Teach Primary Issue 18.4

experts sharing their wisdom daily, usually for free, and will know who to follow on X. For starters, I would recommend Neil Almond (history/ geography), Tom Brassington (geography), Adam Smith (religious education), Lekha Sharma (curriculum), Shannen Doherty (mathematics) and Emma Turner (curriculum), but there are countless others who will, no doubt, be engaged in regular conversations with those listed here. Combine this with the audiovisual content provided through education podcasts, the Complete Mathematics CPD College and at Myatt and Co., and you have a CPD treasure chest with the capacity to drive meaningful improvement at a fraction of the typical cost. One thing that the teachers listed do so well, and that’s worthy of emulation, is connect classroom teachers with education research. Providing our middle leaders with the tools to engage with research will not only help them develop their understanding of the wider conversation at an academic level, but also encourage them to think critically about their whole-school responsibilities and develop their own opinions on some of the most important debates and themes in education discourse. Close the loop Perhaps the most fundamental aspect of empowering middle leaders is a closed strategic decision-making loop. We must avoid creating an inner circle within the hierarchy, for they are guaranteed to eat away at our schools in the long run. An effective school has leaders throughout, moving things forward or holding them in place, ready to move forward when called upon. When something new is introduced, it’s common to survey the thoughts of our middle leaders, but where are they when the plans are finalised? We should look to extend the opportunities we give for reflection, discussion and planning – opening the door, perhaps, to our senior leadership meetings, so that our middle leaders might be both present and able to contribute. We should touch base regularly, have systems in place for doing so, and routines that are refined to the extent that they make the process of leadership seamless. Kieran Mackle is a maths consultant and the creator of the weekly Thinking Deeply about Primary Education podcast. New episodes are released every Saturday at 9am, wherever you get your podcasts from. Aside from the obligatory audience participation and mandatory role-play exercises, INSET days tend to be passive affairs where an in-house or external expert imparts their wisdom to an expectant audience. The agenda is almost always decided on in response to past events or outcomes. If reading results are down, senior leaders may decide to address this on an INSET day at the start of the following term. This retrospective approach does little to address real-time practice and can overload teachers. Then, there is the lesson observation – another traditional CPD favourite. Anyone who has ever been observed by a leader in their classroom will tell you that the overriding feeling leading up to these events is fear. You can almost taste the trepidation in classrooms as senior leaders stride purposefully down the corridor, clipboards or iPads in hand. It is virtually impossible to act naturally when someone else is in your classroom. And then comes the dreaded feedback. Even in schools where the culture is one of openness and trust, this process can make teachers feel incredibly vulnerable. So, what’s the alternative? Lasting change relies on people having control over their own development, so we need to hand over the reins to teachers. When people feel they are in charge and have a voice, they are far more likely to buy into and effect change in the long term. A ‘bottom-up’ approach puts teachers front and centre and allows them the autonomy to decide areas for development themselves. These can be identified through a reflective practice, for example by videoing and reviewing their own lessons, so they can analyse their own qualities and consider potential steps towards improvement. These reflections may only take a matter of minutes but will have lasting impact further down the line. By taking small but purposeful steps towards agreed goals within clearly set out parameters, teachers gain an increased sense of value and confidence. Matt Tiplin is vice president of ONVU Learning, and is a former senior leader in a MAT and an Ofsted inspector. “Top-down CPD stifles change” L E ADERSH I P