Improving pupil outcomes through teacher collaboration 

Schools can have a major impact on pupils’ learning and progress by creating more opportunities for teachers to work together and share best practice, writes Gemma Hewson, deputy headteacher at Badock’s Wood E-ACT Academy in Bristol.

Back in the 80s and 90s a plethora of significant education reforms gave rise to the concept of teachers working more collaboratively to improve outcomes for children.

The introduction of the National Curriculum in 1988, for example, standardised what was taught in schools across England, which called for greater coordination and collaboration among teachers to ensure consistent delivery.

Since then, a culture of shared learning and collective responsibility has been championed, with the formation of key organisations such as the National College for School Leadership (NCSL) in 2000 continuing to promote leadership and collaboration in schools. These reforms recognise that when teachers work together, they can benefit from the knowledge, skills, and experiences of others to tackle common challenges and enhance their professional development.

At Badock’s Wood E-ACT Academy, we have seen firsthand the transformative power of teacher collaboration and its role in driving pupil success.

We have made it our mission to provide opportunities for teachers to come together to exchange their expertise and effective classroom strategies. This has helped all staff to better understand what works well in the classroom to keep pupils engaged and progressing in their learning. It has helped us to identify and remove barriers to learning, improve outcomes and foster a culture of continuous improvement across the school too.

The foundations for collaboration

Whether a teacher is delivering a maths, literacy or drama lesson, there are some common challenges they and their teaching colleagues will encounter.

By fostering a culture of collaboration, we have redefined the way our teachers work to address a range of issues from managing behaviour and encouraging progress to engaging children in taking responsibility for their own learning.  

Through collaboration, teachers have gained fresh perspectives on how to keep pupils on track, benefited from new insight into how to deliver great teaching and found solutions that work for them.

There are three key elements to the approach we have taken to build a collaborative teaching environment across our school.

Regular weekly teacher meets

Our Friday morning briefings allow us to collectively discuss the challenges teachers have come across during the week. It’s a place where we share our experiences and celebrate the successes.

These meetings are particularly important for our early career teachers (ECT), who benefit greatly from the diverse perspectives on good teaching available to them in the room.

One of our ECTs recently noted that her usually calm pupils would become quite boisterous as they transitioned from the classroom to breaktime, for example. During one of our Friday sessions, she brought this up and we delved into the specifics of what preceded the noisy behaviour together.

The teacher realised through these discussions that there was a need for clearer end-of-lesson instructions. Once changes had been made to the pre-break routine, the transition to break was much smoother.

Brainstorming sessions spur teachers to think creatively and adopt new ways to do things. Encouraged by the success of the new measures in place, the teacher is now applying similar strategies to help pupils transition back into the classroom and be ready to learn more quickly after the break.

A fresh viewpoint in the classroom

Identifying the root causes of classroom disruptions or the barriers to pupil progress can be challenging. We’ve discovered that teachers gain significantly from having an additional perspective on their lessons.

Our classrooms are equipped with specialist cameras and microphones, which teachers can use to record a 360-degree view of their teaching in real time. One of the reasons this strategy has been so successful is that teachers have complete control over what they record and when. The SLT does not have direct access to the footage, recorded using ONVU Learning, unless a teacher wants to share it with a senior colleague to discuss a particular issue in their classroom or seek some advice. The recordings are purely for teachers’ benefit. 

Watching the recordings back allow teachers to delve into the lesson in more detail than they can when they are in the flow of the session. They can use the footage to identify the exact point when a small group of pupils start to chat at the back or spot when engagement drops during a history lesson on the Romans and approach the lesson differently next time.

All our teachers value the opportunity to share clips with colleagues for constructive feedback, helping them to drive continuous improvement. This collaborative approach helps teachers to ensure every child receives the support they need, which can be particularly impactful for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds or those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Reviewing footage helps teachers refine their teaching techniques, whether it’s explaining a maths concept more clearly or making a science lesson more interactive.

For example, one of our Year 6 teachers had noticed that a group of pupils consistently struggled to complete tasks during a lesson when the instructions were written on the whiteboard. This at first seemed to be at odds with what the teacher was seeing as the pupils had been actively engaged in the topic being taught.

Upon reviewing the video to explore whether there were any issues she may have been unaware of, the teacher could see that her back was often turned to one side of the room when explaining the task and writing on the whiteboard. This revealed straight away that the teachers’ position was obstructing the pupils' view of the board. Knowing this enabled her to rearrange the classroom into a horseshoe layout. She also marked an X on the floor with red tape as a reminder to keep within the area which would not obstruct pupils’ view. The pupils are now much more productive in completing the tasks being set and are progressing well.

Collaborating on school-wide challenges

Collaboration has been pivotal in tackling broader school issues too. As a school, we began to notice that many of our pupils could produce extensive written work on topics like the Great Fire of London or tectonic plates. However, they often struggled to articulate their knowledge verbally.

After consulting with staff, we agreed a new strategy to encourage the development of speech and language across the school. This involved the significant reduction in the use of books in most lessons. It may seem a drastic step to take, but the results so far have been encouraging. We’ve seen a marked improvement in our pupils' retention of knowledge and their confidence when verbally expressing themselves has soared. There has been a marked improvement in pupil outcomes across the curriculum too.

It would not have been possible to roll out such an extensive change as effectively without the collaborative environment we’ve created at Badock’s Wood.

Supporting teachers to drive change

Empowering teachers to collaborate isn't just a school improvement strategy. It can become a movement that transforms education – a catalyst for systemic change.

By nurturing a culture of teamwork, respect and mutual support, schools can create an environment where innovative teaching thrives and teachers work together to continually refine their craft.

The positive impact of this collective effort on teachers’ professional development cannot be understated. Through regular collaboration, teachers feel more supported and less isolated in their roles. They have access to a wealth of shared knowledge and experience, which can inspire new teaching methods and strategies. This professional growth directly benefits pupils, as teachers become more effective in the classroom.

The ripples of change can be seen across our school, directly translating into enhanced learning experiences for children and paving the way for a brighter future for all.

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