Heads of special schools have embraced the challenge of extreme change – Martyn Cosh

Creative and inspirational leadership has been key, says Martyn Cosh
Martyn Cosh, Head of Education, Mirren Park School, Young Foundations, member of the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition.Martyn Cosh, Head of Education, Mirren Park School, Young Foundations, member of the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition.
Martyn Cosh, Head of Education, Mirren Park School, Young Foundations, member of the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition.

Innovation, creativity, personalisation and acknowledgement of achievement have long been characteristics of the education experience offered to children and young people with complex additional support needs attending the 40-plus independent day and residential schools in Scotland. For many of them this experience has been the most positive in their education history, which is too often characterised by long periods of non-attendance and disengagement from learning.

The disruption to learning across the education orbit as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic might have been assumed to have been most keenly felt by this highly vulnerable group. However, from our experience, the opposite has often proved to be the case – indeed for many pupils the alternative education delivery offered to them has further enhanced their learning experiences by building on already established practice and the strength of relationships between pupils and staff.

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In many ways recent practice has exemplified what Curriculum for Excellence and GIFREC (Getting it right for every child) aspire to deliver. This has been in no short measure due to the leadership shown by the heads of education working in collaboration with colleagues across education and care in addressing extreme change, the likes of which has never been experienced before.

Extreme change in this regard has required whole-scale adjustments within schools and has challenged the way in which learning is facilitated to ensure the continued support of the most vulnerable children and young people in the country. Such adjustments have required interventions and creativity that would have been thought implausible even a year ago.

Successful utilisation of digital learning platforms, bespoke outdoor education and health and wellbeing programmes, as well as an increased opportunity for play-based and Practical Learning activities have been evident across the independent special school sector.

Extreme change has challenged the very way in which schools have had to adapt to the initial lockdown measures, have had to respond to ever-changing guidance during the phased return out of lockdown and have had to plan for a future that is widely being referred to as “the new normal”.

Described as education’s “Apollo 13 moment”, there have been noticeable phases through which schools, and heads in particular, have had to navigate and implement efficient change processes amidst a crisis. Leadership of Change is an established key theme within school improvement planning and the recent crisis has provided clear evidence of the importance of the key themes of creativity and inspiration being pre-requisite traits required of a leader.

Heads have demonstrated this with measured composure and reflective practice. Kotter’s 8-Step Process for Leading Change (2014), which he refers to as “The Big Opportunity’, provides a framework in which heads have achieved effective extreme change management, namely:

1) Creating a sense of urgency – recognising that when their school faced a crisis they were the drivers of momentum and immediate implementers of change.

2) Building a guiding coalition – utilising all available resources and opportunities for collaborative working by establishing psychological safety for all stakeholders in assuming new roles.

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3) Forming a strategic vision and initiatives – during the crisis, ruled by unfamiliarity and uncertainty, effective responses were largely improvised. Procedures and protocol weren’t always followed and this often required bravery and creativity.

4) Enlisting a volunteer army – disregarding the notion that a hierarchal response would work, ensuring that change involved all individuals within their small school communities using inspiration leadership to drive change.

5) Enabling action by removing barriers – better utilising their services by setting clear priorities for their response and empowering others to discover and implement solutions that served those priorities.

6) Generating short-term wins – demonstrating positive behaviours and attitudes and reflecting on progress enabled the eradication of aggravation and fatigue.

7) Sustaining acceleration – merely gathering creative ideas from others was not enough, data was gathered, solutions devised, implemented and reviewed as guidance developed.

8) Instituting change – leading a return towards service capacity while recognising the benefit and opportunities present by continuing with newly developed ways of working.

More than ever before, heads of Special Independent Schools in Scotland have led with purposeful calm, grounded optimism and innovation ensuring that their schools have remained stable during the Covid-19 crisis.

They have shown creative and inspirational Leadership of Change, ensuring their “Big Opportunity” secures small successes amidst extreme change, providing sustainability for their schools.

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Our “new normal” should reflect a clear recognition of the key importance which the independent special sector has always and will continue to play in providing excellent education for some of Scotland’s most vulnerable children, whatever the challenges.

Martyn Cosh, Head of Education, Mirren Park School, Young Foundations, member of the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition.

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