The annual Playing for Success (PfS) Conference is an opportunity for PfS staff from the 160 centres around the country to meet, share new ideas, celebrate success and be inspired to further develop our work with young people.
Last week’s conference in Solihull was my first and provided me with enough ideas and food for thought to have made it worthwhile. The overall enthusiasm for and success of the Playing for Success programme nationally was great to experience, as was the desire to make it even better – with children and young people at the centre of the development process. The national picture mirrors what we are aiming for in Northamptonshire’s study centres and I felt reassured that we are doing a great job while at the same time being inspired to make our offering even more effective and exciting.
Matthew Pinsent, the olympic rowing gold-medallist, delivered a stirring insight into the dedication, attention-t0-detail and teamwork that is required to reach one’s ultimate goal. An olympic rower I am not but I know plenty of teachers and pupils who aim and expect much of themselves and are willing to do what it takes to make ‘good stuff’ happen. Two young student reporters from Northamptonshire, who were invited to showcase the work of the Radiowaves Supporter to Reporter Programme, are a great example of Pinsent-like dedication and professionalism.
Phil Beadle has always been a bit of a teaching hero of mine and it was a treat to listen to him during the conference. He’s been on telly - as he will often remind you - and teaches in tough inner-city schools. He is another example of someone who is single-minded in doing what it takes to reach his goal - to make students enjoy and value learning.
His style is abrasive, creative and effective. His secrets are pretty simple really:
- teachers talk less
- get kids moving more
- abundant authentic praise
- speak kids ‘language’
- make boring stuff interesting.
I might make them the unofficial Silverstone Study Centre mission statement. One of the above ingredients for creative success is high on my personal list for development. I’ll let you guess which one but suffice to say, I do like the sound of my own voice 
The rest of the conference was a blur of workshops and eating. The ideas that have stuck in my mind almost one week later follow.
- Assessing Pupils Progress (APP) is a brilliant way of ensuring our teaching and learning input complements that which is happening in school. Sounds boring I know but I’m more Phil Beadle than Matthew Pinsent!
- Virtual Learning Environments cannot be ignored. Revamp Silverstone’s learning platform offering and assess how it can used to offer even more value during and more importantly, beyond PfS sessions.
In summary, I very much enjoyed the input and camaraderie of my first PfS conference. Let’s hope I can put some of the ideas into action and make some ‘good stuff’ happen!
