Upcoming Events

Karen Ardley Associates is delighted to be delivering our popular and successful two-day ‘Stepping Up into Senior Leadership programme at Wellington College China.

Programme Outline
This two day programme explores the opportunities and challenges presented by Senior Leadership. Recent research into effective and successful leadership practices underpins the activities and strategies included in the programme. Participants will have the opportunity to review and extend their leadership learning and will leave the programme, confident and inspired, ready for action.

Target Audience

Aspiring, recently appointed and experienced Senior Leaders in schools.

This programme is personalised to each cohort, taking account of prior knowledge and experience, and extending each participant’s understanding and skills.

Objectives

To further develop participants’ knowledge, understanding and skills of leadership and management.

To consider current research and excellent practice around key leadership and management activities.

To identify practical, creative and motivational approaches to leading and managing in your school.

Key areas covered

leading AND managing;

leading and managing change;

setting and communicating vison and values;

knowing and evaluating in your context;

improving teaching and learning;

personality types and interaction;

difficult conversations and accountability;

leadership styles and skills; and

tools and techniques for strategic planning.

This programme is an ideal progression from the KAA ‘Leading Learning from the Middle’ programme.

Testimonials for Stepping Up

‘Phenomenally enriching and uplifting. Outstanding – the best PD I have been a part of yet.’ Ben Eves, Bavarian International School, Munich

‘The programme was extremely informative, reassuring as well as challenging and daunting. There is so much to do, so much I need to improve but also so much that I am doing right. Thank you.’ Emma Dodds, Byron College, Greece 

‘An inspirational programme. Practical, current and tailored to suit the individual’ Naomi Van Wyngaarden, British School of Sofia, Bulgaria

For further details or booking, please contact kate.beetlestone@karenardley.com

KAA are delighted to be delivering this first ‘Education Impact (1st edition) Conference’ in association with St. Saviour’s School Ikoyi.

19th February – Primary

20th February – Secondary

KAA are delighted to be once again invited back to Wellington College International to deliver this bespoke programme.

This bespoke programme will provide opportunities for reflection, collaboration and implementation planning. Using practical, engaging strategies and techniques, drawing on and extending participants’ prior knowledge and expertise, the programme will include the following areas of focus:

• Designing a vibrant curriculum
• Leading a high performing faculty
• Developing a positive culture
• Creating a climate of enquiry and learning
• Establishing purposeful collaboration
• Promoting wellbeing and motivation

The programme will deploy the following learning activities and strategies:

• Collaborative groupwork
• Facilitated group learning and development
• Individual coaching
• Action research/disciplined enquiry
• Seminar and study group protocols
• Presentations from participants to group and SLT

The design process will draw on recent relevant research and readings. These will include:

• Ritchhart: Creating cultures of thinking
• Shein: Organisational culture and leadership
• Hughes: The Barcelona way
• Sinek: Find your why
• Kerr: Legacy
• Chapman and Sisodia: Everybody matters
• Allison: Perfect CPD
• Kouzes and Posner: The leadership challenge
• Hicks: Leading with dignity
• Brown: Dare to Lead

If you would like to discuss how KAA can help you to develop a winning team, we would be delighted to talk through a plan for a personalised programme.

Contact kate.beetlestone@karenardley.com

KAA are delighted to be once again invited back to Wellington College International to deliver this brand new programme ‘Leading with a Culture of Excellence ‘.

Our inspirational leadership programmes and consultancy have proven success and organisational impact.

We are renowned for designing and delivering personalised programmes to meet the professional development needs of organisations throughout the world.

We are happy to discuss your professional learning requirements and enable to develop an effective and high performing senior team.

If you would like to discuss how KAA can help you to develop a winning team, we would be delighted to talk through a plan for a personalised programme.

Contact kate.beetlestone@karenardley.com

KAA are delighted to be working with Chartwell International School on a bespoke classroom practice programme plan.

The Engaging Classroom

Staff will work in Primary and Secondary groups, each with a KAA Facilitator who is an outstanding classroom practitioner.

Outline of key focus areas:

Day 1 How do students learn best?

• Evidence from recent research into Teaching and Learning
• Responsive teaching and formative assessment
• Differentiation
• Classroom standards
• Outstanding learning

Day 2 How can we engage all learners?

• Strategies to promote inclusion
• Collaborative learning
• Questioning skills
• Metacognitive practices

Day 3 Learning for the 21^st Century

• Resilience
• Resourcefulness
• Team work
• Self-reflective learners
• Independence
• Successful life-long learners

Each day will be based on recent research evidence about what really works in the classroom. The Facilitators will draw on outstanding practical teaching and learning strategies which they will model throughout the programme.

Staff will leave the professional development programme with confidence and enthusiasm to implement a wealth of practical techniques and strategies to include and engage all their learners.

Before the professional development, participants will be given a pre-programme reading task and asked to reflect on their current practice. The Facilitators will provide strategies for continuing school-based professional learning after the programme. They will also enable all participants to set objectives for continuing development.

KAA will provide electronic resources to support participants’ learning on the programme and for continued professional development post-programme.

If you would like to discuss how KAA can help you to develop a winning team, we would be delighted to talk through a plan for a personalised programme.

Contact kate.beetlestone@karenardley.com

Friday March 20th and Saturday March 21st

Venue: Institut Florimont, Geneva

The 2020 conference will be a bilingual conference.

20-20 vision: A focus on the changing face of education

KAA are delighted to be presenting at the SGIS Annual Conference.

AGM Board presentation Thursday evening 60 minutes English

Successful Schools: What recent research tells us about excellent leadership and learning

This presentation will provide an overview and summary of recent educational research findings. The key theme will be school leadership, identifying what researchers have found are the common factors in well-led schools. The presentation will also explore the characteristics of successful leaders and consider how we can ensure leadership has a positive impact on student outcomes and organisational culture.

Workshops (*These workshops can be facilitated in French)

1. *Implementing sustainable change:
   How can we lead and manage change successfully and ensure it is sustained over time? In this workshop we will consider the factors required to implement change. Drawing on proven models we will identify clear steps and practical strategies to ensure successful and sustainable improvement in schools.
2. Creating a collaborative culture:
   In this workshop we will consider the case for collaboration and explore practical ways of developing a culture of supportive teamwork.
3. Leading for professional learning:
   Teachers have a professional responsibility to be learners. Professional learning is not about “fixing” poor teachers, rather the opportunity to learn and develop to be the best we can be. This workshop will look at ways to provide professional learning in your school to ensure that all teachers have the opportunity to learn, develop and improve their classroom performance.
4. Wellbeing and happiness:                                                                                                                                  Researchers have found significant evidence that studying happiness makes us happier. What are other factors in determining how happy we are? Some of the things that impact our happiness are not as we might expect…….most people have the potential to be happier. How can we make a positive difference to our wellbeing and happiness?

5. Developing a good worklife balance:
   What can we do to ensure we maintain a healthy balance between our work and the rest of our life? Busy people often feel their lives are out of balance. There are practical things we can do to improve the balance and this workshop will explore some strategies which aim to create worklife balance.
6. *Outstanding teaching and learning
   Recent research into classroom practice for outstanding learning and progress identifies key elements which all teachers should apply. What are these keys to excellence? How can we help every teacher to increase their classroom impact positively?
7. *Responsive teaching and assessment:
   Responsive teaching or formative assessment has been proven to increase student learning and progress. In this workshop we will explore some of the practical classroom strategies used by the most effective classroom teachers. By the end of this workshop you will have plenty of ideas and techniques to share with you staff.

8. *Using technology in the classroom to engage learners and increase progress:
   Making effective use of technology in the classroom can help engagement and promote progress and learning. In this workshop we will identify some easy to use, practical ways to use ipads, laptops and phones to make learning interesting and effective.
9. Embedding a coaching culture:
   Research shows coaching to be a highly effective leadership style. How can we ensure our staff develop the coaching skills required to impact positively on the culture? By using coaching techniques we can enhance professional development and performance management in the school.
10. *Culture – why does it matter?
    This workshop will look at the work of writers, researchers and thinkers on the importance of organisational culture. Unless leaders are proactive in designing a positive culture, researchers find it becomes negative by default. We will look at some ways leaders have improved organisational culture and staff morale.

Karen Ardley Associates is delighted to be delivering the popular and successful KAA four day middle leader programme ‘Leading Learning from the Middle’ on the 28th – 31st March 2020 at Nord Anglia International School Manila, Philippines.

Programme Outline

This four day programme provides the opportunity for middle managers to improve their leadership behaviours and develop the skills required to make real changes to standards in their area of responsibility.

Previous participants have found the programme inspirational and life changing

Target Audience

Aspiring or middle managers currently responsible for co-ordinating or managing a subject or aspect of school provision (eg. Subject, SENCO, Faculty, Assessment, Key Stage, Year Group etc.)

Objectives

To deepen middle managers’ understanding of themselves and their leadership behaviours
To extend middle managers’ knowledge and understanding about leadership
To develop leadership skills

Key Areas Covered

•        personal leadership skills and qualities;
•        the role of the middle leader/manager;
•        our current educational agenda;
•        an emotionally intelligent leader;
•        effective professional development;
•        working with teams;
•        giving feedback;
•        coaching for improvement;
•        making meetings more exciting;
•        improving teaching and learning in your area;
•        holding people to account; and
•        presentation skills.

Testimonials

‘This programme provides practical learning, well researched ideas for actual change. I would recommend this programme to everyone for the sake of improving teaching and learning worldwide!’ Charlotte Durrant, Harrow International School, Hong Kong

‘I truly learned so much and believe I have grown tremendously as an educator, leader, and person! I am confident that I am going to use all that I have learned continuously–I am very excited!’ Gianna Viola, The British International School of New York, New York

‘This course will change your life…not only as a leader but as a human. Best training I have been on in my life’ Lisa Muugi, Braeburn International School, Kenya

For more information or to book a place please contact kate.beetlestone@karenardley.com

KAA are delighted to be working with Nord Anglia International School, Manila and The British School of Tashkent to be offering this exciting 2 day Conference for Teachers and Leaders on ‘English as an Additional Language’.

The conference is being held on the 4th-5th April 2020 at the Nord Anglia International School, Manila, Philippines

Karen Ardley is back at the British School of Amsterdam to follow up on last years Leadership consultancy and Leadership survey.

Our inspirational leadership programmes and consultancy have proven success and organisational impact.

We are renowned for designing and delivering personalised programmes to meet the professional development needs of organisations throughout the world.

We are happy to discuss your professional learning requirements and enable to develop an effective and high performing senior team.

Please contact kate.beetlestone@karenardley.com for more information.

Karen Ardley is back at the British School of Amsterdam to follow up on last years Leadership consultancy and Leadership survey.

Our inspirational leadership programmes and consultancy have proven success and organisational impact.

We are renowned for designing and delivering personalised programmes to meet the professional development needs of organisations throughout the world.

We are happy to discuss your professional learning requirements and enable to develop an effective and high performing senior team.

Please contact kate.beetlestone@karenardley.com for more information.

KAA are delighted to be once again exhibiting at the COBIS Annual Conference.

39th COBIS Annual Conference: Leading in a Climate of Change

9th-11th May 2020
InterContinental London – The O2
London, UK

David Porritt, KAA’s Director and Lead Consultant will  be delivering an inspiring and thought provoking seminar.

It’s Not All One Way Traffic: The Role of Leadership Coaching in the Change Process

The place and role of coaching has gathered momentum in recent years across COBIS schools. We know that coaching is a powerful mechanism for promoting change. Whilst we already recognise that those who receive coaching are more able to cope with change, this workshop identifies the personal and professional benefits arising for the coach.
David’s doctoral research, conducted over the last 5 years uncovered a range of benefits for school leader’s self-efficacy beliefs and professional learning. Fundamentally, the research in its simplest terms shows that one of the best things we can do to cope with change and foster our own wellbeing, is learn to coach others. Not only does serving others through coaching help coachees, but it also powerfully contributes to leaders’ own learning and development.

Target audience
All professionals working in a leadership role in the education sector who are interested in how change works and are keen to focus on enabling, empowering, emboldening and encouraging others to perform effectively.

Proposed workshop content
Explanation of the background to the workshop and the research question: To what extent does being a coach support school leaders’ self-efficacy and professional agency?
– Overview of the rationale for the research in a climate of considerable change
– Explanation of the findings
– What a Leadership Coaching Model might include
– Discussion around what the findings might mean for COBIS school leaders
– The CIGAR coaching model as a mechanism to develop an action plan for leading change when using coaching skills with staff.

Biography of presenter
David was a Headteacher and Principal for 23 years in the UK, and in COBIS schools. David is a Director at Karen Ardley Associates, a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management and is a Governor of a COBIS school. David has recently completed a Doctorate in Leadership at UCL: Institute of Education. His research is concerned with exploring how leaders cope with the pressure of leadership and how they cope with the pace of change experienced in modern professional life. His research identified that adopting a coaching approach to leadership has powerful benefits for those who coach in terms of boosting their self-efficacy beliefs and in fostering their Professional Agency. Along with running numerous leadership and coaching programmes for middle, senior and executive leaders, David coaches several clients, helping them to promote desirable and sustainable change.

Testimonials

Karen Ardley Associates is delighted to be leading this two-day ‘Stepping Up into Senior Leadership programme at the Centre for Professional Learning in Prague on 13th-14th June 2020.

David Porritt, KAA Director and Lead Consultant will be delivering this 2 day workshop.

Programme Outline
This two day programme explores the opportunities and challenges presented by Senior Leadership. Recent research into effective and successful leadership practices underpins the activities and strategies included in the programme. Participants will have the opportunity to review and extend their leadership learning and will leave the programme, confident and inspired, ready for action.

Target Audience

Aspiring, recently appointed and experienced Senior Leaders in schools.

This programme is personalised to each cohort, taking account of prior knowledge and experience, and extending each participant’s understanding and skills.

Objectives

To further develop participants’ knowledge, understanding and skills of leadership and management.

To consider current research and excellent practice around key leadership and management activities.

To identify practical, creative and motivational approaches to leading and managing in your school.

Key areas covered

leading AND managing;

leading and managing change;

setting and communicating vison and values;

knowing and evaluating in your context;

improving teaching and learning;

personality types and interaction;

difficult conversations and accountability;

leadership styles and skills; and

tools and techniques for strategic planning.

This programme is an ideal progression from the KAA ‘Leading Learning from the Middle’ programme.

Testimonials for Stepping Up

‘Phenomenally enriching and uplifting. Outstanding – the best PD I have been a part of yet.’ Ben Eves, Bavarian International School, Munich

‘The programme was extremely informative, reassuring as well as challenging and daunting. There is so much to do, so much I need to improve but also so much that I am doing right. Thank you.’ Emma Dodds, Byron College, Greece 

‘An inspirational programme. Practical, current and tailored to suit the individual’ Naomi Van Wyngaarden, British School of Sofia, Bulgaria

For further details or booking, please contact kate.beetlestone@karenardley.com

This bespoke programme will provide opportunities for reflection, collaboration and implementation planning. Using practical, engaging strategies and techniques, drawing on and extending participants’ prior knowledge and expertise, the programme will include the following areas of focus:

• Designing a vibrant curriculum
• Leading a high performing faculty
• Developing a positive culture
• Creating a climate of enquiry and learning
• Establishing purposeful collaboration
• Promoting wellbeing and motivation

The programme will deploy the following learning activities and strategies:

• Collaborative groupwork
• Facilitated group learning and development
• Individual coaching
• Action research/disciplined enquiry
• Seminar and study group protocols
• Presentations from participants to group and SLT

The design process will draw on recent relevant research and readings. These will include:

• Ritchhart: Creating cultures of thinking
• Shein: Organisational culture and leadership
• Hughes: The Barcelona way
• Sinek: Find your why
• Kerr: Legacy
• Chapman and Sisodia: Everybody matters
• Allison: Perfect CPD
• Kouzes and Posner: The leadership challenge
• Hicks: Leading with dignity
• Brown: Dare to Lead

If you would like to discuss how KAA can help you to develop a winning team, we would be delighted to talk through a plan for a personalised programme.

Contact kate.beetlestone@karenardley.com

This bespoke programme will provide opportunities for reflection, collaboration and implementation planning. Using practical, engaging strategies and techniques, drawing on and extending participants’ prior knowledge and expertise, the programme will include the following areas of focus:

• Designing a vibrant curriculum
• Leading a high performing faculty
• Developing a positive culture
• Creating a climate of enquiry and learning
• Establishing purposeful collaboration
• Promoting wellbeing and motivation

The programme will deploy the following learning activities and strategies:

• Collaborative groupwork
• Facilitated group learning and development
• Individual coaching
• Action research/disciplined enquiry
• Seminar and study group protocols
• Presentations from participants to group and SLT

The design process will draw on recent relevant research and readings. These will include:

• Ritchhart: Creating cultures of thinking
• Shein: Organisational culture and leadership
• Hughes: The Barcelona way
• Sinek: Find your why
• Kerr: Legacy
• Chapman and Sisodia: Everybody matters
• Allison: Perfect CPD
• Kouzes and Posner: The leadership challenge
• Hicks: Leading with dignity
• Brown: Dare to Lead

If you would like to discuss how KAA can help you to develop a winning team, we would be delighted to talk through a plan for a personalised programme.

Contact kate.beetlestone@karenardley.com

This bespoke programme will provide opportunities for reflection, collaboration and implementation planning. Using practical, engaging strategies and techniques, drawing on and extending participants’ prior knowledge and expertise, the programme will include the following areas of focus:

• Designing a vibrant curriculum
• Leading a high performing faculty
• Developing a positive culture
• Creating a climate of enquiry and learning
• Establishing purposeful collaboration
• Promoting wellbeing and motivation

The programme will deploy the following learning activities and strategies:

• Collaborative groupwork
• Facilitated group learning and development
• Individual coaching
• Action research/disciplined enquiry
• Seminar and study group protocols
• Presentations from participants to group and SLT

The design process will draw on recent relevant research and readings. These will include:

• Ritchhart: Creating cultures of thinking
• Shein: Organisational culture and leadership
• Hughes: The Barcelona way
• Sinek: Find your why
• Kerr: Legacy
• Chapman and Sisodia: Everybody matters
• Allison: Perfect CPD
• Kouzes and Posner: The leadership challenge
• Hicks: Leading with dignity
• Brown: Dare to Lead

If you would like to discuss how KAA can help you to develop a winning team, we would be delighted to talk through a plan for a personalised programme.

Contact kate.beetlestone@karenardley.com

Karen Ardley Associates is delighted to be leading this 4 day Middle Leader Proramme ‘Leading Learning from the Middle’ at the Centre for Professional Learning in Prague on 17th-20th August 2020.

David Porritt, KAA Director and Lead Consultant will be delivering this 4 day workshop.

Programme Outline

This four day programme provides the opportunity for middle managers to improve their leadership behaviours and develop the skills required to make real changes to standards in their area of responsibility.

Previous participants have found the programme inspirational and life changing

Target Audience

Aspiring or middle managers currently responsible for co-ordinating or managing a subject or aspect of school provision (eg. Subject, SENCO, Faculty, Assessment, Key Stage, Year Group etc.)

Objectives

To deepen middle managers’ understanding of themselves and their leadership behaviours
To extend middle managers’ knowledge and understanding about leadership
To develop leadership skills

Key Areas Covered

•        personal leadership skills and qualities;
•        the role of the middle leader/manager;
•        our current educational agenda;
•        an emotionally intelligent leader;
•        effective professional development;
•        working with teams;
•        giving feedback;
•        coaching for improvement;
•        making meetings more exciting;
•        improving teaching and learning in your area;
•        holding people to account; and
•        presentation skills.

Testimonials

‘The best CPD I have ever received. It has re-focused my role and goals in a way that has reaffirmed my beliefs’ Kathy Wharton , British School of Nanjing, China,

‘From this course, my outlook on leadership is going to change to allow myself to be the best leader possible. Every leader should have this opportunity’ Melissa Day, Amity International School, Abu Dhabi

‘It has been transformational in my own development as a leader. Be ready to self-reflect, be your best self and you will fly.’ Scott McDiarmid, Doha College

For more information or to book a place please contact kate.beetlestone@karenardley.com