Make a change, and not a small one

 

• View Part 1 transcript

  Hello, my name is Ben England and I’m Head of Music at the Grange School and Sports College in Bristol and I’m also Lead Post-16 Teacher for South Gloucestershire. It's my very great pleasure to be here today, and I bring greetings from deepest, darkest Bristol.

  I'm here today to talk about making changes – and not small changes. These are the changes that decide whether we achieve our goals or not. Whether we find our dream job, whether we reach the highest peaks of our potential...

  With that in mind, I would like to share an insight that was once given to me by a wise and venerable guru in a monastery on the side of a Tibetan mountain – he said, “the hardest battles we face are those in our own minds”. Wise words indeed. And okay, they weren't actually from a guru – they were from a fortune cookie that I had last weekend – but the point it tries to make is a good one, cookie or not.

  The battles inside us can be fought over many things. Do we really want that last piece of cake in the fridge? Are we really able to do the job for which we've just been volunteered? Do we really want to watch Celebrity Big Brother or would we rather gnaw off our own leg? In all seriousness, as aspiring heads, these crises of confidence often arise over our career choices. Can I really do this job? Am I ready for it?

  One of the most valuable lessons I have learned in life is that rules and traditions are merely the ways which we are used to doing things. We are very much used to hearing: “I'd love to go for that job, but I'm not old enough or I don't have enough experience”. But who says? Why not try? I have faced this particular battle many times in my career to date. As I move towards headship myself, I sometimes have to remind myself of the events that brought me here.

• View Part 2 transcript

  I graduated from Bristol in 1998 with a 2:1 in music and not a clue as to how I was going to earn a living. In a moment of panic, I signed up for a TEFL course, and so my first job after university was as a teacher of English as a foreign language for a worldwide language training company. Worldwide – that really appealed to me. Schools and centres in Paris, Sydney, Boston, Heidelberg, Rome. I was based at the school in… Bristol. After my first year, I came to the realisation that there was pretty much no chance of any serious career advancement. I decided I wanted a change – and I had an idea as to what I wanted to do.

  This was the year 2000, after all. The internet was in full bloom, and I was really keen to learn everything I could about it – and when I say learn everything I could about it, I of course mean, cash in on it. I read a fascinating article on e-learning – and saw an opportunity in the making. I made an appointment to see the Managing Director. I mentioned the word ‘internet’ and at that point, little pound signs started spinning in his eyes and I knew I was onto something. Within a week I was Head of E-Learning (a newly-created role), and managing a small team which built an online school from scratch, making use of these emerging internet technologies. The lesson I took away from this amazing turn of events was ‘why not try?’ My doubts about suggesting the project had been myriad – part of me had expected him to say “inter-what?” – but a ‘why not?’ attitude had definitely paid dividends.

  I ran the online school for two years, expanding it from an internet-only application, to CD-ROM and intranet-based versions. I travelled internationally, selling the program to businesses worldwide and inflicting my appalling GCSE French on unsuspecting Parisians.

  In late 2002, I took a good look at the little empire I had built. At the age of 25, I was a Head of IT for an internationally renowned company, and I realised I could stay in that role for decades if I wanted to. But I didn't, I wanted more. But where was there to go? At that point, I decided I wanted to make a change. And not a small one.

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  I can clearly identify the moment I decided to be a teacher. My wife – a doctor – returned from a long shift at work and asked me how my day was. I replied, "Fine. I built the last three pages of that financial website, and had a meeting. How about you?" She told me about the fascinating day she had had – full of interactions with patients, new and exciting medical procedures, technological breakthroughs – the list went on. I realised that my life consisted of staring at computer screens and sitting in interminable meetings. My life was disappearing in chunks no smaller than a week – I couldn’t actually recall individual days – they all blended into one another.

  I remembered that the only time I had really, really enjoyed work was back where I had started – as a teacher. I did the reading, applied to the Fast Track teaching scheme and by September 2003, I was on the Bath Spa PGCE. But again, I had to fight the battle in my own mind. Am I right for it? Is it right for me? Am I throwing away a really good job to do something that might not even work?

  As I progressed through my training, I watched my mentors (all Heads of Music) very closely. I asked them all about their role, and about what was involved – and I realised that I already had all the attributes needed to do the job of Head of Music from my experiences in industry.

  And so, when speaking to a colleague during my second PGCE placement, I found out that a local school – described as ‘a bit rough’– was going to be in need of a Head of Music, I thought: why not apply? There were potential downsides – the mere mention of the school’s name was enough to evoke almost primal fear in local supply staff; the fact that not many people were keen on applying because of the lack of facilities and difficult teaching conditions. Oh, and Ofsted were overdue for a visit.

  Internal battles raging, I applied anyway, and straight away the naysayers chimed in. I was told all sorts of fascinatingly negative comments –everything from “you’re too young” to “you’re not experienced enough” to “they’ll eat you alive!” But my overriding thought was – again – why not?

  The interview – my first in teaching – was eye-opening to be sure, but, as I had thought, my industry experience was more than enough to satisfy the head that I was the right person for the job. And that’s how I found myself, an NQT, in charge of a failing music department with no computers, a room full of dying keyboards and a serious discipline issue.

  Was it intimidating? Yes, it was. As Ofsted loomed, I suddenly found myself contemplating long holidays to far-off destinations. Like Basra. But I stuck to my initial instincts. Within a month, the schemes of work were rewritten, and funding had been raised for new computer equipment.

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  In my first full term as Head of Music, an opportunity arose for me to apply to be Key Stage 5 Music Co-ordinator for the local Post-16 partnership of schools. Now this was a new role that had been bandied about for years with a specific person in mind (who just happened to be the Head of Music at the school next door) – but I thought it applying for it would be a worthwhile endeavour. So I did.

  I was called for interview, and was complimented on having applied, and told that my application was very strong, but that in this case they were going to go for the other guy. This came as absolutely no surprise to me – the job had been created for him as it goes – but I lost absolutely nothing in applying for it and actually gained a great deal. Not only did several headteachers in the area now know that I existed and was keen to take on responsibilities, but I had gained the respect of the interview panel (who were all movers and shakers) through having applied and given a good interview.

  During my time at the Grange, I have always put myself forward for new initiatives – and set up many of my own, including our famous Rock Orchestra, which has attracted the attention of the national media. I’ve volunteered to deliver INSET to colleagues at school. I’ve given up my time in lieu to travel to other schools to support colleagues with music technology.

  So three years on, I am now Lead Post-16 Teacher for the authority, which, again, is a new role designed to raise achievement at Key Stage 5 through innovation and support. I’ve just been invited onto the SLT of my school, and I am being used for INSET in all subject areas.

• View Part 5 transcript

  Where am I headed? At the moment, I'm exploring this new role, with a view to becoming an AST in the next year or two. Following that, I'm planning to be an assistant head by the time I'm 35, and a head by the time I'm – why not – 40. Beyond that, who knows? I think that, as with the rest of my career so far, I will know when I get there.

  But the battles that I am fighting inside my head still distract me from time to time. Not to the extent that I let them put me off going for my goals - in the end, I know deep down if I am going to be able to achieve them. As we all do when we really look.

  And should you find yourself in a situation where your goal is in front of you, but your doubts loom – and most seriously, you find yourself without wisdom-dispensing Asian sweet pastries – please consider this. Think about your motivations and examine your capabilities, and ask yourself – “can I really do this?” And if so, why not do it? Why not make a change – and not a small one! Thank you.