NEWSLETTER 2 | NOVEMBER 2015 What can be found inside? Welcome to the first Teaching Alliance Newsletter Bid successes RQT news and feedback from of the new academic year presentation evening wanted to write to you at the beginning of ‘Powerful Communicators’ Early Years the second year in the life of the Taunton programme updates I Teaching Alliance to signpost important Train To Teach 'Get Introduction to Caroline Oestreich, our information, celebrate what has been new Alliance Research Leader Into Teaching' achieved so far and to thank you in advance Teacher Subject Specialism Training for your active commitment. The Alliance is Wednesday 27th January 2016 5-7:30pm Programme only as strong as the sum of its parts! Heathfield Community School, TA2 8PD Introduction to the new Subject Network leaders and associated ‘Think Tank’ events This year we have had two new schools joining Registration for this Train to Teach event Teaching School Collaboration the Alliance with unique challenges capturing is free, and by attending you can get all Subject Knowledge Enhancement the diversity of need within Somerset. On your questions about teaching and teacher Programme for Primary Maths behalf of our membership we warmly welcome training in England answered. The event is A summary of our Vision and Strategic goals both Chilton Trinity School in Bridgwater and for graduates, career changers and final- Dulverton Middle and Community School to year undergraduates who are interested in Upcoming Inspiring Leadership events 2015 the Alliance. starting a career in teaching. To book your place for any of the events below please email Every year seems to be a challenging one at the Visit the Train To Teach website to [email protected] with moment and the Teaching Alliance is working book your place and visit our website your name and school or organisation. Booking with you all to provide the necessary support, for more information is first come first served and closes one week training opportunities and collaborative ways before the event. For more information on of working you need in order to add value to each event please turn to page 3. your work. We are delighted with our recent new and effective ways of providing support bid successes and are determined that it for schools in need. For me, it is essential that Tuesday 8th December 4-6pm is possible to provide high quality training self-evaluation is sharp, focused and timely “The Poverty of Aspiration Myth” opportunities, to be delivered locally, with so that actions have impact to ensure schools Presented by Eleanor Bernades and Dr Sam high rates of engagement and participation continue an upward trend of improvement Baars, LKM all at low cost. To this end we thank the Head over time. The work of the Challenge Partner Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre Teacher Associations, the Local Authority, Hub alongside the Teaching School will be the Bath and Wells Diocese and the Taunton key in providing training and opportunity to Thursday 4th February 4-6pm Community Learning Partnership for their develop these skills at all leadership levels. Title to be announced recent sponsorship of the well-attended Presented by Sir David Carter, Regional “Making Sense of Change” event, the feedback Finally, to keep up to date please visit the Schools Commissioner South West of which was very positive. Teaching School website regularly and follow Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre our Facebook page and Twitter feed. The Regional Schools Commissioner is clear Future topics include: that Teaching School Alliance’s core work now Character Education: Taught and Caught will be in school-to-school support and school Seizing the Agenda improvement work and as such I am exploring Presentations by Sir David Carter and Sue Rogers Other teaching schools in Somerset If there are any topics that you are Wessex Teaching School www.wessexteachingschool.co.uk interested in seeing then please email The Partnership Teaching School www.thepartnershipteachingschool.com [email protected] with your suggestion NEWSLETTER 2 | NOVEMBER 2015 Taunton Teaching Alliance Vision and Strategic School improvement Goals 2015-18 grants for school-to- elow you can find a summary of the school support BVision and Strategic Goals for the he Teaching School has been Taunton Teaching Alliance for 2015-18. If you Tsuccessful for the second year would like a more in depth look at our plans running in securing funding to support for the next three years, you can find them on school improvement at the West our website. Strategic Goals - 2015-2018 Somerset Community College and the To have clear structures in place with Taunton Academy. In addition to the Vision regard to Governance, Leadership £40,000 that was secured last year a The Taunton Teaching School Alliance: and Management, Accountability and further £25,000 has been secured this Performance of the Teaching School in year, which will be used to support the Identifies outstanding leadership, teaching relation to the National KPIs. delivery of focused plans using Teaching and learning within the partnership and uses School Alliance expertise. this expertise strategically to raise standards To have identified key strategic partners of achievement across the Alliance and to collaborate with and to have formalised NCTL reported that they “received a large succession plan for the future. working arrangements with them in pursuit of number of applications for funding, far jointly agreed aims with regard to Leadership more than we have been able to fund, and Works collaboratively and strategically with Professional Development, CPD and Research have prioritised funding to those schools a range of ITT providers to ensure a constant and Development so as to have a coherent most in need of support.” flow of trainee teachers into Alliance schools and collaborative offer across Somerset. and beyond. Teacher Subject Specialism Training To have evaluated current ITT provision The Teaching School, in conjunction with Plays an integral role in promoting and and enter into strategic partnerships that the Blue School, Wells has been successful supporting innovation, identifying and ensure growth in the number and quality in Round 1 bids to provide training for nurturing talent in its mission to raise of teachers trained in TTSA schools in both non-specialist teachers of Maths and standards across the Alliance. Primary and Secondary Phases. Roles and Physics securing £45,000 to design Subject responsibilities to be agreed through service Knowledge Enhancement programmes. Offers and provides outstanding opportunities level agreements. The purpose of this training is: for leadership development and professional learning for Alliance members. To have grown membership of the TTSA annually To improve the Maths and Physics and incrementally building capacity across the subject knowledge of non-specialist Is “outward facing” and always seeking to region for distributed delivery of programmes teachers by offering school-led teacher learn from the best. and activities either through aspiring teaching subject specialism training opportunities. schools or other “good” schools. This includes non-specialist teachers Is at the forefront of enabling system who could potentially teach Maths or improvement through networking, To have devised a communication and Physics in addition to their main subject collaboration and through the services that it marketing strategy that is both inclusive and teachers who want to retrain as provides, finding new and innovative ways to and cross phase, ensuring that there is Maths or Physics teachers. achieve this. full participation from Alliance members and that they understand the remit of the To provide greater support to teachers Seeks to build capacity for system Teaching School and how best it can support wishing to return to the profession improvement by empowering schools to them in their work. through access to subject specialism become delivery agents, through both training courses delegation, distributed leadership and To have developed Teaching School effective resource management. commercial activity, having a business plan This programme was launched in July and which balances income and expenditures has 18 teachers on the Maths training Seeks to build strategic partnerships in order achieving financial sustainability. course and 9 on the Physics training to add value to its “offer” and to ensure course. Special thanks go to Rachel Fraser, there is no duplication of work, dovetailing To have an agreed strategic plan for the Deputy Head teacher at The Blue School in with other local networks and local provision of an outstanding professional training Wells and her staff who have done such an improvement initiatives. facility dedicated to the work of the TTSA. excellent job in leading this programme. NEWSLETTER 2 | NOVEMBER 2015 “Making Sense of Change” Character Education: n Wednesday 16th SAPHTO, SAHSP, Somerset County Council and Taught and Caught Oand Thursday 17th the Taunton Learning Partnership. September, Taunton Teaching Tuesday 3rd May Alliance hosted the first two Over the two events, around 130 delegates events in the Inspiring Leadership Programme attended from a variety of 29 schools, om Harrison is the Director of Development “Making Sense of Change”, one for Primary organisations and advisors and were both Tat the Jubilee Centre for Character and schools and one for Secondary schools. Both well received with many attendees