Building a strong foundation: A new head of department’s perspective on professional development for a diverse team of PSHE Educators
Written by: Lydia Roberts
3 min read
Lydia Roberts, Head of PSHE, Broadland High Ormiston Academy, UK
As a teacher, stepping into leading and advising peers can feel intimidating. In a way, teachers are always leading – leading a classroom, leading learners and pastorally leading our tutor groups – and yet when we gear up to lead colleagues, we feel a distinct higher responsibility to do it right so that the outcomes for staff and students are positive.
With a head of PSHE role, there are many facets with which to contend: it is important to acknowledge how the subject sits at an intersection within the curriculum and how it has to support the development of the whole child: their values, character and ability to survive and thrive in the world in which they live (Pugh, 2023). Equally, one needs to understand that PSHE is a subject mostly delivered by non-specialists, both in lessons and in tutor times, and therefore PD (professional development) needs to adequately suit the needs of staff in order for them to tea
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