Managing our schools well is critically important, but the challenge is getting harder with constrained resources and a variety of increasing demands. More of everything is needed, so what is the way forward?
The school setting is where our children spend around seven hours of their day learning, developing personally and growing relationships. It is where their future opportunities for further education and work are most significantly shaped. Schools which are well run, efficiently managed and focussed on positive experiences for children in the classroom and outside are therefore one of the most important environments that we can shape.
However, the task of keeping these critically important institutions running well is not easy. Aside from the complexity of managing both the routine and the unexpected tasks within our schools, there are also a range of other factors to address. Constrained finances, staffing shortages, the developing rights of both children and staff and ever changing rules and expectations around data, budget management and hybrid working all add to the complexity of managing schools. It is therefore essential that those with the task of managing our schools are able to keep up to date with the skills, insights, and knowledge of best practice across a range of disciplines and emerging issues needed to help deliver excellence within our schools.
This conference is intended to support best practice and skills development specifically for the range of education professionals involved in school business management. The performance of those people is central to the running of schools and, ultimately, the experience of the children attending. Staff performing the role of school business management are active in every school whether in single schools or across clusters of schools. Whilst the job titles and those vested with the responsibility may vary from one area to another, the tasks and management duties are similar.
Schools depend on efficient and forward thinking management to run the best school possible for their pupils. How can the skill set and business management of leadership teams within and across schools promote best practice and therefore better learning across Scotland? What is next for educational leadership? What should excellence look like? This conference will reflect on how devolved school management is working, the outcomes from cluster management of schools and the ways in which this affects those with school management roles and responsibilities.
This conference discusses the challenges involved in managing Scottish schools, how to best engage with recurring themes in school management, opportunities to raise quality within the school and coming to terms with broader matters affecting culture and practice within school and reputation in the wider community. It will do so in three sessions:
Topics to be discussed
Who should attend
This conference will be relevant for anyone involved in the day to day and strategic management of scottish schools. This includes:
Presenter, Trainer, Consultant
The Real David Cameron
David Cameron
Presenter, Trainer, Consultant
The Real David Cameron
The Present
I am a presenter/speaker, trainer, mentor, coach and adviser. I have delivered at conferences at home and abroad, including TEDx Buenos Aires, Northern Rocks and I work with schools throughout the UK and internationally, alongside some of the most influential people and the best practitioners in the world of education and training. You can use the links to access reviews and videos.
I want to make a difference and believe that I can.
The difference that I want to make is ensuring that all young people have an education that brings richness to their lives.
I want them to be able to think for themselves and to be committed to building a better world than the one that they are inheriting. I think that I can do this by helping those working with them to recognise their strengths and to find the energy to build on them.
I want to offer support, perspective, analysis, approaches and tools so that aspirations become ambitions and ambitions become realities, all to the beat of some banging tunes, heartrending videos and a lot of laughter!
The Past
Lest anyone thinks that I am some mere chancer with a line in motivational quotes, here is my professional pedigree. It might not get me to Crufts, but it has served me pretty well.
I was Director of Children’s Services for Stirling Council. Before that I was Head of Education in East Lothian. I have been an Area Manager providing support and challenge to a large group of schools in Fife, Performance Review Manager with overall responsibility for Quality Assurance and, before that an Adviser responsible for curriculum development and assessment.
I worked in schools up to the early ‘90s and have extensive experience in school management at all levels and experience of leading a major national development of curriculum and assessment in Scotland introducing new Standard Grade courses.
I was President of the Association of Directors of Education Scotland and have been involved with a range of national groups, notably on Curriculum for Excellence, Outdoor Education and Looked After Children.
As a consultant, I have supported Midlothian Council in their reorganisation of services to Children and Families and engaged with Skills Development Scotland in a major review of policy procedures and practice. I have since led reviews on class size regulations and arrangements for devolved school management.
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