2022 Autumn Term 1

The know zone

  • Primary concerns
    Key Stage 2 data seems to confirm expectations: the pandemic has hit primary pupils' learning hard, though with one curious exception, says Tiffnie Harris. More
  • The wait goes on
    The national funding formula (NFF), introduced five years ago, is taking a long time to implement and still more work is needed to make it fit for purpose, says Julia Harnden. More
  • Office for Students
    As last year's sixth formers head off to university this month, Kevin Gilmartin looks at just who is watching over the millions of undergraduates out there. More
  • Strategy falls short
    Hayley Dunn says the government's new school resource management (SRM) strategy doesn't go far enough to recognise the vital role of school business leaders. More
  • Just the job?
    Are you finding it difficult to recruit staff? If so, are there particular roles or subjects that you are struggling to recruit for? Here, ASCL members have their say. More
  • Positive influences
    Director of Learning David Whitaker says ASCL Council provides him with a voice and an opportunity to influence 'the system'. Here, he shares his passion for school leadership, Council, music and beer. More
  • Leadership magic
    A good headteacher knows when to stay in the background and let people get on with their jobs, just like a famous, perpetually stoned, animated bunny, says Carl Smith. More
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Director of Learning David Whitaker says ASCL Council provides him with a voice and an opportunity to influence ‘the system’. Here, he shares his passion for school leadership, Council, music and beer.

Positive influences

Tell us about your role 

I’m the Director of Learning at Wellspring Academy Trust in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. We’re a 28-school multi-academy trust (MAT) with special schools, alternative provision (AP) schools and mainstream primary and secondary schools covering six local authorities. 

My role is to lead on school effectiveness across the MAT as well as leading our behaviour outreach and training team, known as Positive Regard. We work with schools to develop relational behaviour practice. We’re committed to a values driven approach and are proud to celebrate that we’ve never had a permanent exclusion in our ten-year history. 

Why did you decide to become an ASCL Council member? 

I’m currently the ASCL representative for AP on the Ethics, Inclusion and Equalities Committee. Being involved in ASCL Council has allowed me to genuinely feel that I have a voice and an opportunity to influence ‘the system’. Being on the committee means that that voice can be focused in a direction I’m passionate about. Being involved in Council allows me to be exposed to many different views and opinions from respected and experienced leaders. Although challenging at times, this is a real privilege and challenging my own views and opinions can only strengthen me as a leader. 

Why did you decide to get into teaching/leadership? 

As a teacher, I quickly began to appreciate how I could have a positive impact on the lives of children. I also realised that as a leader you can shape and drive this influence broader and deeper. Leadership, for me, was an opportunity to make a difference to the lives of those who needed help the most. 

I very quickly became passionate about working with the most vulnerable children in the education system and the satisfaction that can bring. Having been tempted to take a secondment to a leadership role in social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) and AP, I never looked (or went) back. 

How do you like to unwind? 

Music has always been a passion of mine and, from the age of 17, I’ve always played in bands and enjoyed the buzz of live performance. Now, in my 50s, I still play regularly in a four-piece band that we consider a ‘Radio 2 tribute act’ – interpret that however you want and please get in touch if you need a band for a wedding or party. 

I’m also a director of a small brewery based in Barnsley – a great distraction from the pressures of school leadership. We brew high-quality artisan real ales that we distribute through our two bars in Barnsley and Wakefield. I highly recommend a retirement plan that includes a micro-brewery and a number of small but comfortable bars that celebrate their ethos through the words – intimacy, warmth, banter and trust. 

Tell us an interesting fact about you 

In 2021, I was lucky enough to have a book published. The Kindness Principle is a journey through my own learning and hopefully provides teachers and school leaders with an insight into how it’s possible to make relational behaviour management work in schools. Writing a book is one of the best experiences of my life and one I would highly recommend if ever you get the chance. 

What’s your favourite book and your favourite film of all time? 

My favourite book is Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome. As a child, I was captured by this book and found myself being taken to a land of adventure and camaraderie. It allowed me to be in a little boat on a lake fighting pirates and having adventures in an imaginary playground of lakes and mountains. 

My favourite film is Brassed Off. This film highlights the plight of miners during the difficult times of the 1980s and 1990s and how life played out for mining communities following the strike of 1984/5. It is a comedy that makes you cry with sadness and emotion, with a backdrop of Barnsley and the magic of brass band music.

What advice would you give to someone new to leadership? 

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (tinyurl.com/5n8aaae9) is a motivational theory in psychology that represents a five-tier model of human needs. My advice to anyone starting in a leadership position is to use this as a model for your own professional self-actualisation. 

ASCL Council 

For more details on how you can become a Council member, please email ASCL Director of Policy Julie McCulloch at Julie.mcculloch@ascl.org.uk

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