Wednesday was a staff INSET Day. INSET is an acronym for Inservice Training Days and they were introduced in the late 1980s by the then-Education Secretary Kenneth Baker and became commonly known for a while as “Baker Days”. I was at school when they were introduced and, like many new things, they seemed quite novel at the time but they are important. As parents we occasionally may wonder what teachers do on INSET Days and it is worth reflecting upon this.

INSET Days are about our staff planning and preparing the very best teaching and learning and provision for our students. They are important because they provide time for professionals to come together and work for extended periods on the curriculum, assessment and planning for progress amongst other things. These things do happen in meetings after the school day ends but the opportunity to do so for several hours at a stretch without interruptions underpins the excellent teaching and learning which Wallingford students experience in the classroom.

Great teaching and learning does not come by accident but rather by design and INSET Days are an integral part of this.  We are fortunate at Wallingford School to have incredibly talented staff and it is their hard work and dedication to the progress of each and every student which is so impressive. I see this dedication as I go into lessons every day within school; it is one of the things which we celebrate and value as a school community and is never to be underestimated.