It goes without saying that professional development for our academic staff is vital to ensure they remain effective, current and go above and beyond to improve outcomes for boys.
Development takes a variety of forms, but, perhaps, none is more inspiring than learning from someone with proven success in tried and tested practices, gained from years of experience.
We were therefore immensely privileged to welcome Tom Sherrington, a much sought-after education consultant, to Bedford School earlier this month to deliver a training session to a group of teachers in our Quarry Theatre. Tom a former teacher and Headteacher is the author of Rosenshine’s Principles in Action and, more recently Teaching Walkthrus 1 and Teaching Walkthrus 2. His books outline the latest in educational research and offer practical advice to teachers on how to enhance their practice in an evidence-informed manner.
Tom was also on hand to help staff after the event to develop their action plans and guide them on areas of focus for the next academic year.
Will Montgomery, Assistant Head (Teaching & Learning) said, “It was brilliant to have Tom with us for the day. It is so important for our teachers to have access to high-quality training and to have the opportunity to reflect on their practice. Tom is one of the first names that many look for at educational conferences; he offers practical advice and a wide range of examples from different subjects to illustrate his points. Throughout the sessions he models the techniques that we might use in our own classrooms so that we can experience how suggested approaches might raise engagement, promote high expectations and unearth misconceptions among our students.”