NTSH Annual Report 2021-22

Welcome to Northamptonshire Teaching School Hub //

We are proud to provide all schools with equitable access to the best knowledge and expertise. We are the Department for Education’s designated Centre of Excellence for Teacher & Leader Development, serving the educational community of Northamptonshire.

Our vision //

To grow teacher and leader expertise for every school, to the advantage of every child. We will achieve this through improving the quality of teaching and better educational opportunities for all children.

Grow, develop and retain great teachers //

We have an innovative and inclusive approach to support teacher and leader development, bringing together the best networks of people, partnerships and technology. Through collaboration and partnership with fantastic national providers, local partners, research schools and curriculum hubs, we deliver fundamental functions that support schools and trusts in investing their workforce to recruit, grow, develop and retain the very best teachers, support staff and leaders.

Gemma Marks Director of NTSH

The Golden Thread //

We provide educators across Northamptonshire the opportunity to participate in the Golden Thread of teacher development:

Initial Teacher Training

Appropriate Body Service

Early Career Framework

National Professional Qualifications

Continuous Professional Development

We offer world-class programmes in a local context that are richly evidence-informed and enable teachers and leaders to keep getting better. We are proud, aspirational and optimistic about supporting the DfE’s ambition for strong schools with great teachers, within Northamptonshire.

In our first year, NTSH has seen huge success, supporting many schools with the new Early Career Framework, new NPQ leadership opportunities, growing a thriving network of Expert Teacher Educators, as well as various conferences with leaders such as Doug Lemov and local headteachers. We hope this report will give you an insight into the achievements of our first year and the ways in which you and your colleagues can benefit from our support.

If you’re considering using any of our services, please don’t hesitate to get in touch at hello@northantstshub.org

ITT AB ECF NPQ CPD

Our Year in Numbers

primary

schools

secondary

100% agree that they have been able to access professional development relevant to their setting’s needs and development goals through NTSH

100% agree that the professional development (ITT, ECF/ NPQs) delivered by NTSH has had a positive impact on their school’s workforce, has been high quality and likely to have had some positive impact on pupil attainment

100% would recommend NTSH to another school

100% are Very Satisfied with their partnership with NTSH

Early Career Services //

The Early Career Framework was launched in September 2021 for teachers across the country. The ECF is a universal entitlement, providing two years of high quality, structured training and support for teachers from the start of their career, including funded time off timetable and a trained mentor.

We are delighted to share that the programme has seen excellent progress and we are continuing to develop our practice as we go, including tackling workload and time pressures and increasing flexibility.

Supporting those at the beginning of their careers in teaching is crucial. The Teach First ECF is growing teacher expertise rapidly and supporting Early Career Teachers (ECTs) to thrive. We place our ECTs in cohorts of phase and specialism, including Special Schools, Early Years, Primary and Secondary. ECTs have been able to attend conferences such as our Teach First Year 2 ECT Conference, where we have been thrilled to be joined by Mary Myatt who shared her expertise on getting to grips with the curriculum.

A real strength and point of difference of the Teach First ECF programme is that it is the only provider to offer subject specific development for Year 2 ECTs.

of ECF facilitators have been observed by Teach First with positive feedback of ECTs are engaging in the curriculum rate the quality of support from their mentors as Good or Very Good

Appropriate Body //

NTSH is an Appropriate Body for Early Career Teacher Induction, serving Northamptonshire. We provide support and quality assurance of the ECT induction process. We work with schools to ensure that their assessment is fair and consistent, to ensure that ECTs have the best chance to meet the Teachers’ Standards at the end of their induction period.

Case Study //

William Kneeshaw | Mentor

I got into being a mentor, in part, because we were really keen on having an RE trainee at Northampton School for Boys but hadn’t been able to train one ‘in-house’. We therefore reached out to the University of Birmingham which was where we got in contact with Walter – my current Early Career Teacher. It’s always been very important for me to train other members of staff – and I was so excited to have the opportunity. The important bit for me isn’t overseeing and monitoring every single step Walter takes – like it would be in initial teacher training – it’s simply acting as the line of support for him and making sure he has what he needs in order to flourish. For example, we check in regularly for a few minutes each day – and then once a week for a more official, longer meet. In these sessions, I’ll check on his wellbeing, get his feedback, make sure his lessons are structured and relevant, and ensure he’s honing his craft and steadily improving by using the early career framework guidance.

There’s a feeling of immense pride when I can showcase to my colleagues the exceptional work my ECT has been doing day in and day out – it makes all the hard work totally worth it.

National Professional Qualifications //

This year, we launched the reformed suite of NPQs for teachers and leaders who want to develop their knowledge and skills in specialist and whole-school leadership roles.

The new NPQs represent a significant investment in high-quality teacher and leader development. In partnership with Ambition Institute, these programmes offer a high-quality curriculum and support for participants, who learn in small, bite-sized chunks. The reformed NPQs are underpinned by the latest educational research for effective leadership. The Early Headship Coaching Offer for new headteachers is an innovative programme, creating local networks and support across the county.

In Autumn 2022, we launch two new NPQs in Leading Literacy and Early Years Leadership – with new cohorts beginning in Leading Teaching, Leading Teacher Development, Leading Behaviour & Culture, Senior Leadership and Headship.

of NPQ participants

Strongly Agree or Agree that they are well supported by NTSH

of Visiting Fellows who have been observed delivering NPQs by Ambition Institute are meeting required high standards

of programmes are fully funded with additional funding for small schools

Case Study //

Nicole Lawson | Senior Teacher

I’m currently studying for the National Professional Qualification in Leading Teacher Development (NPQLTD) as it’s very relatable to my current role and I thought it would be useful to have the theory alongside classroom and practical experience.

I love the theoretical side of the qualification and the scenarios they come up with – it gives a great overview of other things happening within schools and I find it really useful. However, the best thing has got to be the buddy system. When I was first told I would have a buddy – and would have to meet with them every couple of weeks – I was unsure...but I have to say my two buddies are excellent! They are both from other local special needs schools and we get on really well. We understand each other, share best practice, collaborate, offer support, and learn lots from one another.

I think the biggest thing for me is that it makes me think. So, for example, when I’m preparing something, it prompts a second thought in me to make sure the children and teachers have everything they need. I think it’s a brilliant qualification and would whole-heartly recommend it.

Celebrating a powerful collaboration of leading national and regional partners

The Brooke Weston Trust (BWT) are proud to lead the Northamptonshire Teaching School Hub. We are a family of primary and secondary schools in Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire. From pre-school to sixth form we are experts in all areas of 3-18 education and have a long history of providing quality education and personal development for our staff and students.