DANIEL SUMNER, BECTON SCHOOL, UK Recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UN, 1948, preamble Teachers uphold public trust in the profession and maintain high standards […]
HAYLEY MURPHY, DIRECTOR OF TEACHING AND LEARNING, EVERSFIELD PREPARATORY SCHOOL, UK Teacher identities are shaped by the complex interplay between personal values, professional experiences and educational contexts. These identities are shaped as teachers interact with policies, colleagues, students and school cultures, influenced by accountability measures. Teachers navigate shifts in professionalism, adjusting their identities to accommodate changes […]
CRISTINA J ALVES MARTINS, HEAD OF CHEMISTRY AND HEAD OF SCIENCE FACULTY, ABBEY COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE, UK ANA ALVES, TEACHER LIBRARIAN, INSTITUTION SAINTE-MARIE ANTONY, FRANCE Teacher autonomy, defined here as ‘the freedom and internal ability for decision-making and action’ (Liu and Gao, 2023), is widely recognised as essential for fostering commitment (Collie et al., 2018), professional identity (Skinner […]
MATTHEW TRAGHEIM, LECTURER IN PRIMARY EDUCATION, OPEN UNIVERSITY, UK John Jerrim has previously explored whether teaching is bad for your health (Sims et al., 2021), the power of positive emotions on performance (Jerrim, 2022a) and patterns of relationships within test anxiety (Jerrim, 2022b). Each of these articles has sought to bring a more robust evidence base […]
ELÍAS VALDUEZA GARCÍA, DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGES, HARROW INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL HONG KONG, HONG KONG SAR Effective professional development (PD) plays a key role in developing teachers’ expertise, which is pivotal in improving the outcomes of our students (Sims et al., 2021). With this mantra in mind, I approach whole-school pedagogical PD events with optimism. While the ideas […]
AFSAN REDWAN, LEARNING EXCELLENCE COACH AND TEACHER EDUCATOR, THE BEDFORD COLLEGE GROUP, UK Reflecting on Inclusive Education for the 21st Century: Theory, Policy, and Practice (Graham, 2024), it became evident that while the Chartered College of Teaching’s (CCT) (2024) professional framework serves as a valuable guide for teacher professionalism, it does not fully encompass the unique […]
RACHELE NEWMAN, PRINCIPAL TEACHING FELLOW, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON, UK The profession There is no doubt that it is a tough time to be a teacher. It has been said that we are in the midst of a polycrisis (Mills, 2023), where seemingly unrelated crises in education – including challenging recruitment and retention, high workload, post-COVID recovery, […]
MEGAN GRIFFITHS, EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, OXFORD UNIVERSITY, UK Introduction Continuous professional development (CPD) is widely recognised as essential for improving classroom practice and student outcomes (McCormick, 2010; Cordingley, 2015; EEF, 2021) and is a statutory requirement (Kennedy, 2016). However, educators often undervalue CPD (Teacher Tapp, 2018). While research on student learning is well developed, less is understood […]
DEBBIE BOGARD, JAMES COLLICOTT AND SAM HUGHES, CITY AND ISLINGTON SIXTH FORM COLLEGE, UK Centring research within communities of practice Professional networks are a collaborative endeavour of teaching and learning communities of practice to undertake professional and personal development. An effective network allows agency for teachers to focus on their own interests, with the community supporting […]
JEMIMA DAVEY, SUBJECT LEAD FOR EDUCATION PARTNERSHIPS, ST MARY’S UNIVERSITY, UK JANE CHAMBERS, HEAD OF THE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, ST MARY’S UNIVERSITY, UK Role of a mentor Fulfilling the role of mentor to a beginner teacher, in either their training or their early career, is a significant responsibility, which can highly influence the development of the next […]
ELIZABETH MUNRO, DIRECTOR OF THE WINCHESTER INSTITUTE FOR CONTEMPLATIVE EDUCATION AND PRACTICE, UNIVERSITY OF WINCHESTER, UK Alongside subject-specific knowledge and pedagogical skill, the importance of reflection has long been established in both the discourses and approaches that surround teacher professional development. Reflection is embedded across all stages of a teacher’s developmental journey, spanning initial teacher education […]
STEVE FARNDON AND NICK POINTER, AMBITION INSTITUTE, UK Teacher educators (those leading the professional learning of new and existing teachers) face a number of challenging decisions. What theories and techniques should we share with teachers? How should we teach these? How should our sessions be tailored for different staff? Without a clear guide, these decisions can […]
BETH GREVILLE-GIDDINGS, LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT LEAD, RALEIGH EDUCATION TRUST, UK Developing a central offer of professional development (PD) that meets the needs of a diverse range of roles and schools, while maintaining fidelity to the features of high-quality PD, is a challenge that many multi-academy trusts face. Following a recent review of PD across the Raleigh […]
LIZ BARRATT, COACHING LEAD, CEFEL, UK; DIRECTOR OF ADULT LEARNING, TRANSFORM TRUST, UK Context The current suite of National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) was first delivered in autumn 2021, with an aim of creating a ‘golden thread’ of leadership development, rooted in the best available evidence available throughout a teacher’s career. The Department for Education contracted […]
MELANIE CHAMBERS, DIRECTOR OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING, THE BRITISH SCHOOL OF BRUSSELS, BELGIUM MELANIE WARNES, FORMER PRINCIPAL AND CEO, THE BRITISH SCHOOL OF BRUSSELS, BELGIUM EMMA ADAMS, PROFESSIONAL LEARNING CO-ORDINATOR AND RESEARCH LEAD, THE BRITISH SCHOOL OF BRUSSELS, BELGIUM This case study examines leadership decisions and actions at the British School of Brussels (BSB) to develop a […]
JAMES CLEMENTS FCCT, FOREST SCHOOL, UK Throughout my journey in senior leadership, one question always surfaces: ‘What’s your leadership style?’ My answer always contains an element of ‘ethical leadership’. But beyond the buzzword, what does leading ethically truly involve and how does it shape school culture? This reflection delves into my role as a leader and […]
DAN ALLERTON, YEASMIN MORTUZA, HELEN ANDREWS, REBECCA KNOWLES AND VICKI PARRY, ASSOCIATION FOR SCIENCE EDUCATION (ASE), UK Introduction A strong awareness of unconscious bias is one of six signature traits of ethical leadership (Bourke and Titus, 2020). In this article, we explore how a continuous drive to identify, challenge and mitigate for bias at leadership level […]
CHRIS PASSEY FCCT, DEPUTY HEAD, KIMICHI SCHOOL; CO-FOUNDER, EDUPULSE, UK Introduction It is likely that leaders may find themselves in reflective and overly critical moods, where they’ve been confronted by their own failings and shortcomings either through being called out for it or through their own decoding of a situation that they knew they should have […]
LUKE JACKSON, FORMER SECONDARY PROGRAMME LEADER, THE COVENTRY SCITT, UK; DOCTORAL STUDENT, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK, UK REBECCA MORRIS, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK, UK Introduction This study investigates the role and value of partnership at The Coventry SCITT, a small, school-centred initial teacher training (SCITT) provider in the […]
RICHARD GIUBERTONI, HEAD OF CHEMISTRY, KING EDWARD VI ASTON SCHOOL, UK This article looks at how multi-academy trusts (MATs) can employ and promote professional learning communities (PLCs) to build professionalism, school-to-school support and pedagogy across all schools within a MAT. It considers the structure that has been adopted by the King Edward VI Foundation in Birmingham, […]
