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 SAMANTHA 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 […]
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 […]
TRACY EDWARDS, LEEDS BECKETT UNIVERSITY, UK Introduction It has been noted that research into inclusive education has tended to overlook considerations around teaching students with severe learning difficulties and/or profound and multiple learning difficulties (SPMLD) (e.g. Colley, 2020). This paper outlines research findings that were obtained as part of a wider study involving the analysis of […]
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 […]
ROBIN HARDMAN, ASSISTANT HEAD – TEACHING AND LEARNING, TRINITY SCHOOL, UK KIM WELLS, DIRECTOR OF TRAINING AND RESEARCH, CATERHAM SCHOOL, UK WILL KEAT, ASSISTANT HEAD – TEACHING STAFF AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, EPSOM COLLEGE, UK Background One of the key characteristics of a profession is that there are well-defined progression routes from entry-level positions to leadership posts, accompanied by […]
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, […]
JOHN WESTWELL, DIRECTOR FOR SYSTEM LEADERSHIP, NCETM, UK WITH ALISON KNOTT, HEADTEACHER, HOLY TRINITY CE PRIMARY, BURY, UK DIANNE ELLITHORN, ASSISTANT MATHS HUB LEAD (PRIMARY), NORTH WEST ONE MATHS HUB, UK School improvement can be a field full of risk for leaders in schools, often resulting in unsustained change and negative impact on the leaders themselves. Are there […]
MARK LESWELL, RESEARCH LEAD, SWALE ACADEMIES TRUST Introduction Teacher recruitment and retention pose critical challenges for England’s education system. With 30 per cent of teachers leaving within five years (Long and Danechi, 2022) and only 50 per cent of secondary teacher recruitment targets met in 2023, the quality of education is at risk (McLean et […]
Are you interested in developing your primary curriculum with a creative pedagogies lens? We are delighted to bring the wonderful work of Dr Lisa Stephenson (Story Makers), Exceed Learning Partnership and Bowling Park Primary to you as part of our Rethinking Curriculum series. This presentation will share 5 years of research and creative practice across […]
The content within this compact guide has been adapted from content originally produced for our online courses and for MyCollege, including content by Tom Sherrington and Sara Stafford. What is a compact guide? Our compact guides are designed to provide an introduction to a specific topic or theme. The content within each guide includes an […]
The content within this compact guide has been adapted from content originally produced for MyCollege by Gary Jones and Deborah Netolicky. What is a compact guide? Our compact guides are designed to provide an introduction to a specific topic or theme. The content within each guide includes an overview of core concepts related to the […]
