Working with School Leaders to support Education Operations

It's September! Usually a balmy month where we all settle back into the routine of having staff and pupils in school, get used to the prospect of autumn and embrace Strictly fab-u-lous-ness (that last one might just be me!). This year there is a lot going on!

• The ESFA is being wound up - see more information here, nothing to do yet on this one - just to be aware and ready for the changeover.
• The Autumn Budget is being delivered on the 30th October 2024. Block some time in your diary so you can hear what it means for schools. I'm hoping (at least) for increased funding for SEND and Inclusivity. What would you like to see?
• A Support Staff pay award for April 2024 has been offered -£1,290 added to NJC pay points 2-43 - but was rejected by members of Unison and Unite who are currently balloting for strike action. Whilst not wanting to get too bogged down in controversy and politics, 1st Pillar believes that the support staff are as vital to teaching, learning, health and wellbeing of the pupil, as the teaching staff. We say, support roles should be recognised in the same way as teaching roles in 2024!
• The Academy Trust Handbook has been published. Print it, bind it, make notes on it. Make it a living document this academic year. Do the same for KCSiE. So many times last year I said "Let me just check..."

On top of all this...have you seen the rain? Buckets at the ready!...and start planning capital spending.

When you have been a School Leader for a time, you start to notice the cycles, the routines and the familiar. September in Academies is spent preparing for the year end audit, and we are all implementing, and embedding, the changes that were agreed at the end of last year. Induction and training of new staff, remembering passwords, checking account coding, it's a busy time.

Sometimes there is comfort in the tasks which are constant - especially when there is so much change going on!

A regular task for September is to check your school website has been updated. Is it easily accessible? User-friendly? Current? Your school website is not just a place for publishing policies - it's a window for the community. Make sure yours knows what's going on, coming up, and how they can help!

Maintained Schools

Academies

September has been an exciting and nerve-wracking time for 1st Pillar, as its first month in operation. Hats off to all the SBMs who have done this before me. At the moment, it all feels like a near vertical learning curve!

To help me get my head around the point of all this, I went back to Simon Sinek and his "Start with Why?" 

After much What?-ing and How?-ing, we arrived at our Why?

1st Pillar believes a child is educated by the whole school community

This short sentence is our reason for being, our reason for getting up in the morning, and our reason for why we offer services to all areas of educational operations. 

That's it! Our first (hopefully of many) 1st Pillar Newsletter. Now I've just got to save it, publish it and send it! (I'd advise not holding your breath!)

Please send any ideas or improvement suggestions via the 'contact us' page on the website. We love feedback and we'd love to hear from you.

Emma