The key guidance regarding Advanced Skills Teachers (ASTs) is contained in the publications and documents listed on this page.

You can download copies of these publications from this page or contact the Department's publications unit to order copies.

Advanced Skills Teachers: Promoting excellence

This is the main AST guidance product and is aimed at headteachers, governors, teachers and LA officials. It contains information about what an AST is, what being an AST involves and what benefits ASTs can bring not only to their own school but also to others in the locality. It also describes the purpose of the programme and includes brief details of the assessment process and funding arrangements.

Advanced Skills Teacher induction handbook

The aim of this guidance is to help newly appointed ASTs, as well as headteachers, governors and LAs, by providing some examples of good practices, procedures and protocols. These can be adapted to suit individual situations or provide a stimulus to the development of fresh approaches.

Performance management and Advanced Skills Teachers

The aim of this guidance is to help ASTs, their line managers and those who coordinate their outreach to participate in setting up and maintaining meaningful performance-management arrangements.

Building on your strengths: Guidance for headteachers and governors

This is aimed mainly at headteachers and governors and tells them about the AST grade, and the benefits to their teachers and their school.

Building on your strengths: Guidance for teachers

This is aimed mainly at potential ASTs and gives them a brief outline of what an AST is, presents the AST grade as a career and answers some common concerns.

Groupworking pilots: Summary of findings

This document summarises the outcomes of a pilot involving eight LAs, which set up projects to consider whether the use of groups of ASTs working together might be more effective than the sum of their individual efforts.  

Contact details

Departmental publications
DfES Publications Centre
PO Box 5050
Sudbury
Suffolk
CO10 6ZQ
United Kingdom
Telephone: 0845 60 222 60
Fax: 0845 6033360