Woodrush Teaching School Alliance
Dear Colleague, This is an exciting time to be working with the Woodrush Teaching School Alliance. We have been designated as a teaching school for just over a year and in our second year, we are looking to continue to grow and develop our alliance, to support education in the West Midlands. After the successes of our CPD events last year, we have developed a calendar of high quality training, including accredited programmes such as the OTP and ITP, leadership programmes such as the NPQML and NPQSL, as well as bespoke in house Evolve days and Primary Science support through the Ogden Trust. Please do have a look at the Continuing Professional Development pages to find out more. Our designated Specialist Leaders of Education (SLEs) have been active in supporting a range of schools in the West Midlands. We will be looking to recruit more SLEs later this term and so if you are interested in working with us as an SLE, please contact the teaching school. We have been successful in securing School Direct places for primary and secondary subjects through our partnership with The University of Birmingham. We will be recruiting for the 2016-2017 places during the year. We would be delighted to work with more schools who can host trainees in the future, so please do get in touch. As always, through our work, our core aim is to improve the education our students and those in the local area receive. We would like to thank all of the schools who continue to work with us and would like to invite other schools to join our alliance. Woodrush Teaching School Alliance is able to offer: bespoke CPD, ITT places, training opportunities, leadership development and research opportunities to name but a few. Please do contact the teaching school if you would like to arrange a meeting or telephone discussion regarding joining our alliance, in whatever capacity will benefit your school and students the most. With Best Wishes
Natasha Rancins Headteacher Woodrush Teaching School Alliance Woodrush High School Shawhurst Lane, Wythall, Worcestershire, B47 5JW T: 01564 823777 F: 01564 820092 www.woodrushtsa.co.uk teachingschool@woodrushhigh.worcs.sch.uk @woodrushtsa
School Direct Initial Teacher Training Woodrush TSA aims to develop outstanding practitioners who are creative, highly effective and exceed the professional standards. Educational theory, innovative research and outstanding pedagogy are the foundations of our highly successful training programme. Working within our alliance, trainee teachers can expect to develop transferrable skills that will support a successful career in teaching. Woodrush High School, the lead in our teaching school alliance is a consistently OFSTED Outstanding 1118 Academy on the border of Birmingham and Worcestershire. Our ITT partner is The University of Birmingham, the only OFSTED Outstanding provider in the West Midlands. Woodrush High School has a long history of working with the University to develop outstanding teachers in a wide range of subjects. Many of our staff are Birmingham alumni and are actively involved in training the next generation of outstanding practioners.
Meet our Lead Practioner for ITT We will get the best out of our students if we have highly effective teachers who can motivate and inspire, whilst also delivering excellent subject knowledge. My role as Lead Mentor is to model these skills with outstanding teaching, deliver a very high quality of training and also offer support and encouragement for trainees to become the very best future teachers. I have been working as a maths mentor for Birmingham for 13 years now, seeing through over 50 students from their PGDipEd course. Having trained on Birmingham’s PGCE course myself, I have been able to see the process from both sides and have first-hand experience of the outstanding training that the University’s School of Education offers. I am extremely passionate about my role as a mentor and I am excited to now be inspiring the next generation of teachers, as the Lead mentor for Woodrush TSA. We are recruiting School Direct trainees for the 2016-2017 allocation this academic year for the following secondary subjects: English, Maths, Chemistry, Physics, MFL and Geography. We are also recruiting primary trainees for our primary alliance colleagues. If you would like to discuss how Woodrush can support your school with Initial Teacher Training, please do get in touch.
Sam Bullivant Senior Mentor for PGDipEd / School Direct, NQT Induction Tutor and NCETM Approved PD Lead sbullivant@woodrushhigh.worcs.sch.uk
Continuing Professional Development Last year the TSA hosted two very successful “Evolve” days where we offered bespoke CPD focusing on outstanding practice and leadership. We hosted delegates from schools across the West Midlands with a diverse mix of levels of experience, including: Headteachers, Senior Leaders and RQTs. We are able to tailor our Evolve days to suit the needs of the delegate, be that lesson observation requests, learning walks, developmental training or meetings with specific post holders at all levels within the alliance. The format of the day is flexible, but has involved lesson observations and opt in sessions, looking at outstanding lesson planning, differentiation and assessment for learning. In addition to this, we took delegates on a learning walk of the school to explain our quality assurance procedures and completed lesson observations. There are also networking opportunities built in to the day. 100% of the feedback comments were good or excellent with 72% of them being excellent. Here are some of the comments we received about the day. “Open staff, and huge effort made by many to engage with delegates. Great organisation with open and honest view of the school provided. Great school atmosphere with an open nature. Communication from staff involved was superb, even after the course had finished.” “Great resources offered with a vast mix of activities.” “Great whole school ideas i.e. progress and battle boards, AfL kits in Science, accelerated reading, differentiated homework. These ideas were seen to be very creative and engaging for delegates, as well as transferable to own teaching.” “Liked the fact that the day was personalised and bespoke to each delegate.” “The session on creativity and outstanding planning was very high quality.” Based on the incredibly positive feedback, we will be hosting more themed Evolve days this academic year focussing on: Leadership, NQTs and specific subjects. Please do contact us to get more information on teachingschool@woodrushhigh.worcs.sch.uk or visit our website www.woodrushtsa.co.uk
The Ogden Trust
The Ogden Trust is one of our strategic partners at Woodrush TSA. We are very fortunate to be working with this organisation to support education in the physical sciences, particularly in primary schools. In September 2015, the Woodrush TSA Primary Science Partnership was created between a cluster of local schools. The partnership is a network hub to develop practice, ensure high quality, focused CPD is available to staff, and to secure engaging enrichment opportunities and events for students. We would very much like to grow the partnership and if you would like to join us, there will be two further meetings this academic year we would like a representative to attend. Please email the teaching school with your details. Phiz Lab We are also delighted to have secured funding for the creation of our very own Phiz lab. This will be on the site of one of our local primary alliance schools. The Phiz lab will be the hub for our local partnership and will be where some of our primary science CPD events are hosted. What is a Phiz lab? “Primary schools very rarely have dedicated science labs. The lessons have to be very teacher-led and are restricted by the availability of resources. With a Phiz Lab, the science resources are all stored in the room in units accessible to the children. When practical investigations are the focus, the lesson then becomes more child-centred with the children selecting what they would like to use to explore different elements of science. The profile of the subject is raised as the children have a specialist classroom which they are excited to enter, putting on their lab coats and being fully immersed in science! Not only is a Phiz Lab used for the benefit of the children, but it becomes a training centre for local teachers; a specialist facility where outstanding ‘Physical Processes’ CPD is delivered by exceptional Ogden Teacher Fellows. Phiz Labs aspire to be centres of excellence, offering local, supportive networks to primary teachers. They make much needed ‘physics’ CPD accessible, and increase primary teachers’ subject knowledge and confidence. The end result: engaged learners, passionate about the physical processes of science” Phizzi Forces We have a fantastic opportunity for ten schools to attend a free workshop on Monday 19th October focusing on teaching forces in the primary curriculum. Each delegate will receive a pack of ten investigations and a box of equipment worth £250 for their school. Please see the flyer enclosed in this pack.
To find out more about The Ogden Trust please visit their website: www.ogdentrust.com
Research and Development Partnership Research At Woodrush we are continually reflecting on our practice and aiming to create a culture of innovation, creativity and continual improvement. With this in mind, our CPD focus for 2014-15 was to introduce the concept of ‘Partnership Research’. In recent years, one aspect of our annual CPD had focused on teaching triads where there was a specific focus, such as literacy, numeracy etc. Last year, the observations became ‘partnership observations’. This meant that staff had the freedom to create their own ‘partners’ based on their own needs and that the ‘pairing’ did not need to mutually reciprocate. The focus was also determined by the individual staff member.
At the same time, three colleagues took part in an Institute of Education research project. This involved staff researching an element of teaching from their own subject, and was very much about improving classroom based pedagogy, in a practical way, combining pedagogy and research with an impact on classroom practice.
teachers as researchers where observing practice is one element of the process to embed best practice, share best practice and secure improvements over time. Using two or three case pupils as an indicator of impact, lesson study involves collaborative planning by three teachers who each take it in turn to deliver a lesson while the two remaining teachers observe. The focus of the observation is on evaluating the teaching methods and identifying how these can impact on the progress of the case pupils, with a view to expanding the findings to relate to every pupil in the class. The case pupils are also interviewed to inform pedagogical practice, or the processes and practices of teaching, and therefore help shape the next session. “For many teachers, teaching can be a solitary process with knowledge sharing often resulting as a by-product of conversations in the staff room, brief snippets of information exchanged in the corridor, or externally, such as exchanges with teachers from other schools at a training event. During lesson study, however, teachers share their knowledge of practice, such as strategies they have found useful when supporting underperformance, and their thoughts on how children function, to develop the lesson from three perspectives.” The Guardian August 2014 The features of the lesson study model and how these actions were then transferred to Woodrush:
“We worked with teachers from several other schools and aimed to find some connections and links between our findings. This culminated in a ‘display of learning’ at the end of the project and a ‘poster’ of findings, yet it was the sharing of good practice and the opportunity to talk about ideas about teaching, which was most useful.” In 2014/15 we were at a stage in our development as a school and as a team of practitioners, where we could extend how we had previously worked and develop our partnerships to become ‘partnership research’. 2014/15 saw all teachers at Woodrush researching a particular aspect of interest to their classroom based practice. This was inspired by the Japanese model of ‘lesson study’ which sees
Teachers were given the choice to ‘partner’ in different ways: (which were RAGed for the level of confidence) • You could link with teachers in the same department
• You could link with teachers in a different department • You could link with other teachers who teach the same subject in a different school • You could link with other teachers who teach a different subject in a different school They were provided with example research questions, which supported their own development of a ‘question’ to explore throughout the year. The question aimed to guide staff to seek solutions and actions. In Summer 2015 we shared the research, presenting posters and visiting other departments and areas to see the outstanding practice that was being shared. As Tim Brighouse said “In outstanding schools, staff talk about learning, staff observe each other’s learning, staff plan, observe, monitor and evaluate their work together, staff learn from each other.’” This concept is central to our work at Woodrush and the thinking behind the concept of our ‘Partnership Research’.
Meet our Research and Development Lead Laura Hollingworth will be leading STEM based projects within the Teaching School Alliance. If you are interested in joining a focus group or contributing then please contact the teaching school.
Some of the programmes we facilitate Improving Teacher Programme
Outstanding Teacher Programme
Who is this programme aimed at? The Improving Teacher Programme (ITP) is for Teachers seeking to deliver consistently good lessons. The ITP equips delegates with a range of good teaching and learning techniques as well as developing their skills and the opportunity to apply these skills in school.
The Outstanding Teacher Programme gives good (and outstanding) teachers a set of high level skills and strategies that enable them to become consistently and sustainably outstanding in all areas of their practice. It helps them to:
Accredited by the National College for School Leadership, this is a nationally recognised and versatile programme. The programme (developed by OLEVI) will be facilitated by our outstanding practitioners from Woodrush High School who have themselves completed the Outstanding Facilitator Programme.
• demonstrate higher level understanding of teaching and improve learning for their pupils; • coach colleagues in their own school and in other schools to raise performance levels; • create a proactive school culture where the quality of teaching and learning is observed, discussed, challenged and enhanced; • increase job satisfaction and create opportunities for further leadership and career progression. This programme helps teachers to become consistently outstanding in all their professional activities and have a significant impact on how students achieve.
NPQSL
NPQML
The qualification is part of the National College for Teaching and Leadership leadership curriculum, which offers more flexible development opportunities to support leaders at every stage of their career. To deliver the NPQSL locally, Woodrush TSA works in partnership with Leadership Live, a license holder for delivery of the national leadership curriculum.
The National Professional Qualification for Middle Leadership (NPQML) is a qualification that provides national recognition of your leadership development and professional achievement as a middle leader.
NPQSL sits at level two of the leadership curriculum. It is designed to support participants in becoming highly effective senior leaders with the skills, confidence and knowledge to contribute to the strategic development of the school or organisation as part of the senior leadership team. NPQSL is aimed at experienced team leaders with wider responsibilities traditionally associated with senior leadership roles. It is suitable for: •Deputy or assistant heads •Experienced senior leaders who wish to further their knowledge and skills •Experienced middle leaders who are ambitious for and seeking promotion to a senior leadership role •Specialist Leaders of Education (SLE) •Senior leaders in a federation with responsibility areas across several schools •Someone who has responsibility for supporting other schools •Senior leaders working in schools and academies who are not qualified teachers (for example bursars, HR officers)
NPQML sits at level one of the leadership curriculum. It’s designed to support participants in becoming highly effective middle leaders with the skills, confidence and knowledge to drive successful team performance and improved classroom practice. Who is NPQML for? NPQML is aimed at individuals with responsibility for leading a team and is suitable for: •Staff who have recently taken on a middle leadership role or a new responsibility •Staff who are more established and experienced in their middle leadership role •Subject/curriculum leaders •Key stage leaders •Heads of department •Pastoral leaders, for example, Head of Year or Head of House •Gifted and talented co-ordinators •Advanced skills teachers •Assessment co-ordinators •Career co-ordinators
Leadership Development At Woodrush Teaching School Alliance we strive to provide high quality leadership development opportunities for our own staff and alliance colleagues. Securing the flow of high quality leaders in our schools is crucial for the success of education in our area, therefore Woodrush TSA invests a lot of time in crafting opportunities to nurture leadership potential at all levels. This year we were proud to launch our first cohorts of the NPQSL and NPQML, and are looking forward to supporting our participants through the development of their leadership competencies. We work in partnership with Leadership Live to facilitate both these programmes. Our second cohort of NPQSL and NPQML will begin in June 2016. Please contact the teaching school to reserve a place. We are also a licensed school for the National Award for Middle Leaders in partnership with the SSAT. There are 10 modules which can be completed during this programme for Middle Leaders which Woodrush will run as twilight sessions throughout the year. 1.
Vision and values
2.
Developing your leadership approach
3.
Building a high-performing team
4.
Leading your team day-to-day
5.
What makes the most effective teaching
and learning?
6.
Observation for improvement
7.
Using data for impact
8.
Fostering positive behaviour for learning
9.
Leading and managing innovation and
change 10.
Supporting your team
As part of our commitment to developing leaders locally, we are recruiting for specialist leaders in education (SLEs) in the following priority areas during November: Primary Literacy + Numeracy, Secondary Maths, MFL and Humanities. Please see the SLE page of this document for more information about the work of SLEs and those currently designated within the Woodrush TSA.
Woodrush TSA SLEs Name: Natasha Rancins Position: Headteacher SLE Specialism: Leadership of Curriculum and Narrowing the Gap
Name: Steve Baker Position: Deputy Headteacher SLE Specialism: Leadership of Behaviour and Attendance
Responsibilities: • Whole school standards KS3, 4 and 5 • Curriculum and Timetable • Pupil Premium • Intervention and Tracking • Whole school quality assurance
Responsibilities: • Whole school behaviour and inclusion • Safeguarding • Attendance
Name: Position: SLE Specialism:
Name: Position: SLE Specialism:
Andrew Raistrick Assistant Headteacher Science
Dave Monk Assistant Headteacher Leadership of Assessment
Responsibilities: • Director of Teaching School + Head of Science • Leading A/A* intervention and support • In my role as an SLE I have supported Science departments with curriculum, learning and teaching, and leadership.
Responsibilities: • KS3 Standards and Achievement • Transition & Year 7 Catch Up Premium • Leading Whole School Development of ‘Assessment Beyond Levels’ • Pupil Premium Funding and Intervention • Whole School Literacy and Numeracy
Name: Position: SLE Specialism:
Name: Position: SLE Specialism:
Janine Metcalfe Taylor Head of English Faculty English
Responsibilities: • Assessment/dialogue/feedback • Using data effectively within English • Intervention strategies for all key stages • Literacy whole school initiatives • Leading CPD within the Woodrush Teaching Alliance
Elizabeth Lawson Assistant Headteacher English
Responsibilities: • Whole school Learning and Teaching • Whole school continuing professional development • Appraisal • Previous English HOD
Name: Melissa Holtom-Brown Position: Head of PE Faculty SLE Specialism: PE Responsibilities: • Head of Physical Education • Previous whole School PSHE Coordinator • Previous transition Coordinator • Previous Healthy Schools Coordinator
We will be recruiting SLEs in November 2015 for our priority areas of Maths, Primary literacy + numeracy, Humanities and MFL. Please contact the teaching school for an application form and more information. Specialist Leaders of Education (SLEs) are ‘outstanding’ middle and senior leaders who have the skills to support individuals or teams in similar positions in other schools. To become an SLE, you will need to provide evidence that you understand what outstanding leadership practice in your area of expertise looks like and you know how to support other leaders to do the same in their own context. As an SLE, you will be deployed into schools to develop the leadership capacity of individuals and teams using coaching and/or facilitation that draws on the knowledge and expertise in your specialist area. Your work will contribute to improving outcomes for students in other school settings.
What others have said about our work so far... Lots of food for thought and ideas to take away
Excellent professional discussions throughout the day
Your staff are very welcoming Excellent and enthusiastic presentation of sessions Great school atmosphere with an open nature.
Excellent opportunity to see good practice Clear and knowledgeable facilitator Good communication before, during and after the session
Open staff, and huge effort made by many to engage with delegates. Great organisation with open and honest view of the school provided.
Thank-you for the excellent Evolve day last Friday. I found the day very informative and very inspiring.
Have taken away lots of ideas/strategies to try in my own school
Communication from staff involved was superb, even after the course had finished.
Great resources offered with a vast mix of activities.
Liked the fact that the day was personalised and bespoke to each delegate.
Janine Metcalfe-Taylor – Professional Development Lead; Laura Hollingworth – Research and Development Lead Andrew Raistrick – Director of Teaching School; Natasha Rancins – Headteacher Sam Bullivant – Initial Teacher Training Lead; Abi Cotterill – Teaching School Administrator
www.woodrushtsa.co.uk teachingschool@woodrushhigh.worcs.sch.uk 01564 823777
Andrew Raistrick: Director of Teaching School araistrick@woodrushhigh.worcs.sch.uk Ext 7525