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THREAD about balancing teacher autonomy with school consistency. Most of us would agree that autonomy is a good thing, but that there should be limits. So where do we draw the line? I don't think there is a formula, but here are ten guiding principles which I think will help.
1. The presumption of autonomy. Since teachers value autonomy and tell us that it will aid retention (see @TeacherDevTrust and @TheNFER report from @worth_jack et al), it should be the default position. Strong justification is required to limit it. https://tdtrust.org/autonomy20
2. Subject inviolability. Subjects are unique, drawing on disciplines with their own methods and traditions. School policies which ride roughshod over this do great damage e.g. cross-curricular pedagogical approaches. @Counsell_C is great on this. https://thedignityofthethingblog.wordpress.com/2016/01/11/genericisms-children/
3. Professional growth. This is an end in its own right, and research tells us autonomy here is especially important to teachers, so it needs even stronger safeguarding. See this from @informed_edu and @Barkingabout on research linked above. https://www.tes.com/news/teachers-need-be-free-do-what-they-want-do
4. Collective autonomy. This is a sort of half-way house where depts have autonomy but individual teachers do not. It applies above all to the curriculum, which becomes a nonsense if it is not agreed collectively, but which is obviously subject-specific rather than whole school.
5. Student entitlement. I think the strongest case for limiting autonomy comes when consistency is essential for a core entitlement e.g. the curriculum (see above) and behaviour policy, since all students should be entitled to learn in a safe environment, free from disruption.
6. The need for evidence. I think schools go badly wrong when they insist on uniformity over policies without a strong basis in evidence e.g. written marking, displays. Research alone is not enough, but it is a good guide to things where it might be worth compromising autonomy.
7. Individualised autonomy. Just as we tailor our expectations of independence to the stage of education students have reached, so I think it is reasonable to allow a greater degree of autonomy to experienced teachers. In fact, I think more prescription might help many novices.
8. Costs and benefits. It is easy to forget costs when considering whether to limit autonomy e.g. we might see research suggesting that secondary homework has a positive impact, but negatives should be considered too before we insist on weekly setting and assessment.
9. Indirect effects. They are harder to anticipate. For example, a teacher forced to employ an unwelcome pedagogical approach may do so, but may lose confidence and feel less good will over time, and consequently stop producing valuable resources to share with colleagues.
10. Consultation. The wise leader sees that autonomy vs consistency is a complex judgement and consults experienced colleagues, including teachers who will be affected. It's not a decision to make alone, and certainly not in a rush. See @head_teach here: https://www.ambition.org.uk/blog/school-leader-harnessing-colleagues-expertise/
Clearly we can't just apply these guidelines as rules and come to 'the answer', but I think that taking them into account and balancing them against each other might lead to better decision making, better retention and better outcomes for students. Over and out. #SLTChat
