Why Subject Leaders Are Critical To Whole-School Excellence

The subject leader: a vital role

The subject leader must be at the very heart of the ambition for excellence that defines the quality of education a school strives for. It is the subject leader who will take the whole-school vision and translate it into a curriculum model that every member of their department in a secondary school – or phase or key stage in a primary school – will follow. It is, therefore, true to say that their expertise must be honed to near perfection, in relation to both their subject specialism and their deeper understanding of the complexities of the National Curriculum.

The subject leader is pivotal to ensuring their subject has prominence and is seen as a vital piece of the curriculum jigsaw, as well as ensuring that it has priority concerning time allocation, staff expertise, ideal work environments and essential resources. With these, they may inspire and inform pupils and create outstanding pedagogy that will encourage teachers to want to deliver the highest quality teaching and learning. A subject leader’s influence is therefore paramount in showing that their subject is vital to the success of the whole school.

All of this needs coordination and cohesion, which falls to the curriculum leader or middle leader with responsibility for curriculum design and delivery.

Change: inevitable for all subject leaders

There is also another dimension to the curriculum leader’s role that will emerge over the next few months as the quest for change gathers pace with the election of a new government.

There is already change in the air with announcements about a different approach to non-graded inspections and a consultation on what kind of curriculum we need to ensure the UK is world-class and creates 21st-century learners who can be a part of shaping very different futures. We are asked to contribute to Ofsted’s ‘big listen’ and to the Department of Education’s consultation on curriculum reform, so the reassuring message that they both want to listen to the profession as they plan change is quite loud.

Ofsted’s changes to non-graded inspections will require curriculum and subject leaders to work very closely with the headteacher and their senior leadership team. It is the subject leader who has the answers to questions such as:

• What is happening in our school that is having a significant impact on pupil progress?
• How is the emphasis on reading across the curriculum leading to improvements in knowledge acquisition, concentration, comprehension and the retention of learning?
• How does the emphasis we place on formative assessment build resilience and self-belief in our pupils?
• What strategies are we employing for intervention when pupils are falling behind, are disadvantaged or have special needs?

These are just a snapshot of the kinds of questions that might be asked of senior leaders. It is their teams of subject leaders who can collectively provide a detailed account of how well the school vision and intent are actually being delivered across the whole school. It is the collaboration between subject leaders, the curriculum lead and the senior leadership team that will ensure that questions such as the ones above can be answered confidently and accurately.

Subject leaders and professional dialogue about curriculum change and challenge

In his speech to the NHAT in May, Ofsted Chief Inspector Martyn Oliver cited the changes to non-graded inspections as easing the pressure on schools, particularly smaller primary schools. The ‘deep dive’ is gone from this type of inspection and in its place is:

..a professional dialogue between the inspection team and school leadership (…) They (inspectors) are trying to find out what’s great about your school and where there is room to improve. So we (inspectors) will invite the headteacher and the senior team to show us:

– What is typical?

– What do you do well?

– Where have you made changes in your quest for continuous improvement?

– What are the strategies you are currently working on that will impact on learning and teaching?

– What is your ambition for curriculum success and how is this translated into powerful pedagogy and learning outcomes?

Ofsted Chief Inspector Martyn Oliver

None of the questions above can be answered without the same professional dialogue taking place between the headteacher, the senior team and those who have subject leadership responsibility. This is particularly true in the example of a small primary school where there is an essential synergy and close relationships between all those with some kind of curriculum or leadership responsibility. It is also essential in larger primary schools and secondary schools across the country.

Celebrating strengths, defining impact and knowing what the plan is for change linked to clearly identified priorities needs to be precisely articulated by everyone who has a stake in the delivery of high-quality curriculum and subject outcomes, whatever the stage, phase or type of school.

Enhancing the role of the subject leader

My stake in all of this is the expertise and research that went into my first book, ‘Primary Curriculum Design and Delivery‘, which was published in March 2023. In the book, I look in some detail at the complexities of defining and then teaching curriculum content in both the core and the foundation subjects in the primary phases. I have now written its sister publication, ‘Secondary Curriculum Design and Delivery‘, which is currently in the process of being made into a book and will be available later this year.

Both will remain relevant whatever the changes that become a reality following consultation between the profession and the Department of Education. It is to the systems and the expertise of those who plan and teach the curriculum that we must look to ensure pupils can achieve their full potential. The core messages remain: pupils must build on their prior learning, deepen their learning over time and become unconsciously competent in the core and wider thinking skills so vital for all as they progress through the different phases of education and take their place as adults.

Creating curriculum cohesion across a range of both core and foundation subjects is difficult for those with curriculum leadership responsibility in both primary and secondary schools. The curriculum or middle leader responsible for the overarching curriculum vision must ensure that all subject leaders are planning the content they want to deliver, the depth and breadth that is to be achieved and the methods by which pupils are taught so that they become, increasingly, unconsciously competent in the skills they are using to learn and are able to articulate a growing command of knowledge across a range of disparate subjects.

Developing Curriculum Leaders: a programme for cohesion and professional dialogue

Alongside the researching and writing of my two books about the curriculum, I have also spent the last 12 months working with TeachingTimes to develop a powerful programme for curriculum and subject leaders. Developing Curriculum Leaders is a five-module programme that will deliver powerful continuing professional development and learning for every subject leader within a school, whether in the primary or secondary sector. It is designed to provide sufficient training for a whole year of learning for those with both core and foundation responsibilities.

Each module has between six and ten lessons that provide resources, activities and links to research that will equip both experienced subject leaders and those new to their posts with the skills and knowledge they need to deliver the highest quality of education and ensure all pupils access the richest curriculum content and can achieve their full potential.

The programme comes with the option to buy eight or 16 hours of coaching support from one of Learning Cultures’ team of curriculum coaches who can work with a curriculum lead or designated person. At Learning Cultures we have followed a similar model, offering coaching support to groups of curriculum and subject leaders, but until now we did not have the framework of all of the materials, presentations, resources, activities and research in one place where curriculum leaders can access their learning flexibly over time. It is enormously cost-effective; a single purchase allows every subject leader access to the programme.

Ofsted’s latest announcement about non-graded inspections makes this programme relevant and powerful in creating the needed opportunities for curriculum and subject leaders to work together to ensure that they speak the same curriculum language, know what is working well and why, and be knowledgeable and enthusiastic about what is planned in terms of continuing improvements in every subject and across the whole school. A coach can be a powerful asset, acting as an impartial professional partner who will focus on how subject leaders can work together to create excellence and drive continuous improvement.

This dialogue is a vital part of the triangle between subject implementation, the whole-school vision and the impact that senior leaders need to feel confident and make a difference for every member of staff and every pupil in the quest for excellence and continuous improvement.

Give me, Glynis, a call at 07974 754241, or email either glynis@learningcultures.org or tina@teachingtimes.com. I know it is August but it is a great time to look and see how powerful this programme could be in creating cohesion and powerful professional dialogue with senior leaders, curriculum leaders and their subject teams.

Glynis has now written two books about the curriculum. The first, ‘Primary Curriculum Design and Delivery‘, was published last year. The second, ‘Secondary Curriculum Design and Delivery’, will be published later this year. She is also the author of Developing Curriculum Leaders, a training programme commissioned by TeachingTimes for all curriculum and subject leaders to use as part of a drive for continuing professional development and learning that is essential for all those with a role in planning and delivering the curriculum.

Have a look at this video which explains our excellent Developing Curriculum Leaders programme, or learn more from the brochure here.