Tom Cragg
Head of Client Success, MFL Consultant and Examiner, School Governor, former Head Teacher
At ProgressTeaching, we work with schools across the country to strengthen teaching through regular feedback, professional dialogue, and evidence-based improvement. One unexpected theme that’s emerged in recent months is how rarely Sixth Form lessons are observed compared to those in Key Stages 3 and 4.
In fact, a recent poll I ran on LinkedIn showed that 75% of schools give less feedback on Sixth Form lessons than they do for other year groups. Only 17% said it was the same, and just 8% reported giving more.
So what’s behind this imbalance? And what might we be missing by not fully capturing the teaching and learning happening in our post-16 classrooms?
A recent LinkedIn poll of school leaders highlights a trend in how Sixth Form lessons are observed.
Why KS5 Lessons Are Observed Less Often
In conversations with school leaders using our teaching and learning platform, a few common explanations have come up.
Some leaders told me that because Sixth Form classes are often taught by experienced subject specialists, these lessons tend to be “left alone.” While that reflects a level of trust, it also means fewer opportunities to share what’s working. If we believe teaching is strong in KS5, we should be exploring what makes it so effective and using that to train and support others.
There’s also the challenge of subject knowledge. Senior leaders may feel less confident observing and feeding back on specialist Sixth Form content. While heads of department might be more qualified to do this, they often lack the capacity to carry out regular lesson drop-ins.
A number of leaders also pointed out that KS5 can be seen as a lower priority due to the absence of behaviour concerns and the smaller class sizes. One leader even described Sixth Form as “the poor relation” within the leadership structure, with decisions often made without a direct voice from the KS5 team.
Monitoring often focuses on areas of greatest accountability pressure, such as Year 11. As a result, Sixth Form teaching may be assumed to be “fine,” rather than actively reviewed and supported through lesson feedback software or performance development platforms.
A common theme across schools: feedback is more frequent in Years 7–11 than in Sixth Form, as shown in a report from the ProgressTeaching platform.
What Are Schools Missing?
Many of the schools using the ProgressTeaching platform say they are now rethinking this approach.
There’s growing recognition that Sixth Form lessons often showcase some of the strongest teaching in a school. But without structured feedback and review, it becomes difficult to identify what’s working and even more challenging to share that practice with colleagues teaching in lower year groups.
Leaders I’ve spoken to are planning to take action next year, such as:
Including Sixth Form drop-ins in their teaching and learning monitoring cycle
Using best practice from KS5 teaching to inform CPD across the school
Embedding subject-specific prompts in observation rubrics to support non-specialist observers
Pairing curriculum leaders with SLT for joint observations and coaching conversations
Using research, such as the EEF guidance on post-16 teaching, to shape lesson feedback and school improvement planning
Rethinking Our Approach to Sixth Form
With high-quality teaching and learning platforms available to support all Key Stages, there’s no reason KS5 lessons should be overlooked. In fact, these classrooms may hold some of the best examples of effective pedagogy, curriculum delivery and teacher expertise.
Whether you’re a trust leader, a head of Sixth Form, or part of a school improvement team, it’s worth asking: Are we collecting enough insight on what’s happening in our Sixth Form classrooms? And if we’re not, what opportunities are we missing to support wider professional development?
At ProgressTeaching, we help schools build a consistent approach to lesson observations, coaching and staff development – all in one easy-to-use platform. If you’d like to explore how our teaching and learning software can help you capture strengths across all year groups, including Sixth Form, get in touch with our team or reach out to me directly on LinkedIn.
