Rainbow worrier

I spent New Year in Tenby, which was beautiful although mostly very wet, and best enjoyed from indoors. When we weren’t inside hiding from the rain, we were out walking the dog (and occasionally the kids) on the beach, admiring the view and the many rainbows. It might have been on one of those walks that I began mulling this over and thinking about my own experiences as a director of children’s services.

One of the greatest challenges I’ve had has been to make sense of the complex and fragmented context that we work in and working out how best to make a difference as a leader. Having started my current role quite recently, I suppose I’m still making sense of the new environment. Getting back to the office, I’ve been thinking about my role as a leader in creating greater coherence. If I’m honest, after being on leave for two weeks, the first step was just to construct a coherent sentence.

In our role as system leaders, seeking, achieving, and communicating a coherent interpretation of how we see the world is a crucial component of what we do. Without meaning to state the bleeding obvious, circumstances are often working against us. Whether it’s health, education, the youth justice system, or the myriad of social care reforms, sometimes the organisational and policy context can feel somewhat bewildering.

The ADCS policy paper A future vision for the education system makes an excellent case for creating greater coherence. This calls on the government to set out a clear long-term vision for the future. This includes an approach to education that is rooted in place and considers the needs of local children and communities. The paper makes a compelling case for the local authority to play a key role in shaping the response to local needs through place-based school partnerships.

I am very privileged to have joined Camden where there is a well-established place-based education partnership, and a strong commitment to working together across the local authority and the family of schools.

The vast majority of schools in Camden are still local authority maintained, and whilst this is not a prerequisite for an effective place-based partnership, it certainly makes things simpler.

In Camden we have established Camden Learning, a formal partnership which is a joint enterprise between the local authority and schools, established as an independent company in 2017. This partnership is based on a collective moral purpose and a shared set of values. All Camden schools have chosen to sign up to Camden Learning and take collective responsibility for their performance and to improve outcomes for children across Camden. This shared approach is rooted in local vision, relationships and networks.

This partnership has enabled the council to work with schools to develop innovative approaches to increasing access to enrichment and learning opportunities. This includes the development of formal and informal school partnerships to respond to the needs of our communities. The STEAM Hub (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) is a great example of using the power of place to draw in local industry partners in tech, life sciences, and academia to offer career activities and experiences for young people who would not normally have access to these opportunities.

Through our education strategy ‘Building Back Stronger’, with its focus on achieving both excellence and equity, we have set out an ambitious approach which places collaboration and co-operation at the centre of what we do. This enables us to work together as one system to respond to a number of challenges including falling school rolls, attendance, SEND and closing the disadvantage gap. This brings schools together in the spirit of collaboration, not competition, and with the explicit aim to bring about even greater coherence to the local system.

As I conclude this, my first ADCS blog, I feel optimistic and the words of Jimmy Cliff spring to mind. Whilst I’m not necessarily certain that ‘all the dark clouds that had me blind’ will be gone, I’m pretty sure that 2024 will have numerous bright sunshiny days ahead.

Tim Aldrige is executive director of children and learning at Camden Council and honorary treasurer for the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS). This blog was first published on the ADCS website.