Author: Linda

New Linear Curriculum: The 4 Year Journey

The role of
Teaching School Alliances

NCSL’s vision

Teaching Schools will:
Offer training and support for their own Teaching School Alliance partners
In addition Teaching Schools will identify and co-ordinate expertise from their alliance, using the best leaders and teachers to:
1. Play a greater role in training new entrants to the profession
2. Lead peer-to-peer professional and leadership development
3. Identify and develop leadership potential
4. Provide support for other schools
5. Designate and broker Specialist Leaders of Education (SLEs)
6. Engage in research and development

Whitley Bay High Teaching School Alliance has established a nationally unique model of partnership working with North Tyneside and Northumberland LAs, and a wide variety of different strategic partners regionally, to provide commissioned CPD for individual schools and groups of schools around what NCSL call ‘The Big 6’.
Our vision is to build up a non hierarchical alliance which is both strategic, responsive to need and self funding– to develop a high quality joint ‘School Improvement Offer’ into which schools can ‘buy’ according to need. (for more information about out TSA activities see our separate diagram)
What makes us different from some other TSA is that we are working closely alongside existing School Improvement structures: LAs have a detailed knowledge and understanding of the data underpinning each school’s performance, the characteristics & ethos of each school and the challenges experienced by leadership. By working closely with the school and LA we can provide ‘joined up’ support .
One priority for TSA partnership work to date has been to support schools in challenging circumstances with very specific and measurable curriculum activities/interventions— eg with one school- increasing the percentage of students achieving GCSE English by between 6-9% in 2012. ( for more information see our English Network flyer)

New Linear Curriculum: The 4 Year Journey

The role of
Teaching School Alliances

With our partners we have created a powerful self supporting English Network guiding Heads of English/Coordinators and Senior Leaders through implementation of the new specifications at KS4 & 5 through regular meetings, shared resources, expert email advice & support and peer to peer ‘ learning walks’
Another aspect of our TSA curriculum support offer is the OLEVI accredited Outstanding Teacher Programme and Improving Teacher Programme run at WBHS by a team of 5 ‘Outstanding Facilitators’. There are 9 modules on OTP and 6 in ITP which involve sophisticated coaching strategies to promote reflection, experimentation and increased accountability. 64 teachers from across the region in all phases have gone through these programmes at WBHS in 2011-2012 and have particularly profited from coaching in Lesson Observation using our nationally recognised Teaching Observation Gallery. The evaluations for this programme currently run at 91% delegates rating it as outstanding and 9% very good. (For more information about ITP and OTP contact our administrator dawn.harvey@ntlp.org.uk)
As a result of the success of our OTP and ITP programmes a number of head teachers have approached us to run bespoke T&L CPD in their schools in order to increase the likelihood of them achieving a ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ grade for T&L in Ofsted. Head teachers in schools in Ofsted categories have also worked closely with us to devise differentiated CPD delivered by our team in partnership with key personnel from their own school. The impact has been rapid & sustained.
Our Specialist Leaders in Education (SLEs) are available to provide subject specific curricular support for schools where within-school-variation is a key priority. We can offer additional support in the early implementation stages of the new specifications in September 2012 from within our alliance. Our SLEs have strong track record as curriculum leaders themselves, and as outreach support partners to other schools. We also offer NLE and SLE support for leadership in raising achievement. ( Contact linda buckle@ntlp.org.uk for more information)
In 2012—2013 in conjunction with North Tyneside and Northumberland LAs, we will be offering
a year’s programme of Secondary NQT support,
ITP and OTP
English, Maths and Science Networks ( Maths at KEVI, Science at Cramlington)
AMLP (Aspiring Middle Leader Programme)
OMLP (Outstanding Middle Leader Programme)
Peer to peer Learning Visits programme
Aspiring Leadership Team