Good Practice Case Study

Lead Learner Programme Knights Templar

Background

Knights Templar School is a mixed 11-18 Comprehensive in Baldock, Hertfordshire. We have a teaching staff of 90, whom are predominantly very experienced and settled.  This has meant that there are limited development opportunities for less experienced, but ambitious and talented members of staff within the school.  This has become particularly compounded by the fact that TLR awards are heavily based upon responsibility for students and line management of staff.

Selection

Interviews were held for the roles, with the guidance that we were primarily looking for people not currently holding a TLR.  Candidates were asked to choose an area of interest from our school improvement plan:

• Raising boys’ achievement
• Raising Ds to Cs
• Good to Outstanding lessons
• ICT across the curriculum (focus on Moodle)
• Student tracking and mentoring.

Each candidate gave a presentation and a plan of action during their interviews.

Platform for Lead Learners

The School has, since it gained Specialist Status, run a series of twilight School Improvement Groups for all staff to share best practice. These were chaired by a member of SLT, but were beginning to wane in impact and enthusiasm.  These are the vehicles that I used to introduce the Lead Learner programme.

The Role

The Lead learner for each School Improvement Group, (approx 15 staff cross-curricular) is exactly that – they are responsible for gaining information about their area and of developing the learning within their group.  They are not setting themselves up as ‘the expert’, which could have caused a credibility problem with some of the more experienced staff and been rather a daunting task for them in the first place.

They create the environment and the agenda for sharing learning and introduce external stimulus where needed. The group then work on tasks in between the meetings and the LL facilitates the sharing of experiences and then refocuses the group on a new set of teaching approaches.   
They have been allocated a training budget of £2000 for the group.  This will pay for external courses both for themselves and the group; possibly guest speakers; cover costs for coaching sessions or peer observations.

The role therefore gives them the opportunity to develop the leadership and management skills expected of staff at a more senior level, ie budgeting; leading and enthusing a team; facilitating and co-ordinating the progress of members of the team between meetings and planning a series of cross-curricular INSETs.

Benefits of the Lead Learner Programme

For the Lead Learner:

The most obvious advantage is for the development of their career and the exposure to leadership and management. 
Each Lead Learner has been given an experienced member of staff as a ‘Mentor’ to help with planning and managing the meetings.  This is a benefit to both Mentor and LL, exchanging fresh ideas and enthusiasm with experience and gravitas.
We have managed to fund the posts with a R & R point of £1000, which is still possible through the restructuring to TLR points.
The LLs are also offered a platform to show their competence and to raise their profile and credibility amongst the other staff.

For the School:

It has given the school a new route to retain talented and ambitious members of staff.
It has enthused the SIGs with renewed vision and vigour.
Already, some of the ideas from the first meetings have been very much in line with the wishes of SLT.  However, the upward momentum of these ideas will very much help with their implementation.
The school wishes to become a TLA pilot school for which we require 40% of staff to have completed a TLA.  The LLs are keen advocates of the TLA and will be supporting the completion of stage 1 TLAs through the work they are leading in the SIGs.  Through their work, they will be eligible for stage 2 TLAs.

Impact

We will be assessing impact of the groups and thus the LLs through: Coaching reports; observations; evaluations; TLA presentations; schemes of work and student surveys.

Further Information

Contact:  Tracey Hemming
Deputy Headteacher, Knights Templar School, Baldock

Tel:  01462 620700
Email: THemming@ktemplar.herts.sch.uk

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