Wendy Berliner, head of education, Guardian Professional
Once, when I was covering a story for The Guardian, I visited a school in a multiply disadvantaged area of London. I had the misfortune to arrive at lesson break time and as I arrived the entrance door was pushed violently back into me by a girl of about 13 who invited me to ***k off while barging past me.
I went into the lobby of the school which was swarming with students who were pushing and shoving and shouting their way to their next lessons. I was the only adult in the large space and it was an intimidating place to be.
Contrast that with my recent visit to Carshalton Boys Sports College, south of London, located in one of the biggest council housing estates in Europe and serving families many of whom suffer multiple disadvantages – very similar to the catchment area of that other school.
Here at lesson breaks the atmosphere was so very different – lively but courteous boys filled the corridors with a good buzz not a threatening tumult. When I went to eat a fabulous lunch in the packed dining room with the head, a boy stopped me to tell me that the head was great and it was a fantastic school. The dining room was self regulated by the boys – the only staff on duty were serving lunches, delicious cheap lunches produced by a wonderful chef.
Eight years ago, when the current head, Simon Barber, took the school over – the boys were being locked out at lunch times and the result was extensive vandalism and graffiti of the school estate. Eight years ago the then prevailing philsophy was that you couldn't do anything with 'boys like this' and four per cent got GCSEs. Simon Barber profoundly disagreed and wanted his staff to accept that; 25 teachers left in the first term and 300 temporary exclusions had to happen in the first year to instill discipline into the community. Today every student gets five GCSEs.
If ever you wanted a living example of what good leadership can achieve, this it it .
Welcome to Carshalton.
Jenny Gaylor is deputy headteacher of Carshalton Boys Sports College
Today students and staff at Carshalton Boys Sports College are privileged to be participating in one of the momentous occasions in the history of the school, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and chef Jamie Oliver are visiting us to celebrate our journey from one of the lowest achieving schools in the country to one of the most improved. Their focus, to investigate the way that food culture has permeated through every aspect of the school and is contributing to improved achievement at every level. Joining them will be a host of stars from the restaurant and sports world, as well as representatives from champions of food growing, preparation and education in schools, all gathering to discuss the way that we can work together to ensure good food is at the heart of all schools. For us, introducing high-quality freshly-prepared food, growing our own vegetables, making sure every student learns how to cook and more recently adding 12 chickens and a cockerel to our flock has just been a part of a much bigger mission to raise achievement beyond even our own expectations.
So, how did a school that 10 years ago had a GCSE pass rate of just 4% 5 A*-Cs make this transformation? It has taken us hard work and relentless enthusiasm, but now we are proud to say that at Carshalton Boys every boy really does achieve and 100% of students have attained 5A*-C grades at GCSE or equivalent for the past three years in a row, and more importantly every single one has gone on to further education, employment or training as a result.
As a non-selective school in a selective borough it is this success which makes us most proud and it is for this reason that we continue to go from strength to strength. Analysing the blueprint for this shift has probably been the hardest thing to do, and it is only now that we think we have the answer. There is no single factor, no magic trick, instead it comes down to five things: leadership, teaching, curriculum, behaviour and the laser sharp use of data.
So, what do these look like at Carshalton Boys? Great leadership at every level, from the headteacher to students as leaders has been essential. We encourage everyone at the school lead on a project they feel passionate about and celebrate their success as often as possible. Whether this be through assemblies, staff briefings or our regular newsletters, website and bulletins, our whole community shares the belief that they can succeed. Our teachers are inspirational and many of them have been with us since they trained.
Our Best to Better programme based on Dylan Wiliam's 'Teacher Learning Communities' model personalises their own professional development and encourages staff to share good practice and ideas for improving teaching and learning with their colleagues. Our curriculum team constantly reviews and revises the diet of our learners to make sure that every student is in the correct pathway to maximise achievement, whether this be a traditional academic or more vocational route. It is this which enables learners to progress smoothly into appropriate education, employment or training post-16 and ensures that these transitions are successful. Our amazing A-level and other level 3 qualifications achieved by students in our sixth form are a testament to this fact. Good behaviour, and more importantly 'behaviour for learning' are vital and our new school approach 'achieving excellence through PRIDE' (persistence, respect, independence, discovery and enthusiasm) permeates every aspect of school life.
Finally, it's about good data. We know what every student is capable of and we track their progress with laser sharp accuracy, making sure that if a student falls behind appropriate interventions are put in place to get them back on track. It is only when you get these things right that the outcomes for all learners will be transformed. Can you do this overnight? No, but by putting into place systems and structures that ensure these areas are good or outstanding, you can go on a journey which we once thought was impossible.
Our passion for ensuring that Carshalton Boys is a vibrant and happy place to be and where students and staff not only respect each other but enjoy learning together has ensured our success, and today we will share this with the world.
We are so proud of our students and know that today will be a day that they (and the chickens!) will never forget, more importantly this visit will inspire them to achieve even greater things in the future. Watch this space.
Jenny Gaylor is deputy headteacher of Carshalton Boys Sports College, Surrey. Jenny has been at CBSC for the past seven years. She began her teaching career in Liverpool 21 years ago and has since worked in three other inner city schools and also as science advisor for Liverpool Education Authority.
