Use senior leadership meeting time more effectively
Example
School details
School name: Matrix Academy Trust
Location: Walsall
Type: Multi-academy trust
Number of pupils: 7,215
Contact details: Email Director of School Improvement David Lowbridge-Ellis, MBE, at dlowbridgeellis@matrixacademytrust.co.uk
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Background from David Lowbridge-Ellis, MBE, Director of School Improvement
Leadership meetings are critical for school progress, updates and improvement, but sometimes it can be challenging to prioritise agenda items. At Smestow Academy, one of the schools in the Matrix Academy Trust, a weekly leadership meeting timetable has not only reduced the amount of time school leaders spend in meetings, but has also allowed them to focus on the highest leverage things - balancing importance and urgency. Other school leaders can adapt this approach to refine their leadership meeting practices.
How the weekly leadership meeting timetable works
Leadership meetings are organised into two types:
- operational meetings - these are brief, lasting no more than 15 to 20 minutes each
- strategic meetings - these are longer, lasting from 45 minutes to 1 hour each
This structure helps school leaders make better use of meeting time. It also enables faster and more sustainable improvement.
Everything comes to the table. No strategic decisions can happen in the school without being discussed at leadership meetings first. This prevents people working on different priorities which might clash or lead to a lack of clarity.
The deputy headteacher usually organises the agenda priorities, working closely with the headteacher.
Each meeting starts with a reminder of the school’s leadership values. These include being positive, solution-focused and open.
Operational meetings
These meetings occur every morning, except on Fridays. They focus on day-to-day operational topics, such as staff cover and behaviour hotspots.
The agenda prioritises topics based on their urgency and importance.
Strategic meetings
Two strategic meetings occur each week on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, after school finishes.
They focus on long-term strategic goals, without the distraction of daily operations. Meetings begin with the most urgent and important items, moving on to less critical topics if time allows.
Leadership meetings across our trust never go beyond 5pm.
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