SEND – The direction of travel
There is a crackle of ‘expectation’ or ‘frustration’ around where this government will take SEND provision in England, following increasing media reports of children who are unable to find placements in schools they want to go to, funding for the level of support they require, or schools who ‘do not meet the needs’ of specific children.
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Making the case for effective headteacher preparation: SSAT’s Head Cases programme
Contemplating headship? Concerned that the NPQH, for all its benefits, hasn’t quite given you the experiences that you know you will face in taking up the role? Considering how you might bridge the experiential gap between being a deputy and being the person with their name on the signage? If so, you are crucial to the future of the education system. This post is for you.
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Evidence based reflection of practice
My passion for teaching and learning was re-inspired firstly by TEEP, an evidence-informed teaching and learning framework and training programme. This helped me improve the quality of teaching and student focused learning within my own practice.
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The chaos of leadership: what happens when the storm comes
As school leaders we like to think we are in control; a safe hand at the tiller steering the ship, a wise farmer tending to our crops. All the metaphors for school leadership persuade us that there is order; patterns to follow and interpret.
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The transformative power of coaching in secondary schools: A personal journey
Coaching has become a powerful tool in educational settings, transforming the way teachers develop their practice and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. The opportunity to support colleagues in their professional growth and see the tangible impact on learning and teaching has been rewarding.
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Professional development of ECTs through instructional coaching
I decided to undertake the SSAT Lead Practitioner (LP) accreditation as a means of furthering my leadership skills within my own school and expanding my professional network beyond my school context.
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How I used Lead Practitioner Accreditation to embed a new English writing structure and RE curriculum
As a dedicated educator with eight years of teaching experience, currently serving as a senior teacher at their third primary school, I am always looking to develop and improve my practice.
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Headteacher Case Conferences: A ‘signature pedagogy’ for school leadership?
At the end of the 2023-24 academic year, we published the findings of our survey of 236 headteachers in our ‘Labouring to Love Headship’ report. The picture presented was gloomy around preparation, induction, training and support for those taking up headship.
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Going, Going, Gone: Correlating improvement needs and overall grades in 2023-24
Overall grades from inspections are on their way out in 2024-25 and, by 2025-26 we will see more changes as the much-heralded ‘report card’ system takes effect (possibly seeing the end of the four-tier grading system, but who knows with any certainty). As we step forward into this new and slightly uncertain future around inspection outcomes, I thought it would be of interest to school leaders to have another delve into the weeds of SSAT’s inspection tracker.
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Empowering future leaders: How Dormers Wells High School transformed student leadership
When Sarah Dowdle, Assistant Headteacher at Dormers Wells High School, took on the role of overseeing Student Leadership, she knew change was needed.
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