School Improvement Podcasts

During the 2005-2006 academic year, we have posted a number of podcasts in our school improvement series.

Each of the five podcasts feature professional discussions and interviews with leading UK-based educational practioners in their field. The series includes contributions from:

• John Flockton outlines the journey towards the provision of high quality extended school activities at Newhall Park Primary School, located in Bradford, West Yorkshire in England. As headteacher his vision was to establish an effective and coherent approach for school improvement that was shared and developed in partnership with the local communty.


• Sue Mansfield shares her strategies and approaches securing school improvement, buidling the confidence of staff and parents and rasining the school profile with the community, shortly after taking up her post as the headteacher of Salt Grammar School which is located in Shipley, West Yorkshire in England.


• Carlton Midgley provides an insight into the school improvement work of the Halifax Excellence Cluster, serving 27 schools in the Metropolitan District of Calderdale, West Yorkshire in England. Excellence Clusters are funded by the Department of Education and Skills (DfES). The Halifax Cluster is the largest, starting operation in January 2004 and funded until March 2008.


• David Kershaw is an accredited School Improvement Partner (SIP) and also a successful executive headteacher. David shares his direct experience of working in partnership with the leadership teams of secondary schools in his role as a secondary SIP - created as part of New Relationship with Schools agenda of the Department for Education and Skills (DfES).


• John Chowcat is the the General Secretary of the Association of Professionals in Education and Children's Trusts (Aspect), located at Wooley Hall, Wakefield in the UK. Against a backdrop of unprecendented change in the education and children's services, John gives an insight into the work of the association in forging professional networks and influencing national policy to ensure that the views of members are represented.

Just follow the links to obtain further details about colleagues and choose to listen to each of the podcasts online. Alternatively, you can find these podcasts listed in the professional section of our own podcast directory, other popular podcast directories as well as iTunes.

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