Helena Marsh

A little about me

I lead a school and still think about lessons through the questions and evidence pupils work with. A strong discussion gives them a reason to examine what they know and how they reached a conclusion. That perspective continues to shape how I think about the conditions teachers need in order to do good work.

Improvement is cumulative. I am cautious about initiatives that promise a fast change without showing how they will fit into teachers’ practice. Time is limited, so I want to remove tasks that do not help and give staff space to concentrate on the work that matters.

I look for evidence that a new approach is useful beyond its launch. What will teachers stop doing, what will pupils experience differently and how will we know whether the change is worth keeping? I value practical plans that are clear about their purpose and light enough to sustain, rather than a long list of additions that compete for attention.