‘Growing Our People’:
Professional Learning at Oxley – Term 2, 2025
From Deputy Head of College, Mark Case
At the start of this year, I wrote about the introduction of Professional Learning Plans for teaching staff, including the creation of strategically aligned goals and increasing collaboration between staff. The 2024 MMG Education Survey identified this as an area for development:
In our 2025-2027 Strategy, we have made a commitment to ‘Growing Our People’ – as part of this, we have made it a priority to “develop a culture of strategically aligned professional learning and growth”. One of the strategies that will help us to develop such a culture is peer observations – where teachers observe each other’s classroom practices and engage in reflective discussions.
John Hattie, the renowned educational researcher who is best known for his book “Visible Learning” in which he synthesized 800 meta-analyses covering over 80 million students, identified ‘collective teacher efficacy’ as one of the most powerful influencers on student achievement:
Collective Teacher Efficacy (CTE) refers to the shared belief of teachers in their collective ability to positively impact student learning and achievement: when teachers work together and believe in their combined capabilities, they can significantly enhance student outcomes; peer observation is a highly effective means of developing this. It promotes a culture of collaboration and support, provides opportunities for sharing best practice and encourages continuous professional reflection and development.
Throughout Term 2, teachers across the College will be visiting each other’s classrooms as we engage in these peer observations as part of our commitment to developing a collaborative culture of professional learning and growth.
Practical Strategies for Neurodivergent Students
Dr Andrew Frankland returned to Oxley on Monday 28 April to deliver a workshop on Strategies of Neurodivergent Students, following his very well received presentation to staff at the start of the year. Dr Frankland spoke about the means of achieving success for neurodivergent students, through regulation, connection and learning. He also ran a Q&A session, discussing practical strategies such as classroom layout, assisting students with regulation and promoting positive engagement, and other measures to equip staff with research-based techniques to create an inclusive learning environment.
Student Extended Leave Applications
As part of our drive to improve the efficiency of our administrative processes, applications for extended leave during term time will shortly move online, rather than via paper submission; the existing link will be updated to take parent/carers to an online form.