We spoke with Cheryl Abbiss, Director of the Chilton Teaching School Hub, to discuss her incredible journey in education and her experience completing a Level 7 apprenticeship in leadership and management. Cheryl's background is as dynamic as her current role, having transitioned from a dance teacher to teaching a breadth of subjects—including PE, Drama, and Maths—before moving into various senior leadership and strategic roles.

Could you tell us a little about yourself?

I'm Cheryl Abbiss. I am the director of Chiltern Teaching School Hub. My background in education started off as a dance teacher. I then taught dance, drama, PE and then moving on to maths. I have had a variety of leadership roles, from working with disadvantaged children, through teaching and learning, through coaching and mentoring. Now I work in everything CPD from ECF and NPQs to now Apprenticeships. But I also work on a lot of bid writing for the DfE and projects and things like that.

Why did you decide to do the Level 7?

For me, it was about finding something that truly complemented what I do. We often see great teachers become heads of department, and great heads of department become senior leaders, but there isn't always a structured way to apply that higher-level knowledge. While the NPQSL gives you the knowledge, the Level 7 and the apprenticeship standard made me apply it. It provided that crucial working knowledge. I wanted a qualification that would genuinely implement and impact my work. The Level 7, in particular, forced me to look at areas like governance and finance, which I hadn't covered in other qualifications, and they've since become incredibly relevant. If I'm honest, the 'off-the-job' training structure meant I kept up to date with it, as I had to log my time regularly, preventing it from all running to the end.

What did a typical week look like for you while you were completing the Level 7? How did you fit the off-the-job training in?

Podcasts were a massive help. I travel across hundreds of schools, so listening to different types of podcasts was incredibly effective. My mentor suggested I listen to a podcast and then voice note my responses. This allowed me to clock up an hour or two of off-the-job (OTJ) learning while driving or traveling. I would then generate those voice notes into text for logging. Reading was another key component. I learned that reading a chapter can be logged—you don't have to read the whole book at once. Understanding that learning can be small and often was critical. The biggest game-changer was realising that if I read a book and then had a genuine, reflective conversation with a colleague about what I'd learned, that conversation could be logged as OTJ because it was related to the new learning and not my core daily task.

It’s all about rebranding your mindset around what 'off-the-job' really is: new learning. If you're a classroom teacher and you shadow a SENCO for half a day to plan for an Educational Health and Care Plan (EHCP), that's a day's OTJ, but you're still doing something relevant to your job. I also found it helpful to attend Governor’s meetings. Since I had never done that before, every meeting was new learning, and it was relevant to the governance section of the course.

What would a typical week look like for you as you were doing the level 7?

My role is quite varied. For people in director or headteacher roles—who are pulled in many different directions and feel like they don't have standard time—using travel time for podcasts and being smart about logging relevant meetings or conversations becomes key. I was determined to use the time I would have otherwise spent listening to music or scrolling through my phone.

What advice would you give to someone who is considering starting the Level 7?

Other than just do it—because I didn't realise the massive impact it would have until I finished—my advice would be to pick things you are genuinely interested in and to consciously reflect on what’s new. Create space to reflect on your day and recognise where you might have missed an opportunity to log new learning. Also, be open to looking outside of education. I read a very impactful leadership book about the All Blacks rugby team, and one called Be More Pirate about pirate leadership. The books I found through my day job were heavily focused on education, but looking into the business world—like how Pixar handles its leadership—was far more interesting and actually more effective because I wasn't rehashing concepts I already knew.

That cross-sector learning is so valuable. Did you find anything in particular from the business world that you could apply directly to education?

Absolutely. I read a piece in the Harvard Business Journal about the five generations of workers currently in the system, and their different motivations. Boomers are often motivated by money and providing, my generation (Gen X) is focused on self-development, and Gen Z is looking more at sustainability. At first, I thought, 'No, this doesn't fit.' But then I looked at my team, which spans from 20 to 60, and realised it was spot on. People are driven by different things. That insight wasn't about schools, it was about people. It helped me understand how to manage and lead my team in a way that truly works for them, which has had a huge impact on my leadership style.

How do you feel the Level 7 has impacted you as a leader?

I think it's had a massive impact. From a knowledge perspective, it really forced me to look across the board—at governance, finance, and strategic management—rather than staying in my comfort zone. Crucially, it also gave me confidence in my decision-making. There were times in my career when I made a decision that was correct by chance, but through the learning, I found the evidence to back it up. Now, when I make hard decisions for my team, I have the underpinning knowledge and evidence of how those decisions impact people. It also gave me a real chance to reflect on what I want from my career. You can get caught in the cycle of promotion, but this qualification helped me truly hone in on my long-term goals. Going into the apprenticeship, I didn't realise how much it would transform my perspective. It's probably the best thing I've ever done.

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