Monitoring Start Point: Teacher Subject Knowledge
New to leading a subject in a school or setting and unsure where to start? This pack walks you through how to rapidly gather information about teacher subject knowledge so you can plan to make relevant changes and improvements. Designed to be time-efficient and work around your classroom commitments, this pack supports busy subject leaders who want to quickly assess, enhance or improve teacher subject knowledge in their setting.
What?
A full pack that talks you through where to begin to gauge teacher subject knowledge if you’ve just started a subject leadership role or if you’re new to a setting or subject. It's also ideal if you've been leading a subject for awhile but have new staff, including ECTs, joining your setting and you want to ensure the subject knowledge of all staff is secure. Utilise the supporting resources to triangulate your evidence and find out what’s really strong about teacher subject knowledge in the subject you lead and what could be improved upon to allow pupils better outcomes.
Through this pack, explore the importance of monitoring teacher subject knowledge, find out how secure teacher subject knowledge supports pupil progress and be guided to plan your approach to monitoring while being aware of the pitfalls to the process. With fully editable templates, the pack will also help you to:
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Identify staff CPD needs and plan to address gaps by delving into teacher subject confidence and knowledge
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Monitor intent through curriculum coverage and planning scrutiny in relation to teacher subject knowledge
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Monitor implementation of teacher subject knowledge through learning walks, learning environments and resourcing
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Monitor the impact of teacher subject knowledge through book looks and work scrutiny
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Analyse survey feedback from pupils and staff to triangulate the evidence and create a subject action plan to outline your next steps.
Editable, ready-made monitoring templates are included in the pack for all of the above areas as well as a handy poster that can be displayed to get staff thinking about and reflecting on their own subject knowledge.
Who?
New subject leaders or subject leaders who are new to a setting or a subject will find this pack to be extremely useful, as would anyone who’s got subject leadership responsibility but is unsure how to monitor teacher subject knowledge. Heads, SLT and curriculum leaders can also use this pack and share it with subject leaders so they can quickly get up to speed. They can also use the pack themselves if they wish to take a look at teacher subject knowledge across the school.
How long?
Start as soon as you download the pack, and use it as a continuous process or in line with your schools monitoring and evaluation schedule.
When?
If you're new to subject leadership, the school or setting, use the pack when you start your ongoing monitoring activities, especially if you're unsure of what teacher subject knowledge is like in your school. Equally, use it when other forms of monitoring, an Ofsted inspection or other form of inspection have uncovered gaps in teacher subject knowledge. The pack will help you to explore the strengths and weaknesses of teacher subject knowledge in your setting so you understand how you can move this area forward.
Why?We can often be asked to lead a subject area and create an action plan from day one. But how can you create an action plan if you don’t know the strengths and weaknesses of your subject? This pack gives you a starting point in the process of monitoring teacher subject knowledge, helping to show you what to monitor and when, so you can get a clear picture of teacher subject knowledge in your setting.
Key questions answered:
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Help! I’m leading a subject for the first time or I’m new to the school and monitoring teacher subject knowledge seems overwhelming!
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What do we mean by monitoring teacher subject knowledge?
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Why is it important to monitor teacher subject knowledge?
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What types of monitoring are best used for exploring teacher subject knowledge?
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What about more informal approaches?
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Where do I begin with monitoring teacher subject knowledge?
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How can I ensure I have a systematic approach to monitoring teacher subject knowledge?
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When should I monitor teachers’ subject knowledge?
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Are there any pitfalls to be aware of when monitoring teacher subject knowledge?
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How can I address gaps in teacher subject knowledge?
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