Teach17

The Teachers’ Standards can sound quite formal, but most of them are demonstrated through normal school life. They are there in the way you teach, manage behaviour, check understanding, support pupils, work with colleagues and conduct yourself professionally.

Here are 17 practical ways they can be seen in an ordinary school week.

1. Start lessons with clear expectations
Greet pupils positively, expect them to be ready, have the correct equipment and begin promptly. High expectations are often shown through small routines repeated every lesson.

2. Create a classroom where pupils feel safe to contribute
Make it normal for pupils to answer questions, make mistakes and ask for help. Challenge unkind comments and make sure pupils treat each other with respect.

3. Expect all pupils to make progress
Do not assume that a pupil cannot succeed because of their prior attainment. Give them the support they need, but still expect effort, participation and improvement.

4. Find out what pupils already know
Use a quick quiz, a few retrieval questions, discussion or questioning at the start of a lesson. This helps you pitch the next part of the teaching properly.

5. Notice whether pupils are actually learning
Walk around, look at books, listen to answers and check work as pupils complete it. A lesson is not successful simply because you have reached the final slide.

6. Help pupils recognise their own progress
Ask them to improve an earlier answer, redo a question or explain what they can now do that they could not do before. This helps pupils take more responsibility for their learning.

7. Know your subject well
Be able to explain ideas clearly, use good examples and answer sensible questions. If you are unsure about something, check it before teaching it rather than trying to bluff your way through.

8. Spot misconceptions early
Listen carefully to wrong answers. They often reveal what pupils are actually thinking. Address the misconception directly rather than simply saying that the answer is incorrect.

9. Teach the language of your subject
Use important vocabulary accurately and expect pupils to do the same. Model good explanations, correct key spellings and show pupils how experts in your subject communicate.

10. Give lessons a clear structure
Pupils should know what they are learning and lessons should move in a sensible sequence. Explain, model, practise, check understanding and then give pupils the chance to work independently.

11. Give pupils reasons to be curious
Use an interesting question, demonstration, story, image or real-life example. Good teaching is not only about covering content. It should sometimes make pupils want to know more.

12. Adapt teaching without creating several different lessons
A small change can make a big difference. Give one pupil a sentence starter, another a diagram, another more thinking time and a more confident pupil a harder follow-up question.

13. Know the pupils you teach
Read SEND information, know important pastoral issues and understand who may need extra support or extra challenge. More importantly, use this information when you teach.

14. Check understanding throughout the lesson
Use cold calling, mini whiteboards, short questions, exit tasks or simply look over pupils’ shoulders as they work. Do not wait until a test three weeks later to discover that they misunderstood something.

15. Give feedback that leads to improvement
Feedback does not always need to be written. A quick conversation, whole-class feedback, a short target or asking a pupil to correct something immediately can all be effective. What matters is whether the pupil does something useful with it.

16. Make behaviour management calm and predictable
Use the school system, follow through on warnings, praise pupils who are doing the right thing and deal with small problems before they become bigger ones. Good behaviour management is often quiet rather than dramatic.

17. Be professional beyond the classroom
Turn up on time, attend meetings, communicate properly with parents, work well with colleagues, follow safeguarding procedures and ask for help when you need it. Professional conduct is part of the Teachers’ Standards too.

A useful way to think about the Teachers’ Standards is that they should not feel like 17 extra jobs to complete. Most evidence comes naturally from normal teaching: lessons, pupils’ work, observations, conversations, assessments, meetings and the way you conduct yourself around school.

For an ECT, the question is less “What evidence can I create for this standard?” and more “What do I already do in school that shows this?”

The Teachers’ Standards at a Glance

Standard 1: Set high expectations which inspire, motivate and challenge pupils
Create a positive classroom, expect pupils to work hard and treat everyone with respect.

Standard 2: Promote good progress and outcomes by pupils
Know pupils’ starting points, build on what they already know and help them make progress over time.

Standard 3: Demonstrate good subject and curriculum knowledge
Know your subject, explain it clearly, tackle misconceptions and use subject vocabulary accurately.

Standard 4: Plan and teach well structured lessons
Plan lessons with a clear purpose, use lesson time well and give pupils opportunities to practise and work independently.

Standard 5: Adapt teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils
Know your pupils and adjust explanations, questions, resources and support so that everyone can access the learning.

Standard 6: Make accurate and productive use of assessment
Check what pupils understand, use assessment information and give feedback that helps them improve.

Standard 7: Manage behaviour effectively to ensure a good and safe learning environment
Establish clear routines, apply expectations consistently and deal with behaviour calmly and fairly.

Standard 8: Fulfil wider professional responsibilities
Work well with colleagues, communicate with parents, contribute to school life, take part in professional development and work effectively with support staff.

Part Two: Personal and Professional Conduct
Act professionally at all times. Maintain appropriate boundaries, safeguard pupils, respect others, follow school policies, uphold public trust in the profession and demonstrate honesty and integrity.

The important thing to remember is that the Teachers’ Standards are not separate from everyday teaching. A lesson observation, a conversation with a parent, adapting a task for a pupil, dealing with behaviour or discussing progress with a colleague can all show several standards at once.