Headteacher Update Podcast: Community out-reach & engaging with external agencies
The Headteacher Update Podcast
Release Date: 06/07/2023
Headteacher Update Podcast: SEND staffing in primary schools
The Headteacher Update Podcast
In this episode, we discuss how primary schools can maximise the impact of our staff team to deliver excellent SEND provision, with our panel offering a range of innovative ideas and approaches. Our three experienced guests begin their discussion with nine quick ideas and go on to develop these during the podcast, considering how the impact of our SEND staffing can be optimised to ensure we support our most vulnerable pupils. We ask how we can work within incredibly tight budgets to maximise the staffing of SEND – what approaches have been shown to be effective. We talk about ideas...
info_outline
Headteacher Update Podcast: Preparing for the new Ofsted school inspection framework
The Headteacher Update Podcast
This episode dissects the revised Ofsted inspection framework, setting out actions that school leaders can take now to prepare and offering expert insights and tips. Our panel has extensive experience of Ofsted inspection, and they break down the key changes that schools should be focused on and how best we can respond. We highlight key aspects of the revised framework, including the implications of the new evaluation areas and grading points. We interrogate the new “secure fit” model of inspection and Ofsted’s new “expected standard”. We delve into the inclusion thread that runs...
info_outline
Headteacher Update Podcast: Dealing with parental complaints
The Headteacher Update Podcast
This episode offers advice for school leaders on how they can handle parental complaints, including de-escalation tips and dealing with vexatious complaints. With NAHT research showing a rise in parental complaints and vexatious complaints, this episode is packed full of useful tips and practical advice for school leaders. Our three experienced panellists describe what they are seeing on the ground in terms of rising complaints and discuss the reasons why more parents are complaining. We ask how we can best respond to complaints, including the steps we should take to take and how best to...
info_outline
Headteacher Update Podcast: Environmental work and carbon reduction in primary schools
The Headteacher Update Podcast
This episode looks at environmental work across the primary school, including how we can reduce our carbon emissions and integrate climate education into the curriculum. We look at where school leaders can begin when it comes to reducing carbon emissions across the primary school, including creating a Climate Action Plan and ideas for some quick wins. Our guests include experts from the National Education Nature Park and Let’s Go Zero as well as a primary school doing amazing work in this area. We look at how we can engage pupils in this work without worrying or scaring them about the...
info_outline
Headteacher Update Podcast: Effective school routines
The Headteacher Update Podcast
This episode looks at a range of routines, systems and protocols that can help you to create a calm and efficient primary school environment – with lots of practical ideas to adapt and adopt. Our panel of school leaders discuss a range of evidence-based ideas for useful school routines that help the school day to run smoothly – whether that be in the classroom, corridors or playground. We look specifically at consistent classroom routines across the school, including how to give teachers appropriate freedom and agency within a teaching and learning framework. We look at leadership...
info_outline
Headteacher Update Podcast: A headteacher’s guide to retirement planning
The Headteacher Update Podcast
This podcast discusses the retirement choices open to school leaders and headteachers, tips for effective pension planning as well as the implications of early and phased retirement options. We speak with two experts from Wesleyan Financial Services to discuss principles of effective retirement planning and what headteachers need to think about and plan for. We focus on the provisions within the Teachers’ Pension Scheme including how benefits are calculated under the 80th Final Salary, 60th Final Salary, and Career Average schemes. We explain the McCloud judgement and how it is likely to...
info_outline
Headteacher Update Podcast: A brilliant primary school library
The Headteacher Update Podcast
This episode offers advice, ideas and examples for effective library provision in the primary school, including tips for whole-school literacy support. We meet with two primary school professionals and an expert from the National Literacy Trust to get their view of what makes for excellent primary school library provision. We discuss how to create a thriving school library provision when space and budgets are limited – including advice for schools that do not have a dedicated library space. We also look particularly at how school library provisions can support literacy and reading...
info_outline
Headteacher Update Podcast: Speech, language & communication needs in the primary school
The Headteacher Update Podcast
This episode describes ideas and advice for identifying and supporting pupils with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) in the primary school classroom. SLCN are now the most common need for the 1.2 million pupils who are on SEN Support in England’s schools – and the evidence tells us that there will be many more who are going undiagnosed. The podcast features two SENCOs and a speech and language therapist who offer advice for school leadership teams (especially SENCOs) and classroom teachers. We consider the prevalence and impact of SLCN on pupil outcomes and the extent to...
info_outline
Headteacher Update Podcast: Nurturing your school’s future leaders
The Headteacher Update Podcast
In this episode we discuss leadership succession planning and how primary schools can spot, develop and nurture the school leaders (and headteachers) of tomorrow. Across two halves, the podcast speaks to four school leaders to find out how they spot, encourage and develop potential leaders in their schools and trusts. We ask how we can talent-spot these leaders – what kind of leadership traits and characteristics are we looking out for in our teachers and school staff? Then, once we have identified these potential leaders, how do we support them to hone their leadership skills and what...
info_outline
Headteacher Update Podcast: Managing SEN in the primary school
The Headteacher Update Podcast
With the numbers of pupils with SEN rising year-on-year, this episode offers advice for primary school leadership teams (especially SENCOs) about the effective management of SEN across the primary school. Our expert panel begin by offering their principles of best practice for managing SEN. We then discuss how can school leaders can best support their SENCOs and what SENCO need in order to be effective in their role. We focus too on how SENCOs can best support teaching staff – what will empower teaching staff to identify and support pupils with SEN and where do the responsibilities of SEN...
info_outlineThis episode advises primary schools on how to engage with the different statutory and non-statutory agencies working to support pupils, especially our most vulnerable.
From local authorities, safeguarding, mental health and Early Help services, to community out-reach, mentoring support and more, we consider the range of bodies that schools need to engage with.
We discuss how to create partnerships with positive reciprocal relationships and how to get the most out of key agencies at a time of stretched resources.
We begin with some general principles for engaging with external agencies and ensuring our schools and pupils get what they need from them, before discussing some of the most common agencies schools can expect to, would want to, or must legally engage with.
We talk about how primary schools might frame their Early Help offer to ensure it is effective and we discuss effective community out-reach, including how to access local funding streams and working with and engaging parents.
Our three guests give us lots of examples of how they engage with these agencies and of their own community out-reach work and partnerships.