Assessing the Context for Organisational Improvement

14th May 2024

This half-day module aims to focus on key factors which influence the professional motivation of staff. 

The programme will be particularly useful for those considering accreditation for the Senior Associate level of the AoEA as well as those working at Associate level who wish to develop their knowledge and skills in assessing and creating an organisational environment in which staff are enthusiastically motivated to seek high standards and sustained improvement. Please book your place here if you are interested, or contact info@aoea.co.uk.

What is the problem we are trying to solve?

Most of us will have come across highly successful organisations or departments where there is a keen sense of commitment to working with colleagues to achieve high outcomes. Many of us will also have come across organisations where there is a vagueness about the roles and objectives and low levels of structure and commitment. How can we assess or analyse the ‘Context for Organisational Improvement’ (COI) that leads to high performance or provides an indicator of potential decline? The AoEA has used its experience of school improvement coupled with a review of relevant leadership research to establish a way of assessing the Context for Organisational Improvement. It provides another way of analysing working relationships in leadership teams and promote discussion of factors which facilitate or impede improvement.

What is the Context for Organisational Improvement??

The context for organisation improvement relates to key factors which influence the professional motivation of staff. The factors can be analysed into a number of dimensions which provide an indicator of how staff feel about working in the organisation. The way in which leaders carry out their role has a vital influence on the context.

Who is delivering?

The programme will be delivered by Peter Parish, Les Walton and Ian Lane

Peter Parish was formerly Director of Operations for Northern Education and was involved with educational project management activities including support for the establishment of a Multi-Academy Trust and academy conversions. He previously led a local authority School Improvement Service. During this time the Council was awarded Beacon Council status for ‘Tackling School Failure’. He became Head of Planning, Commissioning and Quality Assurance in the local authority’s Children’s Services. He has much experience of contextual factors which lead to school improvement.

Les Walton (CBE) has vast experience as a headteacher, Director of Education, Chief Executive and Principal of an FE College. He has led major change programmes including the reorganisation of a school system within a metropolitan borough, the outsourcing of an education service within a large District Council and the merger of Further Education Colleges. As Director of Education, he achieved Beacon Status for ‘tackling school failure’. Les has played a key role in providing advice to government agencies such as the YPLA and the Education Funding Agency. He has been involved in strategic interventions in schools and MATs to address governance concerns. He has a long-standing interest in leadership and quality systems.

Whilst Ian Lane was headteacher of an inner-city secondary school, the school was twice recognized as one of the most improved specialist schools nationally and awarded a School Achievement Award for successive years of sustained improvement. He also has past experience as part of the advisory service as a Senior Adviser, as a School Improvement Partner, National Challenge Adviser and accredited Ofsted Inspector. He also qualified as a professional coach. He was appointed Director of School Improvement in the same LA with oversight for Primary, Secondary and Special Education. More recently Ian has worked as an interim CEO of a Primary MAT and then as CEO of a Secondary MAT, whilst also undertaking some independent work as an adviser with a number of schools, MATs and Las.

What will I get from the programme?

You will:

• Understand what is meant by Context for Organisational Improvement.

• Consider the dimensions of COI.

• Understand the relationship between leadership and COI.

• Be able to identify the key features in the cultural landscape of your workplace.

• Appreciate how organisational culture influences work-place COI.

• Have assessed your own work-place COI.

• Be capable of establishing systems for on-going measures of COI.

• Be able to design strategies to drive up individual COI dimensions

Prior to the session, participants will have the opportunity to complete a survey to rate their perception of their context for organisational improvement.

Click here to book your place via Eventbrite.