BARRY SMITH EDUCATION

In their own words, what made this school transformation so truly remarkable. The thread? Trust! Look after your staff. Be trust worthy. Walk the talk. In time they’ll believe you. They’ll be suspicious at first. It’s normal.

Bit more about what I saw at Michaela; how heads I took to see Waterside Academy reacted; why schools fail; why I don’t have a lot of hope for the system but why, I still think, individual schools can do remarkable things.

I left in July 2017. This was my first visit back. It was utterly beautiful. For me, Michaela is a tiny glimmer of hope in a broken system. It’s all about values. If your values aren’t right, there’s no hope. I know the ins & outs of Michaela. Nowhere is perfect. KB would be first to point that out. I’ve never seen anything come close. It’s beautiful.

Me teaching kids in my style with my resources. Coaching your French teachers. Project for a half term or term. Lots of logistics to consider. Could be fascinating! Doug fancies videoing! Teach like a champignon! (French joke!)

33 mins of me pondering the many issues surrounding hw. Lots of suggestions. Lots of honesty. If you fancy chatting to me about cpd, culture or mfl, dm me on twitter email…[email protected]

Like so many initiatives, people see an activity, half understand, don’t think about the underpinnings, launch the initiatives without trying to see or preempt the inevitable downsides as well as the potential ups! Again, age old issue! We grasp at straws without thinking! Does that mean we need to analyse EVERY possible problem? No! But we do need to use a bit of nous! And when it goes wrong? Relax! We’re going for progress not perfection!

We’ve all heard this said. We may have even said it. Where’s your circle of influence? That’s where you need to focus.

27 minutes! A long one! Sorry! But I like this one. It’s one of my best, I reckon. Here, I go a bit ‘self help guru’! Though my advice invariably comes back to, ‘Trust yourself more!’ Enjoy, and dm me, if you fancy cpd from me!

We all seem to be searching for rewards to motivate kids. Be careful! Here I talk about a bit of card that means ‘nothing’ but that actually means a lot. ‘I’ve noticed you. I like you. I like your contributions. Thanks for your energy!’

My angle? Light touch! Don’t overload them! Be really obvious but just highlight how very predictable & winnable the language is.