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Seeking excellence: key questions of the CIF
How effective are leadership and management in raising achievement and supporting all learners?
The evaluation requirements of the CIF state that inspectors should evaluate:
How Subject Learning Coaches can help your organisation to achieve these outcomes
Monitoring and improving performance quality assurance and self-assessment
Accurate assessment of weaknesses and strengths, combined with strategies for improving the quality of teaching, training and learning, are key to a successful inspection.
Subject Learning Coaches can play a vital role in this process by supporting annual staff appraisal processes and by providing effective staff development. Their professional training in coaching skills will help your organisation to undertake the appraisal process in a nonjudgemental and thoughtful way. Used well, peer coaching can be a highly influential method of achieving change. For example, it can help an organisation to change from a lesson observation culture to a peer coaching culture involving all team members in self-evaluation, reinvigorating practice and boosting self-esteem.
What the inspectors might say…
Staff training and development is good. It is linked very clearly to the three-year development plan and to the annual staff appraisal. Staff value the training and share examples of good practice.
Training provider inspection report
Directing improvement and promoting the well-being of learners through high quality care, education and training
Senior managers play a key role in establishing the culture of supported change: this is fundamental to the achievement of good inspection reports for teaching, training and learning.
Teachers and trainers who are working with a ‘buzz’ are likely to set high standards for their learners as well as for themselves.
Putting the energy back into teaching and training is an often-quoted outcome of the work of Subject Learning Coaches. Their enthusiasm for their subject and for innovative approaches to teaching and learning can be infectious — particularly if, as a manager, you make opportunities for them to share their knowledge and practice across curriculum teams.
The section on bringing about change discusses some ways of maximising the potential of Subject Learning Coaches to pioneer good practice in your organisation. The section contains some case studies from a range of post-16 providers, all offering useful tips and models of practice to help you make your targets for self-improvement achievable.
What the inspectors might say…
The college expects the outcome of teaching and learning to be at least ‘good’ and refers any that is not to a group of advanced practitioners who provide excellent support.
Sixth-form college inspection report
There are excellent arrangements for the professional development of staff. All staff are appraised annually. An extensive programme of staff development activity is available. This is clearly linked to college priorities… The commitment by staff to share good practice now permeates the college.
FE college inspection report
Deploying resources effectively and efficiently to achieve value for money
Subject Learning Coaches can introduce ways of adapting existing resources that will make the process of enhancing teaching and learning sustainable. Many staff prefer to produce their own teaching and training materials in order to get an exact match with the needs and learning preferences of their learners and the requirements of their course objectives. New techniques for content creation can be a useful starting point for introducing and disseminating good practice.
Has your organisation made enough use of the potential resource that your Subject Learning Coaches can provide?
What the inspectors might say…
The better lessons include a variety of teaching activities and are well planned. Good use is made of nationally available teaching materials and these have been further developed effectively. This good practice has been shared with other providers.
Specialist college inspection report
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