Category: NQT Blog

Immersed in the Dynamic Journey of Learning: Leading Professional Development in My Academy

By Matthew Tipton

Professional Development Lead at Caldmore Primary Academy

As the professional development lead at a two-form primary academy in Walsall, I find myself constantly immersed in a dynamic journey of learning, both within and beyond our educational trust. John Cotton Dana’s timeless assertion that “those who dare to teach must never cease to learn” resonates deeply with us, as educators. Our understanding of subject matter and the application of pedagogical theories are ever evolving. Learning is not merely an addendum to our profession; it is intrinsic to it. This is where the significance of workplace learning becomes apparent.

Social theories of learning underscore the pivotal role of communication in the learning process. Just as we engage with our students socially, fostering dialogue and interaction, we, too, can learn socially from our peers. This is where the trust-wide communities come into their own.

As a member of the professional development community within our trust, I participate in regular gatherings attended by staff from academies across the trust who share similar roles. When I first assumed this position, I leaned heavily on these communities for guidance and support in defining and executing my responsibilities. Communities serve as fertile ground for the exchange of ideas, where concepts are scrutinised, refined, and assimilated. This collaborative environment has not only deepened my understanding of change management and leadership but has also fostered a shared commitment (across the community) to pursuing national professional qualifications (NPQs) such as the Leading Teacher Development NPQ.

Undoubtedly, participating in communities demands a considerable time investment. However, the benefits of connecting with like-minded individuals in similar roles are manifold. Firstly, there is the innate human inclination to seek solutions to challenges. Within these communities, we engage in open, reflective dialogues about the issues we encounter in our roles. This collective brainstorming and reflection, drawing on the diverse experiences of colleagues across the trust, resembling a communal search engine—a “commoogle,” if you will. The primary allure of these communities lies in the people themselves. Novices in the role glean wisdom and insights from seasoned practitioners, while the latter find fresh perspectives and innovative ideas through intergenerational exchange.

In conclusion, the journey of professional growth is inherently communal. By actively engaging with communities of practice, we not only enrich our own understanding but also contribute to the collective wisdom of our profession. In this symbiotic relationship between learning and community, we find the catalyst for transformative change and ongoing excellence in education.

Growing Into the Role of Professional Learning Lead

By James Abley

Professional Learning Lead at ATT Institute

Throughout my career, I’ve experienced firsthand the profound impact of learning within the workplace. Continuous learning has been my compass, guiding me toward personal and professional growth. Now, as the professional learning lead at the ATT Institute, I find myself at the beginning of a transformative journey.

In just six weeks since undertaking this important role, I’ve witnessed remarkable growth within myself. As a leader, I’ve embraced new skills and knowledge, equipping me to fulfil my responsibilities effectively. The path hasn’t been without challenges—juggling multiple tasks, adapting to not being in the classroom and working at scale, demands focus, organisation and resilience. Fortunately for me, my exceptional colleagues at the Institute have been my expert guides, providing invaluable expertise day by day to support my growth in the role and my induction to ATT and the Institute.

Reflecting on my early days as a trainee teacher and newly qualified teacher (NQT), I recall the absence of robust research, theory, and deliberate practice and how we were expected to just “get on” with the job. It’s precisely this gap, filled by the ECF, CCF and NPQs that fuels my excitement as I strategically lead the Early Career Framework (ECF) and step into the role of lead mentor for our exciting ITT programme, starting in September. The wealth of high-quality training available to those embarking on their careers through the ATT Institute is something we’re extremely proud of—a chance to empower the next generation of educators.

My journey, prompted by the NPQLTD (National Professional Qualification for Leading Teacher Development) with Ambition, has ignited a passion for lifelong professional development. As I delve deeper into this area, I remind myself that growth isn’t a destination; it’s a continuous voyage—one that shapes not only our careers but also our impact on others. I’m looking forward to continuing to learn, grow and support the Institute mission to transform professional development for our people and partners.

Supporting the ECT Journey: My Experience as an ATTI Visiting Fellow

By Holly Quinton

English Teacher and the High Potential Coordinator at Bristnall Hall Academy

I am currently an English teacher and the High Potential Coordinator at Bristnall Hall Academy. I have been an ECF Visiting Fellow for the last year, and I have thoroughly enjoyed the process! I first decided to join the team when I saw the advertisement from ATTi. I have always loved working with ECTs and trainee teachers, and feel it is an absolute privilege to be able to support them on their journey. The ECF programme offers really clear guidance and support, ensuring that all facilitators have a focused programme to deliver. The sessions are an equal balance of information and modelling, ensuring that the elements of effective training are used to enhance the experience of an ECT, and their mentors!

Being a part of this team has given me so much more than I could have ever expected. I have been able to see, and be a part of, the planning process for ECTs and their mentors, which has given me a real insight into the preparation of CPD and the ways in which in can be developed further. It has also given me the opportunity to have an influence on trainees and ECTs at the early stages of their careers, meaning I feel a real sense of pride at supporting their journey from novice to expert.

I also feel I have a new appreciation for the research and development side of education, as this programme has research at its core and keeps up to date on new developments and teaching strategies for all involved. It is an incredible opportunity, and I would recommend it to anyone.

Teaching and fostering Independence: What This Looks Like in a Practical Subject and How it’s Translated to Mentoring an ECT

By Chelsea Pawlaczyk

Art & Photography Teacher and ECF Fellow at Sutton Community Academy

From my first job in a Secondary School back in 2013, to now, wow, it has been a whirlwind. I have undertaken a range of roles from Assistant Head of Year, Head of House, Lead Teacher, 2^nd in Department, to today, where I work at Sutton Community Academy as Head of Photography alongside my role as an ECT Mentor and ATT Fellow.

Several years ago, I was privileged enough to be professionally coached in a previous school, this process opened up a whole new world for me and was the most impactful CPD that I have ever received. My thinking, planning, delivery and even my thoughts felt exposed each time that I was coached. After a year of regular sessions, in which I was only ever allowed to teach for 15 minutes; before going straight into my coaching session; I felt like my eyes were truly opened. I could see and recognise, for what felt like the first time; exactly what was happening in my classroom, including how and why the learning was taking place. When being coached, every single detail of my delivery, thinking and planning was exposed and analysed in a supportive environment.

This experience included training which enabled me to then coach others, later inspiring me to become a Mentor and ATT Fellow for the Trust. I feel a huge sense of satisfaction every time I deliver a coaching or mentoring session. Now, I also have the privilege of being a part of termly clinics and full training days with ECTs across our Trust, which I know then has a huge impact on our students.

I have taught Photography and Art throughout my career, having the pleasure of working alongside some fantastic professionals, truly passionate and creative people. It is important to question how my coaching experience translates when I am planning and preparing to mentor an ECT, especially in a practical subject. The most important aspect of my own teaching; which impacts my students every single day; is to promote and develop independence. Both my Art and Photography courses are designed and delivered to build and nurture the essential skills that are needed to ensure students can then work towards driving their own learning. How do we as teachers encourage this process and nurture it? Then mentor this technique when developing ECTs? In the same way that we do with the students, using a range of examples and firstly modelling.

We use Steplab to gently nurture each individual skill. The system allows mentors to analyse each element of being a teacher in microscopic detail. This allows me as a Mentor to focus on all the key elements of my practice, it allows and encourages me to expose my thinking as to why I have developed my curriculum in the way that I have. I am forced to analyse the impact of the student’s skills and how they impact the final result. I often question, what does the road map look like for students to move towards independence?

What does this look like in practice? It may be team teaching, aiding delivery by exposing and questioning my own thinking, reevaluating what works in my classroom and how this may need to be adapted for another member of staff. I also need to consider how the class, or room, can impact the delivery of the same topic. I think the most critical thing here is also having a deep understanding of subject knowledge. What misconceptions look like and how to navigate them as well as knowing what ‘good’ looks like.

Being a mentor and ATT Fellow, has really projected me back into that coaching philosophy, encouraging me to question and develop my own practice to ensure that this translates clearly to my ECT and then in turn, the students we serve.

How Expert Colleagues Have Helped to Shape the Teacher and Leader I Have Become

By Nicola Powling

Assistant Principal at Mildenhall College Academy

I am an Assistant Principal at Mildenhall College Academy and a secondary History teacher with nearly 20 years of experience in the classroom. My whole-academy leadership responsibilities are teaching, learning and assessment, as well as being the People Development lead. I am also a Visiting Fellow for the ECF working with Ambition Institute and ATTI to facilitate training for ECTs across the Trust and beyond.

What is My ‘Why’?

“Every teacher needs to improve, not because they are not good enough, but because they can be even better.”  – Dylan Wiliam

As an early career teacher (formerly known as an NQT), I was fortunate enough to be mentored and guided by a range of inspirational and expert colleagues who have helped to shape the teacher and leader I have become. I was inspired by these individuals who were always striving to improve their classroom practice, despite their years of experience, because of their genuine desire to improve the life chances of the young people they were working with through providing a high-quality education.

I remember a senior leader in my first year of teaching who said to me “I love being in your classroom because you are teaching me how I can improve” – I remember being so flattered by this compliment, but now I have so much more understanding of what he meant by this. I can say with conviction and confidence that I am a better teacher today because of my involvement in delivering the ECF and working with a range of brilliant ECTs both within my own academy and across the Trust. They are the ones that are now inspiring me to continually improve my classroom practice through developing my expert mental models of effective teaching and learning and my own deliberate practice of evidence-informed pedagogy.

A ‘Wicked’ Problem?

“Record numbers of teachers in England quitting profession, figures show.”

– The Guardian, June 2023

The concerns around teacher recruitment and retention are nothing new – it could be referred to as a ‘wicked problem’ because it is difficult to solve, it is a problem that arises from other problems, it requires a multitude of solutions and it will never be entirely solved because the education landscape is always changing. However, it should not stop us from trying. For the sake of the young people and the communities we serve, as well as our own children, we have a responsibility as educators to belief we can make a positive difference. This is where I truly believe the work of ECT mentors is imperative to retaining the new talent entering our profession. By supporting new teachers to be the best they can be and by improving their feeling of self-efficacy, we can help to increase their job satisfaction and desire to make teaching their life-long career.

New teachers are novices – they do not have the experience in the classroom to have honed their craft (yet!) – however, this does not mean they have not secured some of the powerful knowledge around the science of learning and the model of memory that was lacking from my own training 20 years ago. Through delivering the ECF, as both a mentor and a Visiting Fellow, I have learned so much of the foundational knowledge and educational research that underpins effective pedagogy. This has led to me becoming a more effective mentor as not only can I share my years of experience in the classroom and the unpredictable nature of working with teenagers, but I have a secure understanding of why specific teaching methods work better than others.

A More Effective Leader:

“In terms of impact on student outcomes, instructional coaching has one of the strongest evidence- bases of any form of CPD.”

– Ambition Institute

As the People Development lead within my own academy, my involvement in the ECF and access to the vast training materials has supported my work in planning a whole-academy PD curriculum and improving the internal training offer for a wide range of staff. As the benefits of instructional coaching become more evident, the experience I have had as both an ECT mentor and a Visiting Fellow have enabled me to plan for the implementation of an instructional coaching model for all teachers within my academy, no matter how experienced they are. Using my knowledge and experience of delivering the ECF through instructional coaching, I am clear of the benefits of selecting small steps to focus on and making incremental improvements over time, as well as the opportunity to rehearse and receive regular feedback. This has supported me as a leader to explore and prepare for the implementation of a whole-academy coaching model from September 2024.

In summary, so much can be learned from working with Early Career Teachers and supporting the delivery of the new Early Career Framework. I am confident to say that I am a better teacher, mentor, training facilitator and school leader as a result of engaging with this important work of nurturing our ECTs to remain in the profession and to positively impact the lives of the young people and the communities we serve.

The Best Professional Development Programme I have taken part in.

By Alison Morris

Assistant Principal at The Queen Elizabeth Academy and Secondary Behaviour Lead for ATT

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”
Eleanor Roosevelt

The ASLDP is the best professional development programme that I have ever taken part in. From the start, it was rigorous, challenging and pushed me so far out of my comfort zone, but I thoroughly enjoyed every single aspect of the course. My only question is, can I do it again?

A Bit About Me

My name is Alison Morris and I have been an Assistant Principal at The Queen Elizabeth Academy in Atherstone since January 2020. I have been involved in Pastoral since the second year of my teaching career and Pastoral and Behaviour is an area of education that I am extremely passionate about. I love the challenge that this role brings to me each and every day. I am also the Secondary Behaviour Lead for the Academy Transformation Trust, leading our Trust community and developing Behaviour strategies across all of our academies. More recently, I have also been involved in the DfE Behaviour Hubs programme completing Trust programme and presenting to colleagues from different academy trusts and the DfE around behaviour and pastoral strategies and leadership.

Why the ASLDP?

The main reason I applied for the ASLDP was because it was an opportunity for me to concentrate on my personal leadership development and to take time out to focus on me and my career. And I have to say the programme did not disappoint. Having recently completed the NPQSL and the Trust Behaviour Hubs programme, the ASLDP seemed like the perfect next step for me. I have thoroughly enjoyed my role as a Trust Behaviour Lead and to have the opportunity to work with our Trust Executive Leadership Team in bespoke leadership training was important for me in developing my leadership skills and knowledge.

My Experiences

It is difficult to write about my experiences without giving too much away about the programme. The main aspect of the programme is the two-day residential. This is possibly an area that may put some potential applicants off, however, I can honestly say that it was absolutely worth it. Having the opportunity to focus completely on yourself, your own personal and professional development for two days and to meet like-minded colleagues was incredible. During these two days, we were put through numerous scenarios, independent and group tasks and leadership roles that were designed to challenge your thinking and your leadership skills and styles. One of the best aspects of the residential was that you are asked to take on a leadership role that you might not have considered before or have any experience of. The learning was challenging, fast-paced but so rewarding.

Prior to the residential, we attended an introductory session where we were introduced to the international bestseller ‘Surrounded by idiots’ by Thomas Erikson. This session enabled us to consider our leadership style, what leadership ‘colour’ we were and to meet our fellow colleagues. Following on from this we then completed the ‘Colour Works’ profile and had a bespoke 1:1 session with Holly from Colour works. These sessions were designed to evaluate our leadership styles, our strengths and areas for development. It really gave the opportunity to understand yourself as a leader and how others perceive you too.

The final aspect of the ASLDP is the 6 months of leadership coaching. This has enabled me to continue to reflect on my leadership styles and ability and to continue with my learning and development from the programme. My coach is superb at ‘getting me to talk’ and to reflect on my current leadership successes and stresses, as well as offering further development. The coaching ensures that the programme is not just a ‘one-off’ event, but a continuous programme of development.

I cannot, however, finish writing about my experiences without mentioning the other nine colleagues on the programme. We went into the residential knowing little about each other. The ASLDP provided us with the environment to build a strong support network and friendships. We regularly communicate with each other with messages or anecdotes, but also support and advise each other in our leadership roles. I have not experienced a professional development course before that has created such a strong bonding experience and network.

Application of Knowledge

The whole experience has given me the confidence to be assertive in my leadership and to show my educational values. Through the scenario activities, I have become much more conscious of other people (and their colours) and how I present myself to others. This has made more deliberate in what I do and what I say. This is a real positive because it helps me to think about how I can draw the best out of other people and develop them as individuals and leaders. Finally, it has also highlighted areas that I want to develop. My experience has only been in Pastoral and Behaviour, so I am now line manager for a subject area and looking to develop my experience in finance.

Key takeaways

1. Be confident in your abilities. You have got to the position because of your experience and abilities.

2. Adaptation is crucial. You must adapt your leadership styles to the situation and the individual, however, always be true to yourself.

3. Areas of development are not a weakness. Acknowledging these areas and developing them is a strength.

4. Enjoy the experience and the process. Don’t shy away. Commit 100% to the programme and the experiences offered.

The Aspirant System Leader Development Programme is an incredible experience. It made me think very differently about how I approach leadership and my abilities and expertise as a leader. Take the opportunity today and apply. You will not regret your decision.

How the ASLDP Allowed Me to Discover Who I Am as a Leader

By Stuart Pryke

Education Author and Assistant Principal (Teaching and Learning) at Iceni Academy

‘Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.’ —John F. Kennedy

The Aspirant System Leaders Programme is the best CPD I have ever had. I don’t think this blog could start any other way. I could (and do!) wax lyrical about the ASLDP. Was it challenging, rigorous and demanding? Yes. Was it also rewarding, valuable and inspiring? Absolutely. Without a doubt, the ASLDP was the best thing I have participated in when it comes to my own professional development.

A Bit About Me

My name is Stuart Pryke, and I’m Assistant Principal for Teaching and Learning at Iceni Academy where I have worked for a year. I am an English teacher in my 11^th year of teaching and during this time I have been a Subject Development Leader, Teaching and Learning lead and ECF mentor and induction co-ordinator. My subject has been my passion for a long time and I have also worked with Oak National Academy, PiXL and GCSE English in Action, speaking about English and the teaching of literature to teachers across the country.

Why the ASLDP?

The ASLDP was an opportunity to do something for myself. As a teaching and learning lead, one can be so focused on the development of other colleagues, that one can often overlook their own needs for growth and progression. As a new senior leader, I knew that I needed to utilise the knowledge and expertise of others who had the experience I was lacking as a novice to whole-school leadership. I needed to learn; I needed someone to challenge my way of thinking, and the ASLDP was the perfect way of learning about the strategic and operational responsibilities of a senior leader and those involved in trust-wide roles.

My Experiences

The ASLDP is a two day residential, but the learning happens long before the residential even begins. The chance for an introductory session allowed us to meet other ASLs in our cohort and reflect on what kind of person and leader we thought we were. I want to limit spoilers, but the chance to have a ‘Colour works’ profile completed on our personalities and leadership styles was incredible; based on a questionnaire we had to complete, we were given a report, generated by AI, on who we were alongside our strengths and areas to develop, an exciting and bizarre experience. This report seemed to know me better than I knew myself. Armed with this knowledge, we went into the residential aspect of the programme. The course itself was centred around how to improve a failing school. Through an amalgamation of independent and groups tasks, role play, one to one interview style tasks and coaching, the ASLDP is designed to keep participants engaged and challenged. To be thrown from one scenario straight into another was a real test of our adaptability. To say more would be to spoil the surprises, and the surprises were some of the best parts of the course.

Having completed the residential, I am currently participating in 6 months of leadership coaching as part of the ASLDP. CPD is often treated as a one-off event. The ASLDP is not. I’m still reflecting on things I learnt about myself during those two days with my coach, ensuring that the skills I picked up there are being used effectively.

I also must mention my fellow ASLs on the course. Each of us had differing levels of experience in whole-school leadership. Participating in the ASLDP was a real, unique bonding experience. When you’re thrown into a high-pressure environment with only each other for support, it’s fascinating to witness how quickly everyone can gel. This was a chance to network but it was also about what we could each bring to the course; I have no qualms about calling any of my fellow ASLs and asking for advice, seeing as we all progressed through this brilliant experience together.

Application of Knowledge

As a result of the course, I’ve been thinking primarily about communication and ensuring the message I am sending to others is the message that has been received. I have drawn from the one-to-one role play scenarios with members of the trust team when I’ve had to have challenging conversations in school. The finance task also helped me to identify my lack of experience in this area and as a result, I now oversee Pupil Premium funding for the academy.

Key Takeaways

1. Consider how you communicate with others. What kind of person are you communicating with? What are the best strategies for dealing with that person?
2. Use your strengths, but don’t neglect your areas for improvement. How can others around you help to address these areas to enable you to become a stronger leader?
3. Implementation is a process, not a one-off event. True change should be thought about and considered carefully.
4. A personal one for me… have confidence in your decisions.

And to bring everything back to the very beginning of this blog, as John F. Kennedy says, ‘leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.’ We are always learning as leaders, always striving to be better. The ASLDP taught me a lot about myself as a person and a leader: what I’m capable of, how resilient I am, what I need to experience to be better. I urge you to apply for this fantastic opportunity.

Ready, Steady, Go: One TA’s NPQ Journey

By Abi Joachim

Trust HLTA & Suffolk TA Network Coordinator

Ready…

When I began working as a teaching assistant over twenty years ago, my intention was to use it as a stepping stone into a ‘career’. Little did I know how much I would love the role and that it would develop into the most interesting, challenging and exciting career I could have hoped for. I have been fortunate to have been given the chance to develop my skills and knowledge over the years, but professional development can often be limited for teaching assistants. The research landscape for teacher CPD is growing and the impact is clear, as evidenced in the EEF Effective Professional Development guidance.

“Ensuring that teachers are provided with high quality PD is therefore crucial in improving pupil outcomes.” (EEF, 2021)

As fellow classroom practitioners, with a clear focus on teaching and learning, it is concerning that research into CPD for teaching assistants is lacking. Having experienced the impact of effective professional development on my practice, this quickly became an area of interest to me.

Steady…

In 2020, I was lucky enough to secure funding to launch a network for local teaching assistants and my journey into the world of CPD began. I now combine running a thriving network, offering county-wide training and networking opportunities for teaching assistants, with my Trust role leading on TA development as part of the Institute team.

Aware of my own need to improve my knowledge and skills, I was interested when an email popped into my inbox advertising a range of National Professional Qualifications (NPQs). The NPQ Leading Teaching Development (NPQLTD) caught my eye as a perfect opportunity to learn how to successfully support teaching assistants across the Trust to improve their own practice. Despite my excitement, I began to worry that this qualification was only available to teachers, but exploring further I discovered this was not the case.

Go!

Starting my NPQ in November was a bit scary but the facilitators and other colleagues immediately put me at ease. Having initially worried I wouldn’t have as much to contribute, I have actually found that everyone brings a unique perspective to the course and it is this mix of experience that makes our discussions so rich.

Working towards the NPQLTD has informed my practice, encouraged me to reflect and facilitated invaluable peer coaching experiences that have taught me so much. I come away from every session buzzing with ideas and can really see the improvements in my leadership of TA CPD as a direct result of the course.

A number of the NPQ courses could relate to non-teaching roles, such as Leading Behaviour and Culture, Leading Literacy and Leading Teacher Development and I would encourage any support staff in these roles to consider an NPQ – it is one of the best things I have ever done!

The Power of the Early Career Framework- Mentor’s Perspective

By Rob Cruxon

ECT Mentor at Sutton Community Academy.

About Me

I have been teaching for 20 years, during this time have been a mentor for early career teachers and trainee teachers, both in the school setting and for Teach First.  I have worked as an Associate Assistant Head with responsibility for coaching and professional development and the Head of a Science Department.  In all of these roles I have worked with teachers in the early stages of their career and supported them in their continual development.

Constantly Improving Practice

“Don’t throw that resource away, everything comes back around in teaching, we’ll be doing it again in 5 years”. 

This was the perceived “wisdom” that was passed onto me by the senior teachers in the early part of my career.  Since those days, as I have gained experience in the classroom, I often reflect upon the truth of this statement.

I have found that if viewed from a superficial level, it does seem that some ideas may come back into fashion after a few years.  When viewed in more depth, we are a profession that is constantly innovating and building on good practice.

Nowhere is this culture of innovation more true than with the developments in the framework supporting early career teachers and the role of their mentor.

Innovating Mentoring

Throughout my career, many colleagues have welcomed me into their classrooms for me to observe good practice.  In the early years I often left their rooms certain that I had seen excellence but uncertain how I could apply to my own practice.  I was still growing as an expert teacher and I did not yet have sufficient understanding to be able to devise why it was good, just that what I was seeing seemed to work.  This then led me to long rounds of trial and error where I copied strategies I had observed and careful self-evaluation.  I was supported on this journey by many great mentors but the process of old-style mentoring was long and frustrating at times.  Feedback was often unspecific and unfocussed and it was common practice to discuss every single area for improvement in each meeting.  It is easy to become overwhelmed in this situation.

Through my various roles in working with early career teachers I have tried to address this problem but found it difficult at times to express clearly which areas my mentees needed to work on, how best to approach improving these areas and how to achieve rapid results.

This is where the power of Early Career Framework becomes evident.  The intention is still the same and so are the outcomes.  At a glance, some may see this as “what we’ve always done in a fancy package”.

“What we’ve always done in a fancy package?”

The ECF is a modern innovation on traditional good mentoring.  I loved how clearly the different developmental strands were broken down and supported with training examples.  Successful teaching is broken down into tiny, simple objectives and associated with clear success criteria.  There was a wealth of support for me as a mentor that I have never had access to before and because of this, I felt very comfortable having developmental conversations with my mentee.

The framework allows me to apply my experience and subject expertise to give my mentee clear examples of how to apply each aspect good practice.  The role of the mentor is then to model good practice in our meetings and most importantly, narrate why it is good.

In our first meeting together, I explained to my mentee why it is important we commit to deliberate practice of skills in as close to the real setting as possible, even though some may find this uncomfortable.  When I was younger, a sports coach instilled in me the idea of “practicing like how you want to perform” and this is still true for education.  By going through rounds of instructional coaching, deliberate practice and feedback the ECT is able to embed good practice at a rapid pace and gain insight as to why it is effective in a way that was never available to me in the early years of my career.

So, is the Early Career Framework just “what we’ve always done in a fancy package?”

No.  As always in education, we have taken existing good practice and improved it.

Next Stop, Knowledge

By Reece Bhatoe

ATTI Fellow and Area Leader of Geography at Bristnall Hall Academy.

Now what?

I sometimes compare myself to a fish. Specifically, to a fish in a plastic bag, that has just escaped the dentist’s surgery and landed in the ocean, like that final scene in Finding Nemo. Having clicked ‘submit’ on my M.Ed dissertation, I found myself asking: “now what?”. Throughout my teaching career I have always wanted to be a better teacher and leader for the people I work with.  But, having completed my Masters, I found myself at an impasse. Whether it was in the early stages of my teaching career on the Teach First leadership development programme, or in my role as an Area Leader of Geography I have always found fulfilment and motivation in engaging with research to improve my practice. I had not even considered that an NPQ might be my next step until the routine sign-up reminder email dropped in my inbox. I must admit I had forgotten that NPQs existed. After considering all the options, and struggling to narrow them down, I settled on the NPQSL, partly because of my ambition to become a senior leader, but mainly because I am indecisive, and it seemed to cover everything.

The NPQSL covers themes including:

• School culture
• Effective teaching
• Supporting curriculum and assessment development
• Behaviour
• Additional and special educational needs
• Professional development
• Organisational management

Impact on My Practice

Engaging with contemporary research from the Education Endowment Foundation for the duration of the course supported all facets of my work in school. The implementation, culture, curriculum, behaviour and professional development units helped me to ensure that I was more effectively leading my subject area in as a middle leader. The course allowed me to sense-make implementations focussed on disciplinary literacy and curriculum/assessment development that have not only supported staff to improve their teaching capacity but have also had significant impacts on pupil outcomes. It is a genuine truth to say that the NPQSL has played a role in the brilliant outcomes that our exam cohort will achieve in this summer’s examinations, complementing the hard work of our staff and copious amounts of Cadbury’s chocolate-based bribery.

Furthermore, the professional development research has enabled me to implement change more effectively at both the whole-trust and whole-school level. The research-informed practice and GROW coaching on the NPQSL have helped me to develop the delivery of social mobility opportunities across the school by ensuring that implementations have been delivered with better research, design, and implementation, leading to more sustainable change, a reduction in staff workload and more enriching opportunities for the young people in our care. My learning on the NPQSL has enabled me to better establish the conditions for organisational learning around careers education, supporting staff to deliver work experience opportunities as well as developing strong partnerships with external agencies that will have a lasting impact on the experiences that inform our young people’s decisions regarding Higher Education.

The support and expertise of the facilitators and participants on the NPQSL cannot be understated either. The NPQSL provided a fantastic opportunity to collaborate with leaders from a range of contexts and backgrounds that have provided invaluable insight into the complexity of school improvement.  In times where en masse industrial action and a recruitment crisis make the profession seem like it is imploding, it has been a privilege to work alongside such committed leaders. I found myself consistently striving to match the dedication of the facilitators of my NPQ. Such is the inspiration I have gained from participation in the NPQSL, that I am now facilitating an NPQ (NPQLL) myself.  As the saying goes: “If you can’t beat them, join them”.

Next Stop, Knowledge!

So, if you find yourself in floating in a plastic bag in the harbour of professional development limbo, thinking ‘what now?’, I strongly urge you to consider undertaking an NPQ. They offer a unique opportunity to comprehensively enhance your practice and enact real change in your school contexts. As Mr Ray would say in Finding Nemo: “Hold on, here we go! Next stop, knowledge!”.