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SEC Conference 2007

The Way We Work: excellence in consulting

Conference Report

The SEC 2007 Conference brought together a wide variety of consultants for a day of learning, networking and planning for the future of the Society.

Those attending the conference in the elegant surroundings of RSA House in central London included SEC members and non-members, ranging from consultants of many years’ standing to those still considering a move into the profession.

SEC Chair Nick Zienau said: “It was a highly successful event, with some great speakers and excellent opportunities for networking. Many valuable ideas for developing the SEC also emerged.”

Nick began the day by recalling the Society’s origins among the diaspora of staff following the abolition of the Inner London Education Authority in 1990. “Seventeen years later, education consultancy is now a huge industry. Many of the services used to support education have now been liberalised, opening them up to consultants.

Not everything had changed, however. “One of the core values then, which we have retained today, was that this profession of education consultant wasn’t just about the advancement of yourself, but about the advancement of teachers, young people and everyone else involved in education,” added Nick.

He then introduced a plenary session in which he interviewed the keynote speaker, Anji Phillips, Director of Education and Children’s Services for the London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames. Anji Phillips has been a client of Nick Zienau for some years.

She outlined how Richmond had made the journey from being named as a ‘special measures’ authority by OFSTED seven years ago – “All in Richmond were really keen to remedy the causes of this negative judgement as swiftly as possible,” she remembered – to its recent success in achieving top marks in OFSTED’s Joint Area Review (a single coordinated inspection of all publicly funded services for children and young people).

“If you haven’t got passion, you will never reach excellence. Passion is our day-to-day theme,” she said. One of the specific keys to success had been a decision always to engage with young people: “Whenever our managers want to do anything, I say ‘Have you checked it with young people?’”

Why councils need consultants

She added that consultants had proved invaluable in identifying best practice and also in identifying rising stars within the authority. “I think every authority needs external people all the time to ‘make it happen’. It’s not about consultants providing a ‘toolkit’. What people want you to do is understand where they are and give you solutions. Consultants also bring the reassurance that you are doing some things right.”

The delegates then attended consecutive workshop sessions, choosing two from the following:

1. Flourishing as an independent, led by John Atkins, with accompanying Powerpoint Presentation
2. Starting as a Stable Business & Effective Self-Promotion and Marketing – a two-part workshop led respectively by Paul Perlin and Paul Herbert, with accompanying Powerpoint Presentation
3. Key Educational Policy Directions and their Implications for Providing Quality Consultancy and/or Research Services, led by Chris Kirk, with accompanying Powerpoint Presentation
4. Maximising the Impact of an Education Consultant, led by Dame Anna Hassan, with accompanying Powerpoint Presentation
5. International Consultancy from a UK base, led by Denise Skidmore

After an informal lunch, there were further opportunities to network during a small-group networking session.

The conference then regrouped for a plenary discussion session on Shaping the Future of the SEC. Among the many valuable suggestions made were: setting up an e-group and/or a private, members’ area of the SEC website; establishing regional and special interest networks of SEC members; forging stronger links with other organisations, such as UKFIET, NAHT, LGA, ISC & NCSL; offering members health insurance deals and organising a reception for directors of children’s services. All these suggestions are now being considered.

The AGM of the Society then followed, at which new committee members Val Barnes, John Atkins and Shan Oakes were appointed, with committee member Judy Larsen being appointed Vice-Chair. The day concluded with drinks and an informal social event.

Some images are shown here from the day - click on each photo to view full-size.

all material © 2005 - 2007, the Society of Education Consultants