Best Practice

Making marginal gains to drive school improvement

CPD
Inspired by England’s 2003 Rugby World Cup triumph, Ben Solly argues that the biggest impact on teaching and learning comes when schools focus on those ‘marginal gains’.

Reflective educators are always exploring ways of improving their practice. They are lifelong learners, with the desire to continually improve and a determination to succeed. 

What is apparent, however, is that simply working harder is not the answer. There is no magic wand that we can wave at a group of students and expect them to achieve. We are forever reminded of the mantra “work smarter, not harder”, and for some teachers this is a real challenge.

Shortly after the 2003 Rugby World Cup, I saw Sir Clive Woodward open a Youth Sport Trust conference with an inspirational speech. He demonstrated to the audience how he and his coaching team had done absolutely everything in their power to ensure their squad was the most meticulously prepared group of players at the tournament. 

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