Booking for this course has now closed
Certificate in Primary Subject Leadership
★ September to November 2023
★ 4 live classes hosted online, after school
For subject leaders who want to feel confident and in control of their subject.
*This course is exclusively available to The Key's Whole School members. Places are limited to 2 per course, per school. If you're not yet a Whole School member, find out more here.
Learn with a practical, hands-on curriculum
Hear from seasoned practitioner and curriculum expert Alex Pethick on a virtual course this autumn term. With 4 live classes, real-world practical tasks and small-group discussion, this is a new, more meaningful way to train.
Class 1
Thursday 14 September
4pm to 5.30pm, on Zoom
What’s the real role of a subject lead?
● The fundamentals of curriculum intent, implementation and impact
● The difference between leadership and management
● How to set the strategic direction and vision for your subject
Class 2
Thursday 5 October
4pm to 5.30pm, on Zoom
How to lead your curriculum intent
● How to design a broad and balanced curriculum for your subject, or review and improve the one you’ve got
● Creating a well-sequenced curriculum that allows for fantastic progression
● Applying subject-specific knowledge from subject specialists when designing your curriculum
● Aligning your curriculum with your school’s vision
Class 3
Thursday 9 November
4pm to 5.30pm, on Zoom
Leading exceptional teaching and learning
● Lead the curriculum for your subject across your school, and set sky-high standards for teaching and learning
● Review your assessment measures: are they robust, appropriate and working well?
● Make sure your curriculum implementation is ambitious and effective for all children
Class 4
Thursday 30 November
4pm to 5.30pm, on Zoom
Monitoring impact like an expert
● How to evaluate and monitor the quality of teaching in your subject, and its impact
● Carrying out monitoring and evaluation in a light-touch and supportive way
● Developing an effective action plan, and carrying it out
● Get 100% ready for a subject deep-dive
Who can attend?
This course is designed for subject leaders who are:
New to role
New to subject leadership
In need of a refresher
This course is exclusively available to The Key's Whole School members. Places are limited to 2 per course, per school and available on a first-come, first-served basis. If you're not yet a Whole School member, find out more here.
Alex Pethick is director of curriculum for the Knowledge Schools Trust. She oversees the design of the ‘Primary Knowledge Curriculum’, and joined the trust as the deputy headteacher for West London Free School Primary and Earl’s Court Free School Primary.
She has taught in both rural Suffolk and inner-city London. Alex has designed our course curriculum.
Alex runs all the live classes, poses questions and activities for small-group
discussions and sets gap tasks for you to complete independently.
More reasons to love this course
Active learning, not passive instruction
Your live classes won't just be lectures. Alex will engage the class, invite discussion, prompt breakout activities and leave plenty of room for Q&A. You'll learn by doing, with practical tasks between classes and regular feedback from Alex and your class colleagues.
Take away practical resources,
templates and case studies
To use in school, in your role. New resources shared after every class, to help you apply what you’ve learnt immediately.
Learn with a cohort of subject leader peers
Learning virtually doesn't mean learning solo. This course is designed to be rich in energising interaction between you and your colleagues - it's your safe space to ask questions and seek peer feedback, and make connections for life.
Earn a certificate of achievement
Complete your classes and get a certificate of achievement from The Key for your learning record.
What previous attendees have said
"I understand my role so much more now. Every subject leader should do this course!"
"The first time in 11 years that I've had the subject lead role properly explained"
"The tasks were very practical and a brilliant way to secure that knowledge"
Frequently asked questions
Live classes are held on Zoom, and you’ll collaborate on practical tasks with small groups of colleagues in breakout rooms. You’ll have practical tasks to complete independently between classes, and 24/7 access to your own online course community forum.
Ideally, yes! Working together with your colleagues is where much of the magic happens, and you’ll have opportunities to ask Alex questions directly. But we know that some school days run away, so you’ll be able to catch up on-demand if you have to miss a class. This course moves quickly, so we’ll let you know when the class recording is available.
Deeply practical tasks. They’ll help you put learning into practice immediately and get ahead on work you need to complete in your day-to-day role. You might work with colleagues on a task, and get supportive feedback.
Yes! This course was built for full-time subject leaders. Alex will lead a 90-minute class every few weeks across the term, after school at 4pm. Outside of that, expect practical tasks to complete at any point ahead of the next class, and an on-tap peer community to engage with as you like. All your practical tasks will directly relate to your day job - they’ll never take you more than an hour.
Yes! You’ll get a certificate on completion of the course.
Just email any questions to cpd@thekeysupport.com. We’ll get back to you within 2 working days.
These courses are included as part of The Key's Whole School membership. Places are limited to 2 per school, per course and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.