Learning Plus UK Berkshire Conference 2011
In the week that the Education Bill had its second reading in the House of Commons, Learning Plus UK held its annual Berkshire Conference.
From the start of the day I was impressed, not only by the professionalism of the organisation and the turnout, but also by the quality of the speakers, workshop leaders and the audience.
Steve Besley, Head of Policy at Pearson kicked off the morning with a quick ramble through the frenetic policy changes being followed by this Government. For me, the key question became one of the tension between a Secretary of State who argues that schools and colleges will have the freedom to do their own thing, whilst at the same time centralising a whole suite of powers including the measurement of performance to himself. We know that what gets measured gets done, and there’s a real danger that the creativity and innovation that the Government says it wants in education will be stymied by a performance management system that narrows the curriculum and creates a new version of teaching to the test.
Paul Dick, Executive Head of Kennet and Trinity schools led me to think about leadership in education organisations. His obvious joy and pleasure at making a difference for children and young people was infectious whilst his focus and strength of vision was palpable. In contrast to the chaotic world described by Steve, Paul showed how great leaders take that chaos and impose on it a structure, a meaning and a way of working that enable young people to do their very best.
Our workshops ranged from Studio School to Post-16 funding, picking up the themes of change that were so clearly articulated by the keynote speakers. The pace of change gives little space for reflection, yet it is important that we must grasp those spaces that are there to enable us to think about the past and how we will shape the future.
Events like our conferences and networks provide such a space – bringing together practitioners and those at the leading edge of policy to help us make sense of the new world and how we can continue to make a real difference to children and young people.
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