Systems Design

We really do believe the quality of teaching in our schools has got better because of responsive coaching. It locks in consistent systems and strong habits, creating a predictable, positive learning environment for all students.

What does it take to build truly effective teacher professional development?

This is part 2 of a blog post series in which Elliot, a coaching lead at Manchester Communication Primary Academy, shares the five lessons he learnt when building a TA coaching programme, and the positive impact Instructional Coaching has had on TA practice.

Teaching Assistants (TAs) do not always have access to the same high quality professional development (PD) as teachers. TAs support learners with the most complex needs, and therefore ongoing training is key to their effectiveness.

If we want instructional coaching to make a real difference to teachers and pupils, we need to focus on getting the implementation right.

When I arrived in the summer of 2022, there was enthusiasm about the idea of coaching but a need to provide clarity around what makes great coaching, and drive the school’s instructional coaching programme to excellence.

We explore how subject leads can utilize lesson drop-ins to enhance professional development (PD) for teachers. By conducting regular, focused drop-ins, subject leads can provide ongoing feedback, build shared pedagogical understanding, and foster a supportive teaching environment.

As a primary school head and a MAT leader, I believe it is an absolute entitlement for every teacher in our organisation to have meaningful, quality professional development.

At my previous school, I’d seen what a positive impact coaching has on both teacher practice and the teaching and learning culture in a school. When I started leading on Teaching and Learning in September 2021, I knew I wanted to start an instructional coaching programme.

What systems can help staff to prioritise coaching? With this in mind, I considered what measures I could put in place to maximise the completion in order that coaching could have the greatest possible impact.

At Woodham, we passionately believe that any whole school change needs to be routed in evidence and be ‘problem orientated.’ For the programme to be successful we knew it required meticulous execution: searching out barriers and overcoming them (Fletcher-Wood, 2022).

Every school we know of that has ‘successfully’ implemented Instructional Coaching changes something about their coaching programme every single year. Implementing instructional coaching isn’t a finite challenge that you can eventually complete.