Magazine - ESHA

the Policy – compliance, perhaps, to some extent but lasting change
in practice? – Very unlikely. We may be able to force staff to comply
but not to excel.
The policy itself is of less value that the process of staff
engagement.
There is general agreement by those schools that have produced
a L&T Policy that the policy itself is of less value that the process
of staff engagement during its construction. There is also general
agreement that there is no destination to be arrived at. A L&T Policy
will always be a work in progress, subject to on-going discussion,
debate and review, but which, critically, will remain a focal point for
continuing exploration by staff on the core area of L&T.
With “incidental inspection” (who, I wonder picked that awful
title?) on the way, might it be useful having our teachers collec-
tively refl ecting on and sharing their best practices? Designing
and facilitating well-structured classes? Collaborating with Lesson
Plans and Schemes of Work? Supporting colleagues with peer
observation?
Real support, resourcing and not lip service!
There is no one-size-fi ts-all solution to undertaking this work – much
will depend the school’s culture (how we do things around here), on
the staff, where the school is at the point in time – collectively and
individually, what priority will be given to this by the Board, Principal
and Deputy and infl uential staff members – real support, resourcing
and not lip service!
EXPLORING LEARNING & TEACHING
There are, however, a number of general “gimmes”. All staff will
need to be involved from the outset. An initial in-service session
comes with one big plus: it offers a taster of what’s possible. A
ESHA MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2011 21