At The Deanes, the basis of our CPD is the ‘Model for Great Teaching’ developed by Evidence Based Education. It comprises of four overarching dimensions:
1. Understand the content they are teaching and how it is learnt
2. Create a supportive environment for learning
3. Manage the classroom to maximise the opportunity to learn
4. Present content, activities and interactions that activate their students’ thinking
These four overarching dimensions, are then divided into 17 elements. An ‘element’ is defined as something that may be worth investing time and effort to work on to build a specific competency, skill or knowledge, or to enhance the learning environment. There is no implication that the complexity of teaching can be reduced to a set of techniques, but evidence suggests the best route to expertise is likely to involve a focus on developing competencies, guided by formative feedback in a supportive professional learning environment.
Our CPD has been formed around the dimensions and elements of the ‘Model for Great Teaching’. These are the instruments, systems and networks we will use, with the goal of helping teachers to take ownership of their professional learning and enhance their practice for the benefit of our students.
Our CPD Model
A personalised curriculum for teacher learning

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Tailored to suit subject discipline, current level of expertise, Key Stages taught, needs of learners, current role and professional aspirations.
Walkthrus
Mentoring
CPD Library
External Courses
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Linked to Professional Development targets and SIPs, including:
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UCL Early Career Framework
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SETSA RQT, Middle and Senior Leadership, BTSA Behaviour Management
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Subject association and exam board training
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University of Essex CPD week
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Formative Feedback

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Systems and instruments to provide formative, actionable feedback that helps teachers to focus their learning, evaluate their impact and track their professional growth.
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The ADAPT model
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Performance Management Reviews
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Monitoring schedule
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Teaching and Learning dashboard
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Learning walks
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Observations
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Book Looks
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Teaching and Learning Newsletter
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‘Spotlighting’ and sharing of best practice
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NETWORKS

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Networks for peer and expert support to generate, share and apply evidence about the most effective ways to improve.
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Whole school and departmental CPD sessions
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Weekly meetings
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SETSA and BTSA subject network groups, subject associations
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Teachmeets
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Teaching and Learning Newsletter and Edutwitter
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Dimension 1: Understanding the content
Great teachers understand the content they are teaching and how it is learnt
This means teachers should have deep and fluent knowledge and flexible understanding of the content they are teaching and how it is learnt, including its inherent dependencies. They should have an explicit repertoire of well-crafted explanations, examples and tasks for each topic they teach.
Promises
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Elements
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Walkthrus
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CPD Method
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- Having deep and fluent knowledge and flexible understanding of the content you are teaching.
- Knowledge of the requirements of curriculum sequencing and dependencies in relation to the content and ideas you are teaching.
- Knowledge of relevant curriculum tasks, assessments and activities, their diagnostic and didactic potential; being able to generate varied explanations and multiple representations/ analogies / examples for the ideas you are teaching.
- Knowledge of common student strategies, misconceptions and sticking points in relation to the content you are teaching.
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Designing a knowledge-rich curriculum
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Sequence concepts in small steps
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Coherent mapping
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Blend knowledge and experience
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Pitch it up
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Plan for reading
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Deliver core; signpost hinterland
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Deliberate vocabulary development
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big picture, small picture
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Abstract model with concrete examples
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Checking for understanding
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Head-on misconceptions
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Trivium in practice
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Mode a: Mode B
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Diversity: ways into curriculum
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Authentic connections
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Themes and topics
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Textbooks and workbooks
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Learning objectives Vs Tasks
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Responsive lesson planning
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Ladder of difficulty
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Pre-reading instructions for complex texts
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Whole class reading routines
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Developing reading fluency
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- Walkthrus
- Whole school CPD
- Departmental CPD and collaborative planning
- Subject networks and associations
- Exam board training
- Wider reading
- Feedback – monitoring of Teaching and Learning
- Mentoring and instructional coaching
- External Courses
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Dimension 2: Creating a supportive environment
Great teachers create a supportive environment for learning
A supportive environment is characterised by relationships of trust and respect between students and teachers, and among students. It is one in which students are motivated, supported and challenged and have a positive attitude towards their learning.
Promises
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Elements
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Walkthrus
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CPD Method
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- Promoting interactions and relationships with all students that are based on mutual respect, care, empathy and warmth; avoiding negative emotions in interactions with students; being sensitive to the individual needs, emotions, culture and beliefs of students.
- Promoting a positive climate of student-student relationships, characterised by respect, trust, cooperation and care.
- Promoting learner motivation through feelings of competence, autonomy and relatedness.
- Creating a climate of high expectations, with high challenge and high trust, so learners feel it is ok to have a go; encouraging learners to attribute their success or failure to things they can change.
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Positive relationships
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Positive framing
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Think, pair, share
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Cold calling
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Say it again better
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Set the standard
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Scaffolding
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Guided practice
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Tiered questions and problems
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Quizzing
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Peer-supported retrieval
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Mode b teaching - Collaborative learning
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Mode B teaching - Oracy
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Metacognitive talk
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Make everyone think
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No Opt Out
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Hands up for ideas
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Teach to the top
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Send: Aim high, plan support
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Send: cognitive difficulties
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Thresholds and pathways
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Ladder of difficulty
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Normalise error and uncertainty
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Redrafting
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Success criteria
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exemplars
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- Walkthrus
- Whole school CPD
- Departmental CPD and collaborative planning
- Subject networks
- Wider reading
- Feedback – monitoring of Teaching and Learning
- Mentoring and instructional coaching
- External courses
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Dimension 3: Maximising the opportunity to learn
Great teachers manage the classroom to maximise opportunity to learn
No model of teaching effectiveness could be complete without classroom management: managing the behaviour and activities of a class of students is what teachers do in order to create and maintain an environment conducive to learning.
Promises
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Elements
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Walkthrus
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CPD Method
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- Managing time and resources efficiently in the classroom to maximise productivity and minimise wasted time; giving clear instructions so students understand what they should be doing; using routines to make transitions smooth.
- Ensuring that rules, expectations and consequences for behaviour are explicit, clear and consistently applied.
- Preventing, anticipating and responding to potentially disruptive incidents; reinforcing positive student behaviours; signalling awareness of what is happening in the classroom, and responding appropriately.
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Positive relationships
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Establish your expectations
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Signal, pause, insist
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Positive framing
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Rehearse routines
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Choices and consequences
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assertiveness
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Getting lessons started
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Gather around
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Keeping on task
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Silence is golden
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Transitions between activities
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Lesson disruption
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Perspective: the dot in the empty square
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- Walkthrus
- Whole school CPD
- External courses
- Wider reading
- Feedback – monitoring of Teaching and Learning
- Mentoring and instructional coaching
- External Courses
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Dimension 4: Activating hard thinking
Great teachers present content, activities and interactions that activate their students’ thinking
In many ways, Dimension 4 represents the heart of great teaching: getting students to think hard about the material you want them to learn.
Promises
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Elements
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Walkthrus
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CPD Method
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- Structuring: giving students an appropriate sequence of learning tasks; signalling learning objectives, rationale, overview, key ideas and stages of progress; matching tasks to learners’ needs and readiness; scaffolding and supporting to make tasks accessible to all, but gradually removed so that all students succeed at the required level.
- Explaining: presenting and communicating new ideas clearly, with concise, appropriate, engaging explanations; connecting new ideas to what has previously been learnt (and re-activating/checking that prior knowledge); using examples (and non-examples) appropriately to help learners understand and build connections; modelling/demonstrating new skills or procedures with appropriate scaffolding and challenge; using worked/part-worked examples.
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- Questioning: using questions and dialogue to promote elaboration and connected, flexible thinking among learners; using questions to elicit student thinking; getting responses from all students; using high-quality assessment to evidence learning; interpreting, communicating and responding to assessment evidence appropriately.
- Interacting: responding to appropriately to feedback from students about their thinking/ knowledge /understanding’ giving students actionable feedback to guide their learning.
- Embedding: giving students tasks that embed and reinforce learning; requiring them to practice until learning is fluent and secure; ensuring that once-learn material is reviewed/ revisited to prevent forgetting.
- Activating: helping students to plan, regulate and monitor their own learning; progressing appropriately from structured to more independent learning as students develop knowledge and expertise.
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pitch it up and set the standard
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Worked examples and backward fading
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Live modelling
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Dual coding – recount and recall
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Questioning – cold calling, show-me boards, think, pair, share.
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Questioning – say it again, better, probing and process.
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Elaborative interrogation
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Metacognitive talk
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Feedback – as actions, that moves forward, whole class feedback.
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independent practice
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Building fluency
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rehearsal and practice.
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Using a knowledge organiser
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Quizzing
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Weekly and monthly review
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Mode B teaching – independent learning
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Teach to the top
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Send: Aim high, plan support
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Thresholds and pathways
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Ladder of difficulty
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Make everyone think
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No opt out
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Responsive lesson planning
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Giving practical demonstrations
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Practice explaining
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Dual coding – diagrams and mapping
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Analogies
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Flash cards
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The face it revision model
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Normalise error and uncertainty
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Redrafting
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Selective marking
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Spot your mistakes
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Compare, contrast and categorise
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Summarising academic reading
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- Walkthrus
- Whole school CPD
- Departmental CPD and collaborative planning
- Subject networks and associations
- Exam board training
- Wider reading
- Feedback – monitoring of Teaching and Learning
- Mentoring and instructional coaching
- External Courses
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