Using a Quality Systems Approach to School Improvement

The quality systems approach is for advisers and school leaders who wish to work at the highest level in education systems improvement. This training programme assumes the participant has expertise in supporting and advising schools, is a school improvement expert, and has a deep understanding of governance and leadership. We expect applicants to wish to develop high level skills and knowledge of how organisations are transformed.

What is the problem we are trying to solve?

One of the major problems in our education system is not understanding why results vary in a particular school or within groups of schools. We want to know how we can move towards the ‘ideal state’, in which schools are in control of their processes and, therefore, achieve consistently higher outputs.

Schools and MATs are also increasingly interested in a quality-systems approach to long-term success through continuous improvement and intelligent feedback, rather than quick fixes for external inspection.

What is a quality systems approach?

Quality systems is a way of supporting systems leaders in ensuring that their systems are fit for purpose and continuously improved through carefully managed modifications responding to continuous feedback.

Who is delivering?

Les Walton CBE

Les has a national reputation for leading interventions in very challenging circumstances. He has applied the quality systems approach within schools, FE, local authorities, national education agencies and the private sector. His own school was once described by the British Deming Association as the ‘best example of total quality management in education’.

What will I get from the programme?

You will:

1. be introduced to powerful demonstrations, including the ‘Red Bead Experiment’, which will de-construct how management influences individual performance;

2. learn how to use ‘Deep Dive’ quality techniques such as ‘Ishikawa’ and ‘Value Analysis;’

3. be introduced to the Kaizen approach to continuous incremental improvement and how small, often imperceptible changes add up to substantial changes over time;

4. examine WIN-WIN and consider how to build quality into our stems and optimise their effectiveness;

5. examine a case study, addressing how advisers can support organisations that require significant intervention.

Finally, we will ask the question – is doing nothing sometimes the best answer?

Book your place on Eventbrite here.