Professional Skills and Abilities

3.1 Curriculum, Pedagogy, Leadership and Strategic Vision

Middle leaders, with colleagues and within their specific area/s of responsibility, contribute to designing and building the curriculum (i.e. through the practices that take place in learning communities in developing content, pedagogy, assessment and provision, as educational programmes are planned, enacted and evaluated). They critically engage with policy, research and practice to inform their knowledge and understanding of curriculum.

3.1.1 Support the design and provision of a curriculum informed by theoretical principles of curriculum design and purposes of education

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As a middle leader, through individual and collegial activities, you lead and work collaboratively to:  

• develop understanding and help promote collective responsibility for school-based decisions which are in accordance with the principles of the purpose of education, good curriculum design and address learners’ entitlement to Learning for Sustainability
• critically engage with policy, research and practice to inform the planning, development and assessment of learning to meet the learning and health and wellbeing needs of every learner, including Gaelic medium education where appropriate
• support and lead change effectively within your specific area/s of responsibility
• model and develop, within and beyond your area of responsibility, clear standards in your practice in relation to enacting the principles of inclusion, sustainability, equality and social justice through the curriculum
• develop understanding and promote collective responsibility for curriculum design and planning processes that enhance the learning experience for learners with additional support needs
• develop curricular frameworks to ensure appropriate personalisation and choice through individualised pathways

3.1.2 Enable and sustain a coherent approach to the development and improvement of curriculum practices (including pedagogy and assessment) in line with agreed strategic and operational priorities

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As a middle leader, through individual and collegial activities, you lead and work collaboratively to:  

• facilitate a culture which promotes and sustains high-quality curriculum practices (including pedagogy and assessment)
• model and support, high expectations of curriculum in order to provide all learners with creative and consistently high-quality learning experiences and pathways and opportunities for learning to be transformative in terms of challenging assumptions and expanding world views
• ensure all learners and colleagues meaningfully participate in decisions related to the development and planning of learning opportunities
• engage with partners to support access to appropriate learning opportunities including outdoor learning within and beyond the school and resources across the wider learning community
• establish and develop processes to systematically gather, analyse and make effective use of assessment feedback and learners’ progress data to evaluate, inform and plan future learning which meet the learning and wellbeing needs of every learner
• develop, enhance and share practices which promote improvements in curriculum practices, ensuring and maintaining a focus on the interests of children and young people

3.1.3 Enable and sustain processes which actively promote professional dialogue, critical reflection and collegial practice as a way of evaluating and enhancing curriculum practices (including pedagogy and assessment practices) and wellbeing

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As a middle leader, through individual and collegial activities, you lead and work collaboratively to:  

• model and support the development of a culture of mutual trust, respect and accountability through the development and enactment of the curriculum
• actively promote and engage in collaborative professional dialogue, critical reflection and self-evaluation with your team or teams across the school, as a way of proactively monitoring and reviewing pedagogy
• establish approaches to review curriculum practices which gathers views from colleagues and others across the learning community
• support a range of peer learning approaches which enable teams to work collaboratively and provide systematic opportunities to enhance and refresh teachers’ pedagogic and assessment practices
• agree, develop and establish processes to validate and enhance the quality of curriculum practices (including pedagogy and assessment practices)

3.2 The Learning Context

Middle leaders, with colleagues and within their specific area/s of responsibility, help promote a culture of wellbeing for all. In line with their identified strategic and operational priorities, they enable and sustain positive and purposeful relationships and partnerships with colleagues, learners, and others across the learning community to meet the identified needs of all learners. They critically engage with policy, research and practice to inform their knowledge and understanding of the learning environment.

3.2.1 Lead and support the vision, values, ethos and aims of the learning community with colleagues, learners, parents/cares and families and wider community

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As a middle leader, through individual and collegial activities, you lead and work collaboratively to:  

• help co-create, model and share the vision, values, ethos and aims of the learning community with all learners, colleagues, parents/carers and families and wider community including Gaelic medium ethos where appropriate, and embracing Learning for Sustainability
• enable your teams to promote and sustain a culture of wellbeing for all through modelling and supporting sustainable processes and practices for working and learning
• create and sustain a learning culture where additional support needs are integral to the learning community ethos
• support and sustain colleagues in creating safe, caring and purposeful learning environments which are welcoming and inclusive, well managed and well organised

3.2.2 Encourage and facilitate learner participation in planning and deciding about their own learning and the wider decision-making within the learning community

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As a middle leader, through individual and collegial activities, you lead and work collaboratively to:  

• enable a collegial culture of mutual respect and trust where all learners participate meaningfully in decisions related to their learning, their school and the wider learning community
• establish and enhance opportunities which enable every learner to participate meaningfully in the planning, evaluation and decision-making related to their learning and progress, their school and the wider learning community
• provide opportunities for learners and colleagues to plan and discuss learning, ensuring appropriate opportunities for personalisation and choice

3.2.3 Lead individual and collegial activities to help establish, enable and sustain trusting relationships with parents/carers and families

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As a middle leader, through individual and collegial activities, you lead and work collaboratively to:  

• support and enable a collegial culture of mutual respect and trust to build and facilitate partnerships between parents/carers and families, learners and the school and wider learning community
• develop trusting relationships with parents/carers and families which help them to value the importance of education and learning in the home, the school and in the wider learning community
• seek regular opportunities to keep parents/carers and families informed about their child’s progress and developments in the curriculum and learning and teaching approaches
• help build and sustain this culture to enable all parents/carers and families to have a range of opportunities to engage in partnership activities and processes related to learning, the life of the school and the wider learning community

3.2.3 Help promote and support partnership working with colleagues, parents/carers and families, other professionals and agencies to support the rights and wellbeing of every learner

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As a middle leader, through individual and collegial activities, you lead and work collaboratively to:  

• understand your own and others’ responsibilities for implementing national and local child protection policies and procedures to ensure the care and welfare of every learner
• understand your own and others’ responsibilities for supporting the wellbeing of every child or young person to inform practices in the school and wider learning community
• draw upon knowledge and expertise from other partners to enhance programmes for learners and ensure appropriate information is shared with partners to inform decision-making
• use and support systems which enable all partners to contribute to, and support, the diverse needs of every learner in line with local and national policy and legislation
• support the provision of regular access to and education in the natural world for all learners
• use a range of processes and approaches for the regular review and identification of learners’ needs through use of appropriate diagnostic tools to review learners’ progress, communicating outcomes with all relevant partners
• ensure planning and provision for learning is underpinned by the principles of equality and social justice

3.3 Professional Learning

Middle leaders, with colleagues and within their specific area/s of responsibility, model, lead and promote a collaborative culture of professional learning. They critically engage with policy, research and practice to inform their knowledge and understanding of professional learning.

3.3.1 Lead and promote a culture of career-long professional learning which builds and sustains individual and team capacity and supports identified and agreed priorities

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As a middle leader, through individual and collegial activities, you lead and work collaboratively to:  

• take responsibility for, and engage actively in, career-long professional learning to deepen your knowledge, understanding and skills
• critically engage with literature, research and policy to challenge and inform decision-making and professional practice
• develop and engage in professional enquiry as a key element of a sustainable professional learning culture
• set high expectations of career-long professional learning for self and colleagues, as appropriate, and support a wide range of opportunities which enable this
• create and utilise opportunities and activities for colleagues to engage in collaborative professional learning and develop leadership practices across and beyond the school  

3.3.2 Enable and sustain approaches and processes which support colleagues to engage in critically reflective practice as an integral part of career-long professional learning

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As a middle leader, through individual and collegial activities, you lead and work collaboratively to:  

• use agreed processes, including for PRD, which identify strengths and development opportunities and support career-long professional learning
• develop coaching and mentoring skills and promote the use of coaching and mentoring principles and approaches which support professional learning and foster a culture of peer support, commitment and collegiality
• support colleagues in taking ownership and responsibility for their professional learning and PRD using relevant professional standards to support self-evaluation and critical reflection
• ensure that purposeful ongoing professional learning and PRD takes place regularly and that the outcomes of the processes contribute to improvement of professional practice
• critically reflect on and evaluate the impact of individual and collective professional learning provision on agreed priorities, within your areas of responsibility
• support equal access to professional learning opportunities for all support effective engagement of the Professional Update process

3.4 Self-Evaluation

Middle leaders, with colleagues and within their specific area/s of responsibility, contribute to and sustain a culture of self-evaluation for school and learning community improvement to evaluate the impact on every learner. They critically engage with policy, research and practice to inform their knowledge and understanding of self-evaluation.

3.4.1 Develop and sustain a range of inclusive and supportive relationships, processes and practices which promote a culture of self-evaluation in line with agreed strategic and operational priorities

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As a middle leader, through individual and collegial activities, you lead and work collaboratively to:  

• enable and sustain a culture of trust and mutual respect where colleagues, learners and the learning community engage in self-evaluation with confidence and integrity
• contribute to an inclusive, resilient and adaptive culture of improvement using critically informed leadership practices and approaches  
• facilitate an open, honest and critical stance through modelling and promoting good practice in self-evaluation
• build supportive relationships which promote and support the culture of self-evaluation

3.4.2 Develop and sustain the effective use of a wide range of robust and credible information to support and inform decisions and improvements across the school and learning community in line with agreed strategic and operational priorities

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As a middle leader, through individual and collegial activities, you lead and work collaboratively to:  

• promote and contribute to a culture of critically informed practice using evidence, including research, and analysis against relevant benchmarks
• gather information systematically from a wide range of sources and partners using valid, reliable and innovative approaches to engage all groups
• use the information, qualitative and quantitative, to inform decision-making and identify priorities to shape and improve practices
• enable and support colleagues in using the information to plan curriculum (pedagogy, assessment and reporting) with a focus on improving outcomes for all learners
• ensure assessment and evidence of assessments are robust and appropriate for internal and external purposes

3.4.3 Collaborate with colleagues, learners, parents/carers and families and the wider learning community in identifying, agreeing and implementing improvement priorities

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As a middle leader, through individual and collegial activities, you lead and work collaboratively to:  

• help create regular opportunities to engage colleagues, learners and the wider learning community to identify key priorities for improvement using the evidence gathered
• support a culture where all learners, colleagues, parents/ carers and families are involved in meaningful decision-making about the planning and enhancement of learning and in wider school and learning community improvement
• facilitate opportunities for groups to work collaboratively to take forward improvement priorities

3.4.4 Utilise and support systems for ongoing monitoring and review of the school and learning community improvement agenda

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As a middle leader, through individual and collegial activities, you lead and work collaboratively to:  

• adopt a range of approaches to enable and support colleagues to undertake regular and systematic review of progress towards team, school and learning community priorities, including resourcing decisions, to evaluate the impact on every learner  
• undertake regular and systematic review of a range of processes which enable colleagues to contribute to the overall monitoring and review of change through the improvement planning cycle
• systematically use a wide range of evidence to review and inform an improvement cycle which impacts on the development of the learning environment

3.5 Resources

Middle leaders, with colleagues and within their specific area/s of responsibility, manage allocated resources in a fair, transparent and equitable manner in line with identified strategic and operational priorities. They critically engage with policy, research and practice to inform their knowledge and understanding of equitable and sustainable use of resources.

3.5.1 Make best operational use of all available resources in line with identified strategic and operational priorities, ensuring and maintaining a clear focus on the interests of learners

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As a middle leader, through individual and collegial activities, you lead and work collaboratively to:  

• identify with colleagues appropriate use of resources to sustain and enhance the learning environment to support the needs of every learner
• ensure resourcing decisions are taken in fair, transparent and equitable ways taking account of identified priorities
• develop understanding and promote collective responsibility for the sustainable use of resources
• use and contribute to systems to monitor, critically evaluate and review the use of resources
• be accountable for allocated budget and resources through utilising appropriate procedures and all available supports

3.5.2 Work within the structure of employment legislation, national and local agreements and policies governing employment in line with identified strategic and operational priorities

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As a middle leader, through individual and collegial activities, you lead and work collaboratively to:  

• take due account of employment legislation, national and local agreements and school policies with regard to working relationships and in the best interests of children and young people
• work within clearly defined roles, responsibilities and accountabilities, to support, supervise and contribute to the development of a professional school team to meet the needs of the learning community
• take due account of the legislative framework related to equality and social inclusion, to promote an inclusive community which values diversity and challenges discrimination
• take due account of Health and Safety legislation to ensure the safety and welfare of all