The role of an Advanced Skills Teacher (AST)

ASTs are teachers who have been recognised through external assessment as having excellent classroom practice. They are given additional payment and non-contact time to share their skills and experience with other teachers and learn from them. They are not "super teachers", as there are many other teachers with excellent classroom practice who do not undertake the additional duties of an AST.

ASTs specialise in teaching and learning and their skills in this area are used within their own school and with teachers from other schools through agreed outreach work. ASTs may also contribute to activities such as central LEA training or work with ITT/HE institutions. Any other areas of expertise of an AST can also be used as appropriate.

ASTs complement the work of other members of the learning community, such as advisers for Teaching and Learning, Literacy and Numeracy Consultants, and Leading Teachers for Literacy, Numeracy and ICT.

There is a separate pay spine for holders of AST posts and their conditions of service are different from those of classroom teachers.

• Producing high quality teaching materials.
• Disseminating materials relating to best practice and educational research.
• Providing model lessons to a whole class, or a target group of pupils, for example gifted and talented (G&T), SEN, EAL and so on, with staff observing.
• Supporting a subject leader with regard to schemes of work, policies or management skills.
• Advising other teachers on classroom organisation, lesson planning and teaching methods.
• Helping teachers who are experiencing difficulties.
• Participating in the induction and mentoring of newly qualified teachers.
• Provide INSET in areas of expertise.
• Leading professional learning groups.
• Support professional development.

AST's "are not an advisory teacher nor an inspector. In other words, you are not there to provide information to discipline people, but purely to provide support for the relevant department and nothing else."