This blog is the third instalment in a five-part series written by Matthew Anglesea, Assistant Principal at Durham Sixth Form Centre.  It explores their evolving journey with the Great Teaching Toolkit (GTT), from initial implementation to their current practices and reflections. 

Durham 6th Form are one of the lead schools using the GTT, and have recently been awarded the status of Great Teaching Centre. As part of this community, Durham Sixth Form Centre now stands as both a beacon and an exemplar. Sharing practice, leading by example, and helping to shape a global movement for sustained, evidence-informed professional learning. 

From Building Knowledge to Sustaining Teacher Motivation

In the previous blog , we explored how our professional development programme set out to build knowledge. Ensuring staff developed a stronger evidence base to inform their practice. But knowledge on its own is not enough. Teachers also need the motivation to engage with professional learning, to apply it in their classrooms and to sustain their efforts over time.

When considering how to secure teacher buy-in for whole-school professional development, several influences shaped my thinking. Daniel Pink’s Drive and Simon Sinek’s Start with Why were significant, as were the mechanisms outlined in the EEF’s guidance report. These include setting and agreeing on goals. Presenting information from credible sources and providing affirmation and reinforcement after progress.

One of the earliest wins came from the shared sense of excitement and energy in September 2022. Being back together in one room. Talking about teaching and learning, and experiencing a return to normality after lockdowns created a natural momentum. As a launch for something new, gaining initial buy-in from staff did not feel difficult.

Embedding Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose into Teacher Development

In Drive, Daniel Pink argues that the most effective and sustainable form of motivation stems from autonomy, mastery and purpose. These principles shaped our approach to professional development. Although we have a core whole-school programme, we also provide staff with autonomy in how the full 25 hours of annual PD time is used. Ten hours are returned to staff as marking time to support workload and wellbeing. A further five hours are allocated for individual or department-specific work. Or to offset time spent mentoring ECTs or PGCE trainees. The remaining ten hours are dedicated to Living the Policy, our core programme that explores the what, why and how of effective teaching as defined in our Teaching, Learning and Assessment Policy.

To help increase engagement, every whole-school session began with a clear rationale. In the spirit of Simon Sinek, I would always start with “why”. A quote I often share is from Rob Coe:

“A great teacher is one who is willing to do what it takes to be demonstrably more effective next year than this.”

This frames our discussions around the moral purpose of teaching and our shared goal. To make small, incremental improvements in the aspects of practice that have the greatest impact on student outcomes. While recognising the importance of our role in shaping the life chances of the young people we teach.

The Great Teaching Toolkit as a Trusted Source of Evidence

The EEF also identifies that motivation is influenced by whether the information comes from a trusted source. The Great Teaching Toolkit provided exactly that: a well-resourced and credible synthesis of international evidence on effective teaching. Because our Teaching, Learning and Assessment Policy was underpinned by the GTT Evidence Review, and our curriculum drew directly from the platform. Staff saw that the training carried clear credibility. This was an important contributing factor in the improvements we saw in student outcomes at the end of the initial two-year implementation phase. Alongside other key influences, systems and teams, professional development has supported our year-on-year performance to remain above the national average across all measures. Challenging the wider narrative of underachievement in the North East of England.

Strengthening Professional Development with External Expertise

We also looked beyond our own staff. External speakers added credibility, expertise and variety to the programme. Kate Jones delivered a session on retrieval practice that was full of practical examples and very well received. The following year, Professor Rob Coe joined us to further strengthen the research behind our policy and reinforce the importance of ongoing teacher development. Most recently, our Turning Experience into Expertise conference hosted Dr Stuart Kime on adaptive expertise and Sarah Cottinghatt on cognitive coaching. These sessions have provided an excellent platform for Year 4 of Living the Policy, where we are sharpening our focus on adaptive expertise and the everyday decisions teachers make in classrooms.

Goal-Setting in Teacher Professional Development

Goal-setting has also been a recurring theme in our approach. During Year 1, teachers set granular goals after each whole-school session, submitted via Google Forms. In theory, this encouraged focus and accountability. In practice, it became unwieldy and demotivating. Staff juggled multiple short-term targets alongside their performance management objectives, and the repeated submissions created frustration. The approach was dropped in later years.

With the introduction of professional development pathways in Year 3. Staff set a single year-long goal aligned to their chosen area of focus. This goal also served as their PM target. Allowing teachers to refine one aspect of their practice in depth. While this provided greater clarity, the narrow focus sometimes made it harder to hold staff accountable where capability concerns arose.

We now set goals through department-led developmental learning walks. Teachers are observed and receive feedback on a specific area of their practice, which can be set at department level or tailored individually. Following Sarah Cottinghatt’s excellent session on cognitive coaching. We have also begun shifting away from surface-level goals focused on strategies toward goals based on learning intentions. Recognising that multiple strategies can lead to the same outcome allows for more meaningful feedback, including deeper probing and targeted praise. This change continues to shape how we support teachers to refine their craft.

If you would like to discuss any aspect of this work further, please contact Matthew Anglesea, Assistant Principal, Durham Sixth Form Centre at matthew.anglesea@durhamsixthformcentre.org.uk