Cambridge Teacher Standards and Cambridge School Leader Standards - Standards Development and Rationale

Oct 23, 2026

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Cambridge Teacher Standards and Cambridge School Leader Standards define key characteristics and practices of effective teachers and leaders for delivering Cambridge programmes. The document explains how the Standards were developed using international research and worldwide expert input, aiming to create a common benchmark and language for improvement. It outlines the five teacher domains and five school leader domains, emphasizes professional learning without accountability, and provides evidence that what happens in schools—supported by strong leadership—shapes learners’ future outcomes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

How and why the Standards were developed

Aims of the Standards

Rationale for the Cambridge Teacher Standards

Teacher values and attributes

Classroom culture and environment

Teaching skills and practices

International Education Cambridge Teacher Standards and Cambridge School Leader Standards How and why the Standards were developed We work with schools worldwide to build an education that shapes knowledge, understanding and skills. Together, we give learners the confidence they need to thrive and make a positive impact in a changing world. We have developed the Cambridge Teacher Standards and Cambridge School Leader Standards to define key characteristics and practices of effective teachers and leaders. This document outlines how we developed those Standards using the latest international research into effective teaching and school leadership. Cambridge schools operate in a wide variety of local and national contexts. In developing the Standards, we took into account not only a range of national practices, but also input from education experts around the world. This has enabled us to identify a set of practices that are common to the best teachers and school leaders globally. 1 [www.cambridgeinternational.org/teacher-and-leader-standards](www.cambridgeinternational.org/teacher-and-leader-standards) Cambridge Teacher Standards and Cambridge School Leader Standards continued Aims of the Standards The main purpose of the Standards is to set out the characteristics that teachers and school leaders need to deliver Cambridge programmes effectively. The Standards provide a benchmark of what Cambridge considers to be teacher and school leader quality. They can be used by teachers and leaders to identify what they are doing well in practice and what they can improve through professional development. Teachers aspiring to develop their career prospects will find the Standards a helpful guide to define areas for their professional development. The Standards provide a common language and framework of expectations that will help the whole community within a school to reflect on the effectiveness of its teaching and leadership. Although factors, such as home and socio-cultural background can determine the life chances of children and teenagers, which is discussed as the highly influential Fifteen Thousand Hours (Rutter et al., 1979), robust evidence emerged showing a different picture: what we do in schools matters and can change the future chances of learners. At Cambridge we recognise that teachers have a substantial impact and influence on student learning and educational outcomes (Rowe et al, 2012, Sanders & Rivers, 1996, Wiliam, 2018) . It is what teachers know and do that makes the difference in improving student learning outcomes – their knowledge, pedagogical practices and relationships with students (Coe et al, 2014, Hattie 2009) . We also recognise that teachers cannot sustain high-quality outcomes for all students without effective leadership (Menter et al, 2010, Rowe et al, 2012) . There are five Cambridge Teacher Domains and five Cambridge School Leader Domains. Each Domain contains a number of individual standards that are detailed and concrete. The Standards are designed to be applicable internationally, so they do not refer to specific curricula, teaching strategies or programmes. Instead, the domains and standards draw on international best practice in teaching and leadership at a generic level. As the Standards are provided as a resource for ongoing teacher and leader improvement, rather than accountability (OECD 2009), a single level is provided for each Standard. They focus on supporting all aspects of a leader’s or teacher’s professional learning and development, recognising the demands and complexity of their role. 2 [www.cambridgeinternational.org/teacher-and-leader-standards](www.cambridgeinternational.org/teacher-and-leader-standards) Cambridge Teacher Standards and Cambridge School Leader Standards continued Rationale for the Cambridge Teacher Standards 1 Teacher values and attributes Teaching and learning are multidimensional (Blazar & Kraft, 2017), and the effects that te

FAQs

What is the purpose of the Cambridge Teacher and School Leader Standards?

They set out the characteristics teachers and school leaders need to deliver Cambridge programmes effectively and provide a benchmark for quality. They help educators identify strengths and areas for improvement through professional development.

How were the Standards developed?

The document describes development using the latest international research on effective teaching and school leadership, together with input from education experts worldwide. It also considers a range of national practices while identifying shared global practices.

How many domains and standards are included, and how are they intended to be used?

There are five Cambridge Teacher Domains and five Cambridge School Leader Domains, each containing individual standards that are detailed and concrete. The Standards are designed as an international resource for ongoing improvement rather than accountability, with one level provided for each standard.

Oct 23, 2026

Upload by Finn