Vitae Education Insight and training for UK teachers and schools

Vitae Education

Insight and training for UK teachers and schools

Latest Articles

The Handover That Counts: Briefing Teaching Assistants Without Adding to the Day
School Improvement

The Handover That Counts: Briefing Teaching Assistants Without Adding to the Day

Teaching assistants frequently enter a lesson knowing the room but not the plan, which limits the contribution of some of the most experienced adults in the building. This article sets out a short, repeatable weekly handover that clarifies roles, protects teacher accountability and makes better use of the EEF's guidance on effective deployment.
The Question Before the Door: Short Governor Visits That Build Trust
School Improvement

The Question Before the Door: Short Governor Visits That Build Trust

Short governor visits can provide useful evidence for school improvement, provided they begin with one agreed question and end with a disciplined debrief. This guide sets out a low-stakes approach that respects staff time and strengthens governance.
The Three-Question Parents' Evening: A Working Conversation, Not a Report
School Improvement

The Three-Question Parents' Evening: A Working Conversation, Not a Report

Parents' evening is often compressed into a rushed summary of attainment. This article sets out a practical redesign: a three-question conversational structure, confident handling of difficult exchanges, and inclusive arrangements for SEND and EAL families.
After the Bell: A Half-Hour Protocol for Lessons That Went Wrong
Workload & Wellbeing

After the Bell: A Half-Hour Protocol for Lessons That Went Wrong

Most teachers respond to a lesson that misfired in one of two ways: they bury it or they brood on it. Neither produces anything usable. This piece sets out a time-boxed, three-question debrief that turns a difficult hour into one concrete change for the following week — and explains why departments that can discuss failure honestly tend to teach better than those that only ever share the highlights.
The CPD Audit That Pays Its Way: A 90-Minute Review for School Leaders
Workload & Wellbeing

The CPD Audit That Pays Its Way: A 90-Minute Review for School Leaders

A CPD audit can feel like another compliance task, but a tightly scoped 90-minute review can show leaders where training has changed classroom practice and where it has merely filled a log. This practical process helps schools spot gaps, reduce wasted effort and sharpen the remainder of the 2026-27 programme without adding to staff workload.
Cover Is Not a Blank Page: Why Handover Belongs in School Improvement
School Improvement

Cover Is Not a Blank Page: Why Handover Belongs in School Improvement

Too many supply and cover lessons still begin with a blank desk, a vague instruction and a class left to infer the routines. A concise handover is not administrative padding; it is a practical safeguard for learning, behaviour and teacher workload.
When Experience Meets Stagnation: Four Development Routes for Teachers Who Want to Stay in Class
Careers & Mentoring

When Experience Meets Stagnation: Four Development Routes for Teachers Who Want to Stay in Class

Mid-career teachers often do not need a new school or a move into leadership; they need a credible route that keeps classroom practice at the centre. This article sets out four options, the questions that test fit, and what senior leaders must do to make them visible.
The Minutes AI Gives Back: Are Schools Spending Them on Better Curriculum Thinking?
Workload & Wellbeing

The Minutes AI Gives Back: Are Schools Spending Them on Better Curriculum Thinking?

Generative AI is now a routine planning tool in many UK schools, but saved time is not automatically reinvested in professional judgement. This article offers a practical audit and three department protocols for keeping teacher thinking central.
Twenty Minutes, One Change: A Department Meeting That Turns Classroom Evidence into Action
Workload & Wellbeing

Twenty Minutes, One Change: A Department Meeting That Turns Classroom Evidence into Action

Department meetings can easily become a tour of opinions. This low-bureaucracy format uses a short evidence snapshot and a strict twenty-minute agenda to agree one realistic change that improves pupil learning without adding to teachers' workload.
Before the Resignation Letter: Rethinking Retention Conversations in Schools
Careers & Mentoring

Before the Resignation Letter: Rethinking Retention Conversations in Schools

Exit interviews arrive too late to keep good teachers. This article sets out how school leaders can use short, regular stay conversations to surface dissatisfaction early, ask better questions and act on what they hear without turning retention into another compliance exercise.
Five Minutes, One Page: A Monday Morning Routine That Protects a Teacher's Week
Workload & Wellbeing

Five Minutes, One Page: A Monday Morning Routine That Protects a Teacher's Week

Monday morning is rarely the problem itself; it is simply the moment the problem becomes visible. This practical guide sets out a five-minute routine that reduces early-week decision fatigue, protects planning time and asks nothing more of teachers who are already at capacity.
Beyond the Care Package: What Early-Career Teachers Need From Mentors to Stay
Careers & Mentoring

Beyond the Care Package: What Early-Career Teachers Need From Mentors to Stay

Retention is not won at a conference or with a wellbeing hamper; it is won in ordinary Tuesday afternoon conversations. This piece examines the small, practical mentoring moves that keep early-career teachers in the profession, with scripts, a short framework and CPD takeaways for schools.