Review 6: The Academic Year begins

So many teachers around the globe have faced this threshold of starting the new academic year in recent weeks. The feeling of anticipation, or dread, that we all go through getting back into the work routine after an extended break.

All the planning, preparation, decorating and building, training and organisation that goes into the systems of school come to a point of delivery, and we are off. The cycle of school life is familiar, and it comes back to us all so quickly, head down, eyes front, and the new year begins. No one will thank me for saying this, but they pass so quickly; I'm finding it hard to think that a new academic year has just begun when I think back; it was the new calendar year "only yesterday!"

Engaging with schools globally now, I find this feeling universal; the new academic year is that threshold that holds so much promise and so much possibility. New things to learn, new experiences to engage with, and new people to do it with. Many friends and colleagues post their training sessions online and on LinkedIn. There is so much to focus on: safeguarding, new systems, teaching and learning strategies, and updates on organisational and governmental changes that have been worked on over the Summer. New people to introduce, and their new ideas will hopefully move us forward.

"All our kids are currently in a class, we don't seem to have missed any"

For many, like myself, the first week or two of the new term is a daunting proof of the hours of pouring over a computer to deliver a timetable schedule. The work is validated by these first days with no complaints, clashes or groups of children saying they have nowhere to go during the day. Looking lost in the corridors with blanks on the sheet of paper in front of them.

The culmination of the timetabling process is that first cycle of the year with the feeling of "Did I miss anything?" Are all the classes roomed and staffed, and is it going to be okay? Since completing timetables remotely, there is an arms-length detachment from reality, but the joy of receiving the email from the headteacher saying, "All our kids are currently in a class; we don't seem to have missed any" is proof that it works. Especially from a headteacher who had a nightmare scenario of changing MIS, retraining staff into new systems and then finding a key person was incapacitated. It's difficult enough without the world collapsing around you.

I remember sitting in my office many times as vice principal of a very large secondary school, just waiting for the calls or visits from staff asking for rooms because of clashed classes or groups of learners who had gone missing. Gladly, these diminished to none quite quickly, but I speak to many for whom this threshold is a reality. The beginning of week three was always when the load lifted; the cycle proved we could get on with what was next.

What is next? Generally, I found myself immediately in "planning for next year mode," this was the treadmill of living and working in an organisation that was always looking to move forward with new ideas and plans for the future, pushing the boundaries of how the education process is modelled and how it can be shaped.

Today, I sat with a global MIS leader, with whom I was talking about disruptions in the system. Most Systems used in schools are rooted in thinking from the 1960s and 1970s; they have an idea of how structures should work based on how they have worked. Was it Einstein who said insanity is continuing to do the same thing while expecting a different outcome? Maybe we should be taking the time to think again. How we do school, how we structure the experiences. If you have read these newsletters since the beginning, you will know that I talk about adaptive curriculum coming before adaptive teaching; the latter is important, but the former is how we are shaping the sum of experiences, and if we want something different to be the result, it's time to think again.

If we know what needs to be done to make a change, why weren't we doing it yesterday!

Wales is pushing ahead in the UK with a new National Curriculum vision. England has just commissioned the first real review since the NC review in 2010; what comes next will be interesting to watch. I will certainly be contributing my view after many years of involvement. There are other nations looking again. Japan, Australia and other Oceania nations are thinking again about learners' emotional health.

If change is to happen, the new will have a threshold, probably sometime in the future around this point of the year. Something that stayed with me throughout my time working with schools on school improvement journeys: "If we know what needs to be done to make a change, why weren't we doing it yesterday!" It's not about the rush or pace; we need to take people with us, but the thought was, "If WE know, " why wait for the new year? What can we do now?

If this chimes with you or fills you with dread, talk to me. We have a great deal of experience in rapid improvement methodology and people-focused change systems.

I wish you well in this new academic year, wherever you are. Change is inevitable; embrace it and use it for the good of the generation before you.

Chris

🚀 Friday Focus: Positive Change 06/09/2024

We're thrilled to feature the remarkable Sukwinder S. Bassi! Sukwinder is a dynamic Chief Executive Officer, Chairman, and Board Director with extensive experience across UK and International Schools, Businesses, and Charities. He has successfully applied his corporate leadership skills to transform 78 schools in challenging socio-economic environments, driving excellence in Leadership, School Improvement, Business Development, and Sustainable Growth. Don't miss this insightful conversation packed with strategies for impactful education reform!

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