For Managers

In this section, you will find a range of training and development sessions that will enable managers at all levels to work effectively with their staff, creating the climate and conditions necessary for outstanding success.

If you want to discuss your requirements further, give me a call on 07701 029 798 or get in touch via email.


Outstanding inductions – creating the perfect ‘Gold Standard’

Great inductions set the scene and tone for your learners’ journey with you, and it is essential to get them absolutely right. This session will help you to create and implement an outstanding induction experience that will inspire and motivate learners,  help them to understand the skills that they need to develop and why, take responsibility and ownership for their own progress, and begin to develop the crucial skills and capabilities that they will need to survive and thrive – not only on your course, but during their lives.  By the end of the session, you will have produced an induction ‘gold standard’ that will provide you with a clear line of sight to what your learners need to learn and achieve during induction.

Improving attendance and punctuality

If learners are to make the most out of their learning, they will need to attend regularly, and on time. This of course applies to the rest of their lives too.  This session will enable staff to identify strategies and approaches to prevent and deal with poor attendance and punctuality by getting to the root cause of issues, and making appropriate interventions – that may mean significant changes in practice.  They will identify positive actions, approaches and strategies to use in their teaching and learning, and with individual learners. In most cases, a whole organisational approach is needed, and it is crucial that managers are involved in this too

Leadership for learning

Leadership for learning is a programme for managers that enables them to:

  • Lead and manage change in the interests of the learners
  • Develop a cohesive and collaborative approach within and across departments to maximise learner success
  • Take a learner centred approach to leadership and management, enabling staff to improve learner outcomes and experience
  • Enable, develop and empower their staff to excel through strong, effective and participative leadership and management
  • Increase their confidence in managing difficult situations and conversations, leading to improved performance in all areas
  • Enable staff to develop confidence to take ownership and responsibility for decisions, and the impact of those decisions

This programme can be delivered as a half day taster or full day introductory course. It is most effective as a three day programme (2 days together, followed by application and practice time and a final update review day)

Coaching skills for managers – how to get the best out of your team

Coaching is the quickest, most effective way to develop and motivate staff to improve their performance. A coaching style of management is solutions focused, enabling and empowering, and contributes to a positive working environment. This session focuses on the use of ‘change talk’, a process by which managers and staff engage in positive dialogue and work out how to achieve success together. Participants will develop strategies and skills to use to maximise success for their staff, and, ultimately their learners. Participants are invited to bring real life issues for practice and discussion.

Observation for improvement

This one-day training session enables observer to update, refresh and improve their observation skills within the context of the 2014/15 common inspection framework, to ensure that observation has a demonstrable improvement on the quality of learning. The session includes how to make accurate judgements about the quality of learning, write effective reports and develop feedback and action planning skills that enables and motivates teachers to improve and develop.

Observing without grades

There is much research to suggest that grading observations can be detrimental to the development and progress of teachers – and learners This session will enable you to turn the observation tide, and develop observation processes which enable healthy, honest professional discussion, dialogue and debate about teaching and learning, leading to dramatic improvements in the morale and performance of teaching staff. You will explore ways of working alongside staff to help them develop to be the most effective teachers they can be, whilst maintaining a strong accurate, evidence based awareness of the quality of teaching learning and assessment across your organisation.

Making work placements work

This session provides an overview of the very best practice in ensuring that work placements are high quality and significantly enhance learners’ experience, and future job/life chances. It explores differentiated ways of making the curriculum work for learners and employers to ensure that both benefit from the experience. Includes a handy ‘great practice’ checklist.

Dynamic Self-assessment

The self-assessment process can often feel like a bureaucratic chore for many staff. This session is designed to change the way staff think and feel about self-assessment, and give them the tools to use self-assessment process as an organic process that improves the quality of the learner experience in real time, and saves them hours of SAR writing time! The session includes:

  • How to make accurate, evidence based judgements that have an impact
  • How to use self-assessment to make a difference to learners’ current experiences
  • Courageous action planning that really works
  • Avoiding the tyranny of paperwork

Brilliant CPD that really works

This session focuses on improving the quality of teaching, learning and assessment through creative approaches to continuous professional development that really work.

The content of this workshop is underpinned by powerful research that tells us that over 75% of CPD does not work, and outlines approaches to CPD that make a significant difference to the confidence, skills, and knowledge of our teachers, trainers, tutors and assessors.

This session includes practical tools for approaches to CPD such as Joint Practice Development, Learning Study, Collaborative action research and peer observation for learning.


Consultancy Services for managers

  • Observation for improvement (graded or ungraded)
  • Self-assessment and quality improvement (including writing, validating and moderating self- assessment, support for writing SAR’s and action plans
  • Paired observations to develop and improve observers’ skills
  • Developing and improving observation processes (learning walks, moving to ungraded etc.)
  • Inspection workout!  (being ever ready, confident and prepared for inspection)
  • Quality health checks/inspection type reviews of whole organisations, types of provision, specific departments and/or themes
  • Coaching for success