Lynne Rocks

I understand how important it is to work with a team who are passionate about promoting the highest standards of learning for all of our pupils. We are helping to shape the future of our young people in an ever changing World. It is precisely this which drives me forward. Teaching needs a committed and professional team, and all have a part to play in cultivating the inspirational and motivational offer for our pupils. I would love the opportunity to develop, share and agree the next steps of your journey. With a staff team it is of paramount importance that the team has direction, rigour and strategy, and that it is focussed on a firm evidence base. Throughout my time working within LEAD I have had the opportunity to work alongside some truly inspirational colleagues, who have demonstrated the ability to lead by example and keenly accept new challenges. My wealth of experience within the field of education has shaped my philosophy and outlook. As provision in education continues to grow in every way, it is imperative that we hold the pupils at the very centre of all decision making and tailor their educational diet specifically to their needs. School should be a special place, where happy children feel confident to take reasonable risks and are cared for by a team of staff who work hard at every level to support the welfare of all. The culture should be one of equality, inclusion and high expectations, both academically and pastorally. These principles must run through the setting at every level, and I feel proud to have played a part in some of these journeys so far in my career.

The pupils should be a joy to work with. Children are lively and interested and enjoy the practical, ‘hands on’ aspects of learning. In recent times I have generated a bespoke curriculum for the Academy where I am based which supports such approaches to learning. I was tasked to draw together initial ideas for this which were based around historical coverage of the curriculum. These ideas were then shared and discussed with the team, re-modelled numerous times and presented in the form of frameworks for each specific subject. I now feel that these frameworks should be developed further by adding in more opportunities to challenge and deepen understanding for more able pupils. (As specified in the OFSTED report 2019). Ongoing monitoring and assessment of subjects is tight and targeted, with staff reflecting on what is working well and what not so well. Action planning helps to formulate actions towards improvement in a cyclical structure. Moving forward, the development of phonics into Literacy would be an area that I would be very interested in developing further. Establishing an agreed, consistent and effective approach to this transitional phase would support staff in the form of lesson structure and educational offer, and pupils in the form of linked and spaced learning. I also feel that the organisation of reading materials both within school and going home with pupils could benefit from remodelling to offer greater opportunities for exposure to quality texts.

School should be a place where children feel safe and secure. We know this because they have told me through pupil discussion. Safeguarding procedures should be strong and effective, with all staff adhering to the safeguarding policy and reporting concerns directly to the safeguarding leads in a timely manner. ‘My Concern’ is a good way to track and report incidents such as accidental injury. Information on this system can then be shared with parents and carers promptly. As a parent, I understand how important this is, after all, we are taking a parental role of care whilst pupils are within our school. The welfare of our pupils is of paramount importance. Their mental health and physical health are supported by a caring staff team who are as ready to celebrate a pupil learning to ride their bike without stabilisers as they are to celebrate the correct use of a noun phrase! To learn in a positive environment, where individual’s efforts are celebrated and where approaches are consistent provides our pupils with a set of learning ‘building blocks’ which they are comfortable to work with.

Throughout my career I have had the pleasure to teach various different cohorts of children. No matter what their age or stage, seeing them develop into young people who want to learn has been the most rewarding aspect of my role. Finding different ways to engage, inspire and motivate learners has provided its own challenges at times. However, through creative and imaginative use of the environment and resources I have always strived to engage all pupils. (Many past lesson observations have been graded Outstanding and mention this as a strength). The balance between a creative approach and rigorous evaluation should not be seen as pulling against each other, but as complimentary aspects. Learning should have these principles at its core. I feel that I are now ready to build upon this, with elements of challenge for more able pupils being interwoven into the fabric of the curriculum on offer. As teachers, we need to be brave enough to cut down on the length of teacher talk time and facilitate rather than instruct.

Throughout my career I have been involved in many different leadership roles. I moved to Witham St. Hughs as an A.S.T. and took on the role of Teaching and Learning Lead. As part of this role I mentored many new members of staff, including many who now work full time to a high standard within LEAD Academy Chain. This part of my role included mentoring N.Q.T.s and T.A.s, setting up weekly meetings, carrying out lesson observations against the Teachers Standards and holding professional dialogues or de-briefs afterwards. I also provided training at N.Q.T. Cluster Group meetings across Lincolnshire, the feedback from which were always very positive. (My talk on ‘The Creative Curriculum’ was then presented at the Midlands Headteachers Conference.) Another part of my role was to act as Visiting Tutor to graduates on I.T.T. There were many times where support and guidance were necessary, and sometimes occasions when hard discussions were needed about a person’s abilities to do the job. Structuring bespoke Action Plans formed part of this aspect, along with adherence to policies and procedures. Other examples of my work as Teaching and Learning Lead included the development of the ‘Manor’s Manners/ Witham Words’, ‘Life Sim’ and the use of Life Skills within Learning Targets. These concepts are unique to Manor Farm Academy and Witham St. Hughs and form part of the core values of these schools. Their impact can be seen daily in work samples, lesson observations and largely through spending time with the pupils, whom I am extremely proud of. I fully understand that Teaching and Learning is not limited to the academic. As an S.L.E. I continued to provide support to both our own staff and those in other targeted schools both in and outside of Lincolnshire. An extensive package of support was put in place for Ryhall C of E Primary School in Rutland, which resulted in the school moving out of Special Measures and into the category of ‘Good’. Targeted areas at Ryhall included assessment in reading, use of T.A.s, Foundation Stage practise and the learning environment. Back at Witham St. Hughs, I led a ‘Working Party’ which focussed on the development of our learning environment, the impact of which can clearly be seen today. (One coloured wall in class rooms, photographs of each child within their own classroom, central displays to name a few.) More recently I have enjoyed my role as Literacy Specialist for the W.S.H. English Hub. Again, a large part of this is to support identified schools who are underachieving in early reading and phonics. The four core principles of LEAD exemplify how this is working successfully to raise standards within these schools. I lead by example, always ready to ‘practise what I preach’, and am often called upon to show how to carry out a specific task with pupils. By building trusting and professional relationships with staff I help them to feel empowered to make changes for the better in terms of teaching strategies and approach. This is carefully scaffolded throughout the programme. I guide staff to identify where small tweaks can make a big impact, and demonstrate how assessment can be scrutinised to identify next teaching steps. When people see their pupils’ rate of progress increasing that then gives them the motivation to push on further with their learning journey. After all, success is addictive! This then leads to the development of a staff team who are driven to succeed without the need for intervention. They have capacity to improve outcomes for their pupils and strive for the best outcomes for all. Phonics Screen Check scores across the three schools that I support have moved from on average 61% pass rate in 2019 to 90% predicted to pass in 2022. Both of the schools that were OFSTED graded as Requiring Improvement are now judged as Good, and all three schools are recognised by OFSTED as having phonics as a strength of their curriculum provision.

My own practise is continually developing in response to an ever-changing World. Covid has made a massive impact on areas such as early language acquisition, social skills and mental health. Home learning provided us with further challenges as educators and I am sure that there will be other issues which challenge the way that we provide the best learning experiences for our pupils. Change is not a bad thing, but it must be change for the better. I am constantly seeking to improve and refine my skills, and acknowledge that the world of education is an ever changing one. My extensive experience of working within the education sector, alongside being a mother of two has given me an understanding of how children grow and learn throughout their educational journey. Transition from one phase to another should be seamless and fluid, with individual children’s needs being taken into account. Staff should use accurate and frequent assessment, with children being subsequently taught to meet their diverse needs. This attention to detail plays a key role in the sustained progress of the children. Moreover, pupils whom I have taught are excited and eager to learn. Throughout my time in the classroom I have worked hard to instill this attitude in the pupils. A ‘can do’ attitude and a zest for learning are the key drivers for learning.

My past experience of teaching in a range of age ranges and Key Stages helps me to understand the importance of cumulative learning which is structured and organised. Learning does not happen by chance. A joint, considered approach which is understood by staff, explained to parents and used by pupils will lead to its future success. Now is the time to bring learning to life by getting family members back into school, visiting real life learning experiences and collaborating with other educational providers. The pupils deserve it.