This CPD, aimed at new and existing members of SLT, goes through the rationale behind conducting subject deep dives in the style of Ofsted, and how to implement them. Included are two files: a PowerPoint file in the event you would like to deliver this CPD to staff as a presentation a PDF in case you want to disseminate this CPD via email, or follow up with the notes to the presentation above. This resource provides step-by-step insights into navigating subject deep dives, focusing on intentional strategies for refining teaching practices and achieving incremental improvements, fostering a culture of reflection and adaptability within the constraints of secondary education. Thanks for taking a look - hopefully after using this guidance you’ll be in a place as a senior leadership team, or as a highly competent middle leader, where you are able to convey the need for and benefits of subject deep dives, not just in the context of preparing for Ofsted, but also importantly in the spirit of a commitment to continuous school improvement.

This presentation was designed and delivered at the beginning of a CPD day we did on ensuring the rigour and alignment of our curriculum: both whole-school and in individual subjects. It goes into 7 key areas of curriculum design: Challenge Enjoyment Progression Relevance Coherence Personalisation Choice Each one is defined and explanations are included for the speaker as to what these mean on a practical level. Links to research are included and the end of the presentation focuses on the implementation of the key facets and mapping how they can be evidenced in e.g. a curriculum map. Staff found this clear and concise and helped foster a sense of collaboration when it comes to curriculum planning - hopefully it can form the base of curriculum thinking in your context too. Thanks for taking a look :)

This is a document I made for our more inexperienced staff who had some anxieties around parents evenings. It isn’t overly long to read and digest (it’s two sides of A4) so it didn’t cognitively overload them but they really appreciated it. I emphasised that it was intended as a reference and a guide and they obviously weren’t meant to memorise all the responses (and also I explained how I couldn’t anticipate every scenario!) but it certainly helped ease their anxieties and make sure they were confident in their interactions (as well as communicating in the right professional tone etc.) I got some great feedback from staff on it so I thought I’d share it and I hope it saves you some time in terms of producing something that staff can really use. I also found it a useful starting point for more experienced members of staff who perhaps needed a little reminder of the importance of interacting with parents friendly but in a professional manner, no matter how parents might present! It isn’t exhaustive but it was really useful in terms of conveying to our staff the tone and manner we wanted them to communicate in, so I hope it’s just as useful for you too! Thanks for taking a look :)

This PowerPoint presentation is ideal for an assembly or a talk to parents of any exam cohort. It could also be used for an hour’s lesson if students were to try different techniques as they are introduced on the screen live. We actually also used it for Staff CPD to help them guide students revision lessons - it worked really well and staff appreciated having guidance to ensure the tasks they are setting in revision lessons are valuable. It is simple and clear and grounds all the suggested techniques in the cognitive science research into which revision techniques actually work and why, It means students can have confidence that the revision tasks they are completing actually have a high chance of making knowledge stick and ensuring they retain key information they will need for their exams. It has worked really well with our students and hopefully it can save you a little bit of time reinventing the wheel. Thanks for taking a look :)

This letter successfully landed an interview for a Head of Music at a state school in England (The official title of the role was Curriculum Leader for Music). The school was large and there was a significant TLR attached to the role. This letter is designed to be used for informative purposes and as a guide to the things you would be able to write and say in your own letter of application for a similar role. There may well be things you can’t take from this letter since they may not be true for you, but the spirit of this resource is very much to provide a template and an inspiration for you to write your own letter. Just as we know it’s helpful to provide our pupils with a model for exam questions they need to answer, so too I have always found it helpful to have something to model letters of application on as an adult. There isn’t anything within this letter which identifies the school that was being applied to, and when I mention ‘SCHOOL NAME’ in the text, it would, obviously, be wise to replace this phrasing in your letter with the school’s own name that you’re applying to. Where there is experience which has been written about which you yourself have not had, it may be worth thinking of examples from your own practice that you can write about in a similar style which match the person specification of the role you are applying for. For reference, the letter of application is two pages in length. Thanks for taking a look and good luck in your job search - hopefully this will make the process a tiny bit less stressful :)

This PowerPoint is a ready-to-go T&L strategy to implement whole-school so that your teachers can get better outcomes / results from their lower ability groups. Students in lower ability groups, typically, tend to respond to certain teaching and learning strategies better than others. This strategy (in the form of a PowerPoint to be used as a presentation) uses the findings of research into what works, according to cognitive science, to ensure these students: retain more information make bigger learning gains from lesson to lesson make bigger learning gains over time enjoy school more get into a positive feedback loop The practicalities of achieving the above are outlined within the presentation, as are examples of how the T&L strategies might play out in reality. using this strategy at our school we have seen real results in terms of increasing the psychological safety of our lower ability pupils, increasing their buy-in and capacity to make greater leaps in their learning, resulting in better exam outcomes too. Thanks for taking a look and I hope this saves you some time :)

‘Live marking and feedback’ is the idea of marking or giving feedback on students’ work ‘in the moment’ - which cognitive science research tells us is incredibly effective in moving learning forward and addressing misconceptions before they become embedded. This presentation takes staff through the rationale behind it, the practicalities in its implementation, and the different ways it can be done. We have introduced it and in addition to helping our students make greater learning gains, it has reduced staff workload dramatically. This policy is for forward thinking schools who are looking to introduce evidence-informed practices into their school environment, benefiting students and staff alike. This was something that was really well received when it was presented and live marking and feedback continues to go form strength to strength as more practitioners begin to see its value when done well. Thanks for taking a look :)

These documents will hopefully prove invaluable to anyone looking to set a new Marking and Feedback policy at their school - or indeed to see what a forward-thinking and feedback-focused marking policy looks like. The policy outlines a commitment to ‘feedback’ over ‘marking’, while still using terminology that teachers, leaders and inspectors are happy with. The way in which it is worded allows all stakeholders to firmly grasp the rationale behind the policy, which is the idea that any marking/feedback done should be useful in moving learning forward, rather than simply being something that is done to satisfy leadership and/or Ofsted. The book check proforma that accompanies it allows staff to understand the parameters of what is expected of them but is very much developmental in its wording. It was designed within a healthy Teaching and Learning whole-school environment and ethos and has managed to cut workload along with ensuring feedback is more valuable and impactful in our school and I really hope it can in yours too…! Thanks for taking a look :)

This letter successfully landed me an interview for a Head of RE at a faith school (The official title of the role was Curriculum Leader for Religious Studies). The school was large and there was a significant TLR attached to the role. This letter is designed to be used for informative purposes and as a guide to the things you would be able to write and say in your own letter of application for a similar role. There may well be things you can’t take from my letter since they may not be true for you, but the spirit of this resource is very much to provide a template and an inspiration for you to write your own letter. Just as we know it’s helpful to provide our pupils with a model for exam questions they need to answer, so too I have always found it helpful to have something for me to model my own letters of application on. There isn’t anything within this letter which identifies the school that was being applied to, and when I mention ‘your school’ in the text, it would be wise to replace this phrasing in your letter with the school’s own name. Where there is experience I have written about which you yourself have not had, it may be worth thinking of examples from your own practice that you can write about in a similar style which match the person specification of the role you are applying for. For reference, the letter of application is nearly two pages in length. Thanks for taking a look and good luck in your job search - hopefully this will make the process a tiny bit less stressful :)

This assembly is simple and easy to follow. It has striking visuals which are easy for students to interpret interpret (see preview image). The Assembly starts with looking at how Tolerance works with other values to make us better people, followed by a definition of tolerance in pupil-speak. Examples of how Britain has become more tolerant over time are then introduced and then we introduce students to the idea of intolerance and what that means. I delivered this assembly during the week of January where Holocaust memorial day falls (27th January). Pupils learn about the Holocaust in History and many have a good understanding of it already - hence why the assembly is driven by the value of Tolerance, with a case study of the Holocaust then introduced. This is what can happen when intolerance is allowed to flourish I told the pupils. Despite Britain’s difficult imperial past, I outline how standing up to Nazi Germany and its intolerance is something Britain should be proud of. The assembly ends with practical suggestions that pupils can do in school and in wider life that helps them to demonstrate tolerance and build a more tolerance school and society. There is enough here for a 20-40 minute assembly - depending on how much you want to embellish the slides with your own exposition.