Five ways to avoid ineffective ‘instructional coaching’ The instructional coaching approach is being misunderstood in some schools leading to ineffective support for teachers. David Weston explains why and considers what we should be doing
Professional development: Thinking schools and thinking teachers The learning environment for your staff really matters. Dr Kulvarn Atwal introduces his recipe for creating thinking schools and developing thinking teachers – offering us five concrete strategies
School strikes: Answering headteacher's legal questions Many school leaders are supportive of the industrial action being taken by the NEU but are still required to open and run their schools where possible. As such, legal expert Jane Hallas answers some key questions
School staffing: It’s time to take the menopause seriously How does your school support colleagues who may be affected by menopause symptoms? Legal and HR expert Kelly Rayner offers some important advice and practical tips
What does pedagogy mean to you and why is this discussion important in schools? Pedagogy has become a word that we use every day, with an assumption that we share a view on what we mean by it – but what does ‘pedagogy’ mean to you? Fiona Aubrey-Smith offers some advice to help drive CPD discussions
Classroom observations: Judgements or conversations? As a school leader, why do you carry out lesson observations? What are they for and what do you ‘judge’? Experienced headteacher Jim Mepham discusses what observations should aim to achieve and some alternative approaches 1 comment
Leadership: How to run effective meetings Meetings matter, but too often in schools they can turn into long-winded affairs wasting precious staff time. Robbie Burns takes a look at how we can make our meetings more efficient and better
School funding: Teaching assistants in the firing line… Despite the £2bn funding injection, schools still face tough decisions when balancing the books – and teaching assistants are prime targets. Suzanne O’Connell on why we might regret letting our TAs go...
Lessons to learn: Keeping children safe from sexual abuse The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has published its final report. What lessons can we learn and what can schools improve on when it comes to keeping children safe from sexual abuse? Elizabeth Rose advises
Staff wellbeing: Complete the stress cycle and avoid burn-out Stress hormones have an important job to do, but they are not designed to stay in our systems permanently. Emily Kenneally offers seven ways to complete your stress cycle and three tips to avoid burn-out
Marginal gains & school improvement: Big changes in small steps Schools don’t need a big-bang approach to change or improvement, writes Matt Tiplin. It is far better to focus on small, realistic and sustainable improvements in teaching and learning…
Seven ways to maximise your CPD spend With huge cost pressures facing schools, making the most of every pound spent on, and every second of staff time dedicated to, CPD is crucial. David Weston offers seven ways you can think about maximising the impact of this enormous investment
Supporting pupils through yet another wellbeing crisis The pandemic is receding, but the cost-of-living crisis is hitting children's wellbeing just as hard. A whole-school approach to mental health is helping pupils at Rose Lane Primary in a disadvantaged area of London. Katie Parks explains 1 comment
The power of coaching leadership styles Adopting a coaching leadership style in your school can yield a range of benefits for you and your team. Frances Robertson explains
Cost of living crisis: Conversations with colleagues The cost of living crisis is biting hard. Pupils, families, and school staff are all suffering. In two articles, Sean Harris considers how to support both pupils and school staff. He concludes here with a focus on how we might respond with colleagues who are struggling
School libraries and reading development Recreational reading. Reading for learning. Reading for life. The school library and school librarian has a vital role to play in supporting pupils to read. Clare Brumpton and Elizabeth Hutchinson look at how they can do this
Beating the teaching plateau: Professional Inquiry Programme New teachers often make rapid improvements in their practice before hitting a ‘performance plateau’. Alex Beauchamp explains how a professional inquiry programme has helped overcome this challenge
Sharing lesson planning with your teaching assistant Good lesson outcomes can be supported by teachers sharing their planning with teaching assistants. Sara Alston offers three key questions to help facilitate this important process
Teacher appraisal: What targets should we set this year? Are your school’s teacher appraisal targets full of well-meaning but poorly thought out statements and objectives. Nick Hart considers how we can give meaning and purpose to appraisal
The changing shape of performance management Decoupling performance and pay does not mean a less robust appraisal system, in fact it can mean quite the opposite. Pay specialist Louise Hatswell advises
Working relationships: Dealing with difference If we want to build better relationships with colleagues, it ultimately starts with us. But dealing with differences and building workplace relationships is not always easy. Leonie Hurrell advises
'If you do that, you’ll be much happier in the job you do' Primary school professionals – and brothers – Lee and Adam Parkinson’s podcast has been listened to more than five million times. Emma Lee-Potter caught up with them to talk staff wellbeing, advice for new teachers, online safety and more
Teaching with moral purpose What is the purpose of education? As retirement approaches headteacher Jim Mepham is more convinced than ever that we want children who know things, can apply this knowledge, but who also understand themselves, others, and the world around them
Implementing deliberate practice as part of CPD: A case study Effective teacher development involves practising the right things, at the right time and in the right way then it is a key CPD tool. In part two of his look at deliberate practice, Robbie Burns explains how his school has implemented this approach
Teacher development: Understanding the DfE's Golden Thread Are you tying yourself in knots with the golden thread? Gareth Conyard discusses two key challenges schools must navigate when considering career-long CPD for teaching staff
