My experiences as Head of English, as English Subject Specialist Leader across a multi-academy trust, and as senior manager in charge of teaching and learning in a recently converted academy, give me a unique insight into improving school culture and academic standards. Get in touch to find out more about how I can help you with training and advice.
As a Head of English, I had the opportunity to organise the curriculum coherently and introduce teaching methods focused on mastering core knowledge. Due to my profile online and at Knowledge Network meetings, I was headhunted as English Subject Specialist Leader at the Inspiration Trust. This gave me the opportunity to spread good practice more widely, in a consultative role across a multi-academy trust. During time at the Inspiration Trust, I produced a wide range of resources for English teachers to use. My study guides and exemplar materials have been influential far beyond the Trust. I now make them available for free through my website. So if you're interested in advice and training on curriculum development, get in touch!
In addition to producing English resources, my role as Subject Specialist Leader included delivering training to primary and secondary teachers. This was partly through traditional training sessions, but I also developed a much more hands-on approach, whereby I taught both primary and secondary classes and was observed by teachers, followed by a meeting to discuss what they had learned. This form of live training proved to be a very effective way of going beyond telling teachers how to improve by actually showing them improved methods in their own classrooms. If you'd like to learn more about how I could provide this kind of training to your school, get in touch!
I also had a wonderful opportunity to be involved with school transformation at Great Yarmouth Charter Academy, working with Barry Smith. As a senior manager at GYCA, I ensured that change was embedded by building strong relationships with heads of department. In fact, staff buy-in to the reforms was tremendous. Improved methods and reduced bureaucracy meant that there was more time and space for developing departmental resourcing, thus creating greater consistency and quality across teaching staff. If you'd like advice and training on building strong consistent approaches across your teaching staff, get in touch!
As an English specialist, I worked particularly intensively with the English department at GYCA on resources and approaches that led to significant improvements in GCSE outcomes. GCSE English literature grade 9-5 improved from 23% in 2017 to 51% in 2019. 9-4 improved from 37% in 2017 to 72% in 2019. These figures were particularly impressive within GYCA’s challenging context: 62% of the 2019 cohort received pupil premium funding, while 26% spoke English as an additional language. If you would like to find out how to implement similar transformation in your school, get in touch!
As well as transforming the English department, I gave whole-school teaching and learning approaches a complete overhaul. I introduced a streamlined and effective system for recording whole-class feedback using shared spreadsheets. I also developed a school-wide system for book scrutiny and adapted the performance management system to fit in with the new school-wide approaches to teaching and learning. Finally, I introduced better coordination of SLT ‘drop-in’ visits to lessons to enable senior leaders to discuss areas for development and provide targeted support where needed. If you'd like training and advice on how to build similarly streamlined and effective systems across your school, get in touch!
My remit at GYCA also included overseeing trainee teachers and NQTs across the school. As with all of my whole-school reforms, I focused on providing NQTs with a streamlined system which eliminated unnecessary paperwork and bureaucracy, while focusing on supporting staff where it really matters: in the classroom. Light-touch shared spreadsheets and regular personal meetings and observations, all done in a supportive and collaborative way, were warmly welcomed by the NQTs. If you'd like advice on how to improve the experience and development of trainees and NQTs in your school, get in touch!