John Bayley travels to Richmond upon Thames to visit Greycourt School's new head of languages, Anna Clarke, who is facing one of her toughest tests to date.
After just a year in the job, she is about to conduct her first performance management observation on Audrey Elliot, an experienced teacher 20 years her senior in a challenging Year 10 German class of 32 students.
Despite Audrey's evident expertise, Anna has some suggestions for improvement but is nervous about delivering them. John Bayley gives some practical advice to help Anna communicate her thoughts.
