Oakhurst Community Primary School

Staff Wellbeing and Professional Development

At Oakhurst Community Primary School, we recognize that our staff are our greatest asset. An exceptional education for our pupils is only possible when we live our core values at every level of our school community. We champion Unity by fostering a collaborative, supportive environment where staff wellbeing is prioritized and every voice is valued. We cultivate Courage by encouraging our educators to engage critically with new research, reflect honestly on their practice, and embrace continuous innovation in the classroom. Driven by Ambition, our structured approach to Continuing Professional Development (CPD) ensures that every team member is empowered to fulfill their potential and secure the very best outcomes for our children, fully aligned with our School Development Plan (SDP).

Whole-School CPD Framework & Strategic Priorities

Our professional development is underpinned by a clear rationale, focusing on key strategic priorities to secure measurable improvements in pupil outcomes.

  • Evidence-Informed & Strategic: Training focuses strictly on key strategic priorities including curriculum coherence, behaviour, and assessment practices.

  • Authoritative Expertise: We utilize high-quality internal and external expertise to ensure training sessions are authoritative, research-led, and impactful.

  • Deepening Knowledge: Sessions are designed to systematically deepen subject knowledge, strengthen pedagogy and support consistent implementation across all phases of the school.

  • Rigorous Safeguarding & Compliance: Statutory training, including Level 1 Safeguarding Training, is delivered rigorously to ensure all staff confidently understand and fulfill their responsibilities.

'The Oakhurst Way' & Classroom Pedagogy

To establish a shared, high-quality understanding of effective teaching, we embed proven pedagogical frameworks directly into our daily routines.

  • Teaching Walkthrus: Consistent implementation of Tom Sherrington and Oliver Caviglioli’s Walkthrus: Core Ten Teaching Techniques ensures a shared language and understanding of effective classroom practice.

  • The Oakhurst Way: Our bespoke adaptation of these Core 10 techniques frames our approach to pedagogy, curriculum delivery and assessment practices to maximize pupil progress.

  • Sequenced & Responsive Learning: Training is carefully sequenced and revisited to support sustained implementation. Content remains responsive to monitoring evidence and evolving school priorities, encouraging staff to engage critically with research to inform their classroom practice.

Individual Growth, Reflection & Diagnostic Support

We provide a structured approach to individual development, ensuring that feedback is developmental rather than punitive.

  • Regular Professional Dialogue: One-to-one professional dialogue supports ongoing reflection, target-setting, and the refinement of classroom practice.

  • Diagnostic Monitoring: Monitoring activities (including lesson observations, learning walks, and work scrutiny) are used diagnostically to identify individual strengths and practical next steps to improve teaching quality.

  • Precise, Actionable Feedback: Feedback from leaders is precise, actionable, and strictly focused on improving pupil learning and long-term outcomes.

  • Peer Collaboration: Structured opportunities for peer observation and collaboration support the sharing of effective practice systematically across classes and phases.

  • Teacher Development Tracker: Staff use our dedicated tracker to monitor their pathways, review individual targets, and record their professional growth.

Career Progression & Professional Accreditation

We are deeply committed to the career progression of our staff, providing clear pathways from early career stages through to specialized and executive school leadership.

  • Early Career Teacher (ECT) Induction: We deliver a rigorous ECT induction programme fully aligned with statutory requirements and the Early Career Framework (ECF). This is anchored by high-quality mentorship that provides clear guidance, live modelling, and regular developmental feedback.

  • National Professional Qualifications (NPQs): Staff are actively supported and funded to engage with and complete leadership accreditations, including the NPQH (Headship), NPQEY (Early Years), and other specialized leadership frameworks.

  • Specialist Professional Accreditation: We champion advanced qualifications, actively supporting staff progressing towards specialized roles such as the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCo) qualification.

Workload Reduction & Respecting Staff Time

True wellbeing means safeguarding the time teachers need to plan, teach, and recharge. We protect our staff's time through deliberate leadership decisions:

  • Purposeful Staff Meetings: Staff meetings are strategically planned to deliver high-quality professional development aligned with school improvement. Crucially, meetings are only called when absolutely required, actively respecting and reducing staff workload.

  • Time to Translate Learning: Time is purposefully allocated within our calendar to ensure that CPD concepts can be translated into improved teaching and learning without spilling over into personal time.

  • Impact-Led Evaluation: School leaders systematically evaluate the impact of CPD using staff feedback, pupil outcomes, and monitoring activities to ensure that professional development never creates an empty compliance or administrative burden.

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