How long is a piece of string? Balancing a broad and varied curriculum in teacher and leader professional development

KYLE BAILEY, TEACHING SCHOOL HUB LEAD, BIRMINGHAM SOUTH; STAR ACADEMIES, UK PETE GANDON, HEAD OF PROGRAMMES, SOUTH AND WEST; NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TEACHING, UK ADELE FLETCHER, ITT TUTOR, SOUTH AND WEST; NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TEACHING, UK How long is a piece of string? Could this refrain be applied to teacher development when thinking about the content for teachers and leaders? The ‘length of the string’ – the time that it takes for a teacher or leader to master elements of practice – should have direct implications for the decisions that teacher educators make in schools, universities and other educational settings. With a vast amount of material to cover and limited time in which to cover it, a deep understanding of how teachers and leaders best develop is essential. As David Berliner suggested back in 1988, ‘we probably need to think through the scope and sequence of teacher education experiences in the same way and with the same care that we develop scope and sequ