Teaching Quality and Professional Development at The Compton School Great schools are built by great teachers. At The Compton School, teaching quality is not left to chance. The school invests heavily in recruitment, induction, and ongoing professional development to ensure that every lesson is engaging, challenging, and effective. This commitment to teaching excellence has been recognised by Ofsted, which praised "strong subject knowledge and effective use of assessment" across all departments. All teachers at Compton are qualified, and the majority have postgraduate qualifications in their subject area. The school's recruitment process is rigorous: candidates teach a demonstration lesson, are interviewed by students and staff, and complete a written task. Only teachers who demonstrate both subject expertise and the ability to build positive relationships are hired. For information on current teaching vacancies and recruitment at The Compton School , the school publishes recruitment packs termly. Once hired, teachers enter a structured induction programme. Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) — now called Early Career Teachers (ECTs) — receive a reduced timetable, a dedicated mentor, weekly coaching meetings, and funded access to external training. The school's ECT retention rate is over 90%, well above the national average for secondary schools. Experienced teachers also benefit from a generous CPD budget, allowing them to attend subject association conferences, complete master's degrees, or pursue NPQ qualifications (National Professional Qualifications). The staff CPD and training calendar at Compton School is published annually. Lesson observation is developmental, not punitive. Teachers are observed formally twice per year by a senior leader, with a focus on three specific targets agreed in advance. In addition, teachers engage in "instructional coaching" — a peer observation model where colleagues watch short segments of each other's lessons and give structured feedback. This non-judgmental approach has led to rapid improvements in teaching across the school. The school also uses data intelligently. Every department uses standardised assessments three times per year, and teachers analyse question-level data to identify gaps in knowledge. Interventions are then planned collaboratively in weekly department meetings. The Compton School London encourages teachers to experiment with pedagogy — flipped learning, retrieval practice, and walkthrus are common — as long as the evidence supports the approach. Subject leadership is strong. Every department head has a five-year development plan aligned with the school's improvement priorities. Department meetings focus on curriculum sequencing, assessment design, and moderation. The science, maths, and English departments have achieved national recognition for their results and have presented at teacher conferences. To explore the subject leadership structure and teaching philosophy at The Compton School , the school's teaching and learning policy is available online. Ultimately, students at Compton benefit from teachers who are experts in their fields, supported by excellent leadership, and motivated to improve continuously. If you are a teacher considering a move to North London, or a parent wanting to understand what happens in the classroom, visit https://thecomptonschool.co.uk for detailed teaching profiles and lesson examples.