This document summarizes Stephen Tierney's presentation to Lancaster Diocesan Headteachers on June 20th, 2014 about education reform. The presentation discusses moving toward a more networked model of professional development where teachers collaborate across schools. It proposes giving teachers more time for continuous professional development, enhancing research skills, and increasing knowledge sharing. It also stresses the importance of evaluation to improve practice and identifies lesson study as an excellent evaluation model.

1. Presentation to Lancaster
Diocesan Headteachers
Stephen Tierney
20th June 2014

2. Island or Archipelago Education
Safe Harbours & The New Middle Tier
Photo Credit: Sergiu Bacioiu via Compfight cc

3. Acknowledgement:
Figure on left courtesy of
Prof. David Hargreaves

4. Diocesan Academy Structure
St. John Boste CAST
BEB CMAT
Christ the King
St. Cuthbert’s
St. Mary’s

5. Prof. David Hargreaves
Self-Improving School Systems

7. From On Distributed Communications by Paul Baran, 1964
The Changing Face of Professional Development
From Known Nodes to Wild Networks

9. Moving to Disciplined Innovation
From My or Your Ideas to Our Ideas
• Create Opportunities for People to Grow
• Give Time, Allow Time
• Enhance Teachers’ Research Skills
• Increase “Stickability” in Knowledge Transfer
• Evaluate, Evaluate, Evaluate

10. Create Opportunities for People to
Grow
• Go outside of the school’s structure
– Build a little Babylon
• Innovation Fellows
• System Redesign TLRs (use TLR 3)
• R&D Communities
• Voluntary INSET
– #OutstandingIn10Plus10
– Leadership Development Programme
• Getting Better Project

11. Give Time
• Innovation Fellows
– One day per week/fortnight additional non-
contact time for two years
• R&D Community Leaders
– One period per fortnight additional non-contact
time
– Cover Vouchers for staff in the community
• All staff
– Two hours weekly CPD/Meeting time

12. Evaluate, Evaluate, Evaluate
• The profession’s Achilles Heel
• To often “Good” or “Best” Practice is because I
say it is
• Evaluation may take different forms
– Different types of evaluation: quantitative &
qualitative are valuable and valid
– No evaluation is not a valid form of evaluation!
• Lesson Study provides as excellent model

15. General Pathway

16. Specialised Pathway
Vocational Option x 2
GCSE Choice
Impact on Progress 8

17. Year 8 Into 9 “Options”
30% of Curriculum Time
Year 9 also have 13.3% English, 13.3% Maths 13.3% Science, 10%
MFL, 10% RE (& PSHE/PE)