On Friday I found out that I have passed the first phase of the Chartered Teacher Programme. Only three more to go! It's been a thoughtful and immersive experience ranging from revisiting theories I had not thought about in detail since my teacher training in 1996 to recording my classroom practice and analysing it online. Along the way I've completed

ed a day of assessments including a written exam, written assignments analysing my impact on the students I teach and kept a reflective journal. Then, there's the webinars and discussions with my fellow pilot cohort using various social media tools. I'm excited about where the next stage of the journey might take me. My students have been involved in the process as well and I can see already that going through a learning journey with them has subtly changed their relationships with me. I work in a sixth form college and as the next stage am interested in engaging them with some of the theories behind why I work with them in specific ways. My aim is to help all my students get on board with the activities we complete much more quickly so that they gain the most from them. Our environment is interesting as we only have the students for two years and for many it's a fresh start. Hitting the ground running in September and finding the appropriate balance of familiar and unfamiliar and of challenge and support is hard. The more students we get working at the right level the better. I'm going to work with my team using the EEF tools for metacognition in the coming weeks so that we move together on the process. But before doing that I'm going to spend time with my family, sit on the beach, ride my bike and prepare for playing in an 1812 concert on Eastbourne bandstand. And that's why the sunglasses are relevant!