Being 'pro stuff'!

Dear Colleague

Reading the many negative headlines this week about the new Schools Bill and the proposed new Ofsted inspection regime made me think about the famous Tim Minchin address to graduates of the University of Western Australia - in which he 'bestows' nine life lessons. One of these about the importance of being 'pro stuff' rather than constantly defining ourselves in opposition to things. So, despite being vexed by much of what I have learned, especially on the Ofsted front, I've decided to completely tune this out and focus on positives this week!

In this spirit, I had a long-standing engagement to attend a Geography meeting on Friday afternoon at Alwoodley Primary school in Leeds, delivered by the outstanding Deputy Head, Jess Hill. It was a fantastic and thought provoking afternoon and I learned about two tremendous (and FREE) resources that will help you deliver Geography in your school.

The first is the 'flyover' feature of Apple Maps - a brilliant way of giving pupils a different perspective of a city a feature that can be used in multiple ways and contexts. The second is the 2041School project, a charity founded by Jenny Cooke and Robert Swann OBE, which contains the most incredible Antartica resources and is described by the Geographical Association as a 'must have resource for Prep and Primary schools'; do take a look if you are not familiar with it - it's fabulous.

In another piece of positivity, if you're reading this on Sunday 9th February, our sister organisation - BlueCow Education - is running a competition on that more-kindly social media platform, BlueSky. They're giving away a large Hotel Chocolat dipping adventure to be delivered in time for Valentine's day and here's the link if this is of interest!

Finally, I've included information about Ben Brown's Building Connections conference in Liverpool in late March, below. This conference isn't affiliated to the ISP in any way, but I love Ben and his work - and this community building conference is going to be superb. There's also a discount code that you can use too if you'd like to attend.

I hope all this is of use and wishing you a great week!
David.
--
David Winfield
Founder, Independent Schools Portal.

ISP Marketing and Admissions Conference 2025: in-person and online

The speaker lineup includes:

Two keynote addresses: Sarah Cunnane, Head of Media and Communications at the ISC and Mark Brealey, former BBC Journalist and advisor to some of the most high profile public sector individuals on how to handle press and crisis situations.

Two case studies: Hear from fellow professionals - Jo Phillips from Giggleswick School and Laura Booth from Hymers College will be sharing their experiences.

Two topical sessions: We will hear from Sophy Walker as to how AI can aid your admissions  and marketing. Sally Alexander will also look at what we can do to drive admissions in the current period of economic uncertainty. 

Two sessions of your choosing:  An opportunity to choose the topic causing your school most consternation, from SEO to Social Media to Research to websites. These sessions will enable you to tailor your day to suit YOUR school

This really is an excellent opportunity to ensure your marketing and admissions is at the forefront and available for just £45. Sign up now to benefit from an early bird ticket.

There are lots of challenges in education today and no silver bullet that defeats them all, but fostering a sense of connection within your school community can help bring everyone together to face these challenges as a group. This event brings together expert speakers, thought-provoking workshops, and valuable networking opportunities to empower you in building stronger, more cohesive school environments.

Key Topics

• Leadership: practical strategies for developing a connected school culture.
• Warm data: using data insights to enhance community relationships and support your decision making.
• Curriculum: Building a curriculum to connect to - education is more than just passing on academic knowledge.
• Communication: Strengthening connections with staff, pupils and parents.

Why Attend?

• Gain actionable insights from expert speakers.
• Participate in workshops designed to make you think.
• Network with other school leaders and share best practices.
• Leave with tools and ideas to implement in your school.

Live Speakers

• Ben Brown, founder of Education Roundtables and author of "A school leader's guide to belonging."
• Chris Reddy, founder of Bright Leaders
• Naveed Idrees OBE, Headteacher at the awesome Feversham Primary Academy in Bradford
• Ann Palmer, founder of Figtree International and the RACE charter mark
• Andy Kent, CEO of Angel Solutions
• Ed Fairfield, Director at Elementary Technology

Guest Appearances
Nicole Ponsford of the Global Equality Collective and Hywel Roberts, author of Botheredness, will also be contributing during the event.

Use code BLUECOW10 to claim £10 off the ticket price.

View the full programme and book

Free upcoming CPD

​AI in Education - An Introduction. Free CPD webinar - Wednesday 12th March 2025. 1930-2030.
Using AI in your teaching and equipping pupils with the skills to know how and when to use it themselves is vital. We will look at how AI can transform your teaching and learning. This session will delivered by leading expert Darren Coxon. Darren speaks regularly around the world on the topic of AI in education and is a leading expert. Book your place.

From the Video Vault

The ISP has a huge selection of videos to support school leaders on the ISP YouTube Channel. In this week's video vault webinar, we bring you Jack Dougherty of Felsted School! Felsted was one of, it not the, first school to adopt TikTok as part of its marketing strategy. This session will look at how you can enter the world of TikTok for your school in an effective and impactful way. Watch Now.

Education News (you might've missed...)

​Cash-strapped schools plan to lay off teachers in blow to Labour's promise
Leaders give new Ofsted inspection toolkits the red card
Mobile ban in schools not improving grades or behaviour, study suggests
Prioritising mental health at Abingdon: The tripod principle
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