Teach-Primary-Issue-19.8

has emerged as an outlier. The class teacher is struggling to manage behaviour, issues are arising in friendships, and some parents have raised concerns. Progress in learning appears to have stalled. So, what do great leaders do next? What? The first move in a situation like this one, is to be curious; we need to understand what the issue is before we jump to action. Has anything changed with this group? Are there particular points in the day where poorer behaviour manifests and does this relate to certain activities? Have the demands of the curriculum increased too sharply for this group, with some key learning not secured (due to attendance for example)? Are there pupils with emerging needs which were not as pronounced last year, or were they previously receiving different support? P ressures on schools are at an all-time high. Demands on leaders are never-ending, from the impetus to improve outcomes, to the expectation of supporting wellbeing, behaviour, and complex needs. All of these ‘must-haves’ are well documented, but what is often lacking is specific examples of how leaders can actually go about achieving them. Great leaders can of course identify and address specific issues, but it takes time and practice to perfect the process. Let’s take behaviour in a Y4 class as an example. In our example primary school, behaviour is positive overall. Most pupils, including those in reception, follow routines, increasingly know how to regulate themselves and they are learning well. Expectations are high. However, one class It is also important to be curious about when and where things are going well, so the school can build on these strengths. Great leaders know what they are getting right, not only what they’re getting wrong. In our example scenario, let’s say that by talking to the class teacher, we find that behaviour becomes most tricky just before and after lunchtimes. Routines begin to break down; social issues take over at lunchtime and pupils struggle to settle back down in the afternoon. We’ve identified a pinch point, but there is more to explore about the causes before reaching conclusions. After a bit more digging, for example, we might learn that the activity before lunchtime is usually English, where pupils are often working independently on a writing task. When we look at pupils’ books, we might find that there is a large proportion of the class who do not complete these activities. This could be due to the breakdown in behaviour and attention at this point, possibly as pupils are hungry. However, when observing in lessons we can see that many of these pupils are finding letter formation challenging; put simply, they struggle Practice makes... PROGRESS to write. Pupils have good ideas; they are keen to share but cannot get them down on paper accurately or with the speed needed for them to keep up with their peers. This leads to frustration, so the children quickly lose motivation and begin to distract others and bicker. Though the class usually has TAs available, timetabling means they’re MARK AND ZOE ENSER Pinpointing problems is part of the day-to-day workload for school leaders, but how exactly do we break these issues down and tackle them piece by piece? “School ‘must-haves’, from wellbeing to behaviour, are well documented, but what is often lacking is specific examples of how leaders can go about achieving them” 22 | www.teachwire.net