On this episode of Mind The Gap, Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner are joined by Jon Hutchinson. The three of them talk about Jon's role at Reach which aims to weave five important threads into their community partners' educational systems: curricular coherence, understanding the principles of great teaching, maintaining relationships, understanding the community, and strong leadership. A large part of the conversation focused on the current curricular incoherence that plagues many schools. Jon says about teachers, "You're just one small part of that kid's journey, and it is incumbent on you and on the broader system to think about that journey in a much more coherent way." Finally, the trio discuss Reach's booklets, the Meno Academy videos Jon makes with his brother, and the effectiveness of instructional coaching.

Jon Hutchinson is a former assistant headteacher of Reach Academy Feltham now director of Reach Foundation. He has taught across both KS1 and KS2, and also tutors on Ambition Institute’s Masters in Expert Teaching. Jon has sat on expert panels for the Department for Education, Ofsted and the Standards and Testing Agency. Follow Jon on Twitter @jon_hutchinson_

Tom Sherrington has worked in schools as a teacher and leader for 30 years and is now a consultant specialising in teacher development and curriculum & assessment planning. He regularly contributes to conferences and CPD sessions locally and nationally and is busy working in schools and colleges across the UK and around the world. Follow Tom on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@teacherhead⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Emma Turner joined Discovery Schools Academy Trust as the Research and CPD lead after 20 years in primary teaching. She founded ‘NewEd – Joyful CPD for early-career teachers,’ a not-for-profit approach to CPD to encourage positivity amongst the profession and help retain teachers in post. Follow Emma on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emma_turner75⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.