Raising Standards

A fundamental part of being a subject leader is to ensure that standards within the curriculum subject are always being raised. In addition, subject leaders are also the driving force of enacting the curriculum, therefore they should be engaged in developing understanding of best practice in their subjects. There are excellent subject associations that subject leaders should join, such as the Historical Association, the Geographical Association and the Royal Society of Chemistry, which provide training and support for primary practitioners. By sharing their understanding from professional development, subject leaders can help other teachers to teach their subject better, which should be their core aim. Subject leaders need to carefully consider what good teaching and learning look like. A school could have the best curriculum in the world, but if it is not being implemented well by skilled teachers, it will not succeed. Subject leaders should familiarise themselves with ‘Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction’ and consider how impactful they and the staff are at considering and implementing the principles with their day-to-day practice. Subject leaders need to also consider how the curriculum can be accessible to all children, so that all children can obtain a high success rate.