In these two linked courses, Matt Bromley explores the vital role transition plays in pupils’ academic and pastoral progress in school. He explains why transition matters, shares five broad categories of school life - sometimes referred to as 'bridges' - in which the transition process can be improved and three features by which an effective transition can be measured. Matt also explains how to make best use of transition days and how to support the transition of disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. He argues the importance of collaboration, saying that what is needed is long-term, genuine and sustainable collaboration between schools.  Matt sets out what effective collaboration might look like in practice.  He then turns his attention to the particulars of primary to secondary transition, transitions within KS3, and from KS3 to KS4, and secondary to post-16 transition. As well as being useful for individual CPD for primary and secondary school leaders, this course could form the basis of SLT discussions or whole-school training. The two courses in this mini series are: Plan an Effective Transition for Your Students and Make Transitions Work for Every Student (inclusion)

In this course, which is the first of three courses on the subject of effective differentiation, Matt Bromley explores some possible dangers of traditional approaches to differentiation and advocates ‘teaching to the top’ for all pupils.  He explains what this might look like in practice, including through the adoption of a mastery learning model.    

As well as being useful for individual CPD for teachers, this course could form the basis of in-school departmental training.   

This course has been developed by Matt Bromley who has over twenty years’ experience in teaching and leadership including as headteacher, principal and MAT director of education.  He is an experienced teacher of English and successful former head of department.  He is now a school improvement advisor, teacher-trainer and public speaker.  He regularly speaks at national and international conferences, and he is a regular contributor to a number of education magazines including TES and SecEd.  He is the author of a number of books on education including How to Learn and School & College Curriculum Design.  

In this course, Matt Bromley shares his tips for managing your classroom. He explores ways of creating a classroom environment that’s conducive to learning, shares top tips for managing behaviour, including how to deal with five common forms of misbehaviour, and explores the role that rewards and sanctions play in classroom management. As well as being useful for individual CPD for new teachers, this course could form the basis of coaching and mentoring activity in schools.

In this course, Matt Bromley shares his tips for making a success of your NQT year. He will explore ways to ensure you pass your induction year, how to take your first steps as an NQT in a new school, and exhort the importance of taking it one term at a time. He will also share advice on how to develop your presence in the classroom. As well as being useful for individual CPD for new teachers, this course could form the basis of coaching and mentoring activity in schools.

When a friend, colleague or member of your community is bereaved, it can be difficult to know what to say or do.  In this course, I walk through some simple ideas to give you confidence in providing the right kind and amount of support to an adult who is grieving.

In this course, which is the second of three courses on the subject of securing a SLT position, Matt Bromley talks about the recruitment process.  He offers advice on writing the covering letter and application, and on preparing for and performing well in panel interviews and during the presentation. As well as being useful for individual CPD, this course could form the basis of in-school 121 coaching for prospective members of SLT.

In this course, which is the third of three courses on the subject of securing a SLT position, Matt Bromley concludes his exploration of the recruitment process by looking at simulations such as team meetings, at written tasks such as the in-tray exercise, and at the final interview.  He then explores what great senior leaders do once appointed. 

As well as being useful for individual CPD, this course could form the basis of in-school 121 coaching for prospective members of SLT. 

In this course, which is the third of three courses on the subject of behaviour management, Matt Bromley shares ten top tips for managing behaviour, shares three principles to guide your behaviour management approaches, and articulates the importance of developing a presence in the classroom to exude authority and control. As well as being useful for individual CPD for teachers, this course could form the basis of whole-school training or 121 coaching.

In this course, which is the second of three courses on the subject of effective differentiation, Matt Bromley explores the importance of lowering the threat level in our classrooms so that all pupils can accept the challenge of hard work and achieve.  He shares five strategies for engendering the growth mindset in our classrooms and explains the importance of high expectations.  He shares two practical strategies for identifying pupils’ ‘struggle zones’ so that work is pitched appropriately, and he analyses some of the most common methods of in-class differentiation. As well as being useful for individual CPD for teachers, this course could form the basis of in-school departmental training.

In this course, Matt Bromley explores three waves of differentiation and support: quality first teaching; in-class differentiation; and additional interventions.  He also examines the role of the teaching assistant in providing differentiated support to lower-performing pupils and those with SEND. As well as being useful for individual CPD for teachers, this course could form the basis of in-school departmental training.

Safety is a theme that I return to again and again in my work whether it’s about taking a trauma informed approach, enabling children with special needs to thrive or simply about creating an environment in which every child can flourish.  One of the most basic needs that must be met for every child is a feeling of safety and in this course I pick that apart and go beyond the built environment, exploring how we can enable a child to feel safe physically, socially, emotionally and cognitively. The course is suitable for anyone working with or caring for children and young people and requires no specialist knowledge.

In this course, which is the second of three courses on the subject of curriculum development, Matt Bromley explains how to write a curriculum vision, how to plan ambitious curriculum ‘end points’, and how to plan and sequence the curriculum. He also offers practical advice on how to ensure equal access to the curriculum for all students, irrespective of their starting points and backgrounds, and how to pitch learning in students’ struggle zones so that it is hard but achievable. As well as being useful for individual CPD for school leaders, this course could form the basis of SLT or middle leadership discussions or training

This course provides an accessible introduction to anxiety and provides useful pointers for any adult supporting a child with anxiety.  Common misunderstandings and misconceptions are addressed, we consider some potential pitfalls to avoid and we explore a range of simple, practical ideas for supporting anxious children.

Life can be pretty challenging for autistic children as they try to fit within a world that doesn’t always make sense to them on terms that don’t quite work for them.  Sometimes, anxiety, anger or sheer exhaustion can bubble over and result in challenging behaviour which is distressing both for the child and the adults supporting them.  There is a lot that we can do to change the environment rather than the child, but this course focuses in on how we can support autistic children to recognise and regulate how they’re feeling, to give them the best chance of managing alongside their peers because maybe the whole world needs to change, but until that happens, these simple ideas can change how the world feels for the child you’re supporting.

This course is suitable for any adult working with or caring for an autistic child or, to be honest, any child.  As with so much of the work we do for children special needs, these ideas are widely applicable and will do good (and certainly no harm) for any child but will do especial good with children who are (or might be) autistic.

When a child experiences the death of a loved one, the adults around them play a hugely important role both in supporting in the immediate aftermath and also of helping to support and guide the child towards the future.  This course explores what children most need from adults at such a difficult time and shares practical ideas for how we can step up and fulfil such an important role with confidence.

This course will explore some of the essential skills needed to help students store information in a way that it can be remembered retrieved and used when needed. The modules are sequenced to help you see the importance of making connections between nodes of knowledge, practising in unfamiliar contexts and encouraging learners to go deeper into topics. 

Self-harm is a topic that many people feel puzzled or scared by so this course aims to demystify it for you and help you to gain an understanding of the motivations behind self-harm and how we can use this understanding to support a young person to a place of relative safety.  There is no quick fix nor a one size fits all answer here, but this course will boost your confidence and give you some clear ideas about how best to support children or young people who are currently self-harming. This course has been developed by Dr Pooky Knightsmith, an internationally recognised mental health expert and author of “Can I tell you about Self-harm – a guide for parents friends and professionals” and “Self-harm and eating disorders in schools” which was based on her PhD research into the topic.

In this course, Matt Bromley outlines the Ofsted context and defines, in detail, what is meant by the terms ‘intent’, ‘implementation’ and ‘impact’. As well as being useful for individual CPD for school leaders, this course could form the basis of SLT discussions or whole-school training. This course is the first of three courses on the curriculum development pathway: Course 1: Intent, implementation and impact Course 2: Planning and teaching an ambitious curriculum Course 3: Assessing curriculum effectiveness Taken together, these three courses provide an introduction to, and an overview of, the curriculum design process. Later, they will be complemented by more detailed courses which explore each stage of the process in-depth. This course has been developed by Matt Bromley who has over twenty years’ experience in teaching and leadership including as a headteacher and a director of education. He is now a school improvement advisor, teacher-trainer and public speaker. He regularly speaks at national and international conferences, and he is a regular contributor to a number of education magazines including TES and SecEd. He is the author of a number of books on education including School & College Curriculum Design.

This course will explain and explore the importance of lesson observations as part of continuing professional development for a range of teachers it will look at the practicalities some of the theories behind effective observations and the range of areas that need to be explored the whole course will be seen within the context of the new Ofsted framework

This course has been developed by Kevin Piper who has worked in a range of institutions from primary to secondary as well as colleges adult education and in universities. He has worked for many years in school improvement nationally and internationally and use lesson observations in a range of contexts