Planned Actions

Planned actions emerging from the research phase:

Action Research – promote a research culture within East Lothian focussed upon the teaching and learning process.

Focussed staff development – focus the authority's Staff Development programme upon the achievement of this Statement of Intent (as opposed to a pick and mix model). In doing so make much more use of internal expertise.

Coaching – establish a coaching programme whereby teachers, promoted staff and Headteachers have the opportunity to act as, or to have, a personal coach. A coach would be a critical friend who would be given training in the field of personal development coaching. Volunteer coaches could have up to, but no more than four, friends. Coaches and friends would be linked through a careful matching of values, interests and other compatibility factors. Links would be established by making best use of ICT, formal termly meetings, social events and other contacts as deemed necessary by the participants. Coaches and friends need not be colleagues, and would be more likely to work in different schools or clusters

Voluntary teacher exchange system – teachers employed by east Lothian Council at a variety of levels will be able to volunteer for a temporary exchange with another teacher in the authority.

Initiative integration – All initiatives will be considered under the umbrella of teaching and learning, for example, citizenship; ICT; Formative assessment; PLPs; Determined to Succeed; self-empowered learning; etc, etc. Links will be identified and strategies devised which prevent repetition whilst making the most of available budgets.

Masterclass Award – outstanding class teacher certificate – devised by teachers who have taught for a minimum of 20 years.

Toolkit development – produce a toolkit which schools can use to develop teaching and learning to best suit their particular context.

In-depth appraisal – introduce a more rigorous framework for professional appraisal in which teachers can volunteer to participate.

Student Evaluation of Learning – introduce a system for enabling students to provide feedback about the quality of teaching they experience in their schools

Teacher development programme – promoting a model of good practice – fed by action research programme

Exc-EL – interactive website run by and for teachers within East Lothian , enabling information exchange.

External research teams – identifying, understanding and celebrating outstanding practice based upon a research process undertaken by colleagues from other East Lothian Schools. Examples of good practice would be published on Exc-EL website.

Exc-EL Ltd – developing a business based model for income generation and promotion of good practice in East Lothian .

Knowledge Advancement – establish a means of identifying and sharing new and relevant information about emerging neuropsychological research and its link with teaching methodology