School improvement is the holy grail many seek and there are different approaches taken to achieve it. Some turn to outside support, such as from external consultants, or engage in government-backed initiatives.

For others, though, in-house may be the best approach - and that is exactly what we at Core Education Trust, a family of four secondary schools in Birmingham, have done with our “lead practitioners” programme.

This began in 2023 with the aim of hiring individuals with expertise in certain subjects so they can share their expertise with school teams and work with them to co-design a programme of improvement unique to each of our schools’ needs.

Finding curriculum experts

Initially, we recruited curriculum experts in the areas where we most needed support, such as mathematics, English, science, geography and history. Recently we have recruited a lead practitioner in languages, too.

Despite sector recruitment challenges, we were able to appoint a talented team of colleagues.

This is in part because the lead practitioner role offers an opportunity for subject specialist teachers to remain involved in their subject, but with the added benefit of helping to develop colleagues’ knowledge and skills, and the satisfaction of delivering impact at scale.

Recently, Core was accredited by the Schools, Students and Teachers (SSAT) network as a lead practitioner learning centre, meaning we can offer a development pathway for serving and aspiring lead practitioners.

It was important to hire people with a clear mix of skills - subject expertise, yes, but also emotional intelligence and the ability to build trust and credibility quickly, so they can work with leaders collaboratively from the inside.

It was also important that they understood the role would be very different from being a classroom teacher or head of department, where impact is immediately visible and feedback more instant and rewarding.

Instead, this would be more about long-term planning with far-reaching impact, but where that impact would take time to be seen.

Communicating the purpose and function of lead practitioners accurately to school leaders was crucial.

What lead practitioners do

Since their appointment, each lead practitioner has met with heads of departments and their line managers to undertake a subject review and needs analysis. Involving both parties was important because each brings a different perspective.

For example, the analysis might look at detailed subject needs, such as topic resources, alongside school-wide priorities like increasing grades 7 and above at GCSE.

On completing the analysis, the lead practitioner can then identify priorities and create a support plan.

This draws on a range of tools, depending on need. Taking the example of increasing higher grades, the lead practitioner might team-teach a masterclass, create resources for an accelerated learning pathway or coach a data discussion to pinpoint areas of weakness.

Where students are struggling to access texts, they might assess reading age and engagement and, drawing on their professional network and canon of research, develop an adapted curriculum, or review or refresh set texts.

Coaching is another critical element of the work, particularly as studies show colleagues most value the training they receive in their subject specialism. As such, lead practitioners work to coach colleagues within their field, connecting and strengthening communities of practice and facilitating subject-specific CPD.

Cultural capital and careers-focused opportunities are now more prevalent. Lead practitioners are passionate experts and want to nurture the next generation of geographers, of mathematicians.

They recognise that to do so requires going beyond the curriculum - and are well placed to recommend accelerated pathways or make available enrichment opportunities that we previously might have lacked.

Positive early impact

Though it is early days, our trust lead practitioner team is showing signs of having a positive impact. Colleagues report feeling more confident planning and teaching the curriculum, and appreciate coaching and access to an expert outside their structure to bounce ideas off.

School leaders have also seen the quality of teaching improve, along with learning outcomes.

Interestingly, there is no universal understanding of what a lead practitioner is in our sector. Some schools use the title as a recruitment tool, others for pay enhancement.

We have worked hard to codify the role at Core and to build a team of system leaders. This approach provides a positive template for our trust and, thanks to the work of the SSAT and others, may become a model others can apply.

Rula Kanona is director of teaching and learning and professional development at Core Education Trust

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