London School Visits

On a dark and rainy night in November, we gathered in the reception area of Dixons Unity Academy. The generous donation of a section of their carpark gratefully received, we boarded our coach and headed south. Slowly. Our home for the next three nights was the Travelodge in Walthamstow; a view of the city we were about to explore (educationally speaking).

In times of immense pressure on schools to be all things to all people, it may seem counterintuitive to take leaders away from their settings. However, our experience thus far has been that leaders want and occasionally need that space from their school in order to reflect on what is going really well and how they can improve. As such, our purpose for the visits was four-fold; 

1. Develop a mental model in participants of what different successful and innovative schools can be like

2. Hear from leaders about the values, principles, strategies and mechanisms that translate vision into reality

3. Stimulate reflection on the sort of school participants would like to lead and the sort of leader they would like to be

4. Build participants network with high performing school leaders. 

On day 1, our primary colleagues visited Elmhurst Primary School. Sukwinder Samra generously spent the day with participants to share her vision and her authenticity shone through. All participants commented on how high, and how clear, the expectations were for all children, staff and families, and the impact this was having on pupil progress was evident. 

Secondary colleagues were welcomed by headteacher Alice Ward at Mulberry School for Girls and were equally bowled over by her humility and sense of purpose. What really stood out here was the school's (and indeed the Trust’s) commitment to providing enriching, ‘change-making’ opportunities to all students, such as the Model UN, the STEM Academy and the Arts programme that was taking place that very afternoon. We were able to hear from incredibly articulate students who were a credit to themselves, their families and their school.

On Day 2, Primary colleagues had a two-for-one deal at the Fox Federation. Starting at Avonmore Primary School before heading over to Fox Primary School, participants took great learning from the careful implementation of a trauma informed approach to behaviour management. This worked in tandem with an outstanding CPD offer that meets all staff where they are and invests time in this. 

Secondary colleagues were treated to a host of formidable leaders at United Learning’s Paddington Academy. The clarity and consistency with which the vision and values are articulated was immediately impressive, enacted through meticulous systems and practices that support students and staff to keep getting better. Although this was exemplified by all leaders we spoke to, none more so than the excellent SENDCO, who is implementing thoughtful change in the way teaching assistants are deployed to support the learning of more pupils.

On our final evening together, we joined forces with the South West and West contingents of the 100s programmes and were lucky enough to hear from the outstanding Anne-Marie Canning, CEO at The Brilliant Club and Chair of the Bradford Opportunity Area. Here was yet another example of an inspiring leader, articulating her story of ‘self, us and now’. Amongst many pearls of wisdom, we heard how we need to continue to ‘walk towards complexity with courage’. Powerful stuff.

Finally, we were all reunited on our final day at King Solomon Academy. Hosted warmly and expertly by Beth Humphreys, participants appreciated her honesty as we tackled the big challenges facing all schools in 2023. We began our learning in the gorgeous Early Years outdoor provision, saw outstanding practice in Year 1 reading, walked to the ‘older years’ site to see a continuation of the high expectations and rigour. It was particularly inspiring to meet the student leaders who greeted us in each classroom, to hear about the ‘milestones’ of enrichment activities built into the curriculum, and the time invested in ‘Intellectual Prep’ for teachers to prepare for their lessons. 

To summarise the London School Visits in just one short, digestible nugget could be seen as reductive of the relentlessly excellent work going on in all of these schools. So instead, we will end this piece with a wholehearted thank-you to the leaders who so generously shared their time and wisdom with us. If you are interested in hearing more about the Yorks100 programme, please subscribe to our Substack and look out for the info events coming soon for the recruitment for the Cohort of 2024-25.