Overview

‍

London South Teaching School Hub is one of only a handful of groups designated as a hub for the Education Development Trust’s Schools Partnership Programme, a cluster-based school improvement model of mutual school-to-school accountability.

Unlike other peer review models, which use a ‘mocksted’ approach, our Peer Review programme is an invitational model in which school leaders identify an area of practice they are keen to develop or review. They then invite colleagues from schools in their Peer Review cluster to explore a specific set of evidence which they have identified as pertinent to their review focus. This evidence may include lesson observations, work scrutinies, interviews with stakeholders etc.

Shortly after the review, a trained Improvement Facilitator leads a workshop for stakeholders which is carefully designed to support the school to develop an action plan to respond to review feedback. We then signpost the school to further support or resources that may help them achieve their goals.

In 2019-20, 37 schools and nurseries across and beyond London participated in our Peer Review programme. Feedback from those involved was overwhelmingly positive about the benefits of peer review, both for leaders’ own professional development and for their schools. The programme enabled those participating to build deeper professional trust, and to secure improvements in their own and each other’s schools.

What is involved?

‍

Participation in Peer Review includes:

• All training and resources necessary to be an effective reviewer and/or Improvement Facilitator for you and two colleagues
• Work in clusters to review each other’s schools, led by an experienced headteacher Cluster Leader
• One annual review and a follow-up workshop for your school based on feedback from your review
• Chances to share learning with other schools and to receive further training and support based on the findings of the reviews

Peer Review training programme

‍

Who should attend?

‍

Participating schools need to train as a minimum, the headteacher as a Lead Reviewer and two to three other senior leaders to be Reviewers and/or Improvement Facilitators.

Training programme structure: 

• Half day introduction to Peer Review 
• Half day training for Reviewers
• Half day training for Improvement Facilitators

‍