin
deploymentdata,providedaplatformforthesemi-structuredinterviewscheduleforPhase3,
theinterviewswithtwooftheSLEsdesignatedbyeachTSA.Theseinterviews,alongwith
thosewiththe‘elite’participants,werethentranscribed.Forallinterviews,anyparalinguistic
features,suchaslaughteroremphasis,whichwouldaidunderstandingoftheinterviewee’s
perceptionsorvaluesweredetailedinthetranscription.
WhiletheanalysisofQualitativeDataaspromotedbyLewins(Lewins,2007)on
CAQDASsoftwarewouldbepertinenttoalargercollectionofinterviewdata,Idecidedtousea
moresimplisticapproachtoanalysis.Iidentifiedaseriesofkeystrandsfromaninitial
rereadingofthebrokers’interviewtranscriptsfromPhase2oftheresearchdesign,then
highlightedwherethesestrandsemergedinanyoftheinterviewtranscriptsusingacolour
codethatwasassignedtoaninitialletterofthealphabet.Theusefulnessofsucha“grounded
theory”approach,asoutlinedbyBabbie,isthatitallowstheoriestoevolveasdataisanalysed,
andsomeadditionalstrandsforanalysisemergedasreviewedthetranscripts(Babbie,2013).I
thencompiledkeyquotationsfromeachinterview,organizingthembytheinitialletter
assignedtothestrandforanalysisandbythestrataforanalysis(atthemacro-,meso-or
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micro-level).Thisallowedmetoderiveanunderstandingofthekeyfactorsaffectingbrokering
ofSLEs“fromananalysisofthepatterns,themes,andcommoncategoriesdiscoveredin
observationaldata…”andthusfusea“naturalist”approachwitha“systematicsetof
procedures”(Babbie,2013)Withanextensivesetofdataassembled,Ithensynthesisedand
paraphrasedtheinterviewfindingsasappropriate;however,bybeginningChapter5withan
extensivesetofdata,Iwasabletoavoidtheover-simplificationandembracethe“thick
descriptionswhichCohenpromotes(Cohenetal,2011)p.17
IalsoheededanotherofCohen’swarningswhenprocessingandanalyzingthedata
collectedduringtheadditionalphaseof‘eliteinterviews’:that“inequalitiesofpowerare
frequentlyimposeduponunequalparticipants”throughflawsinpheno-andethno-
methodologies(Cohen,2011).Whiletheexpertiseofthoseinterviewedwillbeacknowledged,
Iwasmindfultoensurethatpertinentinterviewdatafromallparticipants,regardlessoftheir
powerposition,wasincludedinthefindingschapters.
Thefindingsarepresentedoverthenexttwochapters.Chapter4providesacontext
foreachcasestudyTSA,andpresentssomeinterestingfindingsfromthedeploymentdata;the
varietyandcomplexityofthesefindingsillustratethestarkdifferencesbetweeneachTSAin
termsofoperationatthemeso-level.Chapter5presentsthefindingsfromtheinterview
phasesoftheresearch;despitethedifferencesinoperationaforementioned,some
overarchingfactorswhichaffectSLEbrokeringwillbeidentified.
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62
4 ResearchFindings:ContextandDeploymentData
4.1ContextualFindings
ThecontextsofthethreecasestudyTSAsaredetailedAppendix2,TheCharacteristicsofCase
StudyTeachingSchoolAlliances.ThehierarchicalchartsinAppendix2illustratethatthe
organisationalstructureofeachTSAiscomplicatedandthatthissmallsampleofthreeTSAs
differfromeachothersignificantly;howthisimpactsuponthefactorsaffectingthebrokering
ofSLEswillbeevidencedinthischapterandinChapter5,wherethesefindingswillbe
triangulatedbytheinterviewdata.WhiletheWhitePaper(DepartmentforEducation,
2010)andensuingthinkpieces,suchasHargreaves’aforementioned,promotesufficient
vaguenessintheSelf-ImprovingSchoolSystem(SISS)forAlliancestoadapttolocalneed,the
findingsofthisstudywillsuggestthatthelackof‘blueprint’andcommissioningbodieshave
significantlycontributedtoinefficiencieswhichimpactonthebrokeringofSLEs.
AsmentionedinChapter3,thebrokersandSLEsareidentifiedbytheTSAforwhich
theywork.Ofparticularrelevancetocontextualisingthefindingsatmeso-levelisthe
reorganisationoftheresponsibilityforSLEbrokeringinTSA1,whichtookplaceafterthe
windowforanalysisofthedeploymentdata,butpriortothephaseoftheresearchdesignin
whichtheinterviewstookplace.Therefore,findingsfromtheinterviewsthatwereconducted
withallthreeTSA1leadersareincluded,here,astheyoffercomplementaryperspectiveson
thechallengespresentedatthemeso-level,inthesystemsoftheTSA,andtherationalefor
restructuring.Broker1.1heldthestrategicleadforSLEbrokeringduringthetimespanofthe
deploymentdatacollection;shewasanNLEandHeadteacherofanAlliancememberschool,
10miles’distancefromtheTS.ShewasalsoamemberoftheNLEFellowship,thuswasan
instrumentaldriverinthemovetoaschool-ledsystem,fromthetimeofEdBalls’roleas
SecretaryofStateforChildren,SchoolsandFamiliesin2007-10.Shewasa‘loneNLE’priorto
becomingmemberofTSA1,ofwhichanotherNLEistheexecutiveleadoftheTeachingSchool
atthecentreoftheAlliance.Broker1.2tookupanewly-createdroleofSLECo-ordinator
aroundEaster2014,takingontheday-to-dayrunningofthiselementfromBroker1.1.Broker
1.2wassemi-retiredandpart-timeandhadpreviouslyworkedatAssistantHeadlevelatthe
TS;shewasalsoleadingonthequalityassurancefortheSCITTofanotherTSAintheregion,so
hadbroadexperienceatstrategiclevel.Intherevisedsystem,Broker1.2workeddirectlyto
Broker1.3,theDirectoroftheTS,aroleatDeputy-Headlevel,whileBroker1.3workeddirectly
totheNLEofthehubTS.
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TheBrokerofTSA2(Broker2)fulfilledtheSLEbrokeringresponsibilityaspartofher
roleasDirectoroftheTS,workingdirectlytotheNLEatthehubTeachingSchool.LAand
ChallengePartnersarestrategicpartners–thedeploymentdatasuggeststhatthisparticular
arrangementhadconsiderableimpactonmeso-levelsystemsandtheensuingdeploymentof
SLEs.TheorganisationalstructureofTSA3,meanwhile,placedresponsibilityforSLEbrokering
withanon-teachingAssistantHead(Broker3)atastrategicmemberschool,whobecame
‘LeadSLE’forTSA3intheacademicyear2013-14.Broker3reportedtotheDirectoroftheTS,
whointurnreportedtotheNLEatthehubTS.AfteraslowstarttoSLErecruitmentand
deployment–withonlythreeSLEsrecruitedinthefirstthreecohorts–theTSAnowplanned
rapidexpansionoftheSchool-to-SchoolSupportandSLEstrategicarmsoftheTSA.Broker3
wastobecomeafull-time,non-teachingleadforTSA3,andtechnicallyleavetheemployment
ofhiscurrentschool,inSeptember2014,promptedbythescaleoftheexpansion:15new
SLEshadbeenrecruitedtojointheexistingthreeSLEsbytheendofthetimeframeforthe
deploymentdatastudy,withatotalof41recruitedbythetimeoftheinterviewwithBroker3.
ThekeyvisionoftheTSAcentredonimmersive,project-basedlearning,fuelledbytheworkof
atrend-settingpartnerinCalifornia.ItalsopromptedaclosecollaborationwiththeUniversity
ofDurhamonapilotforproject-based-learning.
WithregardtothescaleandpaceofSLErecruitmentintheothercasestudyTSAs,
bothbecameTSsinthefirstWaveofdesignationandbegantheirSLErecruitmentmore
immediatelythanTSA3.TSA1haddesignated15SLEsbytheendofthescopeofthestudy,the
majorityinthefirsttworecruitmentrounds.TSA2recruited10SLEsinthefirstround,then
slowedthepaceofrecruitmentbeforeexpandingthenumberofSLEsto23bytheendof
recruitmentCohort4.AswithotheraspectsoftheearlyevolutionofTSAs,thevarietyof
approachesaddsbothcomplexityandpotentialconfusiontothesystem.
4.2FindingsfromDeploymentData:Meso-level
AnalysisofthedeploymentdataprovidedbyeachTSAprovidesilluminatinganswerstothe
threekeyresearchquestionsofthisstudy:
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4.2.1FrequencyofSLEDeployment
Thedeploymentdata,assummarisedinTable4.1,revealsthatallthreeTSAshavedeployed
SLEsforconsiderablylesstimethanthepolicyof‘upto15daysperyear’suggestedbythe
SystemLeadershipProspectus(NCTL,2013).TSAs1,2and3deployedtheirSLEsfor37%,33%
and16%,respectively,ofthetotaltimeavailable.WeknowthatTSA3wasintheearlystages
ofexpandingtheSLEelementofitsoutreachwork,TSA1andTSA2weremoreestablishedin
therespectatthisjuncture.ThisthenraisesthequestionofwhethertheSLEsineachTSA
werenotbeingbrokeredtocapacityduetoalackoflocalneed,orwhethertherewereother
factorswhichposedbarrierstotheirbeingbrokeredand,byextension,thefrequencyoftheir
deployment.FurtherdiscussionofthedatainTable4.1willfollowinthischapter.
Table4.1SummaryofAnalysisofDeploymentData:Meso-level1
6Sincethedurationofdeploymenttoeachclientschoolvaried,theaveragecalculationsinthistableareweightedtoreflectthisduration.Forexample,theaverageOfstedgradingwascalculated:
TSA1 TSA2 TSA3Totalno.ofSLEdaysavailableinscope 263.1 392.3 95.4%ofavailabledaysusedinanytypeofdeployment 36.9 33.0 16.1%ofdaysSLEsdeployedspentinSCHOOL-TO-SCHOOLSUPPORT%ofdaysSLEsdeployedspentinCPDevents
88.6 97.6 3.311.4 2.4 96.7
%ofdaysSLEsdeployedtoprimaryclients%ofdaysSLEsdeployedtosecondaryclients
79 57 10021 43 0
WeightedaverageOfstedgradingofclientschools6 2.3 1.31 3.7%ofdeploymentdaystoschoolswithGrade3/4/SpecialMeasures
66.8 13.9 100
65
4.2.2TargetingSchoolsinNeedofSupport
ToframethefindingsregardingthefrequencyofSLEdeployment,itisusefultoidentifythe
degreeofneedforschool-to-schoolsupportintheregionofthecasestudyteachingschools,
sincetherationaleofaself-improvingschoolsystemistoprovidesupportatalocallevel.(DfE
2010;Hargreaves2003).Withinthetimeframeoftheresearchstudy,May2012toMarch
2014,therewereatotalof23TeachingSchoolAlliancesintheEastMidlandsregion,ofwhom
10wereveryrecentlyformedinthespringof2014.
Ofsted’sofficialstatistics(Ofsted,2013;Ofsted,2014)provideacontextforestimating
thenumberofschoolintheEastMidlandsregionwhorequiredsignificantsupporttoimprove
duringthistimeframe:
Table4.2OfstedInspectionGradingofMaintainedSchoolsandAcademiesintheEast
Midlands,2012-14
AcademicYear TotalSchools
Inspected
3:Requires
Improvement
4:Inadequate Total3+4
2012-13 1,983 411 53 464
2013-14 1,985 350 62 412
Sincethoseschoolsthatweregraded3or4during2012-13willhavebeenre-inspectedduring
2013-14,thenitdoesnotnecessarilyfollowthattherewereinexcessof800schoolsgraded3
or4withinthetwoacademicyears.However,aconservativeestimate,presumingveryfewof
thoseschoolsgraded3or4in2012-13madethejourneytoagradingof2(Good)thefollowing
year,wouldsuggestthatupwardsof500schoolsintheEastMidlandsregionwouldhave
potentiallybenefittedfromthesupportofaTSA.Suchasupportpackage,ledbyaNLEor
LocalLeaderinEducation(LLE),shouldincludeSLEdeploymentswhereappropriate,toboost
leadershipcapacityatmiddleleaderlevel.
𝑂𝑓𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑙𝑜𝑦𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑥 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑙𝑜𝑦𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑙𝑜𝑦𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑝𝑒
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Asoutlinedabove,analysisofthedeploymentdataprovidedbyeachcasestudyTSA,
representingthreeofthe23TSAsintheregion,suggeststhataverysmallproportionofthese
potentialclientschoolswerereceivingsupportfromadeployedSLEduringthistime.TSA1
deployedSLEstoatotalof17schoolsduringthescopeoftheproject;TSA2deployedSLEsto
16schools;TSA3deployedTSAstotwoschools;thus,35schoolsintheEastMidlandswere
supportedbythreeofthe23TSAs.Acknowledging,butdismissingforthesakeofconjecture,
thepossibilitythatsupportmightbebeingprovidedbyprivateconsultants,Ball’s“private
actors”(Ball,2007),ordirectlybyaLAwithdwindlingresources,averyroughcalculation
wouldindicatethateachoftheregion’sTSAswouldneedtobesupportinganaverageof22of
theseschoolsmostinneedofimprovement,so66acrossthethreecasestudyTSAs.However,
thecollateddeploymentdatadetailsthat,oftheschoolsthatreceivedSLEsupportfromthe
threecasestudyTSAsduringthescopeofthestudy,onlyfourofthesehadbeengradedat4
(Inadequate)byOfstedduringthescopeofthestudy,withafurther20schoolssupportedwho
hadbeengradedat3(RequiresImprovement).Therefore,thethreecasestudyTSAscouldbe
saidtohavesupportedlessthanhalfoftheschoolsthat,onaverage,wemighthaveexpected
themtotarget;yet,onaverage,theirSLEswerebrokeredforonly29%ofthedeploymentdays
thatthepolicyintended
AsTable4.1illustrates,theTSA1,whichhastwoNLEs,supportedschoolsmostinneed
for67%ofthedaysinwhichtheydeployedSLEs.WhileTSA2wasmoreactiveinthe
deploymentofitsSLEsthanTSA3,thetwoTSAssupportedthesamenumberofschoolmostin
need,namelythreeeach.
4.2.3Organisation,LocalPoliticsandFunding
ThedatainTable4.3,below,clearlyillustratesthathubTSsofdifferingstatusinteractwith
otherlocalschoolsindifferingways,intermsofsupportoffered.Firstly,thedatasuggests
thatTSA2andTSA3haveendeavouredtoorganiseSLEdeploymentsthatareinkeepingwith
theintendednatureoftheSLEroleasoutlinedinChapter2:withineachorganisation,97%of
SLEdeploymentdaysweretocarryoutschool-to-schoolsupportwithmiddleleaders.
67
Table4.3SummaryAnalysisofDeploymentData:Meso-level2
TSA1 TSA2 TSA3%ofdeploymentdaysbyschooltype:AcademyLAMaintainedOfwhich,LAMaintainedChurchSchools
52.7 0 047.4 100 10023.7 3.5 0
%ofdeploymentdaystoclient:AlliancememberNon-member
47.9 65.8 052.1 34.2 100
WeightedaveragedistanceofclientschoolfromTSperday’sdeployment(miles)
11.9 1.6 13.4
Weightedaveragedistanceofclientschoolfrombrokerperday’sdeployment(miles)
13.8 1.6 12.6
%SLEdep.daysbyhomeschoolbytype:AcademyLA
37.1 6.2 10062.9 97.8 0
%SLEdep.daysbyhomeschool:AlliancememberAlliancenon-member
73.2 82.2 89.76.8 17.8 10.3
Ontheotherhand,11%ofSLEdeploymentsdaysinTSA1wereforthedeliveryofCPDor
conferencepresentations.TSA1diddeploySLEsforthegreatestpercentageofavailabledays,
comparedtotheotherTSAsinthestudy,soactualschool-to-schoolsupportworktookplaceat
arateonlyslightlybelowthatofTSA2;interviewdatawilldetailthattheintentionofBroker
1.1todeploySLEsinCPDworkwasanattempttoestablishandmarketthe‘brand’ofSLEsin
thelocaleducationalcommunityand,thereby,increasethefrequencyofdeploymentin
School-to-SchoolSupport.
Intermsoflocalpolitics,andthe‘balkanisation’ofeducationalterritoryasexploredin
Chapter2,thedatasuggeststhatallegiancesvarygreatly:TSA1,whosehubTSisanAcademy,
hasfairlyequalproportionofdeploymentstobothAcademiesandLAschools;TSA2,whose
hubTSisaLAschool,hasnodeploymentstoAcademies,eventhoughtherewereanumberof
AcademiesinLeicester.AsaseniormemberoftheSchoolCommissioner’sofficerevealed
duringinSeptember2014,60%ofsecondaryand17%ofprimaryschoolswereacademiesat
thatpoint.AsreferencedinChapter5,interviewdatarevealedthatTSA2receivesdirect
fundingfromitsLAtosupporttheworkofSLEs,whichmayaccountforthebiastowardsLA
schoolssinceanyfinancialbarrierisremovedforLAclientschools.Interviewdatawill
demonstratethatTSA3’srelationshipwithitslocalLAisveryfraught;ithas,initssmallnumber
ofdeployments,onlyworkedwithtwoLAschools.However,oneofthesetwoprojectswas
withanotherLAatsomedistancefromtheTS.Thegeographicalfactorsofdeploymentwillbe
discussedinmoredetaillaterinthischapter.
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AsevidencedinTable4.3above,TSA1,meanwhile,hascarriedoutanotable
proportionofitsworkwithclientschoolswhoarebothprimaryschoolsandalsoChurchof
Englandvoluntaryaided/foundationschoolswhicharemembersofthelocaldiocese.That
Broker1.1isHeadteacherofCofEsecondaryschoolsuggestsanaturalbiastosupportChurch
schoolsduethecontextandnetworkswithinwhichthisleaderoperates.7
4.2.4AllianceMembershipandCollaborationwithOthers
AreviewofkeyfeaturesoftheAlliancemembershipofeachcasestudyTSArevealthe
relationshipbetweenthecharacteristicsoftheschoolswhobelongtoeachAllianceandthe
characteristicsoftheschoolswhoreceiveSLEsupportfromtheTSA.TSA3hadbrokeredavery
smallnumberofdeploymentswithinthescopeoftheproject;however,itisworthnotingthat
thesedeploymentsaretonon-memberschoolswhoareinsignificantneedofimprovement,
which,coupledwiththeinterviewfindingsofthenextchapter,suggestthatBroker3
representsaveryoutward-lookingteamof“alliancearchitects”(D.Hargreaves,2012b,p.5).
TSA1,meanwhile,brokeredapproximatelyequalnumberofdays’deploymenttoAlliance
memberandnon-memberclientschools.Interestingly,TSA1hasrecruitedSLEsalmost
exclusivelyfromitsAlliancemembers,yetthedatarevealsdiversityinclientschool
characteristicsand,byextension,greaterdiversitythantheclientschoolsofTSA2.
ItwasnotedabovethatTSA2hasdeployedSLEsexclusivelytoLAschools;the
organisationalcontextdata,collatedinAppendix2,detailsthatonly18%ofAlliancemember
schoolsareAcademies.Similarly,17%ofSLEsdesignatedbyTSA2areemployedbya‘home’
schoolthatisanAcademy.Itisinterestingtonote,therefore,thatTSA2hasthehighest
percentageofdeploymentdaystoitsownAlliancememberschools,at66%.Whilethiscould
beaconsequenceoftheLAfundingofSLEdeployment,theAlliancedoesmarketitsSLEstoall
schoolsintheareathroughtheLA’ssupportdirectory.Itmightsuggest,therefore,that,in
additiontotheAcademieswhomaynotbedrawingonthesupportofTSA2,therearea
numberofnon-memberLAschoolsthatarelikewisenotdrawingonitssupport.Thepossible
contributionofthegeographicalrangeofeachTSA’soutreachnetwork,asafactorimpacting
onSLEdeployment,willbediscussedlaterinthechapter.
7FurtherreasonsforthisemphasisaredetailedinthefindingsfromtheinterviewwithBroker1.1inthenextchapter.
69
4.2.5PhaseofClientSchools
Oneofthemostoverwhelmingtrendssuggestedbythedata,contrarytothefindings
ofQingGusharedinChapter2(Guetal.,2014),isthatschoolsintheprimaryphasebrokered
thesupportofSLEsmorefrequentlythansecondaryschools.AllofTSA3’sdeploymentswere
toprimaryclients;however,thismightbearesultoftheTSAbeingledbyaTSintheprimary
phase,andtheAlliancebeingprimary-focusedintermsofitsmembership8.Movingonto
considerTSA1andTSA2,though,eachofwhichhaveasecondaryschoolasthehubTS,the
predominanceofprimaryclientsisevident.TSA1hasapproximatelyequalnumberofprimary
andsecondarySLEs,yet79%ofdeploymentdaysweretoprimaryclients;TSA2has16
secondarySLEscomparedtosixintheprimaryphase,yetstill57%ofdeploymentsdayswere
totheprimarysector.BothTSA1andTSA2deployedsecondarySLEstosupportprimary
clients,buttherewasnoevidenceofcross-phasebrokerageoccurringtotheconverse.The
brokers’reflectionsonthecausesforthistrendaredetailedinthenextchapter.
4.2.6GeographicalFactors
ThroughanalysisofthegeographicalspreadofeachTSAitself,aswellasthedistanceofclient
schoolsfromtheTS,anunderstandingcanbegainedofthewaysinwhichthecohesionofan
AlliancemightimpactuponthefrequencyofSLEbrokering.Furthermore,analysisofthe
distanceofaSLE’shomeschoolfromthebroker9,whoisattheheartofbrokering
deploymentstoclientschools,offersusefulinsights.
Inbroadterms,thegraphforeachTSAinFigures4.1.1-4.1.3demonstratethatSLEs
whosehomeschoolislocatedclosertotheirbroker’sschoolaredeployedmorefrequently,
andthatverylittleornodeploymenttakesplacewhereanSLEislocatedinexcessof40miles
awayfromthebroker.Figure4.1.1showsthatTSA1hasaspikeofdeploymentactivityfor
SLEslocatedat30-40milesdistancefromBroker1.1;however,mycollateddeploymentdata
demonstrates3oftheseSLEsarebasedatahomeschoolwhichhasitsown‘lonewolf’NLE,
who,accordingtoBroker1.1duringinterview,isbrokeringworkfortheseSLEsinadditionto
therequestsfor,ortargetingof,supportwhicharebrokeredviatheTSA1’shubschoolNLEor
Broker1.1herself.
8SeeAppendix2.59Fromthecollecteddeploymentdata,Iinitiallyextractedtwosetsofscattergraphs,oneplottingthedeploymentactivityrelativetodistancefromthehubTS,onerelativetodistancefrombroker,wherethisisdifferent(TSA1and3).Sincebothsetsofdatasuggestedverysimilarfindings,IhaveincludedonlythegraphspertainingtodistancefromBrokertoaidconcision,asIbelievetheperceptionoftheBrokeriskeywhenSLEsarebeingidentifiedforS2SS.
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Amorevisualunderstandingoftherangeofnetworkactivity,andthegeographical
relationshipbetweentheTS,Broker,SLEhomeschoolsandclientschoolscanbegainedfroma
reviewofFigures4.2.1to4.2.3.Thesescale-comparableoverviewsclearlydisplaythatthe
activityofTSA2isconfinedwellwithinthe20-mileradiusfromBroker2’sschool;thereisone
outlyingdeployment,of4+days,butallothersaretightlycentredrounditsurbanbase.This
raisesthequestionofwhetherotherTSAsaresupportingthoseschoolsthatarebeyondthe
cityboundaries,orwhetherTSA2is,consciouslyorunconsciously,operatingwithinthe
historicalbarrieroftheLA’sboundaries.
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Figure4.1.1to4.1.3-Totaldays’deploymentperSLE,bydistancefromBroker(inmiles)
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
TotalD
aysD
eployed
DistanceSLEHomeSchoolfromBroker
TSA1
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
TotalD
aysD
eployed
DistanceSLEHomeSchoolfromBroker
TSA2
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Totaldaysd
eployed
DistanceSLEHomeSchoolfromBroker
TSA3
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Table4.4-KeytoFigures4.2.1to4.5.2,NetworkMapsofSLEDeploymentActivity
TeachingSchool
Broker’sSchool
SLEHomeSchool
ClientSchool
20mileradiusfromBroker’sSchool
50mileradiusfromBroker’sSchool
JourneybySLEtoPrimaryClientSchool
DeploymentofLessthan1Day
JourneybySLEtoSecondaryClientSchool
Deploymentof1to1.5Days
Tracesofthefadedmaplayershow:yellowcirclesfortownsandvillages;bluerectanglesformotorways.
Deploymentof2-3Days
Deploymentof4+Days
TSA1andTSA3eachhaveactivityreachinginexcessof20miles.AlthoughTSA3’sdeployments
are,asaforementioned,morelimitedinnumber,theyaremoreambitiousintermsofscope.
AswellasnotingalongerjourneybyanSLEwhosehomeschoolisat/closetothecentre,the
close-upinFigure4.5.1detailsthatoneofthelengthierdeploymentsSLEtravellingintocentre
fromamoreoutlyinghomeschool.ItwouldseemthatTSA3’slocation,inasemi-urbanrather
thanthecity-centrelocationofTSA2,promptsagreaterinclinationtotraveltosupportother
schools.TSA1’smapsshowittohavetowidestgeographicaloutreach,withonejourney
extendinginexcessofthe50-mileradiusboundary.However,itslongestjourneysare
associatedwithdeploymentsofshorterduration,suggestingthatlongertraveltimesare,or
areperceivedtobe,abarriertofrequentbrokeringinthisAlliance.10AreviewofFigures4.3.1-
4.3.3showsthatSLEsfromthehomeschooltotheSWoftheBroker1.1’sschool,whichhasits
ownSLEasdiscussedearlier,makeregularjourneys,andsomeforlongerdeployments,to
clientswhoarebothcentredaroundtheBroker’sschoolandaroundthehubTS,aswelltoa
clienttotheNE.ThisprovidesfurtherevidencethatanAlliancewithmultipleNLEscanbean
effectivebasisforcollaborativeoutreach.
10ThistopicwillbeexploredfurtherinChapter5.
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Figures4.2.1to4.2.3,OverviewofNetworkMapsofSLEDeploymentActivity(1:800000)
74
Figures4.3.1to4.3.3-DetailedviewsofDeploymentActivityforTSA1
75
Figures4.4.1and4.4.2-DetailedviewsofDeploymentActivityforTSA2
76
Figures4.5.1and4.5.2-DetailedviewsofDeploymentActivityforTSA3
77
4.3 FindingsfromDeploymentData:Micro-level
Theinterviewdatawillprovearichersourceforidentifyinghowindividualcharacteristics
withinschoolscanimpactuponthebrokeringofSLEs.However,certainfactorscanbe
identifiedthroughfurtheranalysisofthedeploymentdata,inadditiontothegeographical
locationofindividualswithinAlliances,asexploredabove.
4.3.1 PhaseandSpecialismofSLE
Thepredominanceofdeploymentstoprimaryclientswasdiscussedearlierinthechapterand
canbeviewedinthedarkrednetworksofFigures4.4to4.5above.AnalysisofSchool-to-
SchoolSupportbyspecialismcanilluminatethedegreetowhichthespecialism(s)offeredby
anSLEcanimpactontheirlikelihoodofbeingbrokeredfordeployment.Ifweconsiderthat
‘PrimaryAssessment’incorporatestheappropriateassessment,moderationandmonitoringof
thoseaspectsoftheprimarycurriculumwhicharenationallyreported,thenwecaninferthat
anSLEprovidingsupportinPrimaryAssessmentisprovidingsupportinEnglishand/or
Mathematics.ThoseSLEsinTSA1andTSA3whooffersupportinprimaryEnglish,Mathematics
orAssessment,therefore,weredeployedfor58%and90%,respectively,ofthetotaldays
available.WithinTSA2,SLEdeploymentstoprimaryschoolshadadifferentfocus,withovera
thirdofclientsrequestingsupportinEarlyYearsprovision,whichwouldincludethecurrent
preoccupationwiththeteachingofphonics,orwiththedeliveryofMFL.Withregardtothe
latter,itcouldbearguedthatoneofthefactorsresultinginaprimaryleadermorereadily
acceptingthesupportofasecondarySLEisthattheprimarypractitionerdoesnotconsider
themselvestobeexpertsinafieldsuchasMFL,soperceptionsofstigmafromaskingfor‘help’
areminimaland,byextension,barrierstochangearediminished(Kotter,1996).Conversely,
itisperhapssurprisingtoseethatSLEsspecialisinginEnglishandMathematicsinthe
Secondarysectorarenotbeingdeployedasfrequently,ifatall,despitethepressureon
accountabilityforthisphasewhichwasoutlinedinChapter2.11Thedatacannotreveal
whetherthebarrierstobrokerageareonthepartofaschool’sHeadteacheroritsmiddle
leaders–or,indeed,toentirelyseparatefactors–butthisphenomenonwillbediscussed
furtherintheinterviewfindings.
Onefurtherevaluationofsomeinterest,atthemicro-level,isthefrequencyofSLEdeploymentbygender,asdetailedinTable4.5.WiththeexceptionofTSA3,therewere
11ThecombinedbrokerageforSecondaryMathematicsandEnglishwithineachTSAare:17%TSA1;12%TSA2,althoughthisisallforMathsasnoneforEnglish;0%fortheprimary-centeredTSA3.
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significantlymoremalesthanfemalesdesignatedatthetimeofthestudyand,moreover,thefemaleSLEswerebrokeredforsignificantlymoreofthedeploymentdays.
Figures4.6.1to4.6.3-PercentageofTotalDays’DeploymentbySpecialism
POST160%
PRIMARYLITERACY
26%
PRIMARYASSESSMENT
32%
PRIMARYLEADERSHIP
7%
PRIMARYMATHS0%
SECBEHAVIOUR
0%
SECENGLISH3%
SECHUMANITIES
4%
SECMATHS2%
SECMATHS14%
SECMFL6%
SECSCIENCE6%
TSA1
PRIMARYMATHS0%
SECHUMS13%
SECTECH1%
SECSEN1%
SECSCIENCE18%
SECPE5%
SECMFLTOPRIMARIES
28%
SECMATHS12%
SECITT0%
SECENGLISH0%
SECBUSINESSMANAGER
8%
PRIMARYT&L6%
PRIMARYEARLYYEARS
8%
TSA2
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Onasimplelevel,thiscouldbesaidtocorrelatewiththehigherlevelsofdeploymentof
primarySLEs,whoarepredominantlyfemale;however,itmightbearguedthatthepersonal
drivetoengageinsystemleadershipisacontributingfactortothefrequencyofdeploymentin
thisphase,ofwhichgendercouldbekeyelement,asopposedtotheopennessofprimary
leaderstoengageandclientsandbeopentochange.
Table4.5-SummaryofAnalysisofDeploymentData:Gender
WhileithasalreadybeenacknowledgedthatthelimitedvolumeofdeploymentdataforTSA3
isproblematicintermsofstatisticalcomparisonstotheotherTSAs,itisinterestingtonote
that,inrespectofgender,thedeploymenttrendisreversed.Astheinterviewdatareveals,
thisisdueBroker3brokeringhimselftocarryoutmostofthedeploymentsduetohis
perceptionofhisgreatercapacity,inanon-teachingrole.Thereisfurtherdiscussionoftime
andcapacityatthemeso-andmicro-levelsinthenextchapter.
PRIMARYMATHS66%
PRIMARYASSESSMENT
24%
PRIMARYBEHAVIOUR
0%
PRIMARYEARLYYEARS0%
PRIMARYLEADERSHIP
10%
PRIMARYLITERACY
0%
PRIMARYMFL0%
PRIMARYMUSIC0%
PRIMARYT&L0%
TSA3
TSA1 TSA2 TSA3%ofSLEsdesignatedbyTSbygender:malefemale
31.0 13.0 12.069.0 87.0 78.0
%SLEdeploymentdaysbygender:malefemale
17.0 6.0 65.583.0 94.0 34.5
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4.3.2SystemLeadershipCharacteristics
Anotherpossiblefactortoimpactonthefrequencyofdeployment,recentlyalludedto,isthe
driveofindividualleaderswhoareengagedinthesystemleadershipofSchool-to-School
Support.Analysisofthedeploymentdatahasdemonstratedthat,inthosecircumstances
wherethedeploymentofSLEsismostfrequent,thereisstrongevidenceofMatthewsand
Berwick’ssystemleadershipcharacteristics(Matthews&Berwick,2013)discussedinChapter
2;mostnotably,theseincludethemotivationofaBrokertoarrangecollaborativesupport,
suchasthedriveofBroker1.1tobrokersupporttoChurchofEnglandschool,orthesenseof
moralpurposesuggestedbythecomparativebusynessofprimarySLEs.
4.4Summary
Inshort,theanalysisofthedeploymentdatahasprovidedaclearanswertomyfirstresearch
question:duringthescopeofthestudy,SLEswerebeingdeployedforonlyafractionofthe
capacitywhichpolicyintended.Furtherdiscussionofthedatahasprovidedsomeinsightsinto
thefactorswhichmayhaveaffectedthis,largelyatthemeso-level;itcouldbearguedthatthe
diversity,whichthepolicyintendedtofacilityanorganicgrowthofthesysteminorderto
matchlocalneed,isinitselfpreventingaclearidentificationofthatlocalneed.Frequencyof
supportforsecondaryschoolsinneedofimprovementisoverwhelminglylow.Analysisofthe
interviewdata,inthenextchapter,willpresentanopportunitytobothtriangulatewithandto
expanduponmyfindingsthusfar.
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Chapter5 FindingsfromInterviewData
HavingidentifiedlowerthananticipatedlevelsofdeploymentinresponsetoResearch
Question1,analysisoftheinterviewdatainthischapterwillprovidefruitfulinsightsintothe
twootherkeyelementsofthisstudy:
Thefindingsfromallstagesoftheinterviews,withbrokersandSLEswithineachAlliance,and
theeliteinterviewswithmembersoftheDfEandtheTSC,aresynthesisedandpresented
accordingtothemacro-,meso-andmicro-levelfactorstheyconvey.
HavingoutlinedthenatureoftherolesandresponsibilitiesofeachTSA’sbroker(s)in
Chapter4.1,above,acontextualportraitofeachoftheSLEswhoparticipatedintheinterviews
isincludedinAppendix2.7toinformperceptionsoftheinterviewfindings.Inaddition,the
roleofeachintervieweewithintheorganisationoftheirrespectiveTSAisoutlinedin
Appendices2.1-2.3.WhilethecontextanddeploymentactivityofeachcasestudyTSAvaries
widely,asdiscussedinChapter4,theinterviewdatarevealsahighlevelofcorroborationwith
regardtothefactorswhicharedeterminingthefrequencyofdeploymentand,byextension,
thebarrierswhichareinhibitingfullandefficientimplementationofthepolicyforSCHOOL-TO-
SCHOOLSUPPORTlaunchedintheWhitePaper(DepartmentforEducation,2010).
5.1FindingsfromInterviewData:Macro-level
Onreviewingtheinterviews,themajorityofparticipantsfeltstronglythatthelackofaclear
“blueprint”fromthepolicy-makers,theDfEandtheNationalCollege,forsettinguptheTSAat
meso-level,impacteddirectlyandadverselyonthebrokeringofSLEs.Thiswasexpressedby
theregionalleaderoftheTeachingSchoolsCouncil(TSC),brokersfromalloftheTS,and
severaloftheSLEsthemselves.Broker1.1feltthat,unlikethepredecessorsofTS,London
ChallengeandManchesterChallenge,therewasalackofmoneytoappropriatelybuildupthe
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“centralinfrastructure”,andthatthenationalexpansionoftheprogrammewasbeingdone
“onthecheap”.Broker1.1expressedherconcernsthatthevisionofaself-improvingschool
systemintheWhitePaper(DfE,2010)“is…justhappeninginanon-strategicway.”Moreover,
withthescaleand“complexity”ofallthestrands,shefeelsitis“unhelpful”totryanddeliver
onallofthe“Big6”atonce.Inasimilarvein,Broker3reflectedthattheformationofnewTSA
networksisbasedon“whoyouknow”andseems“haphazard”.SLE1.1statesthathis
evaluationofthesituationismore“stoical”as:“…greatideasarealwaysfollowedbyaperiod
ofupsanddowns…it’sjustashamethingsweren’tsortedoutenoughoriginally…asan
embryonicposition.”Broker2commentedonthedifficultiespresentedbythe“oddand
complex”processfordesignatingSLEsviatheNC,andalsothe“moneywasted”onwhatshe
deemedtobeaverycomplicatedandinefficientNConlinecommunity,intendedtosupport
leaderinTSAs,whichwaswithdrawnandreplacedandfurthercost.
Broker1.1stillfeltthat,whileimproved,thecomplexityinthevarietyofthewaysin
whichtheworkflowofdeploymentscanbecommissionedbythoseoperatingatthemacro-
level-theNationalCollege,theDfE’sMinisterofStateforSchoolsand/orOfsted-stillbrought
confusiontothemeso-level.Broker1.1wasgettingNLEdeployments,forwhichshewould
typicallybrokeroneormoreSLEs,directly,notviatheTSA;theNLEatthehubTSofTSA1was
alsogettingdirectdeploymentsandbrokeringsupportfromSLEs.
Whendiscussingtheroleofthenewly-formedRegionalSchoolsCommissioners,a
seniormemberofFrankGreen’sofficesharedthathe:
willbemanaging…therightlevelofconsistency,becausewe’renotlookingfora
consistentapproach.Thewholepurposeisthattherewilldifferentcertainregional
variations.
Whiletheremitofthisofficeonlyincludesacademiesandfreeschools,andnotTSAsdirectly,
thepoliticalmomentumfordecentralisationatamacro-levelisevident.FrankGreen,Schools
Commissioner,reflectedontheimpactoftheScottishIndependencedebateintheHouseof
Lordsthepreviousweek:
Thedebateaboutregionalisationanddecentralisationhasreallyhottedupandgone
tothetopofthepoliticalagenda….I’mabsolutelydelightedaboutthat,becausethe
regionalisationofeducationisareally,reallyimportantdriver…Oneofthereasons
we’vegonedownthispath,thepathwaytoacademiesandnowtheself-managing
system…isbecauseofthelong-termfailureoflargepartsofthelocalauthorityto
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improvemanyoftheirschools….Themajorityofthefirst200academieswereschools
whohadhadfailurefor…atleasttwogenerationsofchildren.
However,asechoedbySLE1.1,heconcedes:“Idon’tthinkthere’senoughunderstandingin
mostTeachingSchoolAlliancesoftheirroleinthenewsystembecausewhentheyaskedto
becomeTeachingSchools,…thesystemhadnotbeencreatedinasense.”
BeingattheforefrontofsystemicchangebroughtmanyfrustrationstoBroker1.1in
theearlydaysoftheNLErole.SheandotherNLEsexpressedtotheFellowshipCommission
meetings,withtheDfE,theneedforaninfrastructure“toenableyoutobedeployedinto
schoolsthroughalocalauthority,withcleartermsofreference,andwithclearcriteriaand
somesortofoverviewofwhatishappening.”Furtherreflectionsontherelationshipswith
LAs,atthemeso-level,willbedistilledlaterinthischapter.
ItiscleartotheTSCrepresentativethatthelackof“intelligence”and“guidance”ata
macro-levelimpacteduponhismanagement,asanNLE,ofanewly-establishedTSandonthe
deploymentofSLEs.Withhindsight,thismeantthatSLEswererecruitedwhodidnot,asit
transpired,matchlocalneed,buthenowfeelsthattheyaregettingbetteratmatching
recruitmentto“theneedsoftheschoolsthatweserve.”HefeltstronglythattheGovernment
wantedtodevolveresponsibilityforthe“Big6”areasofschoolimprovement,“butwe’renot
goingtotellyouhowtodoit.”However,hewaskeento“usethissystem”togetthe“lookout”
heneeded,aswellasbelievingonlyexistingteacherscouldcrediblygivethesupportthat
othersneeded,atthemeso-leveloftheSISS.ThispioneeringperspectiveissharedbyBroker2:
WhenwefirstappliedtobeaTeachingSchool[laughs]Idon’tthinkanyofusreally
knewwhatitwasgoingtolooklike…itwasaleapoffaith…But…ifyougetinearly
enough,youcanmakesureit’sreallygoodbecauseit’snotdevelopeduntilyou’vehad
asayinit.
Broker2remainedunclear,however,astohowthoseatthemacro-levelwouldholdTSsto
accountwithregardstoschool-to-schoolsupport:ifthefocuswillbeoneffectiveness,“in
whichcasewe’llbeabletomaintainourpuristview”,oriftheywill“lookatthenumber”of
deployments.“Andiftheylookatthenumberwewill,likeeverybodyelse,beforcedtodilute
thewaythatweusethem.”FurtherviewsonthenatureoftheroleofSLEswillbeexploredin
duecourse.
Thetensionbetweenfinancialaccountability,atmeso-level,andthedrivetoserve
others,atmicro-level,willcolourmanyoftheensuingfactorsthatparticipantsbelieveaffect
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thebrokeringofSLEs.FrankGreenremainedconfidentthatthesystemcouldfindawayto
evolve:
I’mquiteconvincedthere’senoughmoneyinthesystem…I’mnotsurewe’reusingit
asefficientlyaswecould….Theamountofmoneyineducationtodayis40%more,in
realterms,morethanintheyear2000.AndIdothinkthere’senoughwillinthe
systematthemoment,there’senoughenthusiasm.
5.2FindingsfromInterviewData:Meso-level
5.2.1Organisation,LocalPoliticsandFunding
Allofthebrokersinterviewedattributedtheaforementionedlackofaclear“blueprint”to
supportorganisationalprocessesandprioritiesforearlywavesofTSAstoalackofstrategic
efficiencyontheirownpart.Broker2summarised:“Idon’tthinktherehasbeenthatlevelof
joined-up-ness:NLE;LLE;SLE…”AkintoBroker1.1previously,shethenreferredto
predecessorsoftheTeachingSchoolmodel,statingthatbecausetheNC’sexemplarschoolfor
SLEdeploymentswasapartofGreaterManchesterChallengeitmeantthey’vehad“moretime
togetitright”.Broker1.1feltthatcommunicationbetweentheNCandNLEs/TSAshadbeen
veryfractured,becausepolicywasevolvingrapidly:“Andthen,gradually,theystartcatching
upwithwhat’shappeningontheground.”
Intermsoftherealityofwhatwas‘happeningontheground’,theactualalliance
make-upwasinastateoffluxinallthreeTSAsstudied.AsBroker2shared:“We’vegotendless
diagramswhichchange,almostdaily,”andadded,“It’sbeenalearningcurveforus,togetinto
theadminmind-set.”Ofparticularrelevance,eachTSAwasrequiredtodevelopsystemsfor
monitoringSLEdeployments.“…Asschools,we’veneverusedthosesystems,ritualistically.”
Eachschoolhavingtoexpanditsownadministrationteam,anddevelopitsownadministrative
systems,which,asmycollationofSLEdeploymentdatademonstrated,allvariedandthus
variedintherobustnessofdataheld.
Broker2,alsotheTeachingSchoolDirectoratTSA2,reflectedthatthereweremany
“overlays”inthesystematmeso-level,andtheirLocalAuthority’sEducationImprovement
Partnership(EIP),whichhadbeenoperatingsuccessfullyforaroundeightyears,couldhave
beenthe“mechanism”fordeliveringtheschoolimprovementagendaoftheTeachingSchools
initiative.TSA2wasthemostintricateofsystemsintermsofthemodelforalliance
membership;onlythemostsuccessfulschools,intermsofOfstedgradingandpeerreviews,
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arepermittedtojointhelayerofstrategicmembership,withthoseschoolswhoaredrawing
onthesupportelectingtojoinalayerofmembership,eithersubscription-basedor“payasyou
go”,dependingontheircircumstances.Addingtothe“overlays”,allofTSA2’sstrategic
membersarealsomembersofthenationalnetworkofChallengePartners.Whetherbecause
ofthe“overlays”,ordespitethem,andbecauseoftheeffervescent,micro-leveldriveofBroker
2,SLE2.2feelsthatTSA2’sorganisationandday-to-daymanagementhasbeen“fantastic;the
problemhasbeengettingotherschoolstoengage.”
FrankGreen,SchoolsCommissioner,firmlystatedthatdifferentalliancestrategic
memberschoolsshouldsharetheresponsibilitiesofthe‘Big6’,ratherthanthehubschool
attemptingtoleadonallsix.ForTSA1,however,delegatingtheSLEbrokeringtoanalliance
memberschoolcausedfragmentedcommunication,askeydecisionsweresometimesmadeat
meetingswhenBroker1.1wasnotpresent,soshelaterfeltshewas“notinonthewayyousee
thisdeveloping”andthatshemissedoutonthemoreinformal,continualcommunicationthat
tookplaceatthehubTS“becausethey’reallthere,buttheyneedtocommunicatetoother
peoplewhat’shappening…Andthenthere’sthishugelag…I’mnotapportioninganyblame,
here,butIthinkthestructure’soverlycomplex…althoughdonewiththebestpossible
intentions”toinvolvestrategicmemberschoolssothey“buyin”.Brokers1.1and1.2both
acknowledgedtheimpactthatstaffrelocationorchangeofroleresultedincomplicationsto
thestructuresand,byextension,theefficiencyofcommunicationacrossthealliance.Both
alsofeltthatsuchchanges,includingalliancememberswhohadbeendesignatedasTSsin
theirownrightandsowereabouttoleavetheAlliance,influencedwhetherSLEshadthe
capacitytobedrawnuponfordeployments,withtheSLE’sHeadteacherscommunicatinga
lackofcapacitytoTSA1’sNLEs.
ContinuingthereviewofdistributedleadershipatTSA1,Broker1.3recognisedthe
challengetoBroker1.1of“tryingtobalanceheadship”withthebrokeringrole,andrecognised
thattheco-ordinationofschool-to-schoolsupporthadgrowntobecome“ajobinitsown
right”.AlsoBroker1.1sharedthatherschooldidnotfullyhavethecapacitytomanagethe
administrativetasks,astherewasnofundingforhertoincreaseadministrationhours;she
hopedthatthereorganisationofbrokering,tobemanagedbythehubTeachingSchool,would
improvecommunicationandthereforebrokeringsystems.Brokers1.2and1.3feelthat
“fragmentation”inrecordkeepingandSLEdeploymentprocedureshasmadeitachallengeto
demonstrateimpact,whichinturninhibitseffectivemarketing.SLE1.1’sviewdrawstogether
severalkeyfactorswhichwerefelttoimpactonthefrequencyofSLEbrokering:
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Asisthecasewithanideathat’smayberevolutionary…Ididn’tfeeltherewasagreat
dealofforethoughtgiventoexactlyhowthebrokeragewouldtakeplace….The
administrativedetail…butalsothephysicaldetailbehindit.Itwasalmost:“Let’sshove
awholeloadofcashandawholeloadofideasintothepot,”butno-onehadactually
doneagreatdealofplanningtomakesureitwasparticularlysuccessfulatthe
beginning.TheoriginalTeachingSchoolswereverymuchlefttotheirowndevicesto
makethingsupastheywentalong.
SLE1.1doesnotblameTSA1fortheperceivedinefficiencies,insteadsharingthatherecognised
the“guilty”reactionsofNCrepresentativesatthefirstSLECoreTraining“ofnothavingputa
structureinplacetosupporttheTeachingSchools.”
RestructuringinaconversemannertoTSA1,TSA3movedthebrokeringoftheSLEsto
astrategicpartnerschoolpriortotheexpansionoftheirSLEteam,withBroker3jovially
commenting:“Maybeitwasapoliticalmovetodrawusin.”Theorganisationaldecisionalso
madestrategicsenseintermsoftheBroker3’scapacity,asanon-teachingAssistant
Headteacher.Thatsaid,TSA3wereabouttoappointafulltimeOperationsManagerto
commenceSeptember2014,toallowBroker3tofocusonbrokeringandsupportingschools
“ratherthantheamountofadminwe’vehadtodo.”ThekeyleadersoftheTSA3wouldsoon
bebasedin“anofficespace”,centraltotheirregion,ratherthaninoneoftheschools.Frank
Green’sviewisthat,whilesomelocalauthorities“stillprovideexcellentself-improvement
services”andtheservicesofseparatecompanies,suchasCfBTandCambridgeEducation,can
bepurchased,“Ithinkthatthecore,thebackboneofit,hasgottobe,inthefuture,Teaching
SchoolAlliances.”Now600TeachingSchoolsand452Alliances,theNC’sTeachingSchool
AdvisersneedtoliaisewiththeTeachingSchoolCouncilwhichhas“greatpeople”onit,“with
perception,visionand…systemleadershipskills.”ThecollaborationbetweenTSsandtheir
respectiveLA’s,however,wasamootpointformostofthebrokerswhowereinterviewed.
Broker1.1shared:“IntheearlydaysofNLEitwasverydependentonyourlocalauthority…
therewasnot,asfarasIwasconcerned,properbrokerageofNLEs.”Thiswasdeemedtobe
becausetherewasnotthelevelofcollaborative“buyin”betweentheLAandtheNCasthere
hadbeen,forexample,inafriend’sexperienceinTowerHamlets,forLondonChallenge.
MirroringFrankGreen’sview,shefeltittookastrongRegionalAdviserfromtheNCwho“took
over…andworkedwiththelocalauthority.”
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TheTSCrepresentativefeelsthereisstillajourneytocollaborationwithhisLA,causedbythe
TeachingSchoolsbeing“given”theschoolimprovementresponsibilitiesthathadpreviously
beentheroleoftheLA.
So,atfirst,Iwouldsaythatwasalotofpeopletryingtheirbesttocatchusoutreally,
ortryingtomakeithardforus,ratherthanactuallyembracingthefutureandseeing
howitcouldwork.Er,thatisonlyapersonalfeelingthatIhave–otherauthorities
werebrilliant–butpersonallywefoundit,initially,verymuchabattle…Cos,ifyou
thinkaboutit,you’vegotaself-improvingschoolsystemthat,inessence,willwork
brilliantly,thatthey’realllookingoutforeachother…whatyouaretherefore
suggesting,ifthatworks,thatyoudon’tneedthemiddletier,soyoudon’tneed…any-
anyschoolimprovementfrom[theLA],sothepeoplewhoyouareasking,tobe
sharingwithyouthefuturedirectionofschools,it’sliketurkeysvotingforChristmas,
isn’tit?Sothatistheelephantintheroom.
Healsoemphasisedtheneedforallpartiesto“playthegame”andmovethingsforwardfor
children.However,hereiteratedthatthelackofblueprintandtheconflictwiththeLAwere
thetwokeybarrierstoschool-to-schoolsupport:“you’vegotpeople,whethertheyknowthey
aredoingitornot,are…puttingthemselvesoutofajobiftheschool-ledsystemworks.”
Ultimately,theTSCrepresentativedistilledthisdilemmaas“CollaborationversusCompetition”
andquestionedtheextenttowhichsystemleadersare“reallycollaboratingtomakean
extremelyschool-ledsystem,orareyoulettingyourownneeds,yourcompetitiveurge,getin
thewayofafair,school-ledsystem.”Furtherreflectionsoftheimpactofmicro-leveltensions
willbecoveredattheendofthechapter.
TSA2differsfromtheothercasestudyTSAs,andbelievestheirrelationshipisquite
unusual,inhavingitsLAasastrategicpartner.Broker2sharedthat,“…becauseXissucha
politicalcity…ifwedidn’ttakepeoplewithus,they’dbeagainstus.”However,shehashad
“quiteabattle”withsomeofthosepeopledueto“anideologicalresistance”,whereshefelt
theywere“exhausting”themselvesdebatingapotential,philosophicalissuewhichhadnot
actuallymanifesteditself.However,thecollaborationhashadadiscernibleimpactonthe
brokeringofSLEs.AllofTSA2’sSLEsfeatureintheLA’sschool-to-schoolsupportdirectory,
whichiscirculatedtoallLAschoolsandtoacademies,thusaidingthemarketingofSLEs.
SLE2.1becamefrustrated,however,athavinginvestedmucheffortintoaregionalHistory
conferencethatthen“brokedownduetolackofinterest”,perhapsdueto“lackof
advertisementandpromotion”bytheLA.Hefeelsthe“LAhasbeen…somethingofan
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albatrossaroundthenecksforsomeschoolsforsometime.”HefeelsthattheLApreviously
putalotofmoneyintodeployingASTs,likehimself,withoutnecessarilymeasuringimpact.He
sensesthattherearemixedmotivesintheLA’sintentionstocollaboratewiththeTS:
WhentheASTfundingwent,thepeoplewhowouldco-ordinatethatattheLAwere
stillinpost,buthadnobodytodeploy,andveryquicklylatchedontotheTeaching
SchoolasawayofpluggingthegapleftbytheASTs.
AnotherbarriertobrokeringraisedbySLE2.1wasthelackofclarityinthebrokeringrequested
fromtheLA,and“linesofcommunicationwereshut”byboththeschoolandtheLA,sothe
deploymentdidnottakeplace.Hecallsforforgreaterclarityandconsistencyinthebrokering
system,as“often…I[was]notsurewhosetuneIwasdancingto.”
AlthoughcommissionedbyaLAinanothercounty,Broker3feelsthatitis“verypolitical”inhis
ownLAandcounty.Hestatedthat“youneedtoclawthem[clientschools]awayfromtheLA”
butitwouldbe“averybravestep”forLAschoolstoallocatesomeoftheirbudgettoget
supportfromteachingschoolsduetothe“safetynet”ofhavingworkedalongsidetheLAfora
numberofyears.TSA3’saimisto“softlybuilduptheclientbase”ofmembersasthey“don’t
wanttoputpeopleoff”withtoostrongasteerfromtheTSA.Broker2believes,asdoallof
thebrokers,thatreputationisimportant,buthopedthatthe“securityblanket”ofknowingthe
TSAisaccountablefortheimpactoftheSLEswouldencouragetheirdeployment.
5.2.2AllianceMembership,TargetingSupportandCollaborationwithOthers
Aswellasthesecomplicationsregardingorganisationandlocalpolitics,acommonconcernfor
allofthebrokerswashowtotargettheSLEsupporttothoseschoolswhomostneededit,both
withinandwithouttheAlliance.Broker1.1felttheappointmentofaregionalleaderofthe
NC,afewyearspreviously,hadhadanimpactoncollaboratingwithherLAtohelptargetthe
commissioningofNLEandSLEsupport,butthatthemultiplicityoffundingstreamsmeantthat
themacro-to-mesosystemwasstillcomplexandinhibitedclearstrategyatameso-level.She
suggestedthatImprovementPartnersorsimilarneedtobeavailabletobrokersupportfrom
theTSA,tothoseoutsidetheAlliance,whichisintunewiththenotablycollaborativenatureof
TSA2’srelationshipwithitsLAandEIP.TheTSCrepresentativeraisedthecomplicationof:
apotentialdouble-fundingissue…ifyou’vegot,say,aschoolwho’sbeenidentifiedby
thelocalauthorityasneedingsupport,sothey’reputtingpeoplein,andtheteaching
school,you’veidentifiedaschoolthatneedssupport,andit’sthesameschool,so-so
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you’vegotyourSLEsgoinginandthensomeconsultantsfromthelocalauthority,so
it’stakenquiteabitofworkingouttogetitsortedstrategically.And,inturn,I’vegot
exampleswherewe’vedonethatbrilliantlywiththelocalauthority,butI’vealsogot
exampleswhereithadn’tworkedverywell.
Contrarytothecurrentpolicyofschoolsmanagingtheirownoutputofsupport,Broker3
raisedtheissueof“howpeoplecandistributeorapportionthatfairlysotherightschoolis
supportedandbytherightschool–It’sgottobecontrolled,somehow,fromupabove.”He
feltthatallschoolsknowingaboutthesupportthatisavailablefromSLEswouldbeavitalstep.
SeveralbrokershopedthattheformationofEastMidlandsTeachingSchoolAlliancewould
underpincollaborationbetweenTSAsintheregion.TheTSCrepresentativealsoemphasised
theneedforaco-ordinatedapproach:
…gettingtheTeachingSchoolstogetherandalmostpoolalltheSLEstogether,ifwe’re
beingverystrategic…everybody,insteadofthinkingforthemselves,…whoisthebest
grouptosupportthisschool.Anditmaybeme,itmaynotbeme.
Hisperceivedproblemwiththisapproachwasthat“itmayturnintoabunfight”with
competition,ratherthan“what’sbestfortheschool.SotheroleoftheTeachingSchool
Councilistobringsomestrategytotheprocess….Checksandbalances.”Oneofthebrokers
feltthattheTShadmadeanerrorofjudgementbyhavingaclientschool,inneedofsupport,
asastrategicmember:anSLEwastryingto“hammerdownthedoor”toprovidesupport,but
theschoolwasnotreceptivetothatsupport,perhapsnotrecognisingtheirownneed.The
brokerreflectedthat,“Ifwe’redoinganythingwithanybody,itshouldbewiththem,surely?...
Idon’tunderstanditatall.”
Meanwhile,TSA1originallyagreedthatSLEworkwouldonlybedoneforalliance
members,sotherewasnoimpetustomarketSLEstopotentialclientschoolsoutsideofthe
group,hencelimitingthefrequencyofdeployments.SLE1.2wasperplexedthathehadnot
receivedanydeploymentsdirectlyfromtheTS,perse;hehadbeendeployedthrough
Broker1.1’sindependentworkasanNLE,orthroughhisowncontacts,“eventhroughchurch.I
gettheimpressionthatthisisarelativelylighttouch,thatit’snotnecessarily…themost
importantthingonthemindofthesepeople[theTSA].”SLE1.2felt“moreused”asanAST
becauserequestsforSLEsupportare“justnotreallyhappening”;thisviewwassharedbyall
threeoftheSLEswhowerepreviouslyASTs.SLE3.2waspreviouslyanASTandreflectedthat
hewaspaidanenhancedsalary,and“thingsworkedmoresmoothly…whereasnowmoneyis
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thebigfactor”whichimpingesonthebrokeringofsupport.Also,SLE3.2representedthe
viewsofmanyoftheSLEsinthathewasnotcomingintocontactwithschoolsthatneed
support,sofeltitwasnotfeasibleforSLEstodotheirownbrokering,asuggestionofthe
revisedSystemLeadershipProspectus.
Theissueoffinanceisonethatwasvoicedbyallinterviewrespondentsinsomeway.
Broker3wasconcernedabouttheissueof“blurredlines”betweenacademiesandnon-
academiesand“wherethesupportiscomingfrom.”HequestionswhetherLAschools,who
maystillbebuyingintoLAsupport,canaffordtocometoteachingschoolsforsupport?”Due
totheaforementioned“political”situation,TSA3isnotbeingcommissionedbytheir
neighbouringLA,buthavecarriedoutanumberofsustainedNLEandSLEdeploymentsinfive
schoolsforaLAwhichiscentred45milesaway.Thebrokerdescribedthisasa“brilliant
project”whichwasbothenjoyableinitslongevityandprovideda“guaranteedincome.”
Broker.1feltthatthemovetoafinanciallystrategicwayofthinkingwasaprobleminplanning
theSLEdeploymentprocesses,andstressedtheimportanceofaTShavingabusinessmanager
whoclearlyseeshowthe“fundingmodelwouldwork”.Thepresenceof“conflicting
messages”atmeetingsforalliancemembers,withSLEsupportoriginallyfreetomembers,but
thebecomingchargeablefromSeptember2013,maynothaveaidedbrokering.Moreover,for
TSA1,themonitoringoffinancialtransactions,withpaymentpassingfromclientschool
directlytoSLE’shomeschool,madeitdifficulttoTSAtomonitor.
FrankGreenbelievesthatallTSAsneedtohave“agoodschoolimprovementbusiness
going”,whetherornotitchargesforthatbusiness.12ForBroker1.1,however,itcosts“quitea
lotofmoney”forsecondaryschoolstosubscribetoTSA1to“subsidise”it.Sheadds:“The
primaryschoolsaregettingthischeaply,actually,“cosalotofitwe’redoingfortheprimary
schools.”Differentfundingstreamsfordeploymentsfurthercomplicatethefinancialsystems.
Forexample,Broker1.1,asanindividualNLE,andthelocalDiocesesuccessfullyappliedfor
moneyfromtheNCtosupportSLEdeploymenttodiocesanprimaryschools;Broker1.1
securedaNCbursarytosupportaprimaryschoollocaltothebroker’sschool.Intermsof
targetingsupport,thiswaslargelysubjective,aslettersinvitingExpressionsofInteresttoapply
forNCFundingwerecirculatedto“NLEsandprobablylocalauthoritiesanddioceses”andnot
directlytoschools,soschoolsneedtobeidentifiedbysomeoneatameso-leveltodrawdown
thefundingtodrawonthesupportofNLEsandSLEs.Inrespectofthis,SLE1.1cited“lackof
12ThebarrierposedbythediscomfortofeducationalprofessionalswithregardtodiscussingthefeesinvolvedinS2SSisdiscussedinthemicro-levelsectionofthischapter.
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cleardirectiveovertheactualfundingandpayment”,andthesystemsandresponsibilityfor
this,asabarriertocementingapotentialdeployment.
DuetotheircollaborativerelationshipwiththeLA,TSA2attemptedtoremovethe
financialbarrierstoSLEdeployment.Therefore,inadditiontotheTSA’sCollaborativeFund
andtheNLEDeploymentfundcommontoallTSAs,theLA’sEIPfundedupto£70,000forSLE
deploymentsfortheyear2013-14.However,Broker2wassurprisedthat“evenwhenitwas
freetherewerestrugglingschoolsthatdidn’ttakeitonboard.”ThebrokerofTSA2hadhoped
that,“likeSainsbury’s”theywould“buybelievers”inthepotentialofSLEs:bysubsidisingthe
costviatheLA,“thenpeoplereallyloveit”andwouldpayforitoncethebrandhadbeen
established.SLE2.1andSLE2.2bothconcedethattheLA’sSLEfundinghasbenefitted
brokering,butnottotheleveleitherofthemwouldhaveanticipated;allofSLE2.1’s
deploymentshavebeencommissionedbytheLA.
WhileadditionalfundingmaynothaveimpactedonTSA2totheextentenvisaged,
TSA1haslostpotentialdeploymentsduetothecosttotheschool.Broker1.2statedthatthey
hadhad“some”speculativeapproachesfromschools,viaphoneore-mail,torequestSLE
support.Ofthese,fouroftherequestsfordeploymentwerewithdrawnduetofinancial
barriers,andallfourwereprimaryschools.SLE2.2expressedhisexasperationwiththeSLE
fundingissue,whichisunliketheASTsystem,wherethefundingwasdirectlybytheLA:
Withschool-to-schoolsupportnowbeingabudgetaryconsiderationfortheschool,I
thinkit’sjusthadsuchamassiveimpact.Alotofschoolssimplycan’tafforditunless
theygointospecialmeasures,andthere’sextrafundingcomingin,atwhichpointit’s
toolate.Youknowthedamagehasbeendone,andpeoplearejustoncatchup…
Peopleareverykeenuntiltheaspectoffinancecomesup.
Broker3similarlyacknowledgedthat,withtheexceptionofthosecommissionsforSLEsfroma
LAortheNC,therewerenot“ahugeamountofrequestscomingin.”SLE2.2thinksthat
schoolswouldratherspendthemoneytheydohaveonresourcesthanonanindividual.To
improveuptakeinSLEdeployments,hisadvicewassimple:“Don’tchargeschools.Iwasused
alotmoreasanAST.Ihadtimeinordertoactuallydoit.”
Intermsofmarketingmethods,SLE2.2reflected:
Yousendoutendlessflyersandinformationande-mailstoprimaryschools,andthey
justdon’tseemtogetthroughtotherightperson…we’venothadthetakeupthatwe
wouldhaveanticipated,consideringitisanareasthatreallyneedsdeveloping.
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However,shefeltconfidentthat,afteraninitialcontacthad“gotthrough”,thoseschoolswere
always“keentobesupported”.ShesuggestedthattheycoulduseLANetworkMeetingsto
promoteSLEs,butschools“nowhavetopaytoattend,andthosewhoattendareprobablynot
theoneswhoneedthesupportanyway.”
5.2.3PhaseofClientSchools
Asaforementioned,Broker1.2foundthatspeculativeapproachesfromprimaryschoolswere
withdrawnduetolackoffinancialcapacity.However,itisevidentfromthedeploymentdata,
detailedinthepreviouschapter,thatasubstantialamountofSchool-to-Schoolsupportwas
fundedbytheNCtosupportprimaryclients;withregardtothis,Broker1opinedthatpolitical
prioritiesatthemacro-leveldirectlyimpactontheflowoffundingtoNLEsatthemeso-level.
Shesharedthatthe“academisation”ofprimaryschools,asapoliticalagenda,is“fairlyexplicit
insomeoftheNLEstuff”.
Wherethefinancialbarriertobrokeringhasbeenremoved,Broker1.2firmlystated
thatprimaryschoolsaremorewelcomingofthesupportthansecondaries,as“beingsmaller,
tendnottohaveapoolofexpertisefromwhichtheycandrawinternally.”Whereas,she
thinkssecondaryschoolswillprefertodrawoninternalstrengthsiftheycan;Broker1.1added
thatthisisacheaperoptionforthem,aswellassensing“thefearoflettingsomeonefrom
outsidein”toexposeanyweaknesses.Onamorepragmatic,micro-level,Broker1.1noted
thatprimaryleadershadbetterattendanceatmeetingswhereSLEdeploymentsweremade,
dueto“keenness”whichmaycontributetotheincreaseddeploymentofSLEsfromthe
primaryphase.SLE2.2feelssecondariesperhapsdon’tengageinsupportdueto“lackof
time”,oraperceptionofthis,whichmightbeduetothepaceandpressuresofreforminthis
phase,detailedinChapter2.
5.2.4GeographicalFactors
Finally,theperceivedimpactofthegeographicalspanoftheTSAscanbeexplored.Broker1.1
believedthatgeographically-closenetworksandoutreachareimportantand,aswillbefurther
exploredinthemicro-levelfindingsbelow,believesthatdistancesbetweenSLEandclienthave
presentedsomenotablebarriers.TSA2,havingtheclosecollaborationwiththeLAasdetailed
above,hasarelativelyfocusedgeographicalspan.However,TSA3isfoundedonapowerful
visionofimmersivelearningconceivedonaglobalscale,withcollaborativepartnersinthe
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USA;India;andAustralia.WhileacknowledgingthattherecentlydesignatedsecondarySLEsin
EastAngliawillposemarketingandproceduralchallenges,thebrokeris“excited”bythis
development;moreover,planningTSA“hubsinCornwallandNewcastle”,eschewing
collaborationonamorelocallevelbecause“it’spolitical”intheirowncounty.SLE3.1is
geographicallydistantfromTSA3(33miles),andfeelsthisis“anissuebutnotabarrier.”She
wasreceivingdeploymentsdirectfromthem,butnotedtherewerealsothosethatarecoming
“wordofmouth”fromherownLA.
5.3FindingsfromInterviewData:Micro-level
5.3.1Location,PhaseandSpecialismofSLE
FurthertothediscussionsoftheimpactofgeographicalcontexttheorganisationofeachTSA
atthemeso-level,Broker1.1felt“geographicalproximitymatters”whenselectingwhichSLEto
deploy,thuslimitingwhichSLEsitwasappropriatetobrokertoaparticularschool.Sheadded:
“inordertogettheregularmeeting,theregularchecksonimpact,sothatyou’renotwasting
hourstravellingand,actually,allthetimeyou’regivingisinthediscussionswiththepeopleat
theschool….Itjustbecomesalogisticalnightmare,ifyou’renotcareful.”Shestatedthat
SLE1.2’sproximitytoaparticularclientschoolallowsregularityofcontact,byphoneaswellas
inperson,andthereforefostersapositiverelationshipwiththemiddleleaderbeing
supported.ThisopinionistriangulatedbytheinterviewdataforSLE1.1,whofeltthatthe
distance,inexcessofanhour’sdriveaddedtothechallengeofcarryingoutadeploymentthat
hadbeenbrokeredtosupportasecondarycolleague.Havingperseveredtoestablisha
relationship,however,theschoolthendecidedtointernallyrestructureinsteadofengaging
withtheSLE,andthemiddleleaderinneedofsupportwasabsolvedoftheirresponsibility.
Broker1.1reflectedthattheaccountabilitypressureplaceduponNLEstodemonstratevalue
formoneymightbeafactorforonlydeployingthoseSLEswhoare‘knownquantities’:“You
wanttodeploysomebodyyouknowisgoingtogiveyourapidimpactonthatproject…abit
unfairbecause,sometimes,theremaybepeopleyouhaven’ttestedyet.”Theconsequenceof
thisisthatthoseSLEswhoarebasedatotherschools,especiallythosethataregeographically
distantfromtheBroker,arenotbrokered.
TheapparentprioritisingofanarrowsetofneedsforwhichSLEsupportwouldbe
purchasedwasdiscussedinChapter4.Inthesamevein,SLE1.2opinedthatHistoryisnota
particularareaofneed,buthasbeendeployedbyhisbroker,instead,toofferTeachingand
Learningsupportintheprimaryphase.ThisadaptabilityrequiresBroker1tobewell-
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acquaintedwiththeSLE’sstrengths,orthisSLEwouldhavebeendeployedless;itcouldbe
argued,therefore,thatthisSLEisfavouredintermsofdeploymentsbecausehishomeschool
isthebroker’sschool.Thisisaninterestingexampleofaprimaryclientreceivingsupportfrom
asecondarycolleaguewhen,asmentionedpreviously,nocross-phasedeploymentstookplace
whereprimarySLEssupportedsecondarycolleagues.Meanwhile,Broker3attributesthe
frequencyofhisdeployment,unlikehisotherSLEswhohaveaveryspecificspecialism,tothe
flexibilityofhisspecialismofLeadership.Hisviewisthathisflexibility,asaprimaryleader,
allowshimtooffermoregeneric“cheapleadershipsupport”bybuildingcapacityina
strugglingschool.
5.3.2SystemLeadershipCharacteristics
Oneofthemostrevealingaspectsoftheinterviewanalysiswastheinsightitprovidedintothe
characteristicsandmotivationsofindividualswithinthesystem;asthesystemleadership
literaturereiterates,itisessentialforindividualstoshareamoralandsocialpurposewhich
promoteshealthycollaboration.Tothisend,whenselectingwhichSLEtobroker,Broker3’s
keycriteriaare“abestfitofskillsandpersonalities[to]underpinthedeployments”whichhe
brokers.HebelievesthatmatchingSLEstodeploymentsinthiswaywillminimisebarriersto
engagementand,therefore,reducethebarrierswhichmaycauseapotentialdeploymentto
breakdown.FrankGreen,SchoolsCommissioner,opinedthat:“Therearecertainlycultural
barrierstodealwith…foralotofpeople,admissionofweaknessisanissue,whereas,inmy
book,admissionofweaknessis,tome,astrength.”MrGreenbelievesthatallleadersneedto
beworkingtowardswhatJimCollinsterms“Level5Leadership”(Collins,2001),whichMr
Greenparaphrasesas“abnegationofself”;however,hebelieves,throughexperience,that
manyleadersaregoodat“hidingtheholes”,butneed“personalstrengthofskill…beingopen
whenthingsaretough,andsharingdifficulty.”Therefore,itcouldbearguedthatakeybarrier
tobrokeringcouldbeattributedtolackof‘Level5Leadership’atHeadteacherlevel,which
inhibitsHeadteachersfrom“beingopen”tosupport.Broker2’sexperiencegivesfurther
weighttothishypothesis;shefounditsurprisingthat“it’sbeenindividualswithinschools
requestingus;weimaginedthatitwouldbemuchmorestrategic–thatheadteacherswould
beapproachingus.”Inthesecases,theHeadsdidthensupportthebrokeringoftheSLE“inall
cases”,butitwasthemiddleleaderswhohadreachedoutforsupport.Conversely,whenthe
supporthadbeenrequestedbyaHead,themiddleleaderappearedtosabotagethe
deployment,andtheSLEusedthe“entiredeploymenttime…justtryingtogetameeting;
they’reclearlynotengaged.”ThisSLEalwayscitedlackofavailabilityasareason;itisfeasible
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thattheHead,whilerequestingthesupport,hasnotensuredthatthestrugglingmiddleleader
hasthetimethatisessentialtoengageintheprocess.Similarexperiencesweresharedby
Broker1.1,whostatedthatthemostsignificantbarrierstobrokerageareraisedbyclient
Headswho“paylipservice”totheofferofsupportbutare“notactuallyreleasingthestaffto
dothings”.
ConsideringthereputationofindividualSLEs,Broker1.1doesnotbelievethatthecost
ofanSLEwouldbeinhibitivetoHeadteachers,but“somebodyI’veneverheardof”wouldbe.
Therefore,shebelievesitisimportantfortestimonialstounderpinthemarketing.Inherown
experience,requestforSLEdeploymenthasneverbeenataHeadteacher’sbehest,and
enforcement“inaniceway”fromanexternalsource,suchasOfstedortheNC,empowersthe
NLEtoputinasupportpackage,includingSLEs,witha“morerobustframeofreference”.
Furthermore,central“externalbrokerage”fromNCorOfstedforcesthesupportthatshe
believeswouldhavebeendeclined.Shehasencounteredarangeofreactionsfrom
Headteachers,but,akintoBroker3,identifiedthatpersonalrapportand“mutual
understanding”withtheclientHeadisvitaltoasuccessfulcollaborativerelationship.An
examplewasgiven,wheretheclientHeadhasbeen“extremelyantipathetic[wrylaugh]and
hassaidit’sworsethanOfsted…clearlytheheaddoesn’tthinksheneedsit.Shedoes,
clearly.”Inthiscase,theschoolwas“takenover”asasponsoredacademy;thismightsuggest
thatfearsoflossofcontrolandofidentitymightbedrivingthebarrierstoengagement.
SLE3.1shareddetailsoftwocontrastingexperienceswhichemphasisehow
perceptionsofpowercanimpactondeploymentsatthemicro-level.Averypositive
deploymentsawhersupportingnewlyorrecentlyqualifiedcolleagueswithfewerthantwo
yearsofteaching,whowere“extremelyreceptive”tothesupportoffered.Conversely,the
brokeringofaanotherdeploymentwouldhavebrokendownhadtheSLEbeenlesstenacious;
thiswastoprovidesupporttoamoreexperiencedcolleague,withanagedifferenceof20+
years,whowasfarmore“negative”andfeltthiswasthe“singlebarrier”,although“staffethos
wasverylow”astheywereinspecialmeasures“withOfstedlooming.”
Finally,akeycharacteristicwhichissharedbymanyindividualswithintheeducation
sectorisareluctancetotalkaboutSLEbrokeringfees.Broker1.3reflectedon“this
unwillingnessforteacherstotalkaboutfinances.It’salittlebittaboo,wedon’tliketosell
ourselvesinthatway,asproducts–that’snotwhywebecameteachers.”Similarly,thebroker
ofTSA3findsit“crude”totalkaboutbusinessmodels,andfeelsthatthisis“awholenew
world”thatwillrequireconsiderableadjustmentinoutlook.SeveraloftheSLE’sclearly
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communicatedthattheyweretoouncomfortabletobrokertheirowndeploymentsduetothis
taboo;SLE2.1joviallyremarked:“Istaywelloutofthoseconversations,whenitcomestothe
commercialnitty-grittyandwhatmymotherwouldhavecalled,“Thecrasssideofthe
conversation.””ThissentimentisechoedbySLE1.2,forwhomthefinancialaspectof
brokeringisaconflictofethosandpersonalpolitics:theemphasisonsupportbeinga“fiscal
responsibility”heseesasa“averyretrogradestep”;heisnotpreparedtogoout,and
abandonhisownstudentstobe“basicallyapplyingfortradeandfindingonlythosethatcould
affordme.ItgoesagainsteveryfundamentalvalueofwhyIdidthisjob.”
5.4Summary
Whileitisevidentthatallthekeyplayersinthesystemcommunicateastrongsenseof
commitmenttothemoralimperativethatneedstodriveaSISS,therearemany
barrierstobrokeringSLEsatalllevelsofthesystem.Notably,thelackofa‘blueprint’,
whichwasintendedtopermitadaptationtolocalneedhas,instead,causedmany
organisationalandpoliticalbarrierstoefficientbrokering.Haphazardorganisation
fromtheamacro-levelhasresultedinalackofgeographicalcohesionatthemeso-
level;despitethevarietyinorganisation,transparencyandstrategyintargetingand
financingNLEandSLEsupportemergeascriticalissues.
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Chapter6ReflectionsandConclusions
Thischapterwillreviewsandreflectsonthefindingsoftheresearch.Theresponseto
ResearchQuestion1(RQ1)willbesummarisedin6.2.1,below,whileresponsestothe
remaining2(RQ2andRQ3)questionsareproposedthroughoutconclusionsatthemacro-,
meso-andmicro-level.Acritiqueofthesuccessandlimitaitonsoftheresearchprojectwill
thenbeoffered,alongwithsomerecommendationswhichcanbedrawnfromthestudy.
6.1 Macro-levelConclusions
Therapidandpronouncednatureofreformsinthestateeducationsysteminrecentdecades,
the“discursive-strategicshifts”commenteduponbyBall(Ball,2007),hasresultedina
decentralisededucationsystem,commencingin1988withEducationalReformAct
(DepartmentforEducationandScience,1988).This,accordingtopolicy(Departmentfor
Education,2010),shouldhaveallowedschoolstoadaptandtoforgetheirownlocalnetworks
tobuildaschool-ledSISS.However,thisfindingsofthisstudyshowsthattheresulting
balkanisationoftheeducationsector,andthebarriersofcompetition,perpetuatedadistrust
oftheacademiesmovement,perhapsgroundedinperceptionsofelitism(Walford,2011).The
ensuingmarketisationandcompetition(Abbott,Middlewood,&Robinson,2013b)resultedin
distrustofTSAs,andafearof‘beingtakenover’atmeso-andmicro-level,whichisfurther
compoundedbyschoolleaders’senseoftaboowhen‘talkingmoney’,duetoaconflictof
ethosatmicro-level.Furthermore,thisstudyfound,inonlythreecasestudies,greatvariance
inapproachwhich,itcouldbeargued,addobscuringcomplexitytothesystem.Theseissues
arefundamentalfactorswhichhaveimpacteduponthebrokeringofSLEsbytheseTSAs.
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Furthermore,theseniorfigureoftheTSCandallbrokerswhowereinterviewedclearly
identifiedthevaguenessoftheoriginalpolicy,specificallythelackof‘blueprint’inhowthe
pioneeringelementsofthenewpolicyshouldbeimplemented,tobeakeyweakness.This
wassaidtohaveresultedinconsiderableorganisationalinefficiencyatthemeso-level,and
errorsinjudgement,suchasrecruitingSLEswhodonotmatchlocalneedintermsof
specialism.Furthermore,severalTSAleadersopinedthattherequirementtodeliveronall
aspectsofthe‘Big6’atoncewastoogreatachallenge.Thisreinforcesmyinterpretationof
theliteraturepresentedinChapter2,thatHargreaves’andBerwick’s‘concept’ofhospital-
inspiredteachingschool(Matthews&Berwick,2013)wasnotwell-considerednorprescriptive
enoughtoallowthepolicytobeeffectivelyrolledout.Alongwiththepaceofchange,several
intervieweessharedtheviewofAbbottthatthepressureofaccountabilitycouldcause
potentialclientHeadstoresistcollaboration(Abbott,Rathbone,&Whitehead,2013a),and
citedthisisafactorwhichpreventedbrokeringofSLEs.Thisfindingdirectlychallengesthe
viewexpressedbyGilbertthataccountabilitypressurespromotecollaboration(Gilbert,2012).
Whenreflectingonthestrengthsoftheeducationalsystemsin,forexample,Finlandand
Victoria,Australia,itcouldbesaidthatthepolicyadoptedforschoolsinEnglishschoolsselects
onlythoseelementsofinternationalpolicythatreflectitsbroaderpoliticalmotives,while
failingtorecognisethatthepoliciesmustbeadoptedmorecomprehensively,andwithdue
considerationofsocio-economiccontextsiftheyaretobesuccessfullytransferred.
Toconsideranotherfactoratthemacro-level,itisevidentfromtheresearchfindings
thatthefundingofSLEsupportisacrucialfactoraffectingthefrequencyofbrokering,withthe
vastmajorityofSLEdeploymentstakingplaceonlywhenadditionalfunds,viatheNCortheLA,
weremadeavailabletotheschoolinneedofsupport.Broker1.1firmlyheldtheviewthatthe
directionofgovernmentfundingstreamsforNLEandSLEsupportwasbeingheavilyinfluenced
bytheGovernment’sagendatoincreasethenumberofprimaryschoolswhichareconverting
toAcademystatus.TheTSC’sRegionalLeaders,oranothercommissioningbody,perhaps
workingwiththeEducationalImprovementPartnershipsalreadyinexistence,willneedto
haveamandate,supportedbytheDfEandNC,tostrategicallyplantargetsupportwheremost
needed,regardlessoftheschool’sstatus.
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6.2Meso-levelConclusions
6.2.1FrequencyofSLEDeployment
InresponsetoRQ1,findingsdemonstratedthatacrossthethreecasestudyschools,theSLEs
weredeployed,onaverageforlessthanaquarterofthetimeoutlinedinthepolicyand
proceduresregardingthedesignationandbrokeringofSLEs.Thefactorsthatcouldbe
deemedtobecontributingtothisunder-usearesummarisedthroughoutthischapter.The
findingsfromthecasestudyTSAs,albeitasmallsample,wouldsuggestthat,indeed,some
TSAsaredeployingtheirSLEsmorethanothers:TSA1andTSA2aredeployingSLEsforaround
athirdofthetimeintendedbythepolicy,whileTSA3,attheearlystageofitsexpansion,is
deployingitslargernumberofSLEsforonly16%ofthetime.Laterinthischapter,Iwillreflect
thattheselevelsofdeploymentmightnotbetypicaloftheSLEbrokeringbyotherTSAs.
6.2.2TargetingSchoolsinNeedofSupport
Inadditiontotherequiredshiftwithregardtofundingstreams,theresearchfindingsindicate
thattheremustbegreaterconsistencyindetermininghowSLEdeploymentisfundedacross
TSAs.Discussionmusttakeplace,atGovernmentlevel,ifitisanappropriateuseofpublic
fundstobrokerSLEsupporttoGoodorOutstandingschools.FrankGreen,schools
commissioneropinedthatthereisenoughcapacityand“goodwill’inthesystem,butitneeds
tomarshalledmoreefficiently.Itcouldbearguedthatimprovingareasofweaknessina
successfulschool,inordertomaintainitsoveralleffectiveness,isasimportantasraising
standardsinthoseschoolswhohavebeenawardedOfstedgrades3and4.However,with
limitedfinancialandtimeresources,andthevastmajorityofstrugglingschoolsintheEast
MidlandsnotengagingwithSLEsduringthescopeofthestudy,Iwouldarguethattheymust
takepriority.Machinhasexpressedconcernthat“coalitionacademies”donotengender
improvementsinthemostdisadvantagedpupils(Machin&Vernoit,2010).Byextension,the
evidenceofthisproject’scasestudiessuggeststhattheTSAsystemisnotyetbrokeringSLEsto
theirfullcapacitytonarrowtheperformancegapbetweenschools,thuslevellingthe
prospectsofpupilsregardlessofwhichschooltheyareabletoattend.
However,whileTSA1wasfoundtobeless‘pure’initsapproachtodeploymentthan
TSA2and3,inthatmoreofitsdeploymentdayswereutilisedtodeliverCPDratherthan
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School-to-SchoolSupport,approximately70%ofitsdeploymentdaystargetedsupportto
schoolsmostinneedofsupporttoimprove.;Therefore,itcouldbesaidthattheyhavecarried
outthegreatestvolumeofworkwithappropriately-targetedschools.Intermsofcontext,
TSA1hasthegreatestnumberofNLEsassociatedwithbrokeringclientschools:theNLEbased
attheTS,theNLEatinaneighbouringtown(Broker1.1),andathirdNLEbasedsome33miles
furtheraway.ItcouldbededucedthattheseNLEs,whospaneducationalphases,have
collaboratedtogethertoformanoutward-facingnetwork.
6.2.3Organisation,LocalPoliticsandFunding
Asdiscussedinthemacro-levelconclusions,theTSA-ledSISSandthebroadereducational
landscapeareinastateofflux;withoutclearorganisationalsystems,andwhilerelyingonkey
individualdriversoftheself-improvingschoolsystem,theorganicapproachadoptedbythe
DfEresultsininstabilityandinconsistencyatthemeso-level.Inparticular,havingeachTSA
growitssystemsinisolationandwithoutaclear‘blueprint’hasresultedinacottageindustry,
witheachcasestudyTSAhavingtoinvestinincreasedadministrativeandnon-teaching
leadershipcapacity.DespitetherelativesuccessofTSA1,asdefinedin6.2.2above,theTSA
faceddifficultyincommunicationandworkflowthatwasfelttoimpactonefficiencyofSLE
brokering;inpart,thiswasduetoextraadministrativecapacitybeingbuiltintotheTSitself,
butnotthebroker’sschool.
6.2.4AllianceMembershipandCollaborationwithOthers
WiththelackofstrategicplanningregardingwhichschoolsjoinaparticularAlliance,thisstudy
raisestwokeyquestions:aretherightschoolsineachAlliance?Andwhathappenstothose
schoolswhicharenotmembers?WhilethecostofsubscribingtoAlliancemembershipmaybe
inhibitivetosomeschools–perhaps,ironically,tothoseingreatestneedofthatcollaboration
–IwouldarguethatitisvitalthatTSAsspantheboundaryofmembershiptoengagewithnon-
memberneighbours.Theinterviewfindingsreportedthatfewersecondaryschoolswere“on
board”inTSA1becausethecostofsubscriptioniscalculatedperpupil,sothetotalcostis
deemedtobeprohibitive.
Notably,TSA1hadanequalnumberofmemberandnon-memberclientsandthe
interviewwithBroker3demonstratedanambitiousgeographicalscopeforitsnetwork.In
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differingwaysthese“alliancearchitects”(D.Hargreaves,2012b-b)aredemonstratingthe
micro-levelcharacteristicsrequiredof“boundaryspanners”(Lee,2012).
6.2.5PhaseofClientSchools
Fromanalysisofdeploymentandinterviewdata,itwouldseemthatprimarycolleagueswho
aredelegatedasSLEswithTSA1arebeingbrokeredmorefrequentlythanthoseofuswhoare
specialistsinthesecondaryphase.Iwouldsuggestthatpressuresofperformance-table
accountabilityforsecondaryschools,especiallyinthelandscapeshapedbyrecent
ConservativeSecretariesofStateforEducation13,mightmakeschoolsandacademiesless
inclinedtocollaborateacrossboundaries.EveninTSA2,wherethecostofSLEdeployment
wasmetbytheLA,andthehubTSAwasaLAschoolandnotanAcademy,secondaryschools
werestillnotengagingwithSLEsupport.Inrespecttophase,myfindingswerecontraryto
thoseofQingGu(Guetal.,2014);mineproposedthat,asprimaryschoolsareoftensmaller
theyare,therefore,morenaturallyoutward-lookingandpossessgreaterinclinationsfor
networking,qualitiesdeemedbyHargreavestobeessentialinamaturingSISS(D.Hargreaves,
2012b-b).
6.2.6GeographicalFactors
Inmanyrespects,thefindingsoverwhelminglysupporttheconclusionthatefficientSLE
deploymentstakeplacewhenthejourneytime,fromhometoclientschool,isnotinhibitive.
TheaforementionednationalandglobalvisionofBroker3couldsuggestthatthegeographical
concernsofBroker1.1arepsychological;however,withinthescopeofthisproject’sdata
collection,TSA3wasyettodemonstratethattheirSLEswouldeffectivelybebrokeredacrossa
widegeographicalcontext.SincemanyTSAsarenowwell-established,some,suchasTSA1,
withalliancemembersand,therefore,SLEs,atsomegeographicalremovefromthebroker,I
propose,in6.5,thatactionneedstobetakentominimisethedegreetowhichgeographyisa
barriertodeployment.
13ThosePrincipalSecretariesofStateforEducationpertinenttoscopeofstudy:MichaelGove(2010-2014);NickyMorgan(2014-present)(DepartmentforEducation,2014b)
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6.3Micro-levelConclusions
6.3.1Location,PhaseandSpecialismofSLE
Tocontinueinasimilarvein,thedataclearlydemonstratesthatsomeSLEsarebeingdeployed
lessfrequently,ornotatall,becausetheyarebasedinahomeschoolatsomedistancefrom
thebroker.AswellsomeSLEsnotbeingwell-knowntothebroker,perceivedconcerns
regarding‘valueformoney’raisetheissueoftoomuchofthedailyfeebeingspentontheSLEs
traveltime.Furthermore,therearemanySLEswhoweredesignatedwithaspecialismwhich
appearstonotbeindemand.Insomecases,Iwouldarguetheremustbealocalneed,suchas
insecondaryEnglish,butthosewiththeneedarenotengagingwithSLEs;inothercases,
interviewdatasuggeststhattheGovernmentmayhavenotsufficientlyguidedTSAstoonly
recruitanddesignateSLEswhosespecialismisindemandinthelocalcontext.Muchhas
alreadybeendetailedregardingthelessfrequentbrokeringofsecondarySLEs;Iwouldjust
add,here,thatthereisalsoprofessionalidentitytobeconsidered:theleadersandteachersof
secondaryeducationmaybelessamenabletosupportthanprimarycolleaguesastheyare
expectedtobespecialists,andthereforepresentgreaterresistancetochangeasproposedby
scholarscitedinChapter2(Fullan,2005a;Kegan&Laskow-Lahey,2001;Kotter,1996).Further
researchwithpotentialclientscouldperhapsidentifywhetherdenialorfeararethe
overwhelmingmicro-levelbarriers
6.3.2SystemLeadershipCharacteristics
Managingthepsychologicalstagesofchangeisnaturallyakeyissue;however,interviewdata
revealedthatthepressuresoftimeandineffectivecommunicationresponsesfromindividuals
attheclientschoolcanpreventthementoringconversationsfromtakingplaceatall.While
thiscouldbeapracticalissueoftimecapacity,theexcusecouldberaisedasabarrierto
settingupaSLEdeployment,atthepointofbrokering,asaproductofthe‘changefatigue’
(Kotter,2014)broughtonbythebreadthandpaceofreform,asdetailedinChapter2.
Chapter5discussedthethreatstoprofessionalidentityandafearofstigmathatall
brokersperceived,largelyintheHeadteachersofpotentialclientschools.Unlikethebrokers
inthisstudy,itcouldbearguedthatpotentialclientheadswhoareresistanttochangearenot
“Level5”leaders(Collins,2001),inthattheyareafraidtoadmitweakness,byextension,it
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couldbesaidthat,iftheywerestrongerleaders,theymightnotbeinneedofsupportinthe
firstplace.Itisvital,therefore,thattheSISShasastrategiccommissioningforcetoovercome
barriersatthemicro-level.ItshouldbeacknowledgedthatthereluctancetowelcomeSLEs
intotheirschoolsisinterwovenwithathreattotheheadteachers’ownjobsecurity;thiscould
beakintokeypersonnelinLAsbeingperceivedtoworkagainsttheSISS,and,byextension,
thebrokeringofSLEs,asafully-developedSISSwouldmaketheLA,anditsstaffredundant.
6.4ReflectionsandCritiqueofStudy
AsdetailedinChapter3,itwasnottheintentionofthisstudytoprovideanationwide,
comprehensivesetofquantitativefindings,norwouldthisbepragmaticallypossibleasasingle
researcherconductingastudyofthissize;insteadthegroundedtheoryapproachsoughtto
gainaqualitativedepthofinsightintothefactorsaffectingthefrequencyofbrokering.I
believethatmyoriginalrationaleforenquiry-ifandwhyotherSLEswerebeingbrokered
morefrequently–hasbeensatisfiedthroughtheresearchwiththethreecasestudyTSAswho
engagedinthestudy.IbelievethatthethreeResearchQuestions,reiteratedattheheadof
thischapterhavebeenansweredtotheextentandreliabilitythatthestudycouldpermit,and
thefindingsofthisstudyarerelevantandusefultothoseinvolvedintheleadershipofTSAs.
Thereare,ofcourse,anumberofissueswhichcouldhaveimpacteduponthevalidity
ofthedatagatheredandthefindingsdrawn.Notably,Chapter3documentsthenumberof
TSAswhowereapproachedinrelationtothisstudybutwhodidnotparticipate.Whilethere
couldbemyriadreasonsforthelackofengagement,itcouldbearguedthatthoseTSAbrokers
aremoreoutward-lookingassystemleaders,atthemicro-level,willingtoengagereflectively
andself-criticallyintheresearchprocesstopromotefutureimprovements.Or,itcouldbe
arguedtheybelievedtheirtrackrecord,withregardstoSLEdeployment,toberelatively
positiveandthereforeabletowithstandscrutiny.Eitherway,itcouldbeinferredthatthose
TSAswhodidnotagreetoparticipatehavenotdevelopedtheSLEarmoftheirhub,focusing
onotheraspectsofthe‘BigSix’firstand/ortheywouldbeprofessionallyembarrassedbytheir
deploymentrates;itcouldfollowthattheattitudinalbarriersthatpreventcollaborative
networksaremoreprevalentinthemajorityofTSAs.Therefore,thedeploymentsrates(RQ1)
ofSLEsacrosstheregioncouldbemuchlowerthanthoseaveragesreportedforthecasestudy
TSAs,andthebarrierstodeploymentofSLEsmoreentrenchedatthemeso-(RQ2)andmicro-
levels(RQ3).
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Movingonfromtheparticipationissuetothevalidityofdata,theproblems
encounteredwithregardtothecollectionofdeploymentdataarecoveredinChapter3.While
thecollateddatacannotbedeemedentirelyreliable,asmallnumberofomissionsor
inaccuraciesinthecollecteddatawouldnotsignificantlyalterthefindingsdrawn.Itisalso
important,heretoreflectonthevarietyofthecontextssurroundingtheinterviews.Broker1.1
isaformerseniorcolleaguewithwhomtrustwasalreadyestablished;asaconsequence,some
linesofquestioningweremoreleadingthanintended,theinterviewwasverylong,andsome
humour,tonesofcollusionandcollaborativeover-lapwereevidentwhenItranscribedthe
interview.Itwasessential,therefore,torecogniseanypotentialbiasinmyinterpretation.
However,apositiveoutcomeofthispriorrelationshipwastheinterviewee’swillingnessto
sharebothboldopinionsandinformationregardingtheNC’sfundingstreamsforNLEandSLE
work,informationthatwasnotavailabletomeotherwise.Otherissuessurroundedmy
plannedinterviewwithBroker1.2:attheoutset,Broker1.3offeredtojointhemeetingand,
whileIwasmindfulofpossibleself-censorshipofbothsides,Iagreedtoestablishtrustand
buildrapport.However,responsesseemedfluidandlinesofquestioningwererespondedto
in,attimeself-critical,depth;thecomplementaryinsightsofferedprovidedusefulinterview
dataacrossmanykeyanalysisstrands.TheinterviewwithBroker2wasinterruptedatone
stage,withthecolleagueremainingpresentintheroomforsometime;however,Ididnot
detectanyself-censorship,astheinterviewee’sresponsesremainedfullandcandid.Dueto
timeconstraintsandsomechallengetoengageSLEsasinterviewees,itwasnotpossibleto
selectparticipantstoprovideabalancedrepresentationofphase,location,specialism,gender,
etc.Instead,theapproachadopted,asdetailedinChapter3,wastogatherperspectivesfrom
thoseSLEswhohadbeenbrokeredmoreorlessfrequently,butotherpersonalcharacteristics,
ratherthansimplydeploymentfrequency,couldhavecolouredtheirperceptions.Sincethe
SLEinterviewswereconductedviatelephone,withmuchshortertimeallowed,at20minutes,
therewaslessopportunitytoprobeforresponsesthaninthebrokerinterviews;furthermore,
itwasmorechallengingtoestablishrapportwithoutface-to-facecontact.Inonecase,anSLE
whohadbeenreluctanttoengageexpressedherconcernof“sayingthewrongthing”,whichI
interpretedasareluctancetocriticisetheTSAorothercolleagues;however,oncerapportwas
established,theintervieweedidprovidesomecandidresponsesregardingbarriersshehad
faced.
Reviewingthestudymorebroadly,iftimeparametershadallowed,Iwouldhaveliked
toextendtheactionresearchphasetoidentifynearbyschoolswhoweregraded3or4by
Ofsted,sodeemedinmostneedofsupportfromSLEs.Thiswouldthenpresentthepossibility
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ofsurveyingtheHeadsofthosepotentialclientschoolstoexplore,fromtheirperspective,the
factorswhichhavepreventedbrokeringfromtakingplace.Ofcourse,itmustbe
acknowledgedthat,ifthefactorsincludereluctancetochangeandasenseofstigmain
needinghelp,thenitcouldbearguedthattheseschoolleadersareunlikelytohaveengagedas
participantsintheresearchstudy.Itwouldhavebeencontextuallyilluminating,also,toplot
allschoolsandTSAsinthegeographicalregionssurroundingmycasestudyTSAs,notingwhich
aremembersoforworkingwithAlliances,inordertorevealwherethereare‘gaps’inthe
collaborativeSISSwhichwasenvisagedinthe2010WhitePaper(DepartmentforEducation,
2010).However,asasingleresearcher,withoutaccesstothedataheldbytheNC,suchan
auditwasnotpossiblewithinthisstudy.
Mostsignificantly,however,thisstudydoesnotattempttoanalysetheeffectiveness
ofSLEdeployments,oncetheyhaveactuallybeenbrokered;itmustbeacknowledgedthatthe
impactofSLEs,tobuildtheintendedcapacityatmiddleleaderlevelandtoimproveoutcomes
forchildren,willimpactuponthefrequencyofthebrokeringofSLEs.
6.5Recommendations
Reflectingonthefindingswithinthisnarrowstudy,therefore,therearekeyrecommendationsthatcanbedrawn.
Atthemacro-level:
1. TheGovernmentneedtoprovideaperiodofstabilitywithintheeducationsystem:itisimperativethatthepaceofreformishalted,toallownewsystems–includingtheSISS,curriculaandqualificationredesignstobecomeembedded.
2. Itisessentialtoacknowledgethat,ifwewishtohaveeducationaloutcomesonaparwithcountriessuchasFinlandandChina,weneedtoadoptotheraspectsoftheireducationalculture.Itmustberecognisethattheaccountabilitypressures,especiallybutnotexclusivelyonthesecondaryphase,preventthecollaborativeideologiesofFinlandinthattheydamagethemoralandsocialfabricofamutuallytrustingSISS.
3. TSAsshouldbepermittedtoimplementthe‘Big6’inaphasedapproach,toallowthemtobuildcapacityandeffectivelyplanforthedeliveryofeachinturn.
4. Thereneedstobeclearerguidanceoneffectivesystemsforbrokering,coupledwithgreatertransparencywithregardtofundingstreams,topromotefairnessandequalityofopportunityforallschoolsinneedofsupport.
5. Torecoverinefficienciescausedbylackofclarityorimprecisionintheearlystagesofpolicyimplementation,theNCneedstoeitherde-designateSLEswhosespecialismisnotmatchedtolocalneed,ortoadoptalessspecificapproachtothelabellingofsecondarySLEs,recognisingthat,likeprimarycolleagues,theycouldoffersupportinanumberofareas,throughtheirtransferrableleadershipexperiences.
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Atthemeso-level:
6. TheremustbeastrategicoverviewandcommissioningforceofthebrokeringofSLEstobedeployedinschool-to-schoolsupport.Thebodyresponsibleforthismightbetherecently-formedTSC,butthereisaneedtoeradicateconfusionovertherolesandgeographicalaccountabilityofnewagenciessuchasTSCandRSC.Anexpansionof,orheightenedactivityofexisting,NLEsorsimilarshouldresultintheappropriatetargetingschoolsinneedofsupport.
7. ToovercometheinconsistencyinthenationalcoverageofTSAs,theseneedtobemapped,asdoesthemembershipofthem.Targetedactionisrequiredtosupportthoseschoolswhoareisolatedfromcollaborativenetworks,soallarebroughtintotheSISS.
8. ThecommissioningforcewouldneedtodiminishthedegreeofcompetitionbetweenTSAs,andbetweenTSAsandtheirLA.Thisshouldresultinapoolingofresources,suchasSLEs,sothatthemostefficientsupportsolutionforalocalschoolcanbeactioned.ThiswouldthenallowSLEstobedeployedtohomeschoolswithinareasonabledistancetotheirhomeschool,eveniftheyaredesignatedbyaTSAthatisbasedfurtheraway.
9. Inaddition,torationalisethefactorsoftravelandcommunication,itmightbepertinentforsomeSLEstohavethedesignationtransferredtoamorelocalTSA,onethatmighthavebeenformedsincetheybecameanSLE.
10. AvailablefundingshouldbeusedtodeploySLEstosupportschoolsmostinneed.WhilethatcouldbeacurrentlyOutstandingorGoodschoolthathasaseriousareaofconcernthatwouldresultindeteriorationofstandards,prioritymustbegiventothoseschoolswhohaveanOfstedgradingofRequiresImprovementorInadequate.
11. BestpracticeinandeffectiveoutcomesofSLEdeploymentsneedtobesharedwithallschoolleaders;overtime,thisshouldallowtheconcepttobeestablishedandmistrustoftheAcademymovement,andtherebyTSAsandSLEs,tobediminished.
Atthemicro-level:
12. AreviewoftheprocessforthefinancialaspectsofbrokeringshouldseektoappeasetheconflictofideologiesthatfindsSLEsuncomfortablewiththeconceptofchargingfortheirservices.
13. TheremustbeasysteminplacetoensurethatHeadteacherswhoarereluctanttoengageinSchool-to-SchoolSupport,andreceivesupportfromaNLEandSLEs,arerequiredtoengagewiththesupportandprovidethetimecapacityfortheirmiddleleaderstodoso.Whileenforcementwillnotbelikelytodiminishresistancetochangeorasenseofstigma,deploymentofSLEswilltakeplaceandtherebybuildcapacityandenhancetheleadershippotentialofthemiddleleaderswhoaretheHeadteachersandsystemleadersoftomorrow.
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Appendix1:SLEApplicationFormandCriteria
Specialist leaders of education (SLE)
Application and reference form
108
General guidance
This form is set out in two sections. Section 1 is completed by you, the applicant and section 2 is completed by your headteacher (referee). There is a 300 word limit for each answer. Once you have completed section 1, the form should be emailed to your headteacher to complete the reference section and submit the document on your behalf. This will complete the application process.
It is strongly advised that applicants read the full SLE application guidance before completing their application.
Headteacher reference
It is important that headteachers endorse the applicant’s intention to apply for the role of an SLE. You are therefore required to provide a reference from your headteacher that supports your application and validates both your eligibility and capacity to perform the role.
Once your headteacher has completed the reference section of this form, he or she will need to return the whole document using the instructions provided by the teaching school. Your application will not be fully submitted and therefore cannot be considered until this has been completed.
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Section 1 Application form (to be completed by the SLE applicant)
Applicant details
Title
Surname
First name
Role
School
School URN
School phase
Address
Phone
Teaching schools will use this information to contact you.
Teaching School Alliance you wish to consider your application.
(Teaching School to insert alliance name)
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Eligibility criteria confirmation
a) Do you hold a leadership role or responsibility within your school?
Yes No
b) Please indicate how long you have been in this role. If less than two years, please provide details of your previous leadership role or responsibility. Please include the name of the school where the role was held.
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Your specialism
Please indicate the specialist area(s) that you wish to be designated for.
Specialism Mark your specialism(s) with a cross (X)
Length of time in role (this should be at least two years)
Leadership and management
Academies and academy transition
Assessment
Leadership of continuing professional development (CPD)
School business management and financial management
Leadership of curriculum
Pupil achievement
Art
Closing the gap
Drama
Design and technology
Early years
English
Geography
History
Information and communications technology (ICT)
Maths
Music
Modern foreign languages (MfL)
Personal, social and health
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Question 1
What motivates you to participate in system leadership?
Question 2
Please outline the significant impact of your contribution as a leader to supporting leaders in other schools or to your own school’s performance. Please detail the impact and demonstrate clear evidence of your outstanding practice within your area(s) of expertise or specialism.
education (PSHE)
Phonics
Physical Education (PE)
Science
Special educational needs (SEN)
Support for most able pupils
Religious Education (RE)
Quality of teaching
Initial teacher training (ITT) and newly qualified teacher (NQT) development
Behaviour and safety
Behaviour and discipline
Attendance
Word limit: 300 words
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Word limit: 300 words
Question 3
Please provide examples of where you have worked sensitively and collaboratively with peer colleagues using coaching or facilitation skills to grow leadership capacity in others leading to sustainable improvements.
Word limit: 300 words
Question 4
Please provide a clear example of a time when you have significantly challenged, collaborated, motivated and/or inspired your colleagues to establish new, innovative working practices. What was the impact?
Word limit: 300 words
Question5
Please give excerpts from Ofsted reports if your practice has been cited there and/or performance results/outcomes you have been accountable for in your area of work have been commented on. Please reference clearly the Ofsted report(s) where these comments are made as these may be verified.
Word limit: 300 words
Additional information
Please provide any other information that demonstrates your expert knowledge in your field of expertise in support of your application.
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Wordlimit:300words
Additional requirements
If you are successful, you will be invited to a face-to-face assessment by the teaching school alliance you have selected. If you have any special requirements that they should be aware of, please state these below.
Section 2
Reference (to be completed by the headteacher referee)
SLEs are outstanding leaders, with at least two years’ experience and excellent knowledge in a particular field of expertise. They work to support individuals and teams in other schools by providing high-level coaching, mentoring and support, drawing on their knowledge and expertise in their specialist area.
All applicants must meet the essential criteria to be accepted as an SLE. Each application is rigorously assessed against the eligibility criteria. We therefore ask referees to take this into account when making a decision to recommend an applicant for the role.
Headteacher details
Name
Confirmation of role
School name
Email address
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How long have you known the applicant?
1a. Please confirm the applicant’s current role.
1b. Does the applicant hold leadership responsibility within your school?
Yes No
2. Please provide a supporting statement in the box below on how you consider the applicant meets the following criteria:
• The applicant is an outstanding middle or senior leader with at least two years’ experience and excellent knowledge in a particular field of expertise.
• The applicant has a successful track record supported by substantial evidence of impact of working effectively within his or her own school and/or across a group of schools, or working with a range of leaders within a single school.
• The applicant has a commitment to outreach work and the capacity to undertake such work.
• You support their application and the applicant can be released from school for a mutually agreed allocation of time.
• The applicant understands what constitutes ‘outstanding’ in his or her field of expertise.
• The applicant has an appreciation of how his or her specialism and skills can contribute to the wider school improvement agenda.
• The applicant has an analytical approach to identifying needs and can prioritise accordingly.
3. Do you support this application and agree to the applicant being released from the school for a mutually agreed allocation of time?
Yes No
4. Please provide evidence to confirm that the applicant has supported a middle or senior leader or group of leaders from another school or academy.
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Alternatively, please provide details demonstrated with colleagues from within the applicant’s own school.
5. Please tick a box below to indicate which statement matches your support for the applicant:
a. I recommend this person unreservedly to undertake the role of an SLE
b. I recommend this person for the role of SLE, but have some reservations
c. I am unable to recommend this person for the role of SLE
6. Additional comments
Thank you for taking the time to complete this form. If you have indicated that you have reservations in recommending or feel unable to recommend this applicant, the teaching school alliance may contact you to discuss the position.
Please return this form to:
Name: (Teaching School to insert contact details for application return)
Email:
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The application will not be considered until this process has been completed.
Should you need assistance, please contact the helpdesk on 0345 609 0009.
In accordance with the Data Protection Act, the applicant you are providing a reference for has the right to view the reference, should he or she ask to do so. Please do not include any information that you would not be happy to discuss with the applicant as part of a professional conversation.
If you have any queries regarding this application, please refer to the guidance for further help and support.
• Guidance for applicants
(Press control and click to view documents)
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Appendix2:CharacteristicsofCaseStudyTeachingSchoolAlliances
AlldatapertainstothetimeframeoftheSLEdeploymentdata,May2012toMarch2014.
2.1TSA1:CharacteristicsofHubTeachingSchool
Location EastMidlands,suburbanPhase Secondary,11-18Status SponsoredAcademysince2008,formerlyaCTCOfstedgrading OutstandingTSWave 1DesignatedSLEs Total15,ofwhom: Cohort1=5 (May2012) Cohort2=8 (Feb2013) Cohort3=0 (Sep2013) Cohort4=2 (Feb2014)Notablefeatures ThehubTShasitsownNLE,inadditiontoasecondNLEwhowasSLE
brokerduringscopeofresearch;ChurchofEnglandDioceseisStrategicMemberofTSA
CharacteristicsofSLEBrokerandBroker’sSchoolOtherRoles NLE;HeadteacherofAllianceStrategicMemberSchoolLocation 10milesfromTeachingSchool,suburbanPhase Secondary,11-18Status ConverterAcademysince2011,formerlyChurchofEnglandVoluntary
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2.2TSA2
CharacteristicsofHubTeachingSchoolLocation EastMidlands,urbanPhase Secondary,11-18Status LA,awaitingAcademyConversionattimeofwritingOfstedgrading OutstandingTSWave 1DesignatedSLEs Total23,ofwhom: Cohort1=10 Cohort2=1 Cohort3=7 Cohort4=5Notablefeatures LocalAuthorityanditsEducationImprovementPartnershipareStrategic MembersofTSA CharacteristicsofSLEBrokerandBroker’sSchoolOtherRoles DeputyHead;DirectorofTeachingSchoolLocation BasedatTeachingSchool
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2.3TSA3
CharacteristicsofHubTeachingSchoolLocation EastMidlands,urbanPhase Primary,3-11Status AcademyConvertersince2012,formerlyLAOfstedgrading OutstandingTSWave 2DesignatedSLEs Total18,ofwhom: Cohort1=1 Cohort2=1 Cohort3=1 Cohort4=15Notablefeatures Alliancemembersinclude1schoolinUSAand4inIndia,andUKschoolsupto 365miles’distancefromTS. CharacteristicsofSLEBrokerandBroker’sSchoolOtherRoles LeadSLE;AssistantHeadofAllianceStrategicMemberSchoolLocation 10milesfromTeachingSchool,semi-ruralPhase PrimaryStatus Academy
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2.4ProfileofAllianceMembers,numberandpercentageTSA PrimaryPhase SecondaryPhase OtherSchools Others Total1 7 37 7 37 1 5 4 21 192 15 43 11 30 2 6 7 20 353 40 67 14 23 6* 10 0 0 60*1SpecialSchoolEngland;1schoolUSA,4schoolsIndia2.5ProfileofAllianceMemberSchoolsbyPhaseandStatus**TSA PrimaryPhase SecondaryPhase SpecialSchools
Academy/FS LAM/VA/C Academy/FS LAM/VA/C Academy/FS LAM/VA/C1 4 27% 3 20% 7 47% 0 0% 0 0% 1 7%
2 1 4% 14 50% 4 14% 7 25% 0 0% 2 4%
3 18 33% 21 38% 11 20% 4 7% 0 0% 1 2%**UKSchoolsonly,asonlythesehaveSLEsoperatingintheregion
2.6NumberofSLEsbyPhaseandAllianceMembershipTSA
PrimaryPhase SecondaryPhase OtherSchoolsTotaln Total
%Memn
Mem%oftotal
Totaln Total%
Memn
Mem%oftotal
Totaln Total%
Memn
Mem%oftotal
1 8 53 7 47 7 47 7 47 0 0 0 02 6 26 1 4 16 70 14 61 1 4 1 43 17 94 14 78 1 6 1 6 0 0 0 0
2.7CharacteristicsofSLEInterviewParticipants
TSA Identifier PhaseandSpecialism OtherContextualFactors
1 SLE1.1 Secondary
Mathematics
Male;SLEhomeschoolis67milesfromTS;
seniorleaderinhomeschool
SLE1.2 SecondaryScience Male;SLEhomeschoolisBroker1.1’sschool,10
milesfromTS;middleleaderinhomeschool;
formerAST
2 SLE2.1 SecondaryHistory Male;SLEhomeschoolistheTS;middleleaderin
homeschool;formerAST
SLE2.2 SecondaryMFL Female;SLEhomeschoolistheTS;inSLEjob-
share
3 SLE3.1 PrimaryKS1Curriculum
andAssessment
Female;SLEhomeschoolis31milesfromTS;in
middleleadershiproleinhomeschool
SLE3.2 PrimaryKS2
Mathematics
Male;SLEhomeschoolis13milesfromTS;in
middleleadershiproleinhomeschool;former
AST
122
Appendix3
InformedConsentForm
Title:FactorsaffectingthebrokeringofSpecialistLeadersofEducation(SLEs)
IunderstandthatIambeinginvitedtoparticipateinaresearchstudyconductedbyJulieGrant(the researcher). I understand that the purpose of this research study is to explore andidentify factors which influence the brokering of SLEs, such as the characteristics of theteaching school and the SLEs, as well as the characteristics of client – or potential client –schools.
Iunderstandthat Iwillbeproviding informationthroughasingle interviewinwhichIwillbeaskedquestionsaboutfactorsaffectingthebrokeringofSLEs,suchaspractical,geographical,financialorothermatters.
I understand that I may decline to answer any questions and that I may withdraw myagreement toparticipate at any timeduring the interviewor forup to sevendays after thecompletionoftheinterview,whicheveristhelatest.Atthattime,IknowthatImayindicatewhether or not the data collected up to that point can be used in the study, and that anyinformationIdonotwantusedwillbedestroyedimmediately.
I understand that the interview will be audio recorded, and this recording may later betranscribed. I understand that Iwill have anopportunity to commenton thewritten recordonceithasbeenproduced.Iunderstandthattheinterviewdatawillbehandledandstoredinamannerwhichensuresthatonlytheresearchercanidentifymeastheirsource.Iunderstandthat I ambeingoffered confidentiality in anywritten reportororalpresentation thatdrawsupondata from this research study,and thatnoneofmycomments,opinions,or responseswillbeattributedtome,nortoanyotherpersondiscussedintheinterview.Iunderstandthattheresearcherwilldoeverythingpossibletoensurethatmyidentity,orthatoftheinstitutionfor which I work, cannot be deduced by a reader; however, the geographical position of aschool,orotherof itscharacteristics,couldpossiblyresult inidentificationoftheschooland,byextension,itsstaff.
I understand that, upon completion of the MA thesis in Autumn 2015, the raw primaryinterviewdatawillbedestroyed.Iunderstandthatthisresearchstudyhasbeenreviewedandreceivedethicsapproval followingtheproceduresof theDepartmentofEducationalStudies,University of York. In case of query I should contact, at The University of York, either theresearcher’s supervisor, Dr Paul Wakeling, Department for Education([email protected] ) or the Chair of the Ethics Committee, Dr EmmaMarsden([email protected]).
Doyouagreetoparticipateinthestudy?Yes___No___
Nameofparticipant:___________________________________________
Signatureofparticipant:________________________________________
Date:__________________
123
Appendix4
4.1Semi-structuredInterviewSchedule1
UsedasabasisforallinterviewswithBrokersandSLEs:
• View of 2010-White Paper? Motivation for system leadership? Its potential, in general
terms? • Views on organisation of TSA: successes? Challenges? • S2S Support systems/organisation- views? Views on restructuring of systems? • Successes and challenges of SLEs in S2S support?
o TRENDS in specialism/gender/phase of support? o Brokering from/to a particular school? o Any schools reluctant/refused offers of support?
• Which deployments have been free/chargeable? • How build on successes/overcome barriers to improve system?
o Time? Capacity? Governance? Comms and marketing? • Other thoughts?
4.2 Semi-structured Interview Schedule 2 Used as a basis for interview with the Schools Commissioner:
• View of 2010-White Paper? Motivation for system leadership? • Role of Schools Commissioner? Where fit in politically and organizationally within
DfE? Capacity to promote SCHOOL-TO-SCHOOL SUPPORT? • S2S support systems/organization? Why are RSC regions different to those of NC? • Successes and challenges of SLEs in S2S support? How can deliver on White Paper? • How build on successes/overcome barriers to improve system?
o Time? Capacity? Governance? Comms and marketing? • Other thoughts?
124
Glossary
‘Big6’ ThekeyresponsibilitiesofaTeachingSchool:1. ContinuedProfessionalDevelopment(CPD);2. InitialTeacherTraining(ITT);3. School-to-schoolsupport(S2SS);4. DeploymentofSLEs;5. ResearchandDevelopment;6. TalentManagementandLeadershipDevelopment.
Broker SeniorleaderresponsibleforbrokeringthedeploymentofaSpecialistLeaderofEducationtosupportaclientschool
Broker1.1,etc ThebrokersfromthecasestudyTeachingSchoolAlliances–seeAppendix2forhierarchicaldiagrams
Clientschool AschoolreceivingsupportfromaTeachingSchool,NLE,LLEorSLEDesignation AppointmentasaTeachingSchool,orasanNLE,SLE,etcDfE DepartmentforEducation14Homeschool TheschoolbywhichaSpecialistLeaderofEducationisemployed,
whichmayormaynotbetheTeachingSchoolLLE LocalLeaderofEducationNC NationalCollegeforTeachingandLeadership15School Foreaseofreference,thistermisusedtocollectivelyrefertoall
stateschools,FreeSchoolsandAcademiesSLE SpecialistLeaderofEducationSLE1.1,etc SLEswhoparticipatedininterviewsS2SS School-to-schoolsupportSCITT School-centredInitialTeacherTrainingSISS Self-improvingschoolsystemTS TeachingSchool;thisusuallyformsanAlliancewithotherschoolsTSA TeachingSchoolAllianceTSA1,TSA2,TSA3 ThethreeTSAswhoparticipatedascasestudiesTSC TeachingSchoolsCouncil
14Foreaseofreference,thisacronymisusedtorepresentthedifferentnamesoftheGovernmentResponsibleforEducationduringthescopeofpolicyresearchwhichunderpinsthisstudy:
2001–2007 DepartmentforEducationandSkills(DfES)2007–2010 DepartmentforChildren,SchoolsandFamilies(DCSF)2010–present DepartmentforEducation(DfE)
15NCisusedasanacronymbothfortheNationalCollegeforTeachingandLeadership,theexecutiveagencyoftheGovernmentformedinApril2013asaresultofamergewiththeTeacherTrainingAgency,andforitspreviousidentity,theNationalCollegeofSchoolLeadership,thenon-departmentalgovernmentbodyformedin2000.Inbothguides,theNationalCollegehasbeenresponsibleforimplementingpoliciespertainingtoNLEs,SLEs,andTeachingSchools,aswellastalentmanagementprogrammestopromotethegrowthofschoolleadersandHeadteachers.
125
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