New head of department Geoff Garnett has been brought in to shake up his maths department but he is nervous about delivering difficult messages to his new colleagues, and turns to John Bayley for help.
Until recently the department at the Bishop of Winchester School in Bournemouth, was in disarray with staff morale poor, and GCSE scores in the low twenties.
Geoff has been a teacher of 20 years and was brought in to turn the situation around. However, his experience is mostly at primary level and his relative lack of teaching at secondary level makes his new position challenging.
John Bayley works with Geoff as he observes and manages Jo Ward, one of his strongest teachers. Jo needs to push her more able GCSE students, who under the new targets need to get at least C grades.
By delivering something other than praise in a bid to reach his exacting targets, does Geoff risk alienating one of his key allies in the department?
