Mary Miles Headteacher
Mary Miles Headteacher
OFSTED
1995
“Moseley is a good school with clear aims which it
constantly and in the main effectively strives to meet.
It adds considerable value to the achievements of its pupils”.
A good school:-
OFSTED inspectors 1995
In October, this academic year I was invited to participate in a symposium to celebrate 100 years of teacher education at Birmingham University. The focus of my delivery was the 'schools perspective of initial teacher training and beyond'. The University had recognised the contribution which Moseley has made to developing not only the teachers of the future, but also in the professional development of practising teachers.
It is the value we continue to place on the philosophy of the "learning school" that enables school improvement and supports the wider institutional competence. The Secretary of State believes that "all newly qualified teachers should start their careers with profiles of competence which set out their professional capabilities and give a picture of relative strengths and weaknesses". It is my belief that by focusing on school improvement we can enable teachers to identify and build upon such profiles of competence thus providing a needs driven programme of professional development. Like all successful businesses, education and training must innovate and invest in the future. The good teacher has always had a repertoire of skills, however, the good teacher is always prepared to learn new skills and examine the advances being made in educational technology. Teachers are themselves powerful 'role models' who may exercise a profound influence on pupils' achievements. The enthusiasm and example of a good teacher can be the most important factor in motivating a pupil to learn and to want to learn.
The process of learning is as important as its content since it often determines how much information and understanding is retained and the extent to which it can be applied in practice. Appropriate resources are fundamental to success, hence it is pleasing to note that in the coming year some £380,000 will be spent on the upgrade of Science and Technology at Moseley. Our continued growth in the computer networks, administrative and curriculum, poses further management questions. To be a victim of ones own success places a responsibility on management to address the growing organisational issues surrounding maximum use and maintenance of the systems. Pupils are encouraged to take increased responsibility for their own learning and we have to facilitate this by making access to resources as easy and well supported as possible.
Last year my FOREWORD included the phrase "What more can you expect from children with backgrounds like this?" - the response was 'improvement'. Our GCSE results improved by 3% for those obtaining '5' or more 'A - C' grades at GCSE and by 5% for those achieving 5 or more 'A - G' grades. Only 1.4% of our pupils left with no result at all. Our post 16 results continue to reflect the breadth of curriculum we offer at this level. The outstanding success being 100% achievement at BTEC National level in Business & Finance, 80% of these students going on to Degree courses at University. All pupils need to be advised about the choices available to them at 16+. There are different options for study and we must monitor our guidance at this stage carefully to maximise potential and create the opportunity for success. Unsuccessful course choice leads to a high drop out rate and we must guard against this. By us demanding high standards some students inevitably opt out, we must prepare them for our expectations and thus prevent this.
Our commitment to GNVQ development and our invitation to pilot the GNVQ part 1 means that all students whatever their abilities, are able to see a clearly signposted way forward and have an opportunity to build on what they have already achieved. The need for a framework for learning and a system of support which provides encouragement and incentive has never been greater. I firmly believe that education and training should continue throughout life and play a key part in empowering individuals and enhancing their lives. Hence our commitment to the community. We promote positive attitudes towards learning and thus provide equality of educational opportunity. Three major projects/initiatives support this belief;
i. the Sparkhill/Sparkbrook Home Reading project
ii. the Attock/Moseley Cricket Partnership
iii. the bid for lottery money to work with the Health Authority on Health & Fitness.
The refurbishment of West Wing due to commence in January 1996 will give us the space and opportunity to work yet more extensively with the community, our ultimate aim being that of an "information Superhighway' supported by access to open integrated learning systems operating within school. Already our use of the Internet has linked our students with those in other parts of the world.
Quality education is the key to high self esteem, confidence and success - I cannot emphasise enough the importance of this to us. The most crucial factor at the heart of high quality learning is high quality teaching. Every student should be entitled to this in each and every lesson.
Development planning creates enormous potential for monitoring and evaluation. In effective departments, a considerable amount of self-evaluation is involved in the processes of audit and evaluation. At a whole school level this can be taken further by senior management working with middle managers to set targets for improvement. Outside agencies have been used to support this. The Yellis project identified considerable 'value added' to our GCSE results, and parent and pupil surveys have been used to help us evaluate our practices and procedures. These, along with examination results, staying on rates and attendance data help us to improve the quality of education and to publicise the school's achievements and strengths.
1994 - 1995 has seen significant investment in Reading, home school liaison, and Information Technology. To evaluate the success of this, we must monitor the improvement during Keystage 3. The cost effectiveness of our home school liaison is more subjective but there has been a regular attendance at the weekly parents afternoon and very positive responses from parents with regard to visits from the home school liaison teachers. The raising of esteem, confidence of parents and enabling a greater access through reading, to the curriculum are essentials in our community.
Collaborative planning is essential and I am pleased to say that this year the School Governors have played a much more active part in this, ways of working together have been established and there has been a sense of collective achievement. Development planning has provided genuine opportunities for harnessing the good will and support of a variety of school partners, together we review and continually adjust practices to empower all who are engaged in the planning and implementation of change in this developing school.
As head, I hope I inspire, show direction and purpose, am actively and visibly involved and demonstrate the ability to listen and respond. I care passionately about the whole school community and whilst having high expectations, I recognise that support and encouragement are needed for everyone to give of their best and at Moseley 'give of their best' is what I believe everyone does, the work in school demonstrates commitment, enthusiasm and professionalism.