I should start with a trigger warning: this post will talk about going back to school for the start of a new term. But not just any new term. I want to talk about the special case of the start of the new school year, in particular the INSET day that is the threshold over which all teachers must pass.
For those outside of the UK, INSET is short for ‘IN-SErvice Training’. Most school systems in the western world have similar things, days when teachers are in school but the children aren’t. It sounds ideal, right? However, INSET days are greeted with wariness by many teachers. It is, perhaps, no surprise. After all, INSET days have been the vehicle for delivering failed policies and ropey training since their inception in 1988. The September INSET day was where I first met learning styles, thinking hats, the three-part lesson, the 5-minute lesson plan, triple-impact marking, differentiated learning outcomes, APP, and numerous other debunked and defunct practices. I have also sat through and, I admit, delivered many big launches of new initiatives, not all of which have lasted the year.
The fundamental problem with the September INSET day derives from a tension between what teachers want out of the day and what school leaders hope to achieve. For teachers, the INSET day is the bridge between the long school holidays and the frantic, bell-driven pace of term time. This liminal space is where teachers physically and emotionally prepare for what lies ahead. It is the warm-up before the race, the orientation of the map, the slip lane. What teachers want (need) is to socially reconnect, to emotionally re-engage, and to cognitively switch from living in the present to thinking about the future.
For school leaders, the September INSET day is an opportune moment to introduce change. They intuitively know that teachers and pupils are primed to more readily accept new expectations and new practices when new terms begin, particularly the transition between ‘last year’ and ‘next year’. The new academic year is a reset. In primary schools, it is where classes switch teacher, a change which changes everything about the expectations, routines, and flavour of the school day. In secondary schools, the working week is turned inside out by a new timetable. We expect change at this point in the year, and school leaders can take advantage of this expectation. Trojan-horse change management.
The competing priorities of teachers and school leaders creates a tension. The inclusion of a September INSET day exacerbates this tension as it is territory to be fought over. Were it not for the INSET day, teachers would inevitably start gearing up for teaching towards the end of the holidays, undirected by management. Instead, they foolishly leave it until the INSET day, only to have it sabotaged (in their eyes) by someone else’s agenda. Without the INSET day, school leaders would find ways of introducing change without the ‘big launch’. Instead, they monopolise this valuable time. Neither side is to blame; the system is configured to create this conflict.
What can we do to overcome this problem? School leaders may consider three options: compromise, create capacity, or capitulate. The compromise position is to allocate time on the INSET day to allow both school leaders and teachers to achieve some of what they hoped to achieve. Compromise can work but can also lead to everything feeling rushed – a speedy briefing, a rapid department meeting, a snatched hour or two to get ready for teaching.
Compromise can work better if more capacity is also created. A common way of achieving this is a staggered start for students, bringing in some year groups a little later in the week. This is a pragmatic solution that many schools adopt, but it sits uncomfortably with the entitlement to 190 school days.
What about capitulating by accepting that teachers need time to re-engage and plan for the term ahead? In the school in which I work, we have decided to ‘flip’ how we use our directed time this year, committing INSET days for teachers to work independently and in their teams, whilst the after-school slots that were used for meetings will now be our time for professional development. In this way, every term will start with time for teachers to prepare for teaching and have the professional conversations that need to be had, whilst professional development will be little and often throughout the year. Will this be a better way of working? I don’t know. But it does mean that the September INSET day dilemma is averted as we hand it over to getting our heads back in the game.
Without the pressure to plan a full-on INSET day, school leaders can pay more attention to helping staff return to work after the summer break. What should we consider?
First, we should think about all staff, not just teachers. INSET days are enshrined as a right for teachers in school teachers pay and conditions, but non-teaching staff will also need time to prepare for the coming year. This may mean attending INSET days for some staff.
Second, we should avoid common faux pas. In welcoming staff back to work, we must remember that not all staff have had time off. Your site team, IT team, Business Manager, and others may well have worked most or all of the summer getting the school ready for pupils and teachers to return. We should also not assume that everyone has had a good summer. Bereavement, ill health, or simply family tensions can mean that summers can feel more or a chore than a restful break for many. Opening with the words ‘I hope everyone if well rested’ will not be welcome by some. Instead, we should convey that we are pleased to welcome everyone back.
Third, we should create the opportunity for staff to reconnect. This may mean inviting staff in early for coffee and pastries, or providing lunch to encourage everyone to come together. Seeing staff chatting about their summer can make you feel that the day is unproductive but the hidden benefits of this activity are many.
Getting the September INSET day right is not easy, but if nothing else we must create positive feelings about being back at school. It is not the time to deep dive into ‘what went wrong’ with exam results, micro-manage every minute of the day, or add new targets for people to achieve. ‘Welcome back’ should be the tone of the day, not just the first item on the agenda.
Matthew Evans 