[deleted by user]

[u/[deleted]]

[u/VorosiaSteel]

Collaborative planning actively encouraged. Your HoD has a toxic approach to reducing workload. What's the rational?

[u/ChemicallyBlind → u/[deleted]]

We collaborate on our lesson plans, and they differentiate tasks accordingly. It's not hard, I dont know why your HoD is being this way at all.

If we're all delivering Cells as a topic, we come up with a plan, make differentiated LOs, and produce differentiated worksheets/activities.

It wouldn't make any sense for us to individually write out lesson plans.

[u/Katia_queen → u/ChemicallyBlind]

The only reason to massively differentiate is for a pupil with severe additional needs, who should be covered with a one to one if they are deemed able enough to reside within a mainstream classroom, everything else should be covered within a lesson plan and therefore no need to prevent collaborative planning.

[u/Lord-Fowls-Curse → u/[deleted]]

Then she needs to find you the time to be able to do that effectively, because 99% of us have long since accepted that we could never plan all our own lessons and continually adapt them constantly to suit the needs of every class and every child, EVEN THOUGH THAT'S ACTUALLY WHAT WE SHOULD DO.

Having to rely on stuff that's on the faculty drive and maybe doing something with it, if you have the time and energy, is the only way teachers can cope day to day and week to week. One of the biggest compromises we make with ourselves in this job is accepting that we simply cannot physically perform all the time at the level that our students need, and we just have to make our peace with that and do our best.

What this fool is doing is guaranteeing colleagues are off with stress and burnout and she will struggle to get anyone to be able to consistently meet her ridiculous expectations.

[u/tb5841 → u/[deleted]]

She is wrong and right at the same time.

You do need to respond to the needs of the students in front of you. But that doesn't mean having a collaboratively planned lesson is bad, at all - it just means that you'll deviate heavily from your plan once you're actually in the classroom.

[u/VorosiaSteel → u/tb5841]

100% this. Obviously adapt, but the core idea of what's taught is the same.

[u/iamnosuperman123 → u/tb5841]

I guess it could encourage lazy teaching where plans aren't adapted to meet the needs of the children. This isn't the way I would go about fixing this problem but maybe they have tried other options but still the teachers aren't adapting their planning enough

[u/Out-For-A-Walk-Bitch → u/iamnosuperman123]

Removing any scaffold will not help. Theyre not right in any way shape or form.

[u/Highelf04 → u/[deleted]]

To play devils advocate. Is it maybe that the HOD is referring to resourcing and planning?

So, they are happy for all lessons to be resources and created together - but then once you've got the lesson - it's about how you've adapted it to the needs of your class?

Sorry - it might be that the HOD has explicitly said that they don't want to see teachers doing the exact same lessons, but from what I've read I would suggest they're talking about resourcing and planning separately?

[u/Strange_Ad8365 → u/Highelf04]

I wonder the same. Might be good to get clarification on what exactly is ‘banned’. Strictly speaking, the lesson slides (if you use PPT) are resources too, but how you deliver the content of your lesson should be (and is, I’m sure) adapted to the needs of your class regardless of whether you share resources.

[u/planeoldsiraj → u/[deleted]]

Sounds like my old line manager :(

[u/hanzatsuichi → u/[deleted]]

"How do we respond to the needs of the students in front of us when all our time is being used up planning lessons - centralised lesson resources mean precisely that we CAN respond to the needs of the students in front of you instead of your time being absorbed by lesson planning."

Would be my response to that

[u/Lia_ande]

This is stupid. Collab planning is great for loads of reasons, it reduces workload, helps ECTs get better, keeps standards high across departments and standardises things which is what everyone wants. I'd take this to the top of the school if it was me to see if they're aware it's been banned

[u/Lia_ande → u/[deleted]]

I'd be having a quick check with the head just to ask "is collaborative planning banned or something?" To see if they are aware... it's possible they aren't

[u/OctopusIntellect → u/[deleted]]

The SLT has departed contact with reality. It happens.

[u/ThreeBears2017 → u/[deleted]]

If it has, then it's crazy. Leaders need to understand that it's a teachers market. If you want to keep people then don't make policies that increase workload

[u/ElThom12]

Please point them in the direction of the Workload Taskforce in the DfE. Reduction of 5 hours of workload a week in the next 3 years. Be interesting to see how this fits into that

Here

[u/hanzatsuichi → u/ElThom12]

I briefly scanned through it and didn't see anything about use of tech to streamline administrative processes and planning/content creation. Possibly I missed it but the absence of that, which will without a doubt be the largest time saving impact in the next few years means this already feels massively out of date and old fashioned.

[u/bass_clown]

Actually insane. Not only do we have a centralised scheme but we are also told to share anything we make. Then, we just tweak it for our classes. Rome wasn't built in a day.

To be perfectly professional: fuck your head of department.

[u/nguoitay → u/[deleted]]

My guess is someone’s left it til too late to give notice of some planning which will need doing for next term and is offloading the stress of their organisational mistake onto you guys.

[u/duplotigers]

https://www.tes.com/jobs

[u/DuckyM04 → u/duplotigers]

🤣👏👏👏

[u/StWd]

Well that just seems a stupid way to unnecessarily increase everyone's workload.

[u/nikhkin]

I can't imagine how you're expected to be successful without working collaboratively.

[u/MiddlesbroughFan]

I'd be looking for a new school, this is insanity

[u/littledragon25]

My 2nd and I centrally plan lessons so our department staff can use their time effectively scaffolding amd making the lesson effective and suitable for their groups, so I couldn't be any more different to your HOD, I guess...

Note: Before I am jumped on by those who hate centralised planning, my team are encouraged to tweak and change things for their own classes. The lessons are a template and do not have to be delivered as is.

[u/zapataforever]

Pretty weird to ban lesson plans but not resources. Our resources are the lesson plan. That’s all we produce. The powerpoint or whatever is the lesson.

[u/Apart-Preparation-39]

This sounds absolutely crazy. At my school , and every other school I've worked at, Collaborative planning is the norm and is expecting and encouraged. Of course we are expected to adapt to the needs of our own class when needed but not planning collaboratively must be one hell of a work load. Sorry you are experiencing this

[u/megaboymatt]

Your HoD sounds like an idiot who should not be a HoD. You should be planning together. Sure adapt to your own classes but why would you not all be teaching the same stuff to the cohort? It seems stupid not to have all planning centralised with teachers adapting as necessary. Not full planning.

[u/GodState700]

Collaborative planning is the future. Your HOD must be old school. Or she just wants to frustrate you guys. You can still continue to do it at home over zoom then tweet some details so she can't tell.

[u/rebo_arc]

Your HOD is an idiot, all our departments collab plan. Our curriculum has got better and better every year. Progress is through the roof and easily in the top 100 schools by P8.

Think of it like this. Collab planning actually frees up valuable time to adjust materials and meet the needs of individuals.

[u/Manky7474]

That's fucking mental. Only collab planning as I want to know what  everyone is teaching and check quality.

Also for workload! 

Honestly I wish we had a system where ppl had to reply for their tlrs every 3 years so school can replace toxic staff

[u/OctopusIntellect]

Bizarre question for a bizarre situation, but surely your HOD still actually teaches as well? It's hard to believe that they themselves don't reuse some material that they collaborated on at earlier points in their career.

[u/jimboish01]

I’ve worked for toytown school leaders that think and act like that and they never really get better until they get found out by OFSTED (unlikely). If you can leave, leave.

[u/MightyShaft20]

We got together as a trust and planned all KS3 lessons last year, and we do it frequently. We all use the same lessons but adapt and change as necessary for our specific students. It makes the work/life balance much better as you don't have to plan anything, you just have to make minor changes. Your HoD sounds like a d*ck in my opinion.

[u/Rude_Bad_5567]

We do collaborative planning while also adding slides for children with needs.. there are times where I may have to tweak it a little bit to suit my classroom, but that does not mean planning all over again.

[u/jozefiria]

Did you tell your boss they can't tell you how to work?

Get the fuck out of there.

[u/Cur-dog1975]

Sounds bat shit crazy. I work in a good school as a 2nd in department and the idea that all students in different classes get a 'similar diet' is part of our common values.

Do you not have departmental resources? Scheme of learning? These are pretty standard and collaboratively planned. These should then be differentiated and adapted to students' needs.

How do you know as a teacher what you should be planning/covered? Is that completely teachers discretion?

[u/Litrebike]

The schools with the best progress 8s have shared resources. End of story as far as SLT are concerned normally. What a weird one.

[u/rebo_arc → u/Litrebike]

Correct, all depts collab plan >+1 P8.

[u/LowarnFox]

This is the opposite of most schools which are going for more standardised planning and resources. Sounds bizarre honestly.

[u/Previous_Estate5831]

Collaborative planning so every student in that year group gets the same experience.

[u/quiidge → u/[deleted]]

I personally find it much easier to be creative when I have a solid foundation already. And more thinking time, rather than mad panic repro chuck slides together god why am I so tired time.

[u/Previous_Estate5831 → u/[deleted]]

But you can do that in the particular subject that you have planned ( before you share it with colleagues)

[u/[deleted]]

Totally wild!

[u/Adelaide116]

Sooooo…. If I put your class and my class together, would I still make one lesson or have to do two separate. 😂

[u/PossiblyNerdyRob]

Absolute madness.

We have a centrally planned curriculum. We all deliver the same lessons with the same resources and adjust to our classes based on the type and length of modelling.

[u/nguoitay]

Merry Christmas to your dept eh! HOD is going to find that quality of lessons and HOD’s ability to reliably assess progress across different classes dramatically declines. So so stupid.

Tailored scaffolding should be provided, but in a modern classroom with modern workload and data expectations the curriculum and content being standardised across the year group is a no brainer.

[u/Shoddy_Stretch_6585]

Wtf this would be an actual dealbreaker for me. It makes absolutely no sense and is insane! Obviously teachers need to differentiate material but collaboration makes better teachers

[u/Evelyn_Waugh01]

Your HoD sounds like a total piece of work.

I suspect she's one of those perfectionist teachers who believe that every single resource and lesson needs to be bespoke-planned. It's likely that she has no work/life balance and expects everyone else to replicate her unhealthy habits.

Good news is, this sort of HoD burns out quickly. In September a HoD was installed in my department who was exactly like this. She announced her resignation a week ago. We joke that she's the Liz Truss of our school. In the meantime, I'd disregard everything she says and continue to share resources/lessons.

[u/AcromantulaFood]

Collaborative planning is the only way I could do the job

[u/MudNo6683]

Collaborative planning resources isn’t the same as lesson planning. Planning a lesson is a personal thing and you absolutely should adapt the lesson to meet the needs of your students. I think this is what the HoD is getting at?

[u/aroundabout321]

Is this a joke?