Teach-Primary-Issue-19.2

48 | www.teachwire.net W e were at rock bottom,” says Hogarth Primary HLTA Penny Geggus. In 2022, the school was a chaotic place. Classroom behaviour was poor and staff turnover high; results were on a downward spiral. With no central curriculum, new teachers had to plan everything from scratch, and it was years since any of the children had been on a school trip. Enter Ryan Duff, CEO of Discovery Educational Trust (DET). An experienced head, who had previously led the transformation of another Brentwood school, Larchwood Primary, Duff stepped in as temporary headteacher at Hogarth in late 2022. As work went on behind the scenes to add Hogarth to DET’s roster, Duff became a very visible sign that things were about to change at the school. “People had been brought in before to improve the school, but each time it just got worse,” continues Penny. “Teachers would leave, and children’s behaviour was out of control due to the inconsistency. So when Ryan came in, we assumed it would be the same again. But this time things felt different. Ryan was interested in us, and believable.” Although he is no longer head, Ryan still plays a key role at Hogarth and is well-known to the children. “Mr Duff helps schools improve a lot,” head girl Suela informs me, when I catch up with her and head boy Sam for a chat during my visit. Both pupils have witnessed the change from an unruly school, to which parents were embarrassed to send their children, towards a calm and positive place of learning. Speaking to me at length about all the opportunities available to them at Hogarth now, they’re clearly proud of the school and their own contributions to its success. Being present Duff believes strongly that all members of an SLT should be accessible to parents and teachers. He put this into action by doing gate duty at both ends of the day throughout his tenure as temporary head. This practice has been carried on by the new SLT, which was assembled when Hogarth officially joined DET in September 2023. “We really do know our children well,” deputy head Lauren King says. There’s plenty of evidence of this during my visit, too, with SLT members greeting children warmly by name and catching up on their particular problems and successes. In addition to the obvious organisational challenges of his new role, first-time head Rob Watson faced a steep learning curve. However, along with Lauren and assistant head Clare Connor, and supported by the Trust, he has embedded real and positive change across all aspects of school life at Hogarth. “Rob’s amazing,” Penny explains. “If there’s an issue, his door is always open. Staff feel valued again – and the children know that if Mr Watson says something, it carries weight.” Finding the right team was a key focus of Ryan Duff’s time as temporary head, and a huge undertaking. “You need the right people in the right place,” he explains. “We weren’t afraid to re-advertise roles during the recruitment period.” Ultimately, an entirely new office team were recruited, and nine of the school’s 11 classes had a new teacher in place for the autumn term. Changing the classroom… During their first half-term in role together, the SLT prioritised choosing a new curriculum. “We continue to make sure our curriculum is broad, balanced and progressive, and built on prior knowledge,” says Clare. “We want subject leaders to embed knowledge, and we need to provide them with the skills to do that.” Taking evidence-based strategies and deciding which ones would work for them, the SLT focused on embedding good practice. “If you walked into a KS1 class, you’d see the same things happening as in KS2,” continues Clare. “We have the same lesson structure across the school.” The children have responded well to being given clear The school has improved so much for pupils and teachers already. I want to help it reach for the stars. We had big gaps in our learning, but they’ve found a fun way to explain things. If we’re struggling, we can go to see Miss King in SEND, and if someone gets stressed, teachers take them to a spare classroom. We have lots of special days now, and Dom teaches us to dance. We do dances for different events, like the Euros, and perform at assembly.There was an assembly about gender stereotypes too. Three people volunteered – they were confident to do it. It was really good, and the teachers were impressed. Suela Sam Pupil Voice “