Manage a Subject Discipline Effectively

Your subject should be taught as well in the room next door as it is in yours. Once you lead it, making that happen is your job, with the same quality whoever the teacher is and nobody slipping through the net.

Getting there starts with the pupils. Keep them at the centre, with a tracking system that finds gaps in the autumn rather than in the summer results. Write a strategy with a few clear objectives and hold to it: if it isn't in the strategy, it isn't important. Invest in your team with a year of subject-specific induction, a mentor for every new teacher and coaching for everyone.

You'll also think about the people outside the department. Governors who come on learning walks, and parents who hear about successes as well as problems, can do a lot for your subject.