Teaching quality is uneven across the school.

Some areas demonstrate strong practice. Others rely heavily on individual teacher style rather than shared approaches.

Pupils experience inconsistent expectations. Leaders struggle to define what high-quality teaching looks like beyond general principles.

This is not a lack of expertise. It is a lack of coherence.

The leadership focus

The issue is not teaching knowledge. It is leadership behaviour.

Senior leaders identify that expectations for teaching are not clearly defined, communicated, or reinforced consistently.

They make a disciplined decision to focus on a small number of shared behaviours.

Shared behaviours (Year 1)

These behaviours are not secure, so they become the priority.

• S1: Explain the why Leaders create clarity about why improving teaching matters and how it connects to student outcomes.
• S5: Establish collective goals Leaders align teams around a small number of shared teaching priorities.
• C4: Maintain consistency Expectations for teaching are applied reliably across departments

These behaviours are the priority. They are taught, practised, and reinforced consistently.

How the year unfolds

June to October
Leaders build a shared understanding of what effective teaching looks like and practise applying these behaviours in everyday leadership.

October to November
Diagnostics are introduced once leaders have real experience to reflect on.

December to March
Leaders begin a 90-day cycle, applying behaviours to real challenges with greater precision.

What success looks like by the end of Year 1

• A clear, shared understanding of effective teaching
• Greater consistency in expectations across departments
• More precise and useful teaching conversations
• Improved confidence in instructional leadership

Teaching improvement is more coherent and deliberate.

Leadership judgment

In most schools, these three behaviours provide the strongest starting point. Where inconsistency is driven primarily by weak follow-through, L8 Don’t drop the ball may be prioritised.

The key discipline

Do not move on too quickly.

The most common failure is introducing new priorities before consistency is secure.

Once consistency is embedded, the focus shifts to building shared ownership and then raising ambition.

Applying this in practice

The worked example sets your overall direction.

Within that, leaders will face specific challenges, difficult conversations, team issues, or moments of uncertainty.

Use the Scenario Finder to identify the right leadership behaviours for those situations and apply them with precision.