Thread by @educurious2015

Consistency is a superpower: at @DRETnews we have a staff handbook for each school called ‘The Way’ and it helps to align staff as a team. It helps us to develop a shared language and outlines ‘how we do things around here’. Important pages:

Lesson visit protocol - it’s really important when building an open door culture that we acknowledge the privilege it is to enter a classroom. So we agree how this will look and this protocol is followed by everyone including the Deputy CEO who visits schools regularly:

Consistency - sometimes staff need a reminder about what happens when you let students off with something, it makes it so much harder for the teacher next door who may not have the years under their belt and actually need that rule to maintain order. We support each other:

Leading by example - we are always respectful and polite to one another and where this slips we challenge it because it undermines the culture and ethos we are working hard to create:

Senior leaders know that their role is to pave the way for great teaching. We are open that we must not ask staff to do things which don’t benefit teaching and learning, or that we wouldn’t do ourselves. This builds trust in our schools - everyone knows their role:

‘it is incredibly difficult for students to concentrate if we allow background noise as a norm in our classrooms. This is why we must insist on silence as our default position. This supports all students but in particular our most vulnerable’ - explains the ‘why’.

We believe that working together on such things gives our new staff and our less experienced colleagues a superpower - they have the power of hundreds of teachers behind them - so powerful.

And the questions we ask ourselves at Trust level are: What does it feel like to be a new member of staff in this school? What does it feel like to be a vulnerable child in this school. This is what drives us. #Worldclass #weareDRET