The Saffron Alliance: Term 1 2013 – 2014

Forest Hall School King Edward VI Grammar School (KEGS) and Saffron Walden County High School R.A. Butler Primary School

Welcome to the first of The Saffron Alliance update bulletin! Each term we will provide an update of the developments within The Saffron Alliance with a focus on the ‘big 6’ areas provided to us as a remit for our work together. This term has very much been about investigating how we can best work together to develop our own schools and support others, whilst also establishing ourselves as The Saffron Alliance. In pursuit of establishing ourselves as an alliance, we have recently met with a Graphic Designer as we realise how important a ‘logo’ and ‘website’ are. We are hoping to have several possibilities for a logo ready for our next steering group meeting which we will be holding at Saffron Walden County High School on Monday 27 January from 4.00pm – 5.30pm. We do hope you will be able to attend.

Specialist Leaders of Education:

The SLE application process has been successfully completed. In November, we held a selection process led by Hedingham School and Saffron Walden County High School. We have recommended nine Specialist Leaders of Education for designation with the National College of Teachers and Leaders on behalf of The Saffron Alliance. These colleagues are from Hedingham School, Notley High and Braintree Sixthform, R. A. Butler Primary School and Saffron Walden County High School. We believe that we have a very strong group of SLEs, covering both the Primary and Secondary phases, who will be able to provide quality support where it is needed. These colleagues will complete core training in January and will then join the SLE team listed

under The Saffron Alliance taking the total number of SLEs to 23. This year we have deployed three TSA SLEs who are supporting schools locally, whereas the majority of the other SLEs are working on projects with other schools that they started last year.

The first of The Saffron Alliance SLE meetings will take place at SWCHS from 1.30pm – 3.30pm on Thursday 6 March. This will be an opportunity for the SLEs to meet with each other as well as an opportunity to collaborate on approaches to outreach work.

We are meeting with colleagues from the Local Authority before Christmas to start considering where SLE deployment will have the greatest impact. This will inform how SLE area deployed. Of course, this also depends upon SLE availability in 2014.

The Saffron Alliance: Term 1 2013 – 2014

Forest Hall School Hedingham School King Edward VI Grammar School (KEGS) Notley High School and Braintree Sixth Form Saffron Walden County High School R.A. Butler Primary School

Research and Development:

This term TSA has continued to be involved in two very exciting national projects: the first, coordinated by the National College of Teaching and Leadership and entitled ‘Closing the Gap’, is a two year project assessing the effectiveness of a range of intervention strategies designed to raise achievement and thereby ‘close the (achievement) gap’ between groups of students;

the second, coordinated jointly by the National College and the Institute of Education in London, is a two year project answering the question ‘what makes great professional development which leads to consistently great pedagogy?’. For the first project, TSA schools

are now beginning to explore the impact of ‘Growth Mindset’ interventions. For the second project, which is now in its second year, TSA schools are continuing to trial the effectiveness of cross-phase and cross-curricular collaboration with teachers from primary and secondary schools getting together to work in triads. They are continuing to focus on the delivery of extended writing tasks and the impact their collaboration has not only on teachers’ professional learning but also the students’ attitudes towards, and the improved quality of, extended writing. In addition, TSA schools continue to enjoy a very positive and productive relationship with the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge as part of CamSTAR.

This term TSA schools have seen large numbers of teachers attending their own vibrant research communities as they get underway with individual research projects.

CPD:

We have just come to the end of the first Outstanding Teacher Programme (OTP). The cohort comprised of staff from Forest Hall, Notley High and Braintree Sixthform,

and Saffron Walden County High School. We are delighted with the impact that this has had and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Next term, Notley High and Braintree Sixthform will be leading the OTP on behalf of The Saffron Alliance and cohort 3 will be back at Saffron Walden County High School in the summer term. There are still some spaces on the OTP next term so if you would like to book please contact Jackie King ([email protected]).

The National Professional Qualifications in both Middle Leadership and Senior Leadership have started very well. We will continue to run these on behalf of The Saffron Alliance next year. There are certainly opportunities for your colleagues to undertake these qualifications next year, and there may also be opportunities for facilitators allowing the NPQML and NPQSL to

have specific sessions running in different schools. Please let contact Christina Turner ([email protected]) if you are interested in this.

The Saffron Alliance: Term 1 2013 – 2014

Forest Hall School Hedingham School King Edward VI Grammar School (KEGS) Notley High School and Braintree Sixth Form Saffron Walden County High School R.A. Butler Primary School School to School Support:

We have not yet engaged in any formal ‘school to school support’ arrangements and instead have undertaken bespoke support on themes such as marking and assessment. Chelmer Valley High School, Ken Stimpson Community School and Roding Valley High School are some of the schools we have worked with this term. We are intending to meet with the LA before Christmas to discuss the possibilities for more formal arrangements. Any information we gain will help inform our discussions at the steering group meeting on Monday 27 January.

We are planning to deliver some packages aimed at specific aspects of school improvement and have now confirmed dates for:

Outstanding Practice Programme: Thursday 6 February

This is aimed at senior leaders and is a one day programme which will combine lesson observation, discussion with senior leaders and reflection to provide an insight into the

foundations required for outstanding practice.

Developing an Outstanding Sixth Form: Tuesday 14 January

This is a one day course for Heads of Sixth Form Directors of Sixth Form or teachers with management responsibility in the sixth form.

We would like to develop a package of support offers through The Saffron Alliance and so if you would like to lead a course please contact us.

On behalf of TSA we have Succession Planning and Talent Management:

We have not yet developed our actions on ‘Succession Planning and Talent Management’ but would like to be able to offer aspiring middle and senior leaders the opportunity for CPD. We are currently developing a programme for ‘aspiring middle leaders’ which would aim to meet

the needs of teachers who are not quite ready for the NPQML. We would like to develop a similar programme for ‘aspiring senior leaders’. Again, if you would like to be involved in developing these, please contact us.

In the summer term, we are hosting a work shadowing placement for a colleague from Coleridge Community College. This colleague will spend a period of nine full days working with the senior leadership team at SWCHS on a specific project. In time, we would like to offer many

more ‘work shadowing placements’ across schools within The Saffron Alliance. We believe that this will provide a unique experience for a colleague which will develop their understanding of middle or senior leadership. Once we have established a system for this, we will be contacting all TSA schools to ask whether they can host a placement. The Saffron Alliance: Term 1 2013 – 2014

Forest Hall School Hedingham School King Edward VI Grammar School (KEGS) Notley High School and Braintree Sixth Form Saffron Walden County High School R.A. Butler Primary School ITT:

In the recent publication of The Cambridge Teaching Schools’ Network Partnership allocations, 81 places have been secured across the different pathways of initial teacher training (PGCE Schools Direct Non-Salaried, School Direct Salaried and School Direct) for 2014/15. CTSN have hosted two recruitment evenings at which keynote speakers have presented the changing landscape of initial teacher training to audiences of 150 people. The UCAS Teacher Training portal went “live” on the 21st November and we are already processing a number of applications for the courses that we offer.

We are working in collaboration with Comberton Village College and Swavesey Village College to develop a School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) course for 2014/15. We have been allocated 15 places (including “non-shortage” subjects nationally) for our SCITT and the first interview day for the course will take place on the 12th December at Swavesey Village College. This is an exciting development within the alliance and will afford many opportunities for your school to become involved in ITT provision albeit hosting a placement, facilitating a professional studies session or using The Saffron Alliance as a means to high quality recruitment and retention.

If you would like some additional information on the complexities of ITT and/or further details of the subjects available or feel that your school could contribute to the ITT strand of the Teaching School agenda with TSA, please contact Shahla Matarazzo (Director of Teacher Training), [email protected].