Our final #FinnemoreFireside of this academic year is with Chris Kirk of CJK Associates. Chris’ work is varied and he and his team support the mission of education by providing strategy, business planning, organisation design, operations, procurement and shared service advice to education organisations.

Chris works extensively with multi-academy trusts on vision, strategy, operating models and governance/finance reviews, so our Q&A session focuses on MATs and their needs, and what this means for suppliers – both now and in the future.

It’s a really insightful discussion and we cover topics including:

• Fostering social responsibility in schools and achieving aspirations through clarity
• How schools can contribute to society
• Finding your mission: understanding and showcasing your unique capabilities
• Unlocking the power of professional networks: how Trusts can make a difference
• The challenge of ensuring adequate support for high-need pupils
• Establishing a culture of consistency: How do you ensure a similar mission statement in new schools/academies?
• The future of school groupings and the natural drift towards ten
• When MATs stand firm and refuse to uphold the Regional Commissioner’s agenda
• What is Collaborative Alignment? Achieving aspirations through group collaboration
• The challenges facing schools as the educational environments change

We’d love to hear your feedback and comments below. Enjoy!

This month sees us publish our 40th #FinnemoreFireside chat and this time we’re delighted to welcome Jim Knight, The Rt Hon Lord Knight of Weymouth on for a Q&A session.

Jim Knight works in education, digital technology and as a legislator. As a UK government minister and MP, Jim’s portfolios included rural affairs, schools, digital and employment.  He was a member of Gordon Brown’s Cabinet 2009-2010, before joining the Lords after the 2010 General Election.

Jim is a director of Suklaa Ltd, providing advisory services to UK and international clients working in technology for education and learning, international schooling, and teacher engagement. He’s also currently chair of the board for E-ACT, is on the Nord Anglia Education Advisory Board, on the Global Advisory Council for BETT, and was appointed Chair of the Board at COBIS in November 2022.

In this Q&A Nick and Jim discuss amongst other things:

• Where Jim’s passion for education comes from and why he has dedicated so much of his working career to education.
• The disconnect between the education and labour market, and the need for a school system which truly meets the needs of learners, communities and employers.
• Why focusing on academic performance and grades doesn’t work for many, and how other core skills are more important than literacy and numeracy.
• Is edtech behind the curve compared to industry: what happened to real future-gazing?
• The fact that leadership on the use of edtech is no longer there (a role previously played by Becta) and something is required to fill the gap.
• Using trends and AI to promote insights and the associated challenges that come with sharing and interrogating data?
• The three big challenges that Jim would like to see edtech help solve

We’d love to hear your feedback and comments below. Enjoy!