Evolve Testimonials

Gareth Stananought, Head Teacher Harris Academy Rainham(Written at the time of Deputy Principal, Harris Academy Chafford Hundred)

HACH is a high achieving 11-18 Academy that has been identified as outstanding in every area by Ofsted and last year achieved 93% 5 A* - C including English and Maths. The school was not always as successful. In 2007 the school was deemed to be inadequate and the schools 5 A* - C figure languished at 16%. The school has obviously undergone a significant and rapid transformation. There are many reasons for this improvement but a significant part has been the work that has been done on developing leaders across the organisation.

The school began working with Jill in 2009 when she came to speak to the senior management team about leadership, talent management and succession planning. As a result of these conversations we began working with Jill to develop leaders at all levels in the organisation. Initially the intention was to create a program that developed middle leaders and began to generate a ‘leadership pipeline’. A group of individuals that could perform effectively and could at, some point in the future, be promoted further. The work with Jill has gone much further than that. Jill has become an integral part of the schools leadership development. She has worked with leaders at every level in the organisation and has helped us not only to understand the notion of authentic leadership but has enabled so many of us to begin the journey to discovering this authenticity. Jill’s work has been around people development in the truest sense of the word.

Leadership development in schools has tended to be a haphazard affair. It often lacks structure, purpose and coherence and tends to focus on new leaders or leaders with potential. As a school we believe that this should not be the case and Jill is a crucial part of our desire to develop leaders at every level in the organisation. She and her associates have worked with SMT, middle leaders, aspiring leaders and newly qualified staff. The impact of Jill’s work cannot be underestimated. Currently 60% of our senior and middle leaders have completed programmes with Jill or received psychometric profiling and coaching to identify key learning needs and ways forward. We firmly believe that the fact the school does not need to externally recruit for senior positions is due, in no small part, to the work that Jill does with our aspiring leaders.

We currently have 6 high potential individuals undertaking the Evolve programme to develop as leaders and become internal coaches and I recently spoke to a member

of staff on the programme. The programme was described as the best professional development she has ever undertaken and that it had encouraged her to think deeply about who she was and how she leads. The value this brings to an individual and an organisation may be difficult to quantify but it is priceless.

Mark Heuston, Executive Principal, The South Newcastle Federation

The Evolve project has had a massive impact on the staff who joined this programme. They have developed a confidence and professional maturity that is a credit to them as teachers. The have shown they want to take responsibility, help us shape the future of our schools. Most important though, is their desire and hunger for us to be outstanding. They have changed significantly. They now want to make a much bigger contribution to our organisation than before. Their transformation into focused school improvers has been massively positive. So much so, as we are embarking on a similar programme for Senior Leaders.

This project both develops and empowers people. The participants have changed our schools outlook. We, as head teachers, have a much stronger bond with them and a better shared way of working than before. We have found a common way to take our organisation forward. Most importantly they want to give more, lead more and shape more.

I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to transform leadership in their school.

Dr. Chris Tomlinson, Regional Director of The Harris Federation and Executive Principal

The impact of the Evolve programme has been transformational across the academies I have led. I believe it should be a compulsory element of the talent management framework to develop cohesive, effective senior leadership teams or high performing / high potential individuals across different academies.

Martyn Patterson, Head Teacher, Newhaven Pupil Referral Unit

The middle and senior managers of my school had had very little in the way of personal CPD and development prior to my tenure. Many had access to training around GCSE content and generic behaviour management but nothing that looked at the personal development of them as individuals in leadership positions across the school.

Having been fortunate to have experienced working with Jill McMillan Associates in the past, introducing the Evolve programme to my team of middle and senior managers was a priority for me.

It is clear that Evolve has led to a shared vision, a shared language and a shared ethos across the extended leadership team of the school, with all staff involved rating the programme as being one of the most valuable they have experienced through their career. The impact is easily visible: staff are aware and understand what they bring to the team and what they need support with; staff show a better understanding of the direction of the school and have a firm belief in their part in that journey; middle managers are a closer team and more readily supportive of each other; middle managers are actively more supportive of the senior team, wanting to be a part of an organisation that values their input and invests in them as leaders.

I would have no hesitation in recommending Evolve to any organisation that wants to build a united team that shares the vision and ethos of the organisation and finds ways to ensure that vision is successfully embedded.

Si Ali, Head of Faculty, Art & Design Technology, Harris Academy Greenwich

Having worked previously with JMA in the Evolve programme, I was confident that a session could be put together for my team to help achieve our objectives. Charly was invited to work with our newly formed faculty, the mission was to help develop team togetherness and a shared vision.

There were skeptics in the room so I was interested to see how the day would play out. Charly’s facilitation and guidance throughout the day was excellent. It was fascinating to observe and feel the mood of the room switch from tension to relief. Her personable approach was both natural and assured. Charly empowered

colleagues to be honest and open about their past grievances, express their fears and talk about their hopes for the future of the team. Colleagues felt safe and the contracting we did before and after the session has helped build trust and rapport.

Feedback from the team has been positive, with team members saying they ‘feel like a weight has been lifted’. I have sensed a more reflective team and one that is more open to working together for a common purpose.

JMA provides the tools that raise awareness for individuals and teams and helps them to become self-reflective. I have benefitted from the programmes personally and professionally and would highly recommend.

Sarah Dodsley, Middle Leader and Teacher of Law at Harris Academy Chafford Hundred

I was fortunate enough to participate in the Evolve programme in 2014 along with 5 other participants. I felt incredibly lucky to be selected for this programme as time in school is so precious so I knew it would be a worthwhile project. I had taken part in a programme previously with Jill McMillan so I already knew that the quality of the course would be extremely high. The programme ran for 6 days and in all honestly was life changing for me as a teacher and a person.What first struck me first was being able to have that time and space to focus on yourself as an individual. There simply haven’t been opportunities like that before and it is invaluable. So often, training programmes will teach you the theory of how to teach, or how to lead etc, but never I have I had the opportunity to really delve deep into my own values and beliefs and how my own leadership could be developed within different contexts and how I could use my leadership to really shape my own future and that of others, both students and staff. What really enabled that to happen was time out of the classroom and really digging beneath the surface, not just paying lip service to a new theory or idea of how best to lead/teach.

It had an immediate impact on my delivery of lessons because I felt valued and I felt I was able to express what was important to me and how I could really impact on the organisation I worked for and the children I was teaching. I very quickly put into practice some of the models I had been taught during conversations with my colleagues but also in my teaching practice. From a measurable point of view, the exam results of my students made a marked increase that summer afterwards.I was able to lead and contribute to training sessions with colleagues and impart this new knowledge to them and motivate them to also consider their own leadership using the ideas I had been taught. I used my new found coaching skills to

immediately coach 5 members of staff at school who all went on to get promoted shortly after or during our conversations and have continued to use the coaching style methods with their own teams with great success and all of whom have not only had real impact in the classroom and on their results but also with colleagues. As a leader it shifted my perspective: in my role as Assistant Head of Sixth Form I became more aware of the need for a whole school perspective in my leadership. I set up a number of extra- curricular programmes after taking part in Evolve which continue to run now and impact on students throughout the school not just Sixth form. My ability to manage situations and staff improved greatly and my initiative improved. In short, I worked harder but with more passion and drive.

Many courses that I have taken part in during my 7 year teaching career have been very interesting and I have learned maybe a new trick or two but in my opinion the Evolve programme has true sustainability. For example I continue to use the coaching methods I learned during the programme on a daily basis and continue to coach members of staff at the school. A couple of the staff members I have coached had discussed leaving for pastures new during our time together. I truly feel that by giving them the benefit of time and having good conversations, I have not only helped them reach professional goals I have also helped retain good staff. I use the methods with my students and it makes a difference as to how they respond as they take ownership for their own learning. It enables anyone to tap into their values and beliefs and ideas and I know from my own experience how that made me work harder.

I can’t stress enough how important such time is to staff! Of all the people I have coached since 2014 whether over the course of a term or just a short conversation here and there it all comes down to being valued and being heard. Evolve speaks to that need directly and makes a real difference in a holistic way to school life. If staff are motivated then students will benefit and the techniques can also be directly used in the classroom. Evolve is a real gift to anyone but would make such a difference on a grand scale to the education system.

The following is a testimonial that one of Sarah’s coachee’s wrote after she’d attended Evolve.

We asked her to comment on the impact of Sarah’s coaching on her:

As a person?As a person coaching has impacted upon my emotional and psychological well being. I have been able to discuss and explore issues that have upset me or troubled me in a completely trusting and safe environment. A good example of this was my uncertainly of whether to stay at the Harris Academy or to leave, I had lost direction and momentum and it was causing me both upset and anxiety. Your coaching gave me the thought space and time to really reflect on what was important to me and

what I really wanted. Through the coaching process with role played the difficult conversations this may entail and gave me the confidence to go forwards and pursue what I wanted. I also greatly benefited emotionally in terms of sometimes simply “unloading”, a chance to say things that there is not a suitable or appropriate time to do so at other times, such as the loss of my friend at Christmas. The opportunities that coaching provides it not just professional but emotional and I think that I would have struggled to feel as happy and content with myself and my choices now, if I had not have the support and exploration time that coaching provides. For example, coaching helped my visualise and motivate my end goal then I was struggling and “stuck in a rut” with my Masters. I would also not have been brave enough to put into action what I would really like to do, to pursue my own interest in Counselling.

As a teacher?As a teacher I have been able to remain focused, having coaching has enabled me to learn how to interact, teach or even just listen to others without taking on their upset or problems. I have been more effective as I have been able to cast these things aside and do what is best for my students. A recent example of this is the helping of my Year 13s apply to University. I was able to ensure Sigourney applied to the appropriate universities to secure her future without being cajoled into allowing her to apply to the University that (although her parents wanted her to go to) she simply would not have ascertained the grades for. I am able to make these difficult decisions and not be effective by the emotions or difficulties that the student and often their parents enforce upon me.

And we also asked her to comment on the impact of the coaching on her students (results or any other outcome)

Students have a teacher that is focused on them, not worried or distracted with other concerns. I have become more efficient in my teaching practice, because I am more self aware. I am able to prioritise tasks and ensure that I make the correct decisions for students, not bow to pressure from leadership, policy or parents. My results have risen to over 95% A-C which is 23% higher than the national average. My A-A* was 62% which is 40% higher than the national average. I believe this to be because the quality of my teaching (consistently outstanding) improved as I was more focused and able to use the skills of quality coaching with my children to help them stay motivated and make learning progress.

Any other outcomes?Improved relationship with my partner at home, I am able to discuss the outcomes from coaching instead of going home and venting about problems, or worrying, I am able to have a better quality home life where there are more positive conversations. For example, instead of discussing and worrying my partner about my future career in teaching and what he thinks to excess, we talk about what ideas I had in coaching and how I feel about it- it is much more constructive.

Amy Anderson, Member of SMT at Harris Academy Chafford Hundred

I joined my current school as the Achievement Director for Expressive Arts. My first middle leader role where I had very little experience. My head at the time asked me to participate in a middle leader development programme and this was the first time I worked with Jill and the Evolve team. In all honesty I wasn't the easiest person to coach as I felt my values and leadership style were already strong. The learning journey I went through as part of the programme was incredible. I was asked to challenge my beliefs, develop a more authentic me and realised that I had been suffering from imposter syndrome trying to be the leader I thought I should be rather than the leader I was.

One of the most impactful moments on the programme was the insights profiling tool which gave me a true picture of what it is like to work with me and how to get the best from me. Some years later I was developing my senior leadership skills and joined Jill and her team for the second round of Evolve.

I can whole heartedly say that Evolve is the reason I became the Senior Leader I am today. The coaching from Jill and her associates once again challenged my thinking, developed my understanding of authentic leadership and taught me to truly understand my skill set in order to utilise my strengths. When you commit to the programme, even if you are the most cynical of people, you are taken on a journey mentally, physically and emotionally to uncover your true values and beliefs and learn how to engage in quality conversations always putting your best self forward because you are self aware and emotionally intelligent.

Jill is a phenomenal coach and leader. The programme is designed in such a way that you learn at every opportunity. You learn about yourself and you learn about how to work best with your colleagues to maximise the impact you have as a leader in your school.

Since completing Evolve I have secured a Senior Leader position within my school and started to work on national projects such as WomenEd and through our Teaching School.

I never imagined the small town 20 something young woman with a big attitude would have be opportunities I have had in my career so far and believe that Jill and the Evolve programme shaped, tailored and developed the leader I have become. I could have easily been the member of staff in school who led in an authoritative way without empathy and without understanding because that is who I thought I was as a leader. Jill recognised there was more in me and unlocked my true potential.

I thank Jill for creating the Evolve programme and would endorse the power of the programme to unlock potential in Leaders in schools to lead with true vision and absolute authenticity.