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Articles by John Viner
Helping school staff cope with the cost-of-living crisis
What can schools do to help their staff with rising costs? John Dabell offers some suggestions. The cost-of-living crisis is having a significant impact on families with children. Covid-19, the war in Ukraine, Brexit and austerity have all contributed to the cost-of-living. This is also having an impact on your staff, some of whom will be earning very little, especially support staff and those who are part-time or on one-term contracts.
Checklist – Remote learning audit - Attendance Matters Magazine
To download the document click on the link:
Remote learning: How are we doing?
John Viner talks about his own experience of delivering remote learning through the schools he supports, as well as looking at government reports on the effectiveness of remote learning. Summary Remote learning is more challenging for younger age groups and those with SEND. Having a device doesn’t guarantee access to remote learning as homes may have insufficient bandwidth to access the learning platform. Pupils can lack focus when working at home as there are likely to be more distractions.
A day in the life of a safeguarding lead in lockdown
Luke Ramsden reflects on the 'new normal' of life as a safeguarding lead during lockdown and beyond. At a time when the media has generally described schools as ‘closed’, teachers have in fact been busier than ever, trying to adapt well-practised lesson plans and schemes of work to a world of online learning. This is certainly the case for the safeguarding lead, whose workload is rising as the pressures of lockdown affect students and their families.
How the role of the DSL is set to change in 2021
Luke Ramsden explores the implications of proposed changes to Keeping children safe in education for the ever-expanding role of designated safeguarding lead. There’s been a lot of focus recently on the government consultation around assessment and exams for summer 2021. However, there’s another important consultation underway: proposed changes to Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE).
Checklist – Ongoing monitoring of school’s position following Covid-19 re-opening - Attendance Matters Magazine
To download this document, click on the link: Checklist – Ongoing monitoring of school’s position following Covid-19 re-opening Please login or subscribe to read the whole article. About Author John Viner John Viner has taught in both primary and secondary schools, with a long history of successful primary school leadership. He is now a full-time writer, inspector and adviser. jeviner@gmail.com
When attendance is optional
Governing bodies have been working closely with their schools to find ways of interpreting the directives and guidance. This continues to be a challenge that each individual school must find its own solutions to. John Viner describes the experiences at his school as they welcome pupils back. Summary A Covid-19 Task Group was created that could help test out risk assessments. Keeping track of attendance is now manual and the weekly return to the DfE is complex.
Home education: where do schools and parents stand?
Parents have a right to choose to educate their child at home and may do so for several reasons. With little regulation and lack of clear guidance, John Viner explores the role schools, local authorities and parents play. As a headteacher it always troubled me that parents can withdraw a child from school at almost any point, claiming that they are educating them at home, as is their right.
Knife crime: what can schools do?
For some children knife crime has become normalised. John Viner looks at the role schools can play in educating pupils about knife carrying and keeping them safe. We seem to have reached a point where knife crime is just another weekly occurrence, when the news reports another stabbing and we merely express shock and reach for another biscuit.
Knife crime: The critical role of schools
Knife crime is on the increase and schools can feel helpless when it comes to dealing with the problem. Just how much can a school be expected to do? John Viner argues that the role of the educator is still one of the most important. Summary Exclusion may not be the answer to reducing instances of knife crime. Attendance officers may be the first to notice potential identifiers of gang membership. New and improved curriculum materials on knife crime are now available.
Brexit and attendance
You might be tired of hearing about it, but Brexit will have implications for attendance too. In this article, John Viner outlines what the impact might be if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. Summary It is likely that there will be a significant impact on schools in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Schools should make plans around a number of areas, including absence, late collection and closure. Travel arrangements are likely to be particularly disrupted and schools should prepare.
The sums don't add up: recruitment, funding and teacher quality
A new academic year looms, and school leaders will again be trying to balance the books while hunting for high quality teaching staff. What can schools do to meet the recruitment challenge? John Viner shares options for 'growing your own'. It cannot have been the best news to welcome the newly incoming education secretary, but the most recent teacher recruitment figures show that the crisis in teacher numbers is showing no sign of abating.
Supporting teacher mental health: strategies for senior leaders
How can senior leaders support their colleagues' mental health? John Viner shares four strategies to promote positive wellbeing amongst staff. As discussed in my previous blog post, wellbeing in schools is coming under increased scrutiny. Unfortunately, too often school leaders are so busy focussing on supporting the mental health of pupils, they forget to protect the wellbeing of staff.
Staff wellbeing: the case for change
Teacher mental health has been a concern for over a decade, so why has so little been done to tackle the issue? John Viner shares the research around teacher stress, and why urgent action is needed. Damian Hinds has recognised that if we are to retain teachers, something has to be done to address the things that are causing them to leave.
Turning 'problem parents' into partners
Hard to reach or scared to come in? John Viner shares how we can reach out to so-called 'problem parents' to better support our pupils. I am a slow learner. It took me over twenty years of headship before I really understood that even the most challenging parents are as much partners in their children’s education as the helpful, cooperative leading lights in the PTA. The trick of it is not to think of them as challenging, but to work on the partnership bit.
Damian Hinds' plans for teacher retention
One of the biggest threats to recruitment and retention in schools is teacher workload. John Viner looks at how education secretary Damian Hinds plans to tackle this problem. I have written before on the problems of teacher recruitment, but the situation is compounded by the rate in which teachers are deserting the profession. Last year, just under 34,000 people entered the profession as initial teacher training trainees, while 50,110 teachers left.
DfE recognises the importance of mental health in schools
The DfE is now recognising the link between mental health and behaviour in schools. John Viner looks at how useful their recent reports are. The Department for Education (DfE) has recently published two informative and helpful papers. The first, released in October, is Mental health and wellbeing provision in schools: a review of published policies and information. The second, Mental health and behaviour in schools, was published in November.
The problem of obesity and school responsibilities
What role do schools have in tackling childhood obesity? John Viner discusses. Two of my grandchildren have recently started school where, for one of them at least, the highlight of each day is lunch. Particularly the sweet desserts. This is a boy with a real sweet tooth and school is a willing partner in his being able to sidestep his parents’ otherwise strict dietary restrictions. They want him to have the freedom of choice but, at five, he can't be blamed for making the wrong choice.
We need to talk about Ofsted
New proposals from Ofsted have prompted a shift in the rhetoric around inspection. John Viner summarises the changing times. With the departure of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools, Sir Michael Wilshaw, Ofsted moved into a new phase under the leadership of Amanda Spielman. Out went the old-school, lead from the front, progress-focused, no-excuses, standards-driven traditional ex-headteacher. In came rather a wildcard: a chief inspector who had never taught, let alone run a school.
Pupil premium: is it making a difference?
While pupil premium funding was introduced with the good intention of helping schools narrow the attainment gap, its future looks increasingly uncertain. In April 2011, the coalition government introduced the pupil premium and the service premium. This injected an additional £625 million of funding to help schools close the attainment gap for disadvantaged pupils and to assist with the pastoral needs of forces children. It was flagged as new money at a(nother) time when schools were cash-strapped.
Keeping children even safer
With an updated Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance now in force, John Viner summarises what has changed and how schools need to respond. I usually try to kick off a new academic year with a quick review of what’s gone on and going on in the political world of education but, this year, it is appropriate to review the updated guidance on Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), which came into force earlier in the month, on 3 September.
Where do new teachers come from?
Looking for fresh talent, or a pathway to a new career? John Viner outlines some of the many different routes into teaching. As a teacher trainer, it always astonishes me that, of the (usually) young men and women who we send out into schools with a shiny new QTS, so many leave the profession after a few years. The bald fact of the matter is that the number of teachers joining the profession each year – around 50,000 – is broadly balanced by those who are leaving it.
When is outstanding not good enough?
Recent reports have brought renewed criticism of Ofsted’s delay in inspecting 'outstanding' schools. John Viner summarises what has changed – and what hasn’t. It has taken rather longer to surface than might be expected, but you must have noticed the frequency with which the education press is telling us about the hundreds of schools that have not had a sniff of inspection for a decade or so.
Midday meals supervisor: the school's superhero
While every school might have different expectations of the midday meals team, such expectations are invariably high. John Viner makes the case for recognising their valuable input. In the grand scheme of things, a school’s midday meals supervisor (MMS) is often its unsung hero. Yet the fact that, while we who work in schools appreciate their importance and the responsibilities they bear, to many of the public they remain ‘dinner ladies’.
The coming of age of the school business manager
John Viner returns to the starting blocks with a focus on what has happened in the increasingly professional world of SBMs. The professionalism of the school business manager (SBM), with its high expectations and high accountability is in significant contrast to its amateur beginnings and it may be of interest to SBMs to appreciate just how far we have come. It was the 1988 Education Reform Act that fundamentally changed the way schools were managed.
Dinners, winners and losers
The introduction of new criteria for free school meals eligibility has put some children's entitlement in doubt. John Viner summarises the change and its likely implications. With the roll-out of Universal Credit, parents claiming the credit had expected that they would also be entitled to claim free school meals for their children.
When inspection is not by Ofsted
While the majority of state schools focus on the Ofsted inspection process for their self-evaluation, around a third must also prepare for a separate inspection of their faith character. Ofsted inspection is carried out under sections 5 and 8 of the Education Act 2005, and every headteacher in the country will be familiar with the Ofsted inspection framework. As school leaders are aware, a Section 8 inspection is a short, usually one-day, event while a Section 5 is a full inspection.
Facing up to staff absence: what can you do?
Worrying absence level statistics suggest that effective planning and monitoring are more important than ever. Not too long ago, a popular daily newspaper bewailed the fact that ‘15,000 teachers go sick every day’, going on to blame stress and ministerial meddling. So, here’s a question for you: are teacher absences going through the roof or not?
Ofsted is coming: demonstrate a safeguarding culture
The strength of a school's safeguarding procedures is usually the first thing Ofsted will inspect. Here's what you need to prepare. As the year winds to a close, let’s review what schools need to do in order to demonstrate what Ofsted is now calling ‘culture of safeguarding’. Since the target audience for this post is really school business managers, it’s important that they are aware of this since a chunk of it is likely to come their way, depending on their role and setting.
Still marching in: the continuing growth of faith schools
In today’s pluralistic society, what role should religious education play? John Viner thinks that looking backward may help us look ahead. Since its earliest days, the provision of education in England and Wales has been a strange partnership between church and state, between the religious and the secular. This relationship has sometimes been uncomfortable, and has resulted in polarised views.
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