The Subject Leader: a critical role in the quest for whole school excellence
Glynis Frater
Leader of Coaching and CPD at Learning Cultures. ?? CPD for Teachers ?? Author of Primary Curriculum Design and Delivery published Marc 2023
Glynis Frater looks at the vital role of the curriculum leader and subject leads and their relationship with senior leaders. She looks at the changes that are inevitable with a new government and how there is an absolute need to ensure that there is an ongoing professional dialogue that creates a synergy between curriculum and subject leaders and the headteacher and senior leadership team.
Glynis has now written two books about the curriculum the first Primary Curriculum Design and Delivery was published last year and the second Secondary Curriculum Design and Delivery will be published later this year. She is also the author of Developing Curriculum Leaders . A training? programme? commissioned by Teaching Times is for all curriculum and subject leaders to use as part of a drive for continuing professional development and learning that is essential for all those with a role in planning and delivering the curriculum.
Have a look at this video here. It gives an overview of the Developing Curriculum Leaders programme
?The subject leader: a vital role
The subject leader must be at the very heart of the ambition for excellence that forms the basis for defining the quality of education a school strives for. It is the subject leader who will take the whole school vision and translate it into a curriculum model that every member of their department in a secondary school or phase or key stage in a primary school will follow. It is, therefore, true to say that their own expertise both in relation to their subject specialism and a deeper understanding of the complexities of the National Curriculum or derivatives of it must be honed to near perfection.
The subject leader is pivotal in the process of ensuring their subject has prominence and is seen as a vital piece of the curriculum jigsaw that has priority in relation to time allocation, expertise of staff, the right environment to work in and a plethora of essential resources with which to inspire and inform pupils and create outstanding pedagogy that will encourage teachers to want to deliver the highest quality teaching and learning. Their influence is paramount in creating a belief that their subject is vital to the success of the whole school. All of this needs co-ordination and cohesion and this is the responsibility of the curriculum leader or middle leader with responsibility for curriculum design and delivery.?
Change, inevitable for all subject leaders
There is also another dimension to their role that will emerge over the next few months as the quest for change gathers pace with the election of a new government. There is already change in the air with announcements about a different approach to no grade inspections and a consultation on what kind of curriculum we need to ensure the UK is world class and creates 21st century learners who can be a part of shaping very different futures. We are asked to contribute to Ofsted's big listen and to the Department of Education's consultation on curriculum reform so the reassuring message that they both want to listen to the profession as they plan change is quite loud.
Ofsted's changes to non-graded inspections will require curriculum and subject leaders to work very closely with the Headteacher and their senior leadership team. It is the subject leader who has the answers to questions such as,
These a just a snapshot of the kinds of questions that might be asked of senior leaders. It is their teams of subject leaders who can collectively provide a detailed account of how well the school vision and intent is, in fact, being delivered across the whole school. It is the collaboration between subject leaders, the curriculum lead and the senior leadership team that will ensure that questions such as the ones above can be answered confidently and accurately.
Subject leaders and professional dialogue about curriculum change and challenge
The Chief Inspector Martyn Oliver in his speech to the NHAT in May, cites the changes to these types of inspection as easing the pressure particularly on the smaller primary school. The 'deep dive' is gone from these type of inspections and in its place is:-
..a professional dialogue between the inspection team and school leadership....They (inspectors) are trying to find out what's great about your school and where there is room to improve. So we (inspectors) will invite the headteacher and the senior team to show us:
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None of the questions above can be answered without the same professional dialogue taking place between the Headteacher, the senior team and those who have subject leadership responsibility. This is particularly true in the small primary school where there is an essential synergy and close relationships between all those with some kind of curriculum or leadership responsibility. It is also essential in the larger primary school and in secondary schools across the land. Celebrating strengths, defining impact and knowing what the plan is for change linked to clearly identified priorities needs to be precisely articulated by everyone who has a stake in the delivery of high-quality curriculum and subject outcomes whatever the stage, phase or type of school.
Enhancing the role of the subject leader
My stake in all of this is the expertise and research that went into my first book Primary Curriculum Design and Delivery that was published in March 2023. I look in some detail at the complexities of defining and then teaching curriculum content in both the core and the foundation subjects in the primary phases. I have now written its sister publication, Secondary Curriculum Design and Delivery which is currently in the process of being made into a book and will be available later this year.
Both will remain relevant whatever the changes that become a reality following consultation between the profession and the Department of Education. It is to the systems and the expertise of those who plan and teach the curriculum we must look to ensure pupils? can achieve their full potential. The core messages remain, pupils must build on their prior learning, deepen their learning over time and become unconsciously competent in the core and wider thinking skills so vital for all as they progress through the different phases of education and take their place as adults.
Creating curriculum cohesion across a range of both core and foundation subjects is difficult for those with curriculum leadership responsibility in both the primary and the secondary school. The curriculum or middle leader responsible for the overarching curriculum vision must ensure that all subject leaders are planning the content they want to deliver, the depth and breadth that is to be achieved and the methods by which pupils are taught so that they become, increasingly, unconsciously competent in the skills they are using to learn and are able to articulate a growing command of knowledge across a range of disparate subjects.
Developing Curriculum Leaders: a programme for cohesion and professional dialogue
Alongside the researching and writing of my two books about the curriculum I have also spent the last twelve months working with Teaching Times to develop a powerful programme for curriculum leaders and subject leaders. Developing Curriculum Leaders is a five-module programme that will deliver powerful continuing professional development and learning for every subject leader within a school, whether in the primary of secondary sector. It is designed to provide sufficient training for a whole year of learning for those with both core and foundation responsibility. Each module has between 6 to 10 lessons that provide resources, activities and links to research that will equip the new to post and the experienced subject leader with the skills and knowledge they need to deliver the highest quality of education and ensure all pupils access the richest curriculum content and can achieve their full potential.
The programme comes with the option to buy eight or sixteen hours of coaching support from one of Learning Cultures' team of curriculum coaches who can work with a curriculum lead or designated person. Here at Learning Cultures we have followed a similar model offering coaching support to groups of curriculum and subject leaders but until now we did not have the framework of all of the materials, presentations, resources, activities and research in one place where curriculum leaders can access their learning flexibly over time. It is enormously cost-effective.? There is a single price that allows every subject leader access to the programme.?
Ofsted's latest announcement about non-graded inspections makes this programme relevant and powerful in creating the opportunities for curriculum and subject leaders to work together to ensure that they speak the same curriculum language, know what is working well and why and be knowledgeable and enthusiastic about what is planned in terms of continuing improvements in every subject and across the whole school. A coach can be a powerful asset providing an impartial professional partner who will focus on how subject leaders can work together to create excellence and drive continuous improvement. This dialogue is a vital part of the triangle between subject implementation, the whole-school vision and the impact that senior leaders need to feel confident is positive and making a difference for every member of staff and every pupil in the quest for excellence and continuous improvement.
Give me, Glynis a call on 07974 754241 or email [email protected]. Or email [email protected]. I know it is August but it is a great time to look and take a bit of time to see how powerful this programme could be in creating cohesion and powerful professional dialogue with senior leaders, curriculum leaders and their subject teams.
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