Sharath Jeevan OBE, Executive Chairman, Intrinsic Labs
Over these past years, as education leaders, we have been told by successive governments that we must be accountable.
But the trickier question (which our politicians tend to shy away from) is: accountability to whom?
As an author and advisor to many educational organisations, my sense is that we have been the victims of an accountability paradox. In the race to become ever more accountable to the central system (Ofsted, league tables and more) we have lost connection and accountability to those that most matter: our students, communities and local places. And with it, perhaps trust, belief and genuine engagement in the communities we serve. This will be a key point to address at the CST CEO Leadership Summit in July.
It has been so inspiring so inspiring to learn about the work of Dixons Academies Trust and Ted Wragg Trusts as initial examples.
Dixons’ work has been focusing on deeply embedding self-determination theory, to ensure there is real agency and connection particularly among staff and young people. They have brought the accountability loop inwards. Ted Wragg Trust meanwhile have been looking at how we can achieve that through this via the "knitting” of other educational organisations in the same area, to build a vision and backbone for collective impact.
These are trusts that are fundamentally questioning the traditional notion of accountability, and we will hear their stories at the CEO Summit so we can explore what we can do as a local community together.
None of this is about questioning the need for accountability as education leaders. We simply need to be accountable to the people and communities that matter most. That must surely be the most foolproof way to rebuild public trust in us, our work and the centrality of education overall.
Join us for CST's CEO Leadership Summit on 7 and 8 July in Birmingham to explore our theme, Values in action: Purpose, public value, and public narrative. Find out more and book now.
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