“Teaching is good overall…” Ofsted 2013
It is not yet an outstanding school because:
• Although teaching is at least good, not enough is outstanding. The
school is currently using its outstanding examples of teaching to move
good teachers on so that they are able to teach outstanding lessons.
• Data collection related to pupils’ progress, although detailed, is not
yet refined enough to consistently show academic progress for the
shortest of stays. Also, teachers are not fully confident in using it to
help plan their lessons.
Amy Thorpe
January 6th 2014
How do you feel when you know you’re being
observed?
Planning and delivering Outstanding lessons
“as the teacher, [you] are responsible for the amount, or lack, of planning
you put into lessons; you, the teacher, will be on the receiving end of the
consequences if you attempt to wing it”
Phil Beadle 2010. ‘How to Teach’.
Let’s be realistic…
We all know we don’t perform to the top level every lesson of every day… in
fact, it would probably be impossible! However, your lesson observations
provide an opportunity for you to show the observer you and your students
at your best:
“You can’t give of your absolute best to every class, every lesson. If you
attempt to do this you will find that you have exhausted your physical and
emotional reserves within the first two or three weeks of term, and … As a
rule of thumb, it’s probably a good policy to give each of your classes a
version of your best at least once a week…but don’t expect to be able to turn
in the full Ofsted [style lesson] every lesson.”
Phil Beadle 2010
However…
“..If you want to be seen to be a really good teacher then you must…
come to a pretty quick and certain realisation that you must take
observed lessons deadly seriously.”
Phil Beadle 2010
What do we need to remember?
And you can’t do that without some thought and
planning!
Is there a lesson plan or is
the lesson planned?
Further reading an be found in ‘A Teacher’s Guide to Outstanding Lessons’ available free from: www.solutionsforschool.co.uk
Planning…Show the observer everything that usually
occurs in your head!
How will I know when they have
got there?
CLASSROOM PRACTICE
ASSESSING
Where are my students now?
How will they get there?
PLANNING
REPORTING
What do I want the
students to learn?
What do they still need to know?
Example …
Overview of lesson:
• Student new to outreach – 2 lessons prior to observation
• One to one
• Year 9 student
• English lesson
• Ability slightly below average
• Difficulty concentrating at times
• Poor SSPG skills
• Work not yet provided by home school
In the pack:
• Lesson plan
• Copy of power point
• Copy of all resources for lesson
• Copy of baseline assessment (marked piece of work)
• Curriculum and assessment information
* (If the student had been with us for a while, historical data would be
included)
MY TOP TIPS:
• Plan in detail
• Use the lesson observation form to guide your planning – focus on how to
achieve Outstanding
• Provide everything your observer may require - e.g: marking, baseline
information, progress data, student information, homework information,
curriculum information, assessment information, copies of all resources
used, information on prior learning…
• Plan for anything that may go wrong and how you might correct it! This
doesn’t mean it will…but think it through!
• Plan how you will extend their learning through questioning
• Write down everything that you normally THINK about… you need to
show you think about it…and we can do that by writing it down!
And then when you’re informed that you are to be
observed, you’ll go…
FROM THIS
TO THIS
Remember…
It’s your opportunity to demonstrate just how good you are!