Controversial head teacher Katherine Birbalsingh has been making waves again. This time by writing about how staff at her school start work at 7am, with a Senior Leadership Team meeting scheduled in for first thing.
A lot of people have reacted angrily to this and there have been a lot of comments about the implications for work-life balance. There is a point there. Whether or not the school and education benefit from those working hours, a 7am start is not going to be very family friendly. It will have significant implications for mums and dads wishing to give their own children time first thing in the morning. This isn’t just a side point. Birbalsingh would, I believe, be in favour of parents themselves actively giving their children a secure foundation. Schools can only do so much.
However, Katherine has complained that a lot of the people piling on and attacking her don’t seem to be concerned about her actual track record. Surely, if she has identified a route to success then she deserves a fair hearing. She has a point here. Her commitment to turning around the lives of young people in inner city London, giving a chance to those so often written off deserves a hearing. This is all the more so, given that so far, her school does appear to be delivering results.
However, here’s the thing. When someone achieves a level of success, this does not necessarily mean that everything they are doing is right. Sometimes the results are in spite of, not because of particular policies and actions.
So, for example, there are a number of factors that are going into Michaela. First, the school is high profile and that will help with things like attracting investment and also drawing ambitious, driven teachers to the school. This in turn will contribute to an aspirational culture and will encourage students to be ambitious and confident too. Indeed, I suspect that Birbalsingh understands this when she courts controversy.
Secondly, Birbalsingh is often labelled as “Britain’s strictest headteacher”. Now, whether not the title is uniquely hers (I know of other schools with similarly strict regimes), it is true that Michaela School’s foundation is based on clear structure, routine and discipline. Now, whether or not you or I personally agree with the specific rules at the school, I would suggest that routine and boundaries are going to help children, especially those from chaotic and low aspiration backgrounds.
Thirdly, the school follows a particular pedagogy. There’s a focus on teaching knowledge in order to provide children with a firm foundation. I spent a bit of time researching the particular approach a little while back. Like any approach, it comes with its strengths and weaknesses. There’s plenty to commend but also some big questions to ask. Other schools have achieved success too following different approaches. I suspect though that there are two things at work here. First the school have recognised where the gaps are in the education of the children who come to them. Secondly, they have decided on an approach and they have stuck to it. Once again, this means that children benefit from consistency and clarity.
Now, whether or not specific policies and approaches employed by the school have contributed to success can be debated without us questioning either the motives or the results at the school. For the record, I’m not personally convinced that a daily SLT meeting at 7:00am is a key part of the success story or necessary for success elsewhere.
However, I can see how it fits with and signals a particular culture. It’s another signal of order and routine, it shows the structure and who is in charge. It means too that the school signal low tolerance for tardiness. If teachers are expected to be in at 7am, then they definitely won’t be tolerated dashing in late and disorganised.
What I wanted to highlight here though is that this is a common problem. People who achieve a level of success don’t always know why and how they’ve achieved it. The result is that they, and those seeking to repeat their success learn the wrong lessons. They wonder why, having copied the outstanding school, business or church that they don’t see the same results. Meanwhile, when the outstanding leader goes through a tough spell and results are not going as well, they find that they don’t know how to turn things around.
So, whether it’s Katherine Birbalsingh, or the leader of another church, do be ready to listen to everything they have to say with an open mind. At the same time, don’t be afraid to challenge and question.
Faithroots 