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
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
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
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
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
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
Deliberate practice: What is it and why does it matter? Deliberate practice is often ‘an overlooked servant’ when it comes to teacher development, but if we practise the right things, at the right time and in the right way then it is a key CPD tool. In this two-part article, Robbie Burns explains what it’s all about...
Teachers collaborating on the curriculum It is teachers who deliver the curriculum, so curriculum design and implementation through collaboration is a clear way to improve teaching and learning quality, says Richard Jackson
Safeguarding: Getting the basics right – every time The basics of safeguarding revolve around identifying children at risk of harm and we can never take this work for granted. Elizabeth Rose recaps the four main types of abuse, the principles of effective staff training, and the basics of keeping children safe from serious harm
Digital literacy, competency and CPD We cannot assume that everyone working in our school has basic digital literacy and competency. Osi Ejiofor considers how schools can develop digital literacy skills through self-directed CPD and offers a free, downloadable digital literacy audit tool
Stress, anxiety, and developing our teachers Stressed? Overwhelmed? Anxious? If we are to put in place a schools recovery plan to help teaching staff and leaders, we need to know what challenges we are addressing and how to address them. Gareth Conyard reflects on wellbeing and CPD
How coaching can support your school's workforce Unlike training or mentoring, coaching gives people the power to solve issues for themselves. Damian Mitchelmore asks what coaching can do for you, your teachers and your school
Four steps to develop your school’s senior leadership team Building and developing a successful senior leadership team is an important part of the role of a headteacher. Simon Clark shares four strategic tips for how you can do this
Designing whole-school CPD: Three streams, one cycle With so many high-quality materials available to schools, the challenge these days is not the what of CPD, but the how. Applying recent EEF research into the mechanisms of effective CPD, Robbie Burns advises on designing a whole-school CPD cycle
Safeguarding: What does a culture of safety look like? Safer working practice in schools is crucial to establishing safe cultures and ensuring effective safeguarding. In this article, Elizabeth Rose explains how schools can minimise opportunity for harm perpetrated by those working with children
Teacher appraisal: Professional development reviews Teacher appraisal forms part of established practice in maintained schools and the majority of academies. Brian Rossiter shares practical advice when reviewing performance with colleagues as part of a professional development cycle as we move into a post-Covid world
CPD: Building a culture of collaboration that sticks When it comes to professional development, how can school leaders build meaningful and impactful collaboration? Concettina Johnson offers some questions for reflection, examples and tips
Instructional coaching: Cycles, systems and processes Considered by many to be the most effective form of teacher CPD, instructional coaching is gaining popularity in schools. In part two of a two-part article, Robbie Burns looks at implementing instructional coaching across the primary school 1 comment
