Latest from TSC South West

Teaching
Schools Council
South West
January 2015
Welcome to the New Year
edition of the newsletter
What’s happening in
the South West?
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Articles and CPD
events
The second half of
this newsletter
comprises a round-up
of CPD events and
articles by schools in
our region.
I am delighted to say that this is a packed newsletter, which
includes contributions from teaching schools right across
the region. Clearly there is a lot of fantastic work going on
in our schools and there now seems to be a much greater
willingness to share expertise and work with other schools
to drive up standards throughout the system. In many
ways, this newsletter showcases what we are achieving in
the South West by working together and perhaps reminds
us what we could achieve if more of us joined in.
The Teaching School movement is undoubtedly going from
strength to strength and it is becoming clear that the system
can be school led and it can be led well. At the recent
Teaching School Council meeting in January, the Secretary
of State, Nicky Morgan, fully endorsed the work of both the
council and teaching schools, and made it clear she saw the
self-improving system as key to future
improvements in education. She has begun to
speak publically about the work of the TSC
and really seems to understand the role
teaching schools can play in what has become
a very fragmented system.
As the potential of the school-led system
becomes increasingly recognised, more is
being asked of the TSC and it is clear that the
council is becoming a key player in the
educational firmament. The Teaching School
network now has huge credibility and, as a
result, is being seen as the glue that holds an
increasingly diverse set of educational
structures together. With LAs, RSCs,
Academies, Academy Chains and Free Schools
each occupying a particular niche, only the
Teaching Schools, led by the TSC, are able to
offer a credible, unifying structure,
particularly as the main focus of Teaching
Schools is improving teaching and learning.
The range of topics discussed at the January
TSC meeting underlines this point and
included:
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The relationship between TSAs and the
RSAs
The Character Awards and grants
The College of Teaching
Physics networks
Pupil Premium Reviews
The Financial Sustainability of TSAs
Research and Development strategy
Maths Hubs
A revised Leadership Fellowship
programme
Working with Ofsted
NLG recruitment
Working with the NAHT and ASCL
The licensing of NCTL leadership courses
ITT – the Carter review
Cohort 6 Induction
New teaching schools – cohort 7 – in
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targeted areas
SEND reforms and grants to aid
implementation
The Early Years grants
ITT and CPD in Alternative Provision
School Led conferences
The role of SLEs and LLEs
The next phase of the Targeted Support
Fund
TSA/NLE designation
A packed agenda but one which covered
many of the most significant developments
taking place in education today.
The next steps are clear: to continue to
develop teaching schools and to join up the
system to ensure that there is universal
coverage. For the South West, we need to
work hard to make links across the region
much stronger (despite the geography) and
to support each other as much as we can.
The conference in March offers another
chance for TSAs to get together and the title,
‘Only Connect’, shamelessly stolen from
E.M. Forster, emphasises the need for all of
us to work together in order to accelerate the
pace of change. If you haven’t booked your
place yet, you are advised to do so as places
are limited and filling up fast.
Richard Steward
TSC South West Representative
January 2015
South West Teaching
Schools Conference
For System Leaders
Supporting a truly
school led system
All members of the the Teaching
School Council are tasked with
putting on a conference in their
region and, though a
demanding task, this is another
great opportunity to showcase
the work of schools in the West
Country. The theme of the
conference is system leadership
and the school-led system but,
since the conferences are partly
financed by the NCTL Research
Fund, we will have an
opportunity to demonstrate our
skills and track record in
research. It will also provide us
with a great opportunity to learn
from other alliances and make
stronger connections with them.
All teaching school colleagues are
invited to attend and, if you
haven’t done so, I would
encourage you to book a place,
as the take-up has been fairly
brisk so far. For further details
see the poster at the end of this
newsletter, or contact Gilly Warr
to book a place:
[email protected]
The conference looks set to
become one of the most signficant
CPD events of the year and we
now have both an impressive
range of key note speakers and
some excellent examples of good
practice to showcase.
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Speakers include:
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Brian Lightman,
General Secretary of the
Association of School
and College Leaders
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Charlie Taylor, Chief
Executive of the
National College
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Sir David Carter, the
South West Regional
Schools Commissioner
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Bradley Simmons,
Ofsted Director for the
South West.
Full details will follow as the
agenda takes shape but please
ensure that you have made a
note of the date in your diary:
Wednesday March 11th.
Finding a venue large enough
to host around 200 system
leaders, which is both
comfortable and accessible to
colleagues from all over the
region has not been easy but
we have now booked the
conference suite at Taunton
Race course.
Watch this space for further
details.
January 2015
TSC National
Representative
Dr. Jenny Blunden
How the time flies when you’re having fun!! Perhaps the Teaching School Council work I am
involved in isn’t ‘fun’ but it is interesting, highly relevant to my day job and constantly evolving…
In this edition of the newsletter I would like to share the scope of the work of national
representatives and give some insight to the nature of the work strands the council are involved in.
National representatives engage with policy and decision makers at a strategic level within
government and with other national agencies, with the remit to support schools and school leaders
in the strategic and operational implementation of work devolved to the system.
Increasingly, the role of teaching schools is becoming broader and more complex – for example,
with responsibility for the development of leadership programmes, the selection and deployment
of system leaders, and involvement in the targeting of support to schools in need. The national
team have roles to ‘gate keep’ with national partners to ensure teaching school capacity is
considered and to keep a national overview of the impact and reach of teaching schools.
A key role is the translation of ministerial policy into practice, and the Council – involving national
and regional representatives – regularly engages with the DfE over emerging opportunities for
teaching schools. For example, the TSC have worked closely with the national pupil premium
team in developing the recently published review guidance, the national TSC early years
representative has advised and engaged with the department over the early years improvement
grant and significant on-going work involves engaging with the DfE on leadership and succession
planning targeted support.
My national role is developing and I will be responsible for shaping the Stakeholder Engagement
Strategy with the Council and working with Sir Andrew Carter on initial teacher training and
teacher education, with his review of school led ITT soon to be published. And finally, while the
forthcoming election is prominent in the minds of many of the government officials the Council is
working with, the commitment of the Secretary of State Nicky Morgan was clearly evident.
Discussion at a recent meeting underlined her support for teaching schools and school-led system
leadership, and provided an opportunity for the national and regional representatives to share the
breadth of the work of the Council.
Follow the Teaching School Council on the web at http://tscouncil.org.uk/ and on Twitter
@TeachSchCouncil
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January 2015
There is a still a shortage of experienced governors prepared
to become National Leaders of Governance. If your Chair is
experienced and interested in undertaking such a role,
please encourage them to apply.
Governors
National leaders of governance (NLGs) are experienced
chairs of governors who support other chairs in developing
leadership capacity. Successful candidates must have at
least 3 years’ experience and a track record of supporting
school improvement, as well as the skills to coach and
mentor other chairs. Headteachers are encouraged to
recommend their chairs for the role, if they meet the criteria.
You can find out more at https://www.gov.uk/nationalleaders-of-governance-a-guide-for-potential-applicants.
What an NLG does
NLGs focus on developing leadership capacity. In some
cases, they work in partnership with a national leader of
education. If successful, applicants provide support to a
chair of governors in a school:
 with an Ofsted or local authority category – or at risk
of going into one
 where attainment is below the current minimum
standards set by the government
 in transition to academy status
 where the chair of governors is new
 where working practices for a chair, headteacher or
leadership group need developing
Support can be delivered face to face, by telephone or by
email.
Time commitment
Successful applicants are expected to provide the equivalent
of 10 days of support each year. The time can be spent
across full or partial days, during evenings or at weekends.
Payment
Successful applicants will be expected to provide the
equivalent of 10 days of free support for schools each year,
after which they may charge for their time. A small grant is
paid to the NLGs school to reimburse expenses and further
develop their governing body.
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January 2015
1200 scholarships of up to 80% of the cost are available until the
end of March 2015 for the Chairs of Governors’ Leadership
Development Programme. The Programme is for aspiring, new
and existing chairs who would like to develop their skills
further. It is delivered through workshops, school-based
activities and includes the support of a mentor. The programme
is focused on the role of the chair, leading the governing body
and leading change and continuous improvement, giving
participants the opportunity to develop their skills more fully
and to improve governance in their schools. The programme is
delivered through NCTL-approved licensees.
Scholarships for Chair
of Governor training
We offer scholarships of £320 for small schools and £200 for all
other maintained schools towards the cost of the programme.
For more information please visit: https://www.gov.uk/schoolgovernors-professional-development
As well as the new NLG opportunity, applications are also
open for NLEs and Teaching Schools..
As you will be aware, coverage is key to creating a
successful network and there are still areas of the South
West where Teaching Schools are few and far between. The
Target areas for Cohort 7 are Gloucestershire, Somerset and
Wiltshire. Colleagues are requested, therefore, to do
everything they can to encourage applications from schools
in these areas. This may simply involve outlining the
advantages of TS status; it may involve a bit of advice and
support. Your help in this would be greatly appreciated.
NLE/NSS and new
Teaching School
Applications
Cohort 7 Recruitment
If you know of any schools in the target areas please
encourage them to contact me on
[email protected]
Once again only a handful of schools in the South West
have been designated in cohort 6. The Induction event will
therefore be conducted on an individual basis, after the
National Induction in March.
Cohort 6 Induction
World Class
Teaching
Consultation
Events
World- Class Teaching Profession consultation events (York and London)
These events are a chance to discuss and share views on the World-Class
Teaching Profession consultation. We are really keen to hear from a range of
teachers and headteachers. There will be an opportunity to ask questions, a
chance to talk and debate with others, and hear the findings from the Sutton
Trust’s: What Makes Great Teaching? research report from one of the authors:
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Professor Steve Higgins, University of Durham (at the York event)
Dr Lee Elliot Major, Chief Executive, Sutton Trust (at the London event)
Light refreshments will be provided.
Places are limited so please register your attendance as soon as possible to
confirm yours.
Specific event details and links to register attendance:
York event - 17th January, 1pm - 4pm
York Eventbrite page URL - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/world-classteaching-profession-consultation-event-york-registration-14973322611
London event – 31st January, 1pm - 4pm
London Eventbrite URL - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/world-class-teachingprofession-consultation-event-london-registration-14990411725
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January 2015
The Maths Hubs
The following article has recently been featured
on the NCTEM website and made available for
national release. The photos feature the Chinese
teachers currently working at St. Michael’s in
Lyme:
The National Centre for Excellence in the
Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) has
brought out a special report on the progress
of the current Shanghai teacher exchange,
which is a central component of the
England – China project, itself one of the
main areas of work being run within the
Maths Hubs programme.
Twenty-nine teachers from schools in
Shanghai are working in 22 primary schools
across England this month (November
2014), teaching in exactly the same way
they do in China. In each school, the
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Shanghai teacher is working closely with a
partner teacher who participated in the
outward leg of the exchange, when 71
English teachers visited Shanghai in
September.
Among the striking elements of the report
are quotes from the English host teachers,
who’ve been closely observing, and working
with, their Shanghai colleagues since the
beginning of the month.
Among the comments are these:
‘We continue to be impressed and slightly
humbled by the ease with which they (the Chinese
teachers) incorporate procedural and conceptual
variation into their lessons, and the students that
they are teaching are already showing a deeper
understanding of the underlying concepts
covered.’
January 2015
The Maths Hubs (continued)
‘Teachers in our school have been impressed by
the small steps that are taken (by the Shanghai
teachers) to develop deep understanding, and this
has enabled them to reflect on their own practice,
and they are keen to try out some ideas in their
own classrooms.’
‘Our teachers have been blown away by the
variety of concepts taught (by the Shanghai
teachers) within 35 minutes.’
‘The detail in which the concepts are taught is
striking and nothing is assumed, everything is
taught explicitly.’
Commenting the progress of the exchange
visit so far, the NCETM’s Director Charlie
Stripp, said:
‘I am thrilled by the success of the exchange
so far; by the positive reaction to Shanghai
teaching of the English teachers who visited
Shanghai, by the quality of the teaching from
the Shanghai teachers currently in England,
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by the willingness of our pupils to adapt to being
taught maths by a teacher from Shanghai and by
the open and enthusiastic way in which the
Shanghai and English teachers are working
together to observe and analyse lessons in great
detail, so we can understand and learn from the
subtleties of the Shanghai teaching. The teachers
and pupils involved are really benefitting from
the exchange and I’m sure it will help catalyse
lasting improvements in our primary maths
teaching.’
The Maths Hubs programme is coordinated by
the NCETM and funded by the Department for
Education.
There are four Maths Hubs in the South West
Region:
Cornwall and West Devon
Jurassic
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GLOW
They can be contacted via the Maths Hub
website:
http://www.mathshubs.org.uk/find-your-hub/
January 2015
Character
Awards
Opportunity
Colleagues should be aware that schools are now able to nominate themselves to be recognised as
leaders in character education through the 2015 DfE Character Awards.
This is a unique opportunity for schools and organisations that demonstrate innovative activity and a
dedication to character building to win up to £35,000 or one of 9 regional prizes of £15,000. All
organisations, including schools, private and non-profit organisations can apply, and the DfE will
also accept applications from schools and/or organisations working in partnership.
The Department want to recognise the diversity of interventions both within and outside of school,
and all regional and national award winners will be invited to a prestigious national award ceremony
in London in March.
Applicants can enter the scheme online on the Department for Education’s website between 7 – 30
January 2015 here
You may also be interested to know that as part of the wider work on character education, a grant
programme will also be launched shortly to fund schools and organisations to expand their character
building programmes and pilot new and innovative projects. In addition, The DfE have made £1
million available to the Education Endowment Fund to build evidence and expand research into the
most effective ways that character can be taught. Funding from the EEF is available to any not-forprofit organisation that provides well-evidenced interventions in character education to scale up and
test their approaches. Applicants will be able to apply until 1 April.
If you have any questions contact: [email protected]
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January 2015
News, Articles and Opportunities
in the South West
“Working for the benefit of all pupils with SEND in Dorset and beyond...”
News from the Teaching Alliance of Dorset Special Schools
What will we be able to offer mainstream colleagues to develop their understanding of autism,
teaching methods for SEN, sensory issues and speech and language difficulties?
How can we ensure that iPads are used effectively to support pupils with special needs?
What do we need to know about current issues and policies regarding safeguarding, restraint and
pupil freedom?
Can we offer leadership experiences beyond school settings?
These are some of the questions our teaching alliance has been working on in recent months and
some exciting initiatives have emerged:
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Look out for our School Training Directory, to be published shortly; offering a wide range of
training opportunities led by staff from our TADSS schools.
Led by Nobby Cranny of Wyvern Academy, teachers are working together to establish a set of
ground rules for iPad use in the classroom. The research project is running between January
and June and results will be published in July.
Leading expert, Bernard Allen, shares latest information on pupil restraint and safeguarding at
our conference on March 13th 2015. Details on flyer below.
Our ‘Follow the Leader’ course offers internships in non educational settings, coaching,
support and mentoring for special school heads of the future.
Please contact us at [email protected], www.tadss.co.uk or like and follow us on our
Facebook page and Twitter feed, SEN@TADSS. We’d love to hear from you!
11
January 2015
Dorset LA and Sixth Form Support
Dorset Local Authority has developed a Post 16 Framework for challenging improvement where
required in schools and colleges. If a school/college meets one or more of the criteria within the
framework, they have an opportunity to access additional support.
The Jurassic Coast Teaching School Alliance has been approached to work in partnership with
Twynham Learning to broker this support from colleagues in or beyond their networks so
ensuring a quality assured process. The LA has provided funding for 42 days of support.
The LA has provided the teaching schools with a confidential list of sixth forms identified by the
most recent data analysis as meeting the identified criteria. Dorset Head Teachers have agreed
that the names of these schools can be shared with the Teaching Schools in order to broker the
required support. It is hoped that this will also include FE colleges going forward.
The schools were contacted and asked to indicate whether support was required and if so,
specify exactly what kind of support is needed (e.g. specific subjects, specific issues, leadership
issues etc). This is currently being arranged.
Schools have to complete an evaluation form after the support has taken place. The expectation is
that this pilot produces strong outcomes with a positive impact and a model for future work.
Linda Wyatt
Senior Advisor, Post 16
Dorset County Council
12
January 2015
Learning through Research @ The Mead
Teaching School
The Mead Community Primary School,
designated a National Teaching School in
July 2011, works in partnership with
Collaborative School Ltd, its cross-phase
alliance of 21 schools in Trowbridge,
Wiltshire.
Building on an existing commitment to
research and evidence-based practice, The
Mead naturally found itself reflecting on the
place of research and development within
the ‘Big 6’agenda. It recognised the potential
of research as a key driver and enabler for all
aspects of the Teaching School’s work. For
example, merging CPD with R&D was a
natural step to promote rich, evidence-based
professional learning.
Communities’ across the alliance provide
opportunities for teachers and teaching
assistants to work collaboratively on Joint
Practice Development. These research hubs
provide a forum for the exploration and
documentation of evidence-based approaches.
Purposeful, relevant case studies ensure the
transfer of practice within and beyond the
alliance.
At alliance-level, an agreed protocol for
information sharing provides a collective
analysis of pupil performance data, Ofsted
findings and consultation feedback from
headteachers. This informs research priorities
and has been fundamental in securing
engagement from leaders and teachers, enabling
a clear alignment between individual school
priorities and research hubs.
This helped to establish a research culture,
supporting leaders and teachers in
understanding the principles of researchengagement and connecting research with
everyday practice, rather than viewing it as
an ‘add on.’ It has been necessary to create
new roles, processes and systems to provide
capacity for research activity. The allocation
of time and the creation of tangible
structures have been critical in securing
leaders’ commitment and understanding of
how this approach ‘fits’, and indeed
underpins school improvement.
Research Hubs
Research-based ‘Learning Sets’ within the
Teaching School and cross-phase ‘Learning
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January 2015
‘A change in teacher attitudes and behaviours is
tangible. I sense increased teacher curiosity, risktaking and self-questioning. There is a real buzz of
activity!’
(Head of Teaching School)
Specialist Leaders of Education (SLEs) as
Research Ambassadors
Research hubs are facilitated by SLEs who
model the behaviours and attributes of
teacher researchers. Staff are supported in
navigating research evidence and developing
knowledge, skills and understanding of
research methodology. In many ways, this is a
new role, historically held by external HEI
partners.
Induction and on-going coaching support for
the SLEs as research mentors is critical in
building capacity for research across the
alliance. Although recognised as outstanding
teachers/leaders and naturally researchful in
their practice, many SLEs did not feel
equipped to lead school-based enquiry. As a
consequence, we designed training materials
for our SLEs to support them in leading
research activity.
Our recent ‘Learning through Research
Conference’ provided a forum for the
dissemination and exchange of learning. A
keynote, led by Professor Graham Handscomb,
launched the day and staff visited ‘market
place’ displays that illustrated the impact of
their work on children’s learning.
During the afternoon, teachers, teaching
assistants and trainees participated in a
‘Research Café’ discussion, exploring the
following questions:
How can we ensure that our research brings
about improvements in teaching and learning?
How can we share the fruits of enquiry
meaningfully and systematically with our
partners?
R&D forms an integral part of teacher/teaching
assistant appraisal, demonstrating its value and
importance. We continue to develop a digital
tool, based on a R&D maturity model to
Buzz of activity!
The high degree of professional dialogue and
deep reflection arising from our research hubs
is exciting. This has created a strong sense of
empowerment in which staff regard researchengagement as core to practice development
and professional learning.
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January 2015
monitor and capture progress and practice
exemplars.
The Mead Teaching School hosts regular
learning@themead
days
providing
opportunities for leaders and teachers to gain
a deeper insight into approaches to research
engagement. The Mead also offers a ‘SLE as
Research Mentor’ programme. Further
information can be accessed via The Mead
Teaching School website.
Lindsay Palmer is Head of Teaching School at The
Mead ([email protected]), working in
partnership with Nicola Theobald, Teaching School
consultant ([email protected])
to promote professional learning through a model
of school-based research and innovation.
Malmsebury School and The Avon Teaching School
Alliance
Malmesbury School in Wiltshire has recently been designated a teaching school. In the last term we
have set up the Avon Teaching School Alliance with Sheldon School, Hardenhuish School,
Malmesbury Primary, Trinity Primary (Acton Turville), University of Bristol and Bath Spa
University as our strategic partners. We are currently working with Adfecto and the Science
Learning Partnership to develop and deliver a ‘Towards Outstanding Science Teaching’ CPD
programme and with Olevi so that we can deliver the OTP and ITP programmes. We hope to be
able to offer these programmes to delegates later this academic year.
Avon Teaching School Alliance is based at Malmesbury School and our contact details are below:
Avon Teaching School Alliance
Malmesbury School
Corn Gastons
Malmesbury
Wiltshire
SN16 0DF
01666 829700
Headteacher: Tim Gilson
[email protected]
Teaching School Manager: Alison Simpson [email protected];
tel: 01666 829719
We are working on establishing a number of other projects including cross phase work with our
primary schools and CPD opportunities for Teaching Assistants. Follow us on twitter at @AvonTSA.
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January 2015
An opportunity for senior teachers aiming to apply for their first headship within 18 months.
You will explore:
 All aspects of the headship appointment process
 Headship opportunities within a variety of contexts
 The essential qualities of headship
Starting: February 12th at Dillington House followed by three further days across Somerset,
B&NES and North Somerset in spring/summer 2015.
Enquiries: [email protected]
A collaboration between The Partnership Teaching School, the Wessex Teaching School, the
Diocese of Bath & Wells, the North Somerset Teaching Alliance and the Learning Exchange
RECENTLY QUALIFIED TEACHERS – DEVELOPING
LEADERSHIP
A programme to engage, inspire and challenge the RQT (2-4 yrs post-qualified)
to develop their leadership skills beyond the classroom
Through a combination of facilitated sessions and in-school activity you will develop the
experience and skills needed to bridge the gap to middle leadership. The programme will
consist of two modules:
Stepping Up
 Developing personal effectiveness
 Moving towards middle leadership
Stepping Out
 Contributing to whole school improvement
 Working beyond the classroom and specialising
Starting: spring/summer 2015.
Enquiries: [email protected]
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January 2015
http://plymouthteachingschool.co.uk/continuing-professional-development/
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January 2015
Plymouth TSA like most TSAs has a website where we promote, amongst other things,
our CPD offer and where schools can book an NLE, LLE and SLE. Whilst further
developing our offering we decided that a central database of all the current CPD
offerings in the SW would be more inclusive and really useful for all South West schools
to potentially be able to tap into. Extending this further, our CPD offer is inextricably
bound with our S2S and School Direct (ITT). we thought it would also be useful for
finding which practitioners (SLEs, LLEs and NLEs) have the capacity, expertise and
availability which might benefit our own schools, but also other TSAs. This enables us to
share the vast expertise that all our TSA have to offer.
This has led to the completion of a CPD and Practitioner database that will allow PTSA,
and indeed any other interested TSAs, to centrally post and host bookable CPD courses
and to search and book outstanding practitioners at each key designation
(PLE*/SLE/LLE/NLE). Nominally badged as the South West Teaching School Hub,
individual TSAs can, if they so choose, use the site to host or make aware to other TSAs
their CPD offerings and thus reach a larger target market to fill their courses and reduce
duplicated and potentially unviable offerings from near neighbours. It is also possible to
do the same for practitioners and thus increase the use of SLEs by TSAs who may need
them but may not have designated practitioners in that particular specialism.
Access to the database is really easy and a portal can be embedded into any page of
your own TSA website which looks like this:
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January 2015
Your schools can then decide if they want to book a course or a practitioner.
As a TSA lead you have access to create and control your own courses and your schools’
practitioners (who just need to maintain their availability so they can only be booked
when they are available from school).
PTSA as part of a Co-Operative CIC are keen to encourage collaboration between
schools, and by extension to other TSAs, and we welcome all feedback. If you think this
may be of interest to your TSA then please do have a look at the Plymouth TSA website
or get in touch with Pete or Simon on 01752 785891.
19
January 2015
School to School Support
The Wessex Teaching School is committed to supporting the Federation RAP, through
sharing good practice, and offering a number of teachers to support colleagues in the
development of class practice.
Recently we have recently appointed 7 SLEs, all working in Federation Schools, who can
offer support in a range of areas . These are:Jackie Bachrach, Oaklands —Closing the Gap, Maths, ITT & NVQ Development
Cara Carlock, Huish Primary School —Maths
Andrea Fossey, Huish Primary School - Assessment, Literacy
Vaughan Hillier-Nickels, Huish Primary School —Assessment, Maths, IT
Caroline Lancey, St Michaels Academy—Behaviour and Discipline
Tanya Ogden, St Michael’s Academy—Raising Standards, SEN support
Abi Nathan, Huish Primary School—Early Years
In addition, the Wessex Teaching School continues to support a range of schools
throughout Somerset, and is now also working closely with the Diocese of Bath & Wells.
CPD
Our CPD work continues to revolve around raising the quality of teaching
classroom, primarily in English and Maths.
in the
We are currently running a bespoke training package for
schools and groups of schools called Quest. The programme
runs over 4 sessions and provides an excellent opportunity for
teachers to move their teaching to consistently ‘good’ or
‘outstanding’, through shared reflective activity and
observations of lessons in two outstanding schools.
We are currently running Talk Boost which can help schools raise raise KS1 achievement
by:
Identifying vulnerable learners
Providing a structured evidence based programme that
accelerates children’s progress in language and communication
Supporting the foundation language skills that lead to phonics
Increasing classroom participation by improving confidence and
skills in listening, vocabulary, narrative, sentence building and
conversation
Talk Boost builds the quality of teaching by providing classroom staff with practical
activities that children enjoy.
Talk Boost can improve behaviour for learning by developing children’s attention and
listening skills and confidence in communicating.
Talk Boost aids leadership and management with its progression tool. This helps schools
Identify and measure children who need additional support and informs target setting.
Talk Boost also provides guidance for successful engagement with parents.
Our next training dates are Tuesday 10th February and Tuesday 9th June —for further
information contact Yvette Lloyd on 01935 474538 or Laura Moore on 01935 474984
www.wessexteachingschool.co.uk 01935 474984
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January 2015
School to School Support
The Wessex Teaching School is committed to supporting the Federation RAP, through
sharing good practice, and offering a number of teachers to support colleagues in the
development of class practice.
Recently we have recently appointed 7 SLEs, all working in Federation Schools, who can
offer support in a range of areas . These are:Jackie Bachrach, Oaklands —Closing the Gap, Maths, ITT & NVQ Development
Cara Carlock, Huish Primary School —Maths
Andrea Fossey, Huish Primary School - Assessment, Literacy
Vaughan Hillier-Nickels, Huish Primary School —Assessment, Maths, IT
Caroline Lancey, St Michaels Academy—Behaviour and Discipline
Tanya Ogden, St Michael’s Academy—Raising Standards, SEN support
Abi Nathan, Huish Primary School—Early Years
In addition, the Wessex Teaching School continues to support a range of schools
throughout Somerset, and is now also working closely with the Diocese of Bath & Wells.
CPD
Our CPD work continues to revolve around raising the quality of teaching
classroom, primarily in English and Maths.
in the
We are currently running a bespoke training package for
schools and groups of schools called Quest. The programme
runs over 4 sessions and provides an excellent opportunity for
teachers to move their teaching to consistently ‘good’ or
‘outstanding’, through shared reflective activity and
observations of lessons in two outstanding schools.
We are currently running Talk Boost which can help schools raise raise KS1 achievement
by:
Identifying vulnerable learners
Providing a structured evidence based programme that
accelerates children’s progress in language and communication
Supporting the foundation language skills that lead to phonics
Increasing classroom participation by improving confidence and
skills in listening, vocabulary, narrative, sentence building and
conversation
Talk Boost builds the quality of teaching by providing classroom staff with practical
activities that children enjoy.
Talk Boost can improve behaviour for learning by developing children’s attention and
listening skills and confidence in communicating.
Talk Boost aids leadership and management with its progression tool. This helps schools
Identify and measure children who need additional support and informs target setting.
Talk Boost also provides guidance for successful engagement with parents.
Our next training dates are Tuesday 10th February and Tuesday 9th June —for further
information contact Yvette Lloyd on 01935 474538 or Laura Moore on 01935 474984
www.wessexteachingschool.co.uk 01935 474984
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January 2015
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January 2015
23
January 2015
‘FOLLOW THE LEADER’
If you are seriously considering applying for special school headship
in the near future then our ‘Follow The Leader’ programme may be
just the training opportunity you need!
You’ve probably done the NPQH, the SWALSS leadership course or another
well regarded preparation for headship. ‘Follow The Leader’ provides you
with the final piece in your training jigsaw:
 A unique opportunity to do an internship placement at a high
profile and successful non-educational establishment. Think what
learning you could share by spending up to a week with top leaders
in a national theatre company, a busy hospital, an international bank
or a five star hotel!

The ‘Follow The Leader’ programme is available to senior leaders in special
schools across the South West region. The cost of the programme is
supported by the National College for Teaching and Learning (NCTL) and is
offered to schools FREE OF CHARGE.
Please see the ‘Follow The Leader’ Information Sheet for full details of the
programme and how to apply.
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January 2015
Keeping Pupils Safe?
Or Restricting Their Liberty……!!
9.30am - 3.30pm
Friday 13th March 2015
Bovington Park, Wareham BH20 6NU
‘Fob-locked doors are a restriction of a child’s liberty.’
‘Pupils should have free access in and out of classrooms.’
‘Schools with “quiet rooms” instantly arouse my suspicion.’
Have you been unsettled by recent Ofsted comments on security and physical intervention in
schools? Are you now unclear as to what you can reasonably do in order to keep pupils safe?
Then this is the training you need! Hear from Bernard Allen (www.bernardallen.info), an
acknowledged leader in the field, what you actually can do – and what you can’t.
The day will include:
 The legal framework
 Myth-busting
 The legal balance between having fun and keeping safe
 Lessons from the Courts on how to safeguard staff
 Policies, recording and reporting
 The ‘Mood Management’ approach to behaviour
 Your questions answered
TADSS delegates £95/ Non-TADSS delegates £175
Please complete the attached booking form to reserve your place or contact
[email protected] for more information
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January 2015
Professor Dylan Wiliam
Embedding Formative Assessment
5th March 2015
The Barnstaple Hotel
EX31 1LE
“Every Teacher needs to improve, not because
they are not good enough, but because they can
be even better”
“Improving educational achievement is a priority for every country, and this depends on
improving the quality of the teachers already working in our schools. Of all the things
teachers can do to improve the quality of their teaching, classroom formative
assessment has been shown to provide the greatest impact, but in the past, classroom
formative assessment has been poorly implemented because it requires changes in the
day to day practice of teachers, which requires new kinds of teacher learning, and new
models of professional development. In this workshop, participants will learn about the
five strategies of classroom formative assessment, a number of "application-ready"
techniques for teachers to use in their classrooms, and how to support teachers in
changing their practice.”
Full Day Cost per person – £195 includes refreshments and lunch.
To book online click here or visit www.ndtsa.org
North Devon Teaching School Alliance
Woolacombe National Support & Teaching School
Beach Road, Woolacombe, North Devon EX34 7BT
26
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.ndtsa.org
Tel: 01271 440 898
January 2015
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January 2015
Key Contacts
http://tscouncil.org.uk
Website
Richard Steward – Regional Representative:
[email protected]
[email protected]
Tel. 01297 446826
Jenny Blunden – National Representative:
TSC Reps
South West
[email protected]
[email protected]
Tel. 01872 267170
Graham Browne – Cornwall, Torbay, Somerset, Isles of Scilly
[email protected]
Educational
Advisers
South West
Chris Mitten – Devon, Plymouth, Bournemouth, Dorset, Poole
[email protected]
Alan Mackenzie – N. Somerset, Bristol, South Gloucestershire,
BANES
[email protected]
Keith Defter – Gloucestershire, Swindon, Wiltshire
[email protected]
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January 2015