Alex Duffy

Lead Professional Development Manager, Hachette

Alex has worked in various roles in the Professional Development team at Hachette Learning for over 12 years. During this time, he has commissioned a wide range of professional development products to support teachers’ growth, including in-person workshops, online self-paced modules, and most recently, Hachette Learning Publications (formerly John Catt). He has a keen interest in understanding the challenges of the modern-day classroom and works closely with leading experts to develop practical solutions that support teachers and improve student outcomes.

1 Workshop series two

Beyond a nod and a tick: building agency with school leaders

When working with schools, compliance is the floor, not the ceiling. The most successful trusts move beyond the monitoring trap to curate brilliance, facilitating a culture of professional partnership rather than simple oversight. This session explores the balance between trust-level strategy and the agency of the school leader, shifting the dynamic so leaders are co-architects of strategy rather than just recipients of it. We will share practical frameworks for high-challenge, high-support approaches that respect local context and professional expertise, and explore how alignment doesn’t come at the cost of leadership agency or school improvement.