Tracy Goodyear’s recent TES article raises important questions about the design and effectiveness of trust-wide subject networks. Her reflections — drawn from 18 months of work with the Trust-wide CPD Leaders’ Forum — echo what many MATs experience every day: networks have enormous potential, but only when they are built on clarity, context and a consistent process for improvement.
At iAbacus, we see these challenges play out across the trusts we support. The themes Tracy identifies — role clarity, logistics, accountability, impact measurement — are exactly the areas where schools often struggle to maintain momentum. The reality is that even the most committed network can lose its way if it lacks a shared methodology.
This is where iAbacus comes in.
Our platform gives trusts the common language, common structure and shared improvement process that networks need to be effective — without dictating the model or removing local context. In many ways, iAbacus operationalises the very principles Tracy highlights.
Below, we explore her key themes and show how iAbacus strengthens trust-wide subject leadership in practical, sustainable ways.
1. Starting with purpose and context — not structure
Tracy argues that trusts should view network design through six contextual lenses: purpose, culture, stakeholder engagement, equity, capacity and sustainability. This resonates deeply with the schools we work alongside.
iAbacus supports this in two important ways:
- Templates aligned to trust priorities ensure that each network lead works from a shared understanding of what “good” looks like, without imposing a rigid model.
- Customisable structures allow each school to adapt the criteria to its own context — supporting autonomy while retaining alignment.
This means every conversation begins with clarity: What are we trying to achieve, and how does this align with our trust’s vision?
2. Tackling role clarity and accountability with a shared process
One of the most common pitfalls Tracy identifies is ambiguity around responsibilities. Networks falter when subject leads, school leaders and central teams each have their own systems, documents and ways of evaluating performance.
iAbacus addresses this directly.
Every subject lead follows the same five-stage improvement process:
- Make a judgement
- Verify it against criteria
- Add evidence
- Analyse helping and hindering factors
- Plan actions
This consistent structure ensures:
- Subject leads know what they are expected to produce
- Headteachers know how to support and challenge
- Trust executives can compare like with like
No duplication. No confusion. No competing frameworks.
3. Reducing logistical barriers through flexible, collaborative tools
Tracy raises the issue of inconsistent attendance, uneven access and competing priorities. Networks can only thrive when people can collaborate meaningfully — even if they teach in different schools, phases or regions.
iAbacus makes this seamless:
- Subject leads can create and share abacuses instantly.
- Colleagues can contribute, comment, or verify judgements remotely.
- PDF exports provide clean, professional reports for meetings.
- Read-only views allow governors or central teams to see exactly what’s happening.
Whether a trust has four schools or forty, iAbacus removes the friction that often undermines network participation.
4. Solving the “impact measurement problem”
A significant theme in Tracy’s article is the sector-wide challenge of measuring the impact of professional learning. Networks are not quick-fix interventions — their influence is often distributed, cumulative and long-term.
This is where iAbacus provides a level of clarity that schools frequently tell us they’ve never had before.
iAbacus enables trusts to track:
- How subject leads’ judgements change over time
- What evidence underpins those judgements
- Which helping or hindering factors repeatedly emerge
- How strategic actions connect to improvements in practice
- Where progress is sustained and where it stalls
Overlaying and stacking multiple subject abacuses gives executive leaders the trust-wide picture that Tracy calls for — not just in numbers, but in insight.
It answers the key question she highlights:
“What role did the network play in supporting this change?”
Because with iAbacus, the thought process, the actions and the impact are all captured in one place.
5. Supporting any network model — without forcing one
Tracy rightly notes that there is no single correct model for trust-wide subject leadership. Trusts may adopt:
- Full-time subject specialists
- Voluntary network leads
- Hybrid models
- Centralised or decentralised structures
iAbacus is deliberately designed to support all of them.
Its power lies in providing:
- A shared improvement process
- A shared language
- A shared set of expectations
- A shared approach to evidence
- A shared method for showing progress
Whatever structure a trust chooses, iAbacus provides the glue that holds it together.
6. Sustaining networks over time
Finally, Tracy highlights sustainability: succession planning, distributed leadership and consistent practice across expanding trusts.
iAbacus contributes to this in several important ways:
- Progress over time records mean no knowledge is lost when staff move on.
- Template libraries ensure new leads adopt the same criteria as their predecessors.
- Unlimited support means trusts are never left to figure out implementation alone.
- Consistent methodology helps new staff join networks with confidence.
In short, iAbacus builds resilience into the system — ensuring the network survives changes in personnel, priorities or structure.
In conclusion: networks thrive when thinking is structured and shared
Tracy Goodyear’s article captures the complexity of leading subjects across multiple schools. Her emphasis on context, collaboration and intelligent evaluation aligns perfectly with the philosophy behind iAbacus.
Where networks struggle, it is rarely due to lack of passion or expertise. It is due to lack of structure, clarity and consistency.
iAbacus provides all three.
It gives subject leaders a process they can rely on, headteachers a tool they can trust, and MAT executives a clear, evidence-informed view of performance across their organisation.
If your trust is developing or refining its subject networks, iAbacus offers a proven, practical framework to support and strengthen the work.
Explore how iAbacus can support your trust
- Book a personal demo
- Start a free trial
- Browse templates for all subjects and roles
Visit www.iabacus.com to learn more.
