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  • Teaching Leaders Impact  |  GCSE passes up by 15% in our first cohort’s departments, 1.5 times as fast as their schools.
  • Teaching Leaders Impact  |  70% of the first cohort have been promoted or given extra responsibility since beginning the programme

Participant stories

Jan Balon

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I began teaching in 2005 and took up the role of Head of Humanities at Gladys Aylward School (now Aylward Academy) in September 2008. Having participated in Teach First, I did initially have some reservations about signing up for another two-year structured programme, but having now completed Teaching Leaders I can see the value of undertaking the whole experience: I learned things that have transformed my leadership capacity which I would never have thought of, or chosen to do of my own accord.

As a new head of department, there was pressure on me to focus strongly on ensuring that Year 11 students who have opted for Humanities GCSEs are on course to achieve their best possible results.  Being part of the Teaching Leaders programme has encouraged me to extend my focus to Year 10 students who form the target group for my Improvement Initiative – and track their progress over two years. This structure has encouraged me to think strategically about how I approach my role – and lead my team in addition to managing day-to-day tasks.

Attending the residential week gave me just the start I needed to the new school year.  It got me in the right frame of mind so I was focused on what I needed to do to be successful in my new role. Two days at the residential spent on ‘Managing Yourself, Leading Others’ were particularly useful; it was the first time I’d really thought about myself as a leader and how I affect others.  I hated it at the time because it was so uncomfortable, but towards the end I realised how much I’d learnt, and consequently I approached my role differently.

As well as the residential week and day conferences, the evening seminars have covered issues that I was anxious to explore.  Being led through the Ofsted approach to lesson observation by an Ofsted inspector has given me the confidence to carry out observations of my colleagues fairly and efficiently.  We have also been guided in creating a constructive culture in our departments, where feedback is expected and given positively. This has been crucial for developing staff as individuals, and has in turn had a noticeable impact on teaching practice and pupil results.