Collaboration is a buzzword in teaching. Research shows Collective Teacher Efficacy (CTE) is the “new number one” influence related to student achievement (John Hattie). So how do we do it and what does it look like at Rivers?

Teachers Developing Together

From day one, developing together has been a key principle. Together you achieve more, as in many other real-life situations. A main secret to the success of collaboration amongst teachers is that they share common ideals; they want to impact learning and get the best out of their pupils. Teachers also want to grow in their chosen profession and learning from colleagues is a powerful tool.

Collective Responsibility

It is the collective approach; a framework in which teachers can exchange ideas, reflect, provide feedback, have discussions, inspire, analyse their strategies, get more creative  and even, if needed, cry. It is a focus on shared responsibility of the students` learning and how to achieve the best for our pupils. It is the `sharing is caring` which goes from beyond being a helpful teacher next door, to fostering the sense of a culture of `us` in `our` school and wanting each other to do well. The benefits are enormous.

Higher levels

Collaboration is actually inevitable in schools, but it is the higher levels of collaboration which impact school improvement. Collaboration and conversations should not look like a dinner party; dominated by the louder personalities, social, entertaining and fun but totally unproductive. The meetings need to look like something else.

Professional Learning Communities at Rivers

Collaboration needed to be structured; we knew that, so we set up times for regular POD meetings and off we went; we divided the teachers up into their year groups, arranged times to meet, organised leaders for the groups... how simple could it be? It really was not; ironing out the challenges of personality clashes and times to meet was not a walk in the park. The POD sessions started out at times to be quite a frustrating process, but a learning curve; and as teachers know, you are always a learner!  The sense of purpose was certainly there and with a bit of tweaking and further training for the POD facilitators, the POD`s were relaunched and are now (in their words) “learning workshops, providing regular and structured opportunities for us, as a team, to talk, reflect and share our pedagogy”. They are also a place where trust, respect, care, empathy and compassion are central and the key to working together effectively; teachers are no longer isolated, they have a group. They are actually much happier!

Gill Eaton, Head of Primary,