Gill Kelly

When you are making changes to an organisation, the changes you want to make are only part of the picture. In the same way, when you are building a new school, the new school building is, in many ways, the least of your concerns.

It is wisdom such as this – and a commitment to ‘walk the talk’ when it comes to leadership - that has helped Gill Kelly become an innovative leader in her own right

Back in the days when the UK government felt that children and teachers deserved better schools than the crumbling, leaking piles that many were working in, Gill Kelly was a deputy head at a school that won a Building Schools for the Future bid. Her role was to use the opportunity provided by the BSF process to help the school make a change not just to its buildings but to the very nature of the way it went about teaching and learning in the 21st century.

Of the many things she learned from the process (much of which she has set down in her new book for the Independent Thinking Series, Where Will I Do My Pineapples?!) are:

• How a school communicates within its four walls will more accurately convey the values of that institution than the ‘Our Values’ plaque in reception
• Redesigning the system without understanding the context you are working in is a hollow act and will have no lasting impact whatsoever
• Without engaging the community (no, really engaging the community and an equally open heart) you will not sustain the improvements you make
• Brave leadership requires strength of resolve, an open mind and a genuine moral integrity
• Respectful but honest relationships sustain you through troubled times (whereas respect without honesty means you don’t rock the boat but the boat is actually sinking)
• Modern leadership is about supporting networks and partnerships as much - if not more - than it is about vision and bravery working
• Saying those three magic words ‘I don’t know’ is not only fine, it should be a requirement of any headteacher’s performance management!

The experience Gill gained helping to lead a major transformation project has now led her towards a new challenge leading a school of her own and, as you might expect, it is not just any school.

Gill is now the principal of an Academy situated in the 14th most deprived ward in the country. Half of the school is eligible for free school meals, half of each year group has English as an additional language and a third of each year group has other additional learning needs. The Academy is also in the top 3% of schools in the country for progress. She took up her post in September 2010, and has the further challenge of building upon the work of an original Academy start up in to the new era of Academy development.

And again, introducing changes in a way that keeps onside all those staff who are up to the challenge, has been the way forward for her.

At a time of great change in education, the insights that Gill has gleaned from her experiences in school leadership, and in particular implementing major changes without losing sight of the people at the heart of a school, mean that she has a great deal to offer school leaders.

Because there’s more to building a new school than building a new school.

So, why not book Gill for a Conference Event with your staff or governors (Gill delivers Events for early years, primary, secondary and further education).

People who benefited from Gill have also enjoyed Dave Harris.

Articles written by Gill Kelly

• So, You Want to Build a New School?

Books written by Gill Kelly

• Where Will I Do My Pineapples?

To make contact with Gill to discuss how she can help you in your work please call the Independent Thinking office on 0844 589 0490 or e-mail us at learn@independentthinking.co.uk.

Gill's CRB number is 001156710598 issued on 9th March 2007.

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