ABOUT THIS COURSE

This NEW leadership course is designed for all current Heads of Dance, Heads of PE, Heads of Performing Arts and those teachers aspiring to become Head of Dance who are looking for a  stimulating, up to the minute leadership course – which addresses specifically the current key priorities for Heads of Dance – to refresh their outlook on the exciting, wide ranging and important role of leading dance in school. It will examine ways to create the right culture and environment to establish and maintain a position for dance within a school, provide strategies for successful recruitment of students for curriculum dance and for optimizing teaching and learning, offer active, effective guidance and advice and for managing experienced and inexperienced dance teachers. The course will conclude with an overview of what the working year of a Head of Dance involves, and of the opportunities and challenges the job presents at various stages in its life cycle.

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BENEFITS OF ATTENDING

• Gain strategies for establishing and maintaining a position for dance in your school
• Consider what makes a department excellent, and the role of the Head of Dance in achieving excellence
• Look at a range of strategies for improving and maintaining recruitment of students
• Look at ways in which a Head of Dance can develop and improve teaching and learning within the Dance department
•  Enhance their ability to lead, support and nurture teachers in the department
• Reflect on strategies for dealing with the challenges and making the most of the opportunities presented by a Head of Dance position

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PROGRAMME

What is a successful Dance Department?

10.00 – 10.30am

• Creating the right culture and environment to maximise the position of Dance within a school
• The importance of student recruitment
• The quality of teaching and learning
• Expectations and outcomes: senior leadership, the intellectual environment, public exams and progression to higher education
• How to evaluate your dance effectively and use this as a tool for improvement

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Student Recruitment For GCSE Dance

10.30 – 11.30am

• Ensuring your Key Stage 3 Dance curriculum is attractive and builds the skills and understanding to promote engaged interest and take-up at GCSE
• Stretch and challenge without intimidation
• Promoting and advertising Dance
• Beyond the classroom and the curriculum: educational visits and trips

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Discussion: coffee break

11.30 – 11.45am

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Teaching and Learning

11.45 – 12.45pm

• Ensuring your assessment and data processes are effective in monitoring and tracking student progress in dance at KS3, 4 and 5
• Ensuring high quality learning and teaching across the curriculum, including stretch and challenge for all students
• Developing curricula and schemes of work for KS3, 4 and 5 – how expert is the planning and programming?
• Selecting appropriate pathways for your dancers; recognising exceptional ability and balancing the needs of all students

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Lunch and informal discussion

12.45 – 1.45pm

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Managing others and being managed by others

1.45 – 2.30pm

• Strategies for managing experienced, less experienced and NQT teachers in dance
• How to make observation and appraisal processes as effective as possible
• How to involve others in dance decision-making, planning and delivery
• Senior Leaders– working with your senior leaders to promote the best of dance and what it can give to the overall curricula and to the whole school
• Dealing with senior leadership: compliance, challenge and picking one’s battles

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Discussion: Afternoon tea

2.30 – 2.45pm

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How it works: the Head of Dance

2.45 – 3.40pm

• Managing one’s time and workload: variables and the work-life balance
• Planning ahead and finding time to do so
• Preparing for Inspections
• The life cycle of the HoD
• Department evaluation – driving up improvements to enhance performance
• Maintaining freshness and enthusiasm: professional and intellectual development
• Peaks, troughs and the long run: responding to success and failure

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Depart

3.40pm

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