September 2013

The know zone

• Checks and balances
  Inadequacies have emerged in the procedure for issuing enhanced criminal records certificates. It should give schools pause for thought, says Richard Bird. More
• ‘Fair’ but not ‘fit’
  In a complex world, schools should be funded according to their present and future needs, not by the requirement to appear ‘simple and transparent’, says Sam Ellis. More
• Inspectors under scrutiny
  Amid criticism of inconsistency in Ofsted judgements, Jan Webber examines the claims that some inspectors are not fit for purpose and suggests what could be done to restore confidence in the system. More
• Fighting for better pay and conditions
  ASCL exists to reflect and promote the views of its members, which is why ASCL Council is so important. ASCL Council is made up of 148 elected representatives and is the association’s policymaking body, meeting four times a year. Council members represent ASCL at meetings with government officials and other organisations. It is from Council that national officers, including the president, are elected. In each edition of Leader this year, we will spotlight the work of a particular committee of Council. This month, it is the turn of the Pay and Conditions Committee. More
• How is ASCL policy made?
  Council, ASCL’s policy-making body, meets four times a year and each of the 148 elected Council members serves on one of its main committees: Education, Pay and Conditions, Funding, Professional, and Public and Parliamentary, where future policy is discussed in detail. More
• Could you be an ASCL Council member?
  Council membership is often described as the best in-service training that members can have. More
• ASCL PD events
  "Curriculum Planning: Balancing the Vision Against the Funding" and "Conversion to a Multi-Academy Trust – the Options" More
• Are you new to SLT?
  If so, then you will doubtless have richly earned your promotion and hardly be new to the concept of effective leadership. More
• Presenting with impact
  What makes a great presentation? We all know when we have heard one. More
• Stimulating physics
  The Stimulating Physics Network (SPN) is managed by the Institute of Physics (IOP), in partnership with the national network of Science Learning Centres. More
• Adding value
  Understanding performance More
• Direct action?
  ASCL members in some areas of the country are raising issues with recruitment on to the School Direct programme for teacher training, although in other areas it seems to be successful. Here members share their experience of how School Direct is working in their schools. More
• Leaders' surgery
  The antidote to common leadership conundrums... More
• Best supporting ‘actor’
  There is bound to be uncertainty when a school leader moves on... not least for the replacement who is given the strange title of ‘acting head’. But what does the job actually entail? More