The long awaited and now much dissected schools white paper suggests three main drivers to achieve its ambitious aims: investing in people, collaboration and innovation.
These are core elements the system has been calling for. But can collaboration be the driver for the cultural shift required for SEND reform, unlocking ambitions for the disadvantaged and creating unity in a fragmented system?
In 2020 leaders took collaboration into their own hands providing the civic leadership and agency that ensured they did all they could collectively to reach young people isolated by the pandemic in more ways than one.
Even the 2022 education white paper challenged organisations to work towards a proposed “collaborative standard”.
Repeated studies show collaboration between teachers, schools and networks of schools is beneficial for improving teacher knowledge, skills and job satisfaction, as well as confidence and trust, all of which boost teacher retention.
So why does this still need to be stated, encouraged and structured by government?
If the ambition and associated levers determining system behaviours are fulfilled to their potential, collaboration could revolutionise the way schools, trusts and wider partners engage, interact, perform and are measured.
But like anything, it requires training and support alongside the right conditions for this way of working to thrive.
Requiring schools and trusts to cooperate not just on key areas like admissions or attendance, but for wider civic responsibility, is a far cry from the competitive marketplace of a pre-pandemic landscape that encouraged narrow performance measures and high-stakes accountability.
Now the pandemic is behind us, but we face a whole different set of challenges, and we do not seem to have learned the lessons.
Collegiality lost?
While “inclusion” is to be authenticated by the inspectorate, the myriad of banners and buzzwords do not show any sign of dissipating.
We risk the return of fear and compliance that stifles innovation. Has the sector lost its sense of collegiality?
At Heathfield, in developing a collaborative culture we adopted an understanding close to that summarised by Cat Scutt in 2020: an authentic commitment and sense of accountability, promoting challenge alongside alternative perspectives, time for reflection and developing shared knowledge and expertise.
As a result, the outcomes of everything we do are far greater than the sum of our parts.
Post-pandemic, this extends to wider work supporting rural families and approaches to SEND provision.
Across the country we see evidence of collaboration to reduce disadvantage, increase community partnership and to co-construct models of professional development.
There are examples and track records of great practice in this space. But it is not yet commonplace.
Any efforts to work collaboratively inevitably face the challenge of context and, in our current system, competition.
Sticking-plaster approach
It is at times rewarding and impactful for all involved, genuine heads-together moments focused on solving common problems. At other times, efforts stall through lack of time, resource and clarity, or through ego and status.
Too often I hear of sticking-plaster approaches masquerading as collaboration.
The dominance of a trust brand or trend can supersede the interpersonal, individual contextual understanding that is required.
Genuine area partnership and authentic, mission-led collaboration across sectors has the potential to be transformational.
The white paper hopes for “an environment that helps set our children up for life, achieving higher standards, stronger professional practice, and better outcomes”.
But all voices, expertise and experience have to be valued.
The experts at hand may not always be the biggest entity or the loudest voice in the room. Collaboration requires parity of all partners, a truly shared sense of mission and a genuine willingness to learn together.
We must ensure that levers of accountability and advantage are not allowed to undermine the process or the goal. Fear and mistrust will stifle the necessary innovation and professional openness.
The secretary of state calls these reforms a once-in-a-generation opportunity. It is therefore up to us all to hold our nerve and grasp the opportunity – together.
