Introduction
Nikki Cole works as Deputy Headteacher at Children’s Hospital School in Leicester, a school made up of a number of different provisions serving children who are either hospital in-patients or unable to return to mainstream or special school. Nikki is responsible for teaching and learning as well as staff development, across the school.
Over three years, the hospital school has engaged with a range of activities with us, including a Diagnostic Review as part of the Building Expert Schools Programme, tailored middle leadership workshops and whole school Pedagogical Coaching training. Nikki has also gained her Associate Qualification in CPD Leadership.
What was the challenge?
Given the nature of the school, developing teaching and learning through meaningful and sustained CPD has always presented challenges for the leadership team. The different provisions not only serve differing needs but are also located across multiple sites.
Nikki was looking for something that the whole school could engage in to develop a true picture with which to build action steps and tangible impact, but also allow different settings to have autonomy to adjust to their differing needs. Nikki also recognised the importance of developing her own knowledge, skills and confidence to lead CPD across the school and wanted to support long-term improvements as effectively as possible.
What did we do?
Across the multiple programmes the school engaged in, Nikki worked with a TDT Professional Learning Lead who served as a coach, offering a ‘wealth of knowledge’ to support Nikki’s leadership through the changes.
At every point during each programme, Nikki found she was able to think carefully about the areas that the school needed to work on, unpick it and work with staff alongside TDT colleagues.
Alongside this, the school engaged in a Diagnostic Review as part of the Building Expert Schools Programme which she found to be incredibly well structured, enabling the leadership team to look in depth at their CPD offer. This complemented the Associate Qualification in CPD Leadership as Nikki could piece together the needs that come from the review with the learning she has undertaken throughout the qualification.
‘I felt it was really empowering but also very supportive.’
In addition to the development programmes, TDT also supported the school too review and evaluate the impact of implementing a coaching culture through Pedagogical Coaching training. This work involved unpicking evaluation methods and measures of success when implementing such a change. It was done in collaboration with the school leadership team, taking into account feedback from all areas of the school.
What has been the impact so far?
Engaging with TDT has enabled Nikki to think about leadership through different lenses. She is now able to see things from different viewpoints, which has supported her to identify, and be precise in, what the school needs, set goals and work towards these successfully.
By rolling out Pedagogical Coaching across the school, staff have noticed the impact on students. This isn’t only through improved teaching practice but also in how it has modelled development to the students. The students are aware of when coaching is happening and understand why it is in place. It has encouraged them to recognise the value of support and feedback and staff recognise the example this has set for a lot of them.
‘It definitely encouraged them (staff) to be more reflective.’
The Associate Qualification in CPD Leadership provided Nikki with valuable knowledge and research. It also facilitated discussions with colleagues from other organisations. This allowed her to share best practices and ask insightful questions. The programme offered an impartial perspective and built her professional network.
“The relationship that we’ve had with the TDT has really enabled us to consider how we can make CPD worthwhile, and how we can make it grow. “
Through working with us, the school has developed a culture of reflective practice and collaborative professional development.
What’s working well?
Through a sustained partnership with TDT, Nikki is successfully strengthening the professional development provision at Children’s Hospital School.
By leveraging deep understanding of the current context, embedding a coaching culture and developing her own confidence in CPD leadership, she is fostering a culture of reflection and collaboration. This is leading to tangible improvements in teaching and learning.
