NPQH Cycle 2: Leading Culture and
Ethos
Formative Assessment Task Options
Option 1: Establishing the school’s strategic direction
Programme framework statements covered
School culture
Learn that…
1.3. Setting clear expectations can help communicate shared values that improve classroom and school culture.
1.8. Building alignment of staff around the intended school culture can create coherence in a school and give direction and purpose to the staff’s work teaching pupils.
Learn how to…
Establish and sustain the school’s strategic direction, with those responsible for governance, including by:
1.a. Using a range of data, the expertise of colleagues and experience of the wider community in its creation and ongoing refinement.
1.c. Regularly communicating this strategic direction to the whole school community.
Introduction
The online course identified three key sources headteachers must draw from if the strategic direction they plot for their school is to be built upon robust foundations:
▪ a range of relevant data – necessary to provide a secure evidence base upon which to make informed judgments
▪ the expertise of colleagues – necessary because schools are complex organisations and expertise is spread within and beyond the school community
▪ the experience of the wider community – necessary because leaders should determine their school’s strategic direction with their community, not for it
The module illustrated that once the strategic direction is set, if the school is to achieve its goals, then the whole school community needs regular reminders of the direction that has been set and the school’s progress on its strategic journey.
STRATEGIC DIRECTION
Task: Review of my school’s strategic direction setting processes
Step one: Review
Download the proforma ‘Review of strategic direction setting processes’ below and use it to evaluate your school’s school development plan/school improvement plan, the processes that underpinned its development and the establishment of priorities. For schools with several development plans, you should consider the suite of plans.
Step two: Share findings
It is recommended that, as part of this activity, you discuss the outcomes of your review with a member of your school’s senior leadership team. This may give you another perspective, allow you to fill in gaps in your knowledge, etc.
Step three: Conclusions
Download the ‘Evaluation of strategic direction setting processes’ proforma (see below) and use this to summarise the key findings from your review and your proposals for developments.
Use the information you have gathered above to write a report titled ‘Critical evaluation of my school’s strategic planning processes’ (maximum 600 words). The audience for your report is the senior leadership team.
In making any recommendations for change, you should consider (a) your rationale for the changes, and (b) the challenges that might arise when implementing those changes, and how you might address them.
When you have completed your report, upload it in Canvas to your leadership performance coach within the timeframe identified.
Step one:
Step two:
Step three:
When you have completed these activities reflect upon
1. Data sources underpinning the plan (i.e., the evidence upon which the plan is based)
For each bullet, briefly indicate:
(a) if your school used a particular source; and
(b) if the source is specifically identified/referenced within key documents such as a development plan or governor/SLT meeting minutes
What data has the school drawn upon?
▪ internal pupil performance data
▪ external pupil performance data
▪ pupil voice data
▪ professional development impact surveys
▪ budget analysis
▪ value for money analysis
▪ academic research
▪ other
2. Drawing from the expertise of colleagues For each bullet, comment on:
What were the arrangements for using the expertise of the colleagues listed below? How effective were these arrangements?
▪ senior leadership team
▪ school business leader
▪ middle/subject leaders
▪ SENDCo
▪ classroom teachers
▪ teaching assistants
▪ LA/MAT/diocesan, etc., colleagues (if appropriate)
▪ external expertise (e.g., SIP, NLE, Ofsted)
(a) your perception of how the group/individual was consulted about or involved in the process of determining the school’s strategic goals and how influential each was; and
(b) if the contributions of these groups/individuals are acknowledged in key documents
(NB: It may be that you and/or the school did not feel it appropriate to involve a particular group/individual. If this is the case, you should briefly explain why.)
3. Using the experience of the wider community For each bullet, comment on
a) the method(s) used to consult with each group and the effectiveness of this method(s) (if a group was not consulted, briefly outline why this was the case); and
b) where the opinions/views of each group are recorded/acknowledged in the planning process
What were the arrangements for discussing the school’s strategic direction with these groups?
▪ parents
▪ governors
▪ church representatives (if appropriate)
▪ relevant community organisations, e.g., Chamber of Commerce
▪ other groups
4. Regularly communicating updates to the whole school community
How are each of the following groups to be informed of/engaged
For each bullet, comment on:
a) the method(s) used to update/engage each group and the effectiveness of this method(s) (If a group was not updated, briefly outline why this was the case.)
with progress towards the achievement of the school’s strategic goals?
▪ teaching staff
▪ support staff
▪ pupils
▪ parents
▪ governors
▪ MAT/diocese/owners, etc.
▪ community
Proforma: Evaluation of strategic direction setting processes
Reflect upon your comments above and use them to make a judgment about the (a) strengths and (b) areas for development of your school’s strategic planning process. Where you make recommendations for change, you should explain your rationale (why?) for the change, and what changes you would make (what?).
Data sources underpinning the plan (i.e., the evidence upon which the plan is based)
Strengths
Recommendations for change with a brief rationale What? Why?
Drawing from the expertise of colleagues
Strengths
Recommendations for change with a brief rationale What? Why?
Using the experience of the wider community
Strengths
Recommendations for change with a brief rationale What? Why?
Regularly communicating updates to the whole school community
Strengths
Recommendations for change with a brief rationale What? Why?
Summary
Are your school’s processes fit for purpose? Summarise your conclusion using no more than 140 characters.
Option 2: Designing a culture to optimise pupil behaviour
Programme framework statements covered
Behaviour
Learn that…
4.1. While classroom-level strategies have a big impact on pupil behaviour, consistency and coherence at a whole school level are paramount.
4.2. Whole school changes usually take longer to embed than individually tailored or single classroom approaches however, behaviour programmes are more likely to have an impact on attainment outcomes if implemented at a whole school level.
4.3. Teacher and pupil behaviours become ingrained and can be difficult to change, so most whole school behaviour policy or practice will likely take more than a school term to demonstrate impact.
Learn how to…
Establish and sustain a positive, predictable and safe environment for pupils, including by:
4.a. Creating, implementing, and consistently applying a clear school behaviour policy across the school.
4.b. Ensuring the school behaviour policy promotes good relationships between pupils and staff, and that it complements the intended school culture, including a clear approach to recognition, rules, sanctions and escalation of behaviour incidents.
4.c. Ensuring that a positive, predictable and safe environment is maintained consistently across the school, including during extra-curricular activities, communal spaces, on school trips and travelling to and from school.
Introduction
Newly appointed headteachers frequently wish to address the culture of the school they are beginning to lead. In some cases, to reshape it; in others to radically change it. As part of this process, a significant amount of their attention is often focused on the culture surrounding the school’s approach to pupil behaviour.
This task explores how headteachers might go about creating a culture that promotes excellent behaviour and is based upon the findings of Bennett1 as outlined in his influential report, ‘Creating a culture: How school leaders can optimise behaviour’. In this report, Bennett discusses three stages schools must typically progress through in order to establish their desired culture:
▪ designing the culture
▪ building the culture in detail
▪ maintaining the culture
The activity below focuses on the first stage of Bennett’s model, designing the culture; however, you are strongly advised to read his guidance on the following two stages to gain a full understanding of his model.
Designing the culture
Bennett (pp. 30–33) makes a series of recommendations, and we have reproduced extracts from each recommendation below, placing our emphases, in bold, on some of his key observations/recommendations.
A school culture will exist whether effort is invested in it or not. Therefore, it is sensible to ensure that the prevailing culture is supportive of good conduct rather than one that impedes it. Good school leaders are the conscious architects of their school cultures. They have a clear idea of the behaviour they want to achieve, and the methods they will use to achieve them.
Creating a vision
Leaders have a responsibility to provide their school with a clear behaviour vision, commonly understood, and explained point-by-point. This vision should refer to permitted, prohibited and encouraged behaviour, as well as attitudes, values and beliefs. Visions are trivial unless they are demonstrated in practice.
Making behaviour a whole school focus
This means ensuring that school behaviour is a high-status topic in every meeting, in public discussions and at every level of strategy. The creation of a mature and cooperative culture of excellent behaviour should be one of the fundamental goals of every school.
Social norms
Creating school culture is about designing social norms that one would want to see reproduced throughout the school community. Leaders must ask, ‘What would I like all students to do, routinely?’ ‘What do I want them to believe about themselves, their achievements, each other, the
1 Bennett, T. (2017). Creating a culture: How school leaders can optimise behaviour. London, DfE. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/behaviour-in-schools
school?’ Once these questions have been answered, the leader can then translate these aspirations into expectations.
Communicating that culture to the school community and beyond
Shared values, behaviour and practices do not happen spontaneously. They must be modelled, explained and promoted carefully by school leaders.
Leadership team curation
In many interviews, school leaders referenced how essential a highly committed leadership team was, one that was ambitious, optimistic and bought completely into the school vision. Some of them mentioned specifically the need for one loyal, talented and dedicated lieutenant.
Building a core team of effective, active leaders
The headteacher’s role is crucial to the success of a school. Their success is closely associated with a close-knit team of like-minded individuals who believe in the school values and vison and are prepared to routinely put those values into practice. In some cases, their roles will be to innovate and lead, for example, taking responsibility for discrete areas of operations, and taking initiative within those roles. At other times, their roles will be managerial such as the efficient maintenance of established systems, and guaranteeing that staff roles are being fulfilled, projects are on schedule, and goals are reached. The ability to discern when to innovate, and when to consolidate, is key to the role of every leader or manager in the school. It is crucial to the success of an excellent school behaviour culture.
Further reading
Before addressing the task below, you should download and read pages 30 to 33 of Bennett’s report, available at:
▪ Creating a culture: a review of behaviour management in schools – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
If you wish to explore this topic further, the following will be of interest:
▪ Education Endowment Foundation (2021). Improving Behaviour in Schools. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/guidancereports/behaviour
Recommendation Six has particular relevance to this task.
▪ DfE (2011) Getting the simple things right: Charlie Taylor’s behaviour checklists https://dera.ioe.ac.uk/25115/1/charlie_taylor_checklist.pdf
Task: Designing a culture to optimise pupil behaviour
You may approach this task from either of the perspectives below:
▪ a recently appointed headteacher seeking to shape the culture of a school you have been appointed to lead, OR
▪ a senior leader who has been requested to evaluate their school’s (i.e., your school) strategies for shaping the desired culture
Step one: Analysis of Bennett’s recommendations
Download below the appropriate ‘Designing a culture to optimise pupil behaviour’ proforma, i.e., according to which of the two perspectives you have chosen to take.
Step two: Reflective conversation
Discuss your completed proforma with a senior colleague in your own school or another school. Invite them to critically challenge your observations.
When you have completed these activities, reflect upon your findings and use these to write a report with one of the following titles:
▪ My rationale for the culture I would seek to promote in a school I was appointed to lead and the implementation challenges that might arise, OR
▪ Evaluation of the effectiveness of my school’s culture in supporting its behaviour management (Include your rationale for any recommendations for change, and an analysis of any implementation challenges that might occur.)
In compiling your report, you may find it helpful to use Bennett’s five strategies as subheadings. The audience for your report is the board of governance, but you are not expected to submit it to them. The word count is 600 words (maximum).
When you have completed your report, upload it in Canvas to your leadership performance coach within the timeframe identified.
Proforma 1: Designing a culture to optimise pupil behaviour
Perspective: A recently appointed headteacher seeking to shape the culture of a school they have been appointed to lead
Use the prompts for each of Bennett’s strategies to reflect on how you would go about designing the culture in a school you had just been appointed to lead. You should record your observations/thoughts in the Response column. Wherever possible, you should support your responses with examples, e.g., of behaviours you would like to see, practices you would seek to develop.
Strategies Response
1. Creating a vision
Prompts
Describe your vision for pupil behaviour in terms of:
▪ permitted behaviour
▪ prohibited behaviour
▪ encouraged behaviour
▪ the values, attitudes and beliefs that will be woven through all aspects of the school’s behaviour policy
Give three examples of how your vision will be visibly demonstrated in practice.
2. Social norms
Prompts
Consider:
▪ What would you like all students to do routinely, e.g., walking on the left in corridors?
▪ What do you want them to believe about themselves?
▪ What do you want them to believe about their achievements?
▪ What do you want them to believe about each other?
▪ What do you want them to believe about the school?
How will you know when these social norms have, indeed, become norms of behaviour?
3. Making behaviour a whole-school focus Prompts
How will you ensure behaviour is a high-status topic?
Consider:
▪ meetings
▪ planning: whole-school and subject/phase level
▪ public discussions
▪ professional development
4. Communicating that culture to the school community and beyond
Prompts
How will you develop shared values, behaviour and practices? Consider where, when and how you will:
▪ model your desired culture
▪ explain your desired culture
▪ promote your desired culture
Try to be very specific, i.e., describe particular contexts, the behaviours you will exhibit, the impact you would hope to have.
5. Leadership team curation
Prompts
How will you ensure that your leadership team is committed and has bought completely into the school vision? Consider:
▪ leadership position appointments
▪ distribution of responsibilities
▪ motivation
▪ team building
Bennett observes: “Some [school leaders] mentioned specifically the need for one loyal, talented and dedicated lieutenant” (p. 32). What do you feel about this strategy?
Proforma 2: Designing a culture to optimise pupil behaviour
Perspective: A senior leader who has been requested to evaluate their school’s (i.e., your school) strategies for shaping their desired culture
Use the prompts for each of Bennett’s strategies to reflect on current strategies used by your school, and their effectiveness. You should record your observations/thoughts in the Response column. Wherever possible, you should support your responses with specific examples, e.g., of positive practices or unwanted behaviours.
Strategies
1. Creating a vision
Prompts
Is your school’s vision for pupil behaviour described in terms of:
▪ permitted behaviour?
▪ prohibited behaviour?
▪ encouraged behaviour?
▪ the values, attitudes and beliefs that are woven through all aspects of the school’s behaviour policy?
Can you give three examples of your school’s vision for the above manifesting itself in practice?
2. Social norms
Prompts
Response
Does your school’s behaviour policy, vision statement, etc., clearly indicate:
▪ what you would like all students to do routinely, e.g., walking on the left in corridors?
▪ what you want them to believe about themselves?
▪ what you want them to believe about their achievements?
▪ what you want them to believe about each other?
▪ what you want them to believe about the school?
Are these social norms a strong feature of your school’s culture? For example, would they be very visible to a visitor?
3. Making behaviour a whole-school focus Prompts Is behaviour a high-status topic? Consider:
▪ meetings – who, what, where and when is behaviour discussed? Is there coherence between the different meetings?
▪ planning: whole-school and subject/phase level –where does behaviour feature in planning
documents? Is there coherence among planning activities?
▪ public discussions – frequency and purpose
▪ professional development –frequency/type/induction arrangements
4. Communicating that culture to the school community and beyond Prompts
How effectively do leaders develop shared values, behaviour and practices? Consider where, when and how leaders:
▪ model the desired culture
▪ explain the desired culture
▪ promote the desired culture
Try to be very specific, e.g., in the case of modelling, describe particular contexts, the behaviours exhibited and the intended impact.
5. Leadership team curation Prompts
How effectively does the school ensure that leadership team members are committed completely to the school vision? Consider:
▪ leadership position appointments
▪ distribution of responsibilities
▪ motivation
▪ team building
Bennett observes: “Some [school leaders] mentioned specifically the need for one loyal, talented and dedicated lieutenant” (p. 32).
Is this the case in your school? If so, reflect upon the effectiveness of this approach.
Option 3: Leading continuous professional development and learning (CPDL)
Programme framework statements covered
Professional development
Learn that…
6.1. Helping teachers improve through evidence-based professional development that is explicitly focused on improving classroom teaching can be a cost-effective way to improve pupils’ academic outcomes when compared with other interventions and can narrow the disadvantage attainment gap.
6.2. Effective professional development is likely to involve a lasting change in teachers' capabilities or understanding so that their teaching changes.
6.3. Professional development should be developed using a clear theory of change, where facilitators understand what the intended educational outcomes for teachers are and how these will subsequently impact pupil outcomes. Ideally, they should check whether teachers learn what was intended.
6.6. The content of professional development programmes should be based on the best available evidence on effective pedagogies and classroom interventions and aim to enhance capabilities and understanding in order to improve pupil outcomes.
6.7. Teachers are more likely to improve if they feel that they are working within a supportive professional environment, where both trust and high professional standards are maintained.
6.8. Supportive environments include having the time and resource to undertake relevant professional development and collaborate with peers, and the provision of feedback to enable teachers to improve. They also include receiving support from school leadership, both in addressing concerns and in maintaining standards for pupil behaviour.
Learn how to…
Ensure colleagues take part in effective professional development, including by:
6.c. Ensuring that time is protected for teachers to plan, test and implement new, evidenceinformed ideas.
6.f. Making reasonable adjustments that are well-matched to teacher needs (e.g. in content, resources and venue).
6.g. Ensuring that any professional development time is used productively and that all colleagues perceive the relevance to their work.
6.j. Ensuring that the professional environment for staff is supportive with sufficient time for highquality dialogue and collaboration.
Introduction
This activity focuses on some of the findings and recommendations of Cordingley et al.’s ‘Developing great leadership of continuing professional development and learning’,2 which reviews key research findings into the effective leadership of CPDL.
Leading professional development
Whilst there has been significant research into effective design and delivery of CPDL over the last two decades, until relatively recently less attention has been paid to the leadership of CPDL, and how the actions of leaders can promote and sustain effective CPDL in their organisations.
In their review, Cordingley et al identify some things leaders can do. Firstly, they identify two overarching principles for leaders to follow:
▪ model and orientate CPDL systems and activities towards building shared accountability for pupil achievement and well-being; and
▪ model and use openness to professional and leadership learning as a way of securing this and ensuring that CPDL, similarly focuses on teacher development and well-being (p. 5) Take a moment to reflect on these two principles and consider these questions:
▪ Are you open to professional learning? If so, where, when and how do you model this to colleagues?
▪ Does CPDL in your school focus on teacher well-being as well as teacher development? If so, can you give examples of this in practice?
Cordingley et al also recommend that school leaders engage in a number of key activities if they wish to enhance their leadership of CPDL. The focus of this task is on the activities they recommend (p. 6), which are reproduced below.
Activities
Using their own and senior colleagues’ specialist knowledge to identify and recognise the contribution of specialist expertise (including, but not limited to, subject knowledge) to CPDL in securing depth in professional learning
This involves, for example
Careful commissioning (whether internally or externally) of CPDL activities and tools and protocols for embedding new learning in dayto-day school practices
2 Cordingley, P., Higgins, S., Greany, T., Crisp, B., Araviaki, E., Coe, R., & Johns, P. (2020). Developing great leadership of continuing professional development and learning. http://www.curee.co.uk/node/5200
Understanding and accessing the skills and pedagogic content knowledge of CPDL leaders and facilitators
Providing or commissioning training for coaches, mentors or lesson study or enquiry leads
Ensuring that departmental, phase or subject leaders have training in the CPDL processes they are supporting, as well as the content of their area of specialism
Recognising, in practical ways, that CPDL is enacted though professional relationships and cannot be divorced from them, even if workshops and opportunities to work with specialists have to happen elsewhere
Helping teachers navigate complexity and overcome the day to day, whilst also:
▪ challenging them to develop an understanding of underlying theories and assumptions
▪ giving them the opportunity to use those practical theories in making choices around which strategies to adopt and refine for particular pupils and contexts
Next steps
This means ensuring that the types, depth, intensity and quality of interactions between individual teachers and their pupils, and the partnerships between teachers, leaders and CPD facilitators, are central to professional learning
This means:
▪ designing and/or commissioning tools, protocols and systems surrounding CPDL that take account of practical, cognitive and emotional challenges they face and/or those imposed by the CPDL content, tools and protocols
▪ giving teachers choices about which strategies to adopt in which contexts
Before reading any further, you should download Cordingley et al.’s summary report (9 pages) to gain a full understanding of all their findings and recommendations:
Developing great leadership of CPDL - final summary report
Take particular care to read and reflect upon their ‘guidance and implications’ (pp. 8–9), as they provide powerful insights for leaders seeking to develop the quality of their CPDL.
Task: Leading continuous professional development and learning (CPDL)
Before beginning this activity, refresh your understanding of the key recommendations made by Cordingley et al. by reading their summary report.
Step one: Complete the ‘Review of my school’s leadership of professional development’ proforma, below.
Step two: Review your responses with a trusted colleague. Ideally this will be a senior leader or someone who is well-placed to have insights into the school’s CPDL policy and practices. Make notes on their responses.
Stage three: Conclusions
Download the proforma Review of my school’s leadership of professional development (see below) and use this to summarise the key findings from your review and your proposals for developments.
Use the information you have gathered above to write a report titled ‘The effective leadership of professional development and learning at [insert name of school]: Strategies for improving provision’ The report should not exceed 600 words. It should include:
▪ your rationale for any recommendations for change, and
▪ an analysis of any implementation challenges that might occur and how you will address these
When you have completed your report, upload it in Canvas to your leadership performance coach within the timeframe identified.
Proforma: Review of my school’s leadership of professional development
Use the prompts to evaluate your school’s policies/practices/provision/leadership for each of the activities. If you feel your school’s practice is very effective, support your judgment with examples. If you feel practice is weak, provide a rationale for this judgment.
Activities Response
1. Using their own and senior colleagues’ specialist knowledge to identify and recognise the contribution of specialist expertise (including, but not limited to, subject knowledge) to CPDL in securing depth in professional learning
Prompts
When commissioning (or if asked to commission) CPDL, do you and/or senior colleagues have the specialist knowledge referred to above?
Can you give an example of what this looks like in practice? For example, when the school is making decisions about future CPDL, on what basis does it make decisions about whether or not to source CPDL internally or externally? If CPDL is to be delivered using in-house staff, how does the school evaluate/ensure that HE staff delivering training possess the necessary skills?
2. Understanding and accessing the skills and pedagogic content knowledge of CPDL leaders and facilitators
Prompts
How effectively does your school support, for example, its middle leaders, in developing the necessary skills to:
▪ deliver training sessions?
▪ act as coaches?
▪ lead enquiry sessions?
▪ provide subject-specific training for team members?
Reflect on (a) the last three years and (b) current plans for CPDL. What opportunities has the school provided, or does it plan to provide, for middle leaders to develop their CPDL skills?
3. Recognising, in practical ways, that CPDL is enacted though professional relationships and cannot be divorced from them, even if
workshops and opportunities to work with specialists have to happen elsewhere
Prompts
How effectively does your school facilitate the professional relationships referred to above in order to promote professional learning?
Consider:
▪ opportunities for sustained internal dialogue between teachers about professional learning. Consider when and where this happens, frequency of occurrence, impact.
▪ opportunities for sustained dialogue with external CPD facilitators, e.g., SLEs from a teaching school
4. Helping teachers navigate complexity and overcome the day to day, whilst also:
▪ challenging them to develop an understanding of underlying theories and assumptions
▪ giving them the opportunity to use those practical theories in making choices around which strategies to
adopt and refine for particular pupils and contexts
Prompts
Consider:
▪ how sensitive/aware leaders are to some of the practical challenges that staff may face in accessing CPDL
Think about: timings, travel time, personal circumstances (e.g., domestic commitments), part-time staff
▪ how effectively leaders evaluate the cognitive demands of specific CPD activities. For example, is an assessment made, in advance, of the complexity of the ideas/strategies/theories teachers are asked to engage with?
▪ how assessments are made of possible emotional challenges teachers may
face. Consider the challenges that may be brought about by:
(a) the format of the CPDL, e.g., some staff may find coaching or observational activities with feedback emotionally challenging
(b) the focus of the CPDL, e.g., if the CPD requires a shift from long-held practices/beliefs about pedagogy to a new model
▪ the guidance given to teachers as to their freedom, or not, to implement the focus of their professional development, e.g., a new teaching strategy:
• Does the school operate a ‘tight/loose’ model?
• Does the school insist that new strategies are implemented with fidelity?
• Is the school’s policy clear?