This interactive masterclass equips middle leaders with structured communication frameworks and psychological tools to hold constructive, assertive, and effective accountability conversations with underperforming colleagues. Participants will gain the practical skills needed to address minor issues early, dismantle staff resistance, and foster a culture of high expectations.
Middle leaders occupy a critical position in the school accountability structure, serving as the direct link between whole-school policy and classroom attainment. Compliance with statutory performance management standards and ofsted expectations requires systematic evidence of line managers actively addressing underperformance and driving up professional standards. Yet, inevitable anxiety and lack of requisite skills often lead to delaying crucial conversations. This delay perpetuates an ineffective learning environment for pupils and undermines team morale. This interactive seminar strips away the anxiety inherent in managing difficult colleagues by providing a step-by-step roadmap for timely intervention.
By reconstructing accountability not as a punative measure but as an essential component of professional growth and psychological safety, attendees will discover how to nip issues in the bud in compliance with national school policies. We focus on strategic skillsets, from gathering objective evidence over hearsay to constructing robust intervention scripts and managing “prickly” or highly resistant staff responses. Participants will leave this masterclass with higher confidence, enabling them to shift their teams away from defensive patterns and toward an authentic culture of systemic continuous development and academic accountability.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Secondary and Primary Middle Leaders, Head of Departments, Key Stage Coordinators, Subject Leaders, and aspiring senior leaders.
KEY LEARNING OBJECTIVES
This masterclass will enable you to:
Overcome anxiety around internal performance conversations by shifting from personal apprehension to a purpose-driven framework.
Collect quantifiable, observable evidence rather than subjective hearsay before initiating feedback.
Utilise structured coaching scrolls to communicate performance boundaries without ambiguity.
Anticipate, de-escalate, and effectively manage highly resistant, cynical, or defensive reactions from colleagues.
Differentiate clearly between informal professional support measures and the formal transition into capability frameworks.
Implement long-term accountability loops within academic departments to prevent slippage after difficult conversations
FACILITATOR
Steve Burnage is a fellow of the chartered college of teaching, a fellow of the royal society of arts and an experienced education consultant, inspector and author with over 35 years’ experience in effective teaching and school leadership.
Steve is an accredited leadership coach and mentor who leads regular training workshops on communication strategies for schools, multiacademy trusts, local authorities and international organisations as well as being the author of a number of virtual training workshops, webinars and videos on the topic for clients such as TES Global and Marshall Cavendish Publications.
