TeachMeet #SLTcamp

Sometimes the packaging looks great….

But the content does not deliver. TeachMeet (TM) #SLTcamp certainly delivered . . .

People shared with passion. There was a good range of topics and ideas covered and it set the bar to a high standard, that would be maintained at this level throughout the weekend.

This was my fourth TM and I presented 2 ideas in my brief time slot.

1. An in-house leadership programme
Training/enabling the senior leaders of tomorrow in response to aspirations from middle leaders. The course was open to all (we did not hold anyone back) and 12 middle leaders responded – significant take-up. The participants collectively chose the content of the course, so that it met their needs and priorities, and it gave them ownership of what was to be facilitated. It helped them not just to grow as leaders but also to appreciate the multi-layered dynamics for senior leaders and associated decisions that school has taken in recent years.

2. A community initiative
We value being part of a village community and we are keen to link with the other schools in our neighbourhood on a regular basis to enhance the learning for all our pupils. We are aware that inter-school competition can cause schools to hold back from participation in certain events and we wished to avoid this. We came up with the idea of a debating event where teams had a pupil from each school. This enabled competition between the teams but not between the schools. The pupils in Year 5 had opportunities to develop teamwork, research and public speaking skills. All the pupils in year 5, from all the schools, came together in the afternoon to hear the presentations, to support their peers and celebrate what they had achieved. It was a special day and one that we hope to repeat annually to build community and enhance the skills of all year 5 pupils in our village.