What Visitors Say About Our Brilliant School
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South GlosheadHi Chris
I’ve been out working late.
But what a treat to come home and read this article. It made my day! Thank you so much for sharing it.
You do underplay your unquestionable charisma, dedication, passion and belief in the power of positivity.
In truth, there is only one Chris Dyson! You are unique. And I pray to god that you will be blessed with the stamina and good health to forever continue in the work that you do. You are a shining light that sets an example to all in education.
It is both a pleasure and an honour to know you, to be aware of the sterling work that you do and the infectious and unique spell that you cast that has a transforming effect on the lives of children and teachers alike!
It’s so good to know that you are out there doing what you do – making a huge positive difference to the perceptions, aspirations and pathways impacting upon children and the way that they and their teachers tackle and navigate the sometimes turbulent road through schooling and life!
You are a treasure and a diamond to hold, to look up to, and to emulate.
You never cease to gain my respect and admiration.
Article Link John Sharpe
Chris Dyson has been Headteacher of Parklands Primary School since 2014. He took over a school with low expectations of its pupils and with similarly low staff morale. Exclusion numbers had been very high, and behaviour was poor including the now infamous games of tig on the roof. Often described as the most deprived school in Britain, Parklands has 74% of its children receiving Free School Meals. Chris inherited a staff used to a regular verbal battering behind closed doors. If the school had been inspected at that time, ‘inadequate’ was the most likely judgement just as the Local Authority had graded the school.
Four years on and Parklands is OFSTED rated ‘Outstanding’ and Chris is a regular at the TES Awards, collecting the prize for community collaboration in 2017 (and being shortlisted for HeadTeacher of the Year and Maths School of the Year in 2018) and in that time, Chris has seen very little change in the make up of his staff. How does he do it?
Chris loves a visitor at Parklands, adults and children. Arriving at his office at lunchtime, door wide open as it always is with the exception of the most sensitive meetings, I was greeted by walls of notes, cards, pictures and gifts from the children. Children came and went, talked freely and honestly and enjoyed the friendly banter of their Headteacher. Make no mistake though; they know Chris is in charge and they know their boundaries, but they also know that their wellbeing is at the top of the Parklands agenda.
Chris applies a similar attitude towards his staff. Little movement in the staff save for moves abroad and promotion is testament to the positive culture that Chris has grown. To keep hold of staff, young teachers in particular, at a time when some schools experience close to 100% turnover each year or two is an admirable achievement. He embraces the opportunity that part-time teachers offer. Whereas some heads would baulk at this prospect, at Parklands it is recognised that this is a means to retain staff, look after their wellbeing through reduced hours and to reward them by trusting them. Though the Parklands Twitter feed is full of celebration such as ‘The Parklands Fun Palace’ and the ‘Best Seats in the House’ and this would suggest that life is one long party, this is far from the case. Book looks, and drop-in observations are conducted as rigorously as anywhere else. They are however accompanied and supported by an atmosphere in which teachers are coached and given constructive feedback, rather than be in an environment of critique and fear.
‘Look after your staff and they will look after you’ is the Dyson philosophy, words echoed by the staff I spoke to. Days in lieu are granted for attending Saturday INSET and events such as Primary Rocks and Northern Rocks. Days off are also given to staff, teaching assistants included, who attend residential trips. In many schools this is not the usual practice at all. Time is given during the day for marking with a vital twenty minute window being opened for an assembly of PSHE lesson, enabling immediate feedback for the day’s mathematics teaching. Teachers aren’t expected to mark homework as it is either completed on an online platform or in the form of home projects. Written planning is not required, as planning and preparation time is given over to the production of flipcharts and teaching resources. Chris’s young teachers feel like he wishes to empower them and that crucially he trusts them. One became NQT mentor having just completed her first year of teaching, unheard of in some establishments, but here Dyson provides an invaluable learning experience in giving the opportunity to lead from an early stage in one’s teaching career.
There is a feeling of a very positive culture at Parklands. In Chapter One I discussed how wellbeing couldn’t be covered in a training day. The Dyson way is to have a team building day, a few days before the start of the Autumn Term in the last days of August. There is no compulsion to attend, again because of family commitments, holiday or simply because it isn’t to everyone’s taste, but the day of bowling, boating or laser tagging is rewarded with time off in lieu also. Carried by the force of Chris’s personality, most staff choose to attend this day. They feel a sense of team bonding, that Chris values them and that they begin the term on a positive note. Contrast this with the sometimes rather staid and awkward training day team building experiences described earlier in the book; the difference lies in choice for the members of the team and a very clear purpose for Chris.
It was intriguing to talk to the teaching assistants, many of whom had served through five previous headteacher’s appointments. Though they recognised Chris’s role in forging the positive and vibrant culture that Parklands has at present, they all believed that they had a tight bond before he arrived. They felt this was important under the previous regime as during that time there was a lot of ‘sneaking about’ and tale telling to the Head, staff crying in stock cupboards and a ‘ruthless’ attitude from the school leadership, where people feared for their jobs and their mental health. The most refreshing aspect of the Dyson headship was his open door policy and his very obvious desire to care and to put children first. Described as ‘Brilliantly Bonkers’, everyone feels able to challenge him if necessary but there is a degree of comfort and confidence in doing so. They might not always see entirely eye-to-eye, but nobody has their head bitten off. He has allowed teaching assistants the opportunity to work flexibly and child care commitments are accommodated and written into working hours.
Chris Dyson is a character, as large and ebullient in real life as he is on Twitter, his assemblies are a performance, his energy engaging and his enthusiasm infectious; a spur of the moment thinker with a passion for everything and anything that will benefit his school, his children and his staff. OFSTED agree: “The Headteacher is an inspirational leader who lives and breathes Parklands Primary School. His enthusiasm and ambition for pupils and the community are boundless,” ( ) and the summary of the report recognises the trust and respect that exist and have grown between pupils, parents and staff. He is also a man of great humanity and sensitivity as one particular example demonstrates with great clarity.
Many Twitter users will be familiar with the sad loss of one of his members of staff’s husband in the summer of 2017. Chris, like many of the rest of us, found this news from Twitter whilst on holiday abroad. Immediately he put in place a program of support for the MOS. He didn’t require her to begin work in September but allowed her to set her own time when she felt ready to. OFSTED came in the second week of September and given her treatment she came to meet the inspectors despite her recent loss. Chris has continued to support her to work flexibly in her semi-retirement. The MOS’s ‘pinned Tweet’ sums the support she has received in a sentence: I can never thank @chrisdysonHT enough for believing in me when I didn’t and saving me from myself!
Chris has the force of personality to drive his school forward, to show a genuine care for his teachers and teaching assistants and uses an inspired and clearly values led approach to the wellbeing of the whole school community. He is ‘The Wellbeing Toolkit’ personified.
Andrew Cowley
Tony Staneff
Thank you for your warm welcome this morning, James and I really enjoyed the visit and we are safely back in Suffolk. Can I say what a credit your pupils are to you, everyone we met were polite, keen to talk to us and generally interested in what we were doing. We are excited to get into school and share what’s we have learnt with our staff.
At the moment we are looking at our curriculum, would you mind sending me the work you have been doing on the curriculum ? I’ve planned an SLT day where we are auditing our current curriculum and I’m sure your input would be really valuable.
Thank you again, it is heart warming to meet another headteacher who is completely in love with their school and children.
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The Alright TeacherI just wanted to thank you for tweeting about your fabulous school and for being such an inspiration to schools up and down the country. What an amazing head you are! I have followed you are on twitter for some time but it was the blog by @Southgloshead that made me realise just what an impact you are making on Parklands’ children. In these days of gloom about school funding, you are also a voice of optimism showing us other headteachers there are other ways to get round a shortage of funds.
Your vision is admirable and the impact you have made goes far beyond the children in your school as so many of us other teachers and school leaders have learnt from you. I wanted to say too much for a tweet so forgive me for emailing but your influence has touched so many of us.
THANK YOU from a headteacher down south who also firmly believes in smiles and love!
Alison HigginsI would also like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to you, your staff and your children who are all a credit to the school. Benjamin, our school councillor in Yr. 5 yesterday was an amazing guide to the school and a real advocate for what you have achieved. He was lovely and very polite – holding the door open for us and always saying you’re welcome when thanked. Please can you pass on our thanks for his time yesterday. I am came back to school buzzing with ideas, especially for funding.
Once again, many thanks for inspiring 25 Head Teachers yesterday in the happiest school in the world.
Mell JulianMathematical fluency, a school filled with love, and an enormous radish
Twitter is a fantastic place. In March 2016 my university housemate and friend @ChrisDyson got in touch after he read a tweet that @PieCorbett had tagged me into. Over the last 18 months, we have rekindled our friendship and met up at the excellent #ReadingRocks and #PrimaryRocks.
Since I got back in touch with Chris, the Twittersphere has been full of testimonials about the quality of mathematical learning and teaching at Parklands Leeds. Today, Chris invited three colleagues and me for a road trip up north. Chris’s open invitations to the UK’s best educators is an opportunity for him to showcase the work he does with the young people and families at Parklands. In many schools inviting a conveyer belt of teachers into school each week would fill staff with fear and apprehension, but this is no vanity project, and in my view, the open door policy fulfills two purposes: • it makes the children and staff at Parklands feel immensely proud of their school • Chris and his team get the opportunity to learn from others. Our day started at 10:30 am with Chris sharing his leadership journey. Here he generously credited support from colleague Headteachers, a supportive LA and an HMI Maths inspector who invested a large amount of time post inspection to shape an improvement plan with the aim of making the teaching of mathematics outstanding. Chris then took us on a tour of all the classrooms. Our pre-visit brief was to see high-quality mathematics learning and the school generously flipped their morning timetable to facilitate this. As a long-serving school improvement advisor and serving Headteacher, I have been privileged to see some brilliant teachers, inspiring classroom environments, and many wonderful motivated children. However, the level of mathematical engagement and understanding I observed this morning took my breath away. The numerical fluency at Parklands was simply the best I have ever seen. Young children fired back number bonds, a KS1 child, with complex needs, knew all their tables and children in KS2 could recite multiplication facts and calculate the number bond to 100 quicker than my University educated maths brain could compute. This was not just an example of children robotically regurgitating multiplication facts; there was clear evidence that the children’s secure knowledge of multiplication facts and number bonds were applied to real-life problem solving and mastery mathematics. In addition to the outstanding mathematicians, we observed the highest standards behaviour and kindness. Three children were chosen to eat lunch with us; they helped us navigate the routines of an unfamiliar dinner hall, and demonstrated wonderful manners and conversational skills over our meal. Walking through the lunchtime corridors, the children smiled and politely waved to us as we toured their school. I observed a year two child patiently teaching one of their peers how to tie a shoelace. In summary, the standards of arithmetic at Parklands Leeds are the highest I have seen in any Primary School and I do not doubt that the determined team at Parklands will reach the same standards in reading and writing. Parklands serve a community with the highest rates of deprivation in Leeds. Chris, and his team is proving that if you have a relentless focus on what children can do and build on these achievements you can build a magical palace of learning. Simon Kidwell
Ash Hanson
Dear Chris,
Thank you!
Thank you so much for the hospitality that you showed towards Simon Flowers and me during our visit to the school yesterday. We were both greatly encouraged by our visit, the discussion that we held with you and most especially the stunning children that we met.
We had little time to see much of the school and that is our loss but I feel compelled to congratulate you, the entire team at Parklands and the children of the school for your amazing achievements. It was an, all too rare, delight to visit a school that achieves so highly and at the same time is genuinely seeking to be fully inclusive.
For me it was especially poignant to see the remarkable change that has been brought about over the past few years. I vividly remember visiting the school previously and the improvement journey is incredible. The sense of fun and joy that we encountered are palpable. I really would hope that many more schools continue to work collaboratively with you. There is a great deal talked about ethical approaches in school leadership at the moment, I feel that what you are doing firmly defines this concept.
What’s more and as you know, I have been privileged to work with and visit many schools (possibly hundreds). Joyfully, I have witnessed many great schools but also, sadly too, many that have been written off by agencies such as Ofsted, the DfE, MATs, the RSC or LAs as “inadequate or poor” ones. There is a criminal link between the number of schools judged as inadequate and those working with high levels of community disadvantage. In many of these communities the one positive, stable and supporting institution for many children and their families is the school. When that school is then destroyed, the already disadvantaged community and the children are further disadvantaged. Many of those involved with those schools blame themselves; deeply and personally, staff most especially. Children suffer emotional harm from their schools being labeled as failing too. It may seem strange to comment on failure, but Parklands was, at one time and not so long ago, one such school.
Conversely at schools that get are judged outstanding I have seen that they can be a real significant driver for community and deep social regeneration. The community gains a real and life long lift. But I have noticed at times members of the staff team like to exhibit a level of ‘English reserve’ and they think the success is down to someone else. I think it is really important that with such a momentous achievement as this at Parklands everyone at the school should be able to accept their personal and due recognition for the part that they played in this long and impressive journey.
This is especially the case here, where I know that many of your colleagues have seen the school, through their personal long term commitment and hard work, through both the good and the bad times. Please pass on my sincere thanks to them.
I feel genuinely humbled by what they have done.
In short, see so much at Parklands that gives me a real sense of hope and optimism for what inclusive, high quality education can be in this country.
Chris, together with your team of governors, staff and partners, you have brought this about. Parklands is an amazing place, forged through; purposeful collaboration, a commitment to the highest standards, rigorously high expectations, a joyful culture and an abiding insistence on inclusion . You have led magnificently and given your colleague professionals such as me the permission to pursue our own commitments to comprehensive, inclusive and meaningful change. Thank you!
The work that you have done now means that the city of Leeds can be unreservedly and justifiably proud of Parklands Primary School.
Please accept my sincerest thanks and deepest admiration for what you have achieved.
Paul Brennan
- There is a magical atmosphere at Parklands. While every setting is unique and has its particular atmosphere, there is something remarkable about this school. And it is evident in the ‘small’ stuff: the way that children greet one another, their teachers and visitors. It comes from a place of deep security and acceptance, which mean that children are free to both be themselves and take part in the full life of the community.
- There is an extraordinary balance of discipline, including self-discipline and freedom, including being free to be happy, to sing, to embrace one another and to embrace their teachers.
- Some observations on the embracing: this is done naturally and spontaneously. It emerges from the deep warmth and connection that pupils have for the adults and peers they work with. It appears not to be ‘needy’ but rather an expression of joy and deep connection. Both deep and light touch. Very interesting.
- Year 4 assembly showcasing pupils’ work. Pupils self confident in standing up and projecting their voices to tell the headlines of what they have been learning this half term. Incredibly slick transitions, honest joy in sharing their work with the school and their families.
- Very interesting to see how much pupils enjoy the assembly, how welcome their families are and how self regulated they are. They are able to dance and sing to the music and yet also know when to leave the hall and return sensibly to their classrooms. Extraordinary.
- Stunning work in the year 5 maths lesson. A real sense of purpose and energy conveyed to the pupils by the teacher. They in turn were self-regulated to a very high degree: immediately to work, no fiddling or dawdling, but because they are keen to crack on. Fast paced but all pupils on board and small group received good support from the teaching assistant.
- When introducing factors to the class, all pupils were concentrating and following closely. This was a result both of strong embedded routines and more importantly their absolute fascination and love of the subject. Use of the concrete and pictorial meant pupils were able to grasp the principles quickly and were able to move to work of greater depth and complexity.
- Very effective use of language in the maths lesson: call and response; pupils and teacher chanting definitions and processes of operations; pupils creating rhymes as mnemonics; pupils reasoning and justifying their answers both to one another and to the class. Teacher regularly saying ‘how would we do this systematically?’ – very powerful in ensuring that pupils appreciate the logic, pattern and structure underlying the subject.
- Maths completely inclusive, real joy expressed by pupils, pupils testing one another informally at break time, simply for the joy of it. Quite remarkable.
- Two pupils, Thomas and Lucy were excellent advocates for the school. Their courtesy to one another as well as to me was lovely to witness – a sign of their maturity and their deep attachment to the school.
- Very strong, experienced, committed board of governors who have deep insight into the school’s work, achievements and areas to develop.
- Chris has made the school irresistible not only to pupils and their families but to the wider community.
Parklands is a school with quite a high twitter profile, due largely to the extremely large as life head and recent outstanding ofsted. The opportunity to visit schools as part of CPD came along in my own school so this was were I went.
I have come to think of the advice Alix Ferguson gives to young managers is very apt for teacher. Choose the right chairman is basically choose the right Headteacher. As a teacher you manage a squad (read class) and the results reflect your performance. Realism and support are what teachers need as do football managers. So is Chris Dyson a Simon Jordan (perma-tanned regular on Sky Sports) or Elton John (well… You know Elton John) of chairmen?
First thing that hit me wasn’t the Bear-like hug welcome or the blaring music in the hall that plays all day, it was the ‘fridge’. Most heads offices look the same and can be picked up and placed in most other work places. Not this one, covered with work, letter and pictures that the children have brought in. Imagine the fridge of a nursery child which is covered with paintings multiplied by 1000. That’s the office the head ‘works’ in.
The tour begins and it is basically lots of smiles, praise and of course times table questions. Each class we walk in Mr Dyson throws out a question that children must multiply then subtract from 100. In. An. Instant. This passion for maths bleeds through the day with a great example being later a Y2 busting to share his 4 x’s knowledge with me. This isn’t for show, this is a key part of Parklands. Practice for a purpose. Each coach (read teacher) knows the goal of their team: become times tables masters.
Then the first BIG event of the day, Funday Friday assembly number 1. Wow. In an age were heads can tend to delegate assembly duties to staff, Chris Dyson leads it with input of the kids. Not just any assembly, but a pure and utter celebration of joy. Prizes for great attendance in the form of dodgeball, cakes and lessons with the Head! Handshakes replaced by double hi-5s and hugs, awkward walks to the front with celebrations with the crowd, movement and music – all these aspects are part of what is basically a kids game show in a school hall. No wonder the kids buzz and love school. There is even a catch-phrase like a chant at a football match.
Time in a class was spent watching a rising star in Miss Nolan teach maths. The way AFL is applied in a same day intervention, in fact about 20 mins later due to the use of an assembly or PHSCE oral lesson led by a TA, means that reteaching can occur and improve learning. This same day intervention, burning passion for instant tables recall from the head and the use of TTrockstars means that the children make fabulous progress.
There are no high-stakes tests at Parklands, instead the system of assessment means that teacher collect data based on the learning they see and a team of leaders select a sample of children to assess. Again, the chairman placing trust in the coaches to know what their team can do and what they need to work on to improve.
This picture may appear in every office up and down the country. At some point in the hyper-active day I had to ask Chris if he found time to actually do his job, you know the boring stuff. Turns out he does. In his own words the kids graft Monday to Thursday, making it easy for him to crack on. When Funday Friday comes, well it is non-stop.
- Assembly with array of awards which impact on attendance and behaviour
- Breakfast with the head – sausage butties
- Assembly number 2 (more on that soon)
Times Tables Champs is the final assembly of the day (I have to point out that while writing this that I feel I’m not doing it justice). Starting like a circus by a child announcer and filled with parents who want to come along, the stars of the week find out why they have been selected. It quickly moves into a times table battle in which class champs compete for the right to be the best. All of this is watched by some children who have earned the right to have the best seats in the house (pizza and drinks on sofas at the front). Every child is greeted with sheer love by the head as they go to the front with their achievements held up as the best thing ever… Until the next child. This passion is quite a sight to witness.
It’s clear what type of chairman Chris Dyson is… The Rocket Man he is.
Things I learnt:
- Cash is key – beg, borrow and steal to ensure the best. Small class sizes make a difference.
- Work hard, play hard – if kids love school they will will love learning.
- Work hard, play hard – make the systems work for you staff to reduce workloads
- Passion – enough said.
A huge thanks to all the staff who. Made me feel very welcome as well.
Disclaimer: I’m part of a fantasy football league with @chrisdysonHT hence shoehorned football references!
https://bogstandardteacher.wordpress.com/2017/11/19/paul-does-parklands-primary/ Paul does Parklands Primary
Michael Harvey