The Optimus blog

The blog that inspires leaders in the UK education sector

The Optimus blog

The blog that inspires leaders in the UK education sector

Workload

Liz Murray

Models for the SENCO role: context, value and intent

Should SENCOs be on the SLT? Does status matter? What’s the best way to ensure influence and impact on pupil outcomes? It’s several years now since I completed the NASENCo qualification , but I still remember the first day of the course. We started off by introducing ourselves. While we were all in...
Read more...
Julia Watson

How to detoxify your staffroom

A collection of dirty mugs is not the only sign that the vitality of your staffroom may be under threat. Julia Watson provides some tips for a healthier environment. A happy, healthy staffroom is at the heart of an effective team, providing safe haven, a place of camaraderie and connection. Sadly...
Read more...
Elizabeth Holmes

CPD and the year ahead – the view from the TDT (Part 2)

'Learning never exhausts the mind.' – Leonardo Da Vinci Following on from our recent blog on David Weston and the Teacher Development Trust , we discuss with David the key characteristics of effective CPD and what schools can do to raise the profile and standard of the CPD accessed by teachers...
Read more...
Elizabeth Holmes

CPD and the year ahead – the view from the TDT (Part 1)

'Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.' – Albert Einstein There are few people out there with as much interest and involvement in the continuing professional development of teachers as David Weston, Chief Executive of the Teacher Development Trust (TDT) . In the two...
Read more...
Alex Masters

David Laws on workload, Ofsted and CPD

Lib Dem MP David Laws gave a revealing interview with TES this week. Here we have selected the top ten quotes from the Minister of State for Schools with some relevant links to articles from Optimus Education. Teachers still work long hours outside the classroom compared with teachers in other...
Read more...
Lizzie Gait

Twilight training – when is CPD most effective?

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending our Growing Excellence in Learning and Teaching conference to run a focus group with a selection of highly engaged leaders of teaching, learning and CPD from across the country. For me, the aim was to find out more about what schools view as effective CPD...
Read more...