Advising on School Improvement

by Association of Education Advisers

Overview

Theoretical and practical exemplification of the education adviser's skills, knowledge and understanding in relation to school improvement.

This is the second book in The Education Adviser series which fully aligns with the AoEA accreditation and focuses on school improvement, supporting the professional learning of education advisers.

The education system has undergone significant change recently, giving education advisers a huge part to play, especially around school improvement. Divided into three parts – context and causality, building capacity, and collaborative school improvement – providing a thorough exploration of school improvement strategies. The range of contributions – from MAT leaders, headteachers, system leaders, key influencers and education advisers – showcases diverse perspectives and approaches and provides critically reflective opportunities.

This book delves into the following topics and more:

• understanding a school’s improvement within a wider context,
• advising on curriculum, and pedagogy,
• supporting new head teachers in identifying priorities,
• building capacity to create and sustain an inclusive school culture,
• system-wide collaboration.

Perfect for new or prospective education advisers, it will help school leaders fully understand the complexities of school improvement and how to apply this knowledge in practice.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781041054115
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	06/01/2025
Series:	Education Adviser
Pages:	206
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

The vision of the AoEA is that every school, college and education provider has access to high-quality support, advice and challenge, which is independent and focused on improving outcomes for children, schools and their communities. They provide an accredited quality standard, offer continuous professional development, and have created a collaborative community for their members.

Table of Contents

Series Overview Purpose 1. Introduction to the AoEA and the purpose of the book series - Les Walton Book Overview 2. Introduction to book 2: Advising on school improvement: skills and approaches - Dr Tony Birch Part 1: Understanding context and causality 3. The big picture: understanding a school’s improvement within a wider context - Les Walton, CBE 4. Understanding, identifying and addressing causal factors which impact on a school’s improvement - Tom Grieveson 5. Advising on curriculum and pedagogy - Kevan Naughton 6. Supporting new head teachers in identifying their priorities - Stuart Adlam 7. Supporting the specific needs of Irish Medium Education and engaging a whole sector - Mairéad Mhig Uaid Part 2: Building capacity in school improvement 8. Unleashing greatness – the role of the adviser in building capacity - Professor David Hopkins 9. Seeing the school through the headteacher’s eyes; unlocking and strengthening the capacity for sustainable improvement at school level and for a system of schools - Ian Lane 10. Enabling middle leaders and supporting their development so that they make a difference - Emma Tarrant 11. Building capacity to create and sustain an inclusive school culture - Roisin Darcy 12. Marginal gains: school improvement approaches that build on success - Rebecca Jackson 13. Building capacity through a community of schools in the context of a Multi-Academy Trust - Narinder Gill 14. Creating and leading effective collaboration across the Nursery sector in Northern Ireland - Clare Evans 15. Capacity building through a strategic, well-prioritised school improvement plan - Peter Parish Part 3: Supporting collaborative school improvement 16. The role of advisers in promoting equity within education systems - Professor Mel Ainscow 17. Harnessing collective capacity: using expertise within and across schools - Lisa Bradbury 18. Building a professional learning community to support the development of new teachers Michaela Barber 19. System wide collaboration – the challenge partners approach - Dr Kate Chhatwal 20. Schools North East – a case study in regional collaboration - Chris Zaragga Conclusions Reflection on the book overall - Tony Birch and Ian Lane

Editorial Reviews

If you are serious about promoting sustainable school improvement then the Association of Education Advisers is your best partner organisation. For the book Advising on School Improvement, they have assembled a constellation of the great and the good in School Improvement over several generations, both in the editorial team and the article contributors...I would commend the book to all those wishing to develop their advisory capacities, as well as a primer for managing school improvement for Senior Leadership teams...there can be no better foundation for planning, promoting, developing and delivering sustainable and inclusive school improvement in schools.

David Hughes MA, NPQH, FRSA.Author of Future Proof Your School: Re-Examining Success

“The three Cs framing this book, ‘Causality, Capacity and Collaboration’, provide the Why? How? and Who? of working as a school improvement advisor. By bringing their external perspective, comparative approaches and unique insight to a school, the advisor’s role can be effective (if attention is given to these three well-chosen, underpinning principles). There is a welcome standardisation to each chapter, yet each author is clearly sharing their own lived experiences and that makes it authentic for the reader. The contributors come from a range of contexts, but all with leadership roles that inform their positioning and justify their voice.”

David GumbrellAuthor of LIFT! RISK and SPIN

From the Publisher