Join Becky to understand and explore what it means to lead a successful department. Drawing on research by Baars et. al. (2016), we will begin by considering what a successful geography might look like before moving on to explore the importance of a clear vision and how this can be implemented through the curriculum.  Understanding your role as a geography subject lead is important to a department’s success and so the third session will consider the difference between leadership and management, before considering how you can develop your team through engaging with effective professional development.

Supporting research / references

The chapter on leading a geography department in the Handbook of Secondary Geography (Owen, 2017) examines the elements that make up subject leadership, from co-constructing a shared vision, through ongoing departmental evaluation and cultivating leadership in others, to knowledge how best to promote the subject and department both within and beyond the school.

Glesinger et. al. (2017) give their views, as experienced secondary geography leaders, on the challenges and rewards of the leadership role.

Key learning aims

• To better understand the behaviours, practices and characteristics of an effective geography leader and their department.
• To critically reflect on the difference between being a subject leader and being a manager.
• To better understand how the team can be developed through engaging with effective and subject-specific professional development.

Expected impact on teachers

• Increased understanding and confidence of the behaviours, practices and characteristics of being an effective geography leader
• Increased knowledge and understanding of the differences between subject leadership and management
• Increased knowledge and understanding of how the team can be developed by engaging in effective and subject-specific professional development

Expected impact on student outcomes

• An effective and successful geography department is more likely to provide students with a quality curriculum and experience of the subject.
• Students are therefore more likely to enjoy their studies, have confidence in their geography teachers and generally have more positive outcomes.

Course programme   

The course will run as a full day from 9.30 – 3.30.

Session 1 – What does a successful geography department look like?
Session 2 – Developing a vision and implementing it in the curriculum
Session 3 – Leadership and management: understanding your role
Session 4 – Developing your geography team: engaging with effective CPD

Meet your course lead