Stepping in to an underperforming school as a LEADER - Part 1.

A brief overview of ideas and research-based change management strategies used when joining a school as a leader. 

Do you often hear...

Why do WE need to change?

Nothing is WRONG?

We've ALWAYS done it this way, why do it differently?

Do you know how it works HERE?

Parents will not like any changes.

In this blog series looking at the role of a LEADER, I will be sharing ideas and strategies following common research for change management and starting at a new school as a school leader. I have had several requests to share my thoughts on starting at a school that needed urgent improvement in many areas. Also, to advise on what leaders can do to cope with the demands of leadership, getting a balance and remaining calm, positive and focused on the task at hand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEtQuXJrcNI

Collecting Data

In any school change process, collecting data is fundamental before you start The First 90 Days. Walking around the school, feeling the atmosphere and culture is extremely important, being visible, approachable and positive are all good messages to send out on the first week. Alongside this, I constantly made notes, the important issues, the things that staff asked and opened up about (this first week is critical in gaining as big an insight as possible into the culture of the school). Reading the staff survey, collecting the top important issues, asking do they correlate with what you have been told and understood around the school? 10 signs of a toxic school.  Leaving as much time free as possible to meet and talk to people around the school and listening to their raw feedback in this 'honeymoon' period.  This is a great way to get to know the staff, enjoy listening to how much they are passionate about education and celebrate what they have done for the school so far.

Active Listening.

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” —Stephen R. Covey

Interacting with staff demands a balance as this is an opportunity to listen and learn but this shouldn't come at a cost of compromising what you will refer to later on when you meet your team and start the journey together. I refer to Good to Great, as an easy way to explain this:

• Disciplined people: means getting the right people and keeping them focused on excellence.

• Disciplined thought: means being honest about the facts and avoid getting sidetracked.

• Disciplined action: means understanding what is important to achieve and what isn’t.

Good to Great, Jim Collins.

It is probably easy to walk around and agree with everyone during a time of change as it is easy to attach blame for reasons for not moving forward or for a lack or 'progress', if we had better IT, if we had more staff, more free periods, less students in the class, more facilities, more holidays, more TAs etc.

It is harder for all staff to want to improve, accept that things could get better and be committed to being a part of the change to benefit the students.

Fundamentals

I have highlighted the 3 words 'excellence', 'facts' and 'achieve' above as these should be interwoven into conversations with all staff as a part of your fundamentals. Yes, we can listen to moans or staff venting but we should take pride in what we do, to want to strive for excellence, to model this for students to follow in many areas of their learning. To use facts to show where we are in a measurable way. This lends itself perfectly to a future discussion about fairness and consistency using a data-driven approach to collecting feedback as well as the informal conversations. I think this is a great platform to start from.

I normally list the top 10 or so areas that staff would like to change and then make sure that these are the 'quick wins' to be completed in the first few weeks (Also adding traction to change, Collins' fly wheel). This helps set up the third part of separating what is important to achieve not just in the short term but also in the medium and long. It's a great way to really start in a proactive sense.

During this first phase (up to a week), I have used the following in conjunction with data collection and communication:

• Meet all Leaders individually.

• Standard Staff Survey - first week/results shared.

• 'Quick Wins' shared and completed.

• Standard Staff Survey - end of the first month/results shared.

• Informal conversations/walk around the school.

• Open Door invite for all staff.

• A 'Meet and Greet' coffee morning with the parents.

• Student Voice, speak to students.

• Speak to non-teaching staff to understand the school further (Admin are essential to listen to).

After this first phase of 'data collection', this can be formalised and fed back to the SLT and then shared with staff. The outcome is the feeling of being listen to and being a part of the upcoming change.  This gives the SLT a broad range of different types of feedback and is an exciting way to see part of the picture that is the 'challenge' moving the school forward.

When this is communicated, the staff who asked 'why do we need to change?', will have the facts listed, representing the whole staff. This then creates a sense of urgency as mentioned in the 8-Step Process for Leading Change.  The sense of urgency should be clearly communicated to all staff together.  Most staff appreciate the summary and this can also give opportunities for staff to volunteer and to step up and lead areas of interest or passion, e.g. Technology, Community, CPD are common areas where this can happen.

When you then sit with your SLT, it is easier to build your guiding coalition, setting your vision within a team where you can set the culture of how decisions, conflict and challenge are handled.  Setting good rules and routines for the leadership meetings and general meetings are key.  These should in turn be modelled across the school for students, parents and teachers. 

Share data with your team

With the data collected in the first week, this will compliment nicely with the following formal documentation to give you a sense of the current position of the school and to possibly finish a SWOT analysis with the SLT or wider staff.  An exciting and interesting activity to really bring through the views and ideas of others. 

Data Collection in the first week +

• School Development Plan

• Past Inspection Reports

• Past Staff Surveys

• Academic Progress Results

• Performance Management records/CPD

• SWOT analysis with a group of staff

There are sample surveys on the leadership resources page along with 50 other files and ideas for you to try.

The next step is to build a strategic plan as a LEADER.

Published by Paul Walton. @paultwalton

Principal, Educator, Leadership Coach.