Download Kent and Medway Teaching Schools` Network Current Chair: Paul

Kent and Medway Teaching Schools’ Network
Current Chair:
Paul Danielsen
Membership:
Alliance
Ashford Teaching Alliance
Shepway Schools’ Teaching
Alliance
Swale Teaching School Alliance
Brook Alliance
East Kent Learning Alliance
New Horizons
Medway Teaching School
Alliance
The Dartford Area Schools'
Consortium
Kaizen Teaching School Alliance
Early Foundations Teaching
Schools Alliance
Mid Kent Learning Alliance
Teaching School Alliance West
Kent and East Sussex
Thames Teaching Alliance
Canterbury Alliance
Lead School/s
Highworth Grammar School
Lady Joanna Thornhill
Primary
Sandgate Primary
St Eanswythe’s Primary
Fulston Manor
Hayesbrook
Danecourt
Rochester Grammar
Joseph Williams Maths
School
Dartford schools
Headteacher/s
Paul Danielsen
Kevin Grout
Weald of Kent
Northfleet Nursey
Maureen Johnson
Pannar Nagar
Allington Primary
Claremont Primary
Patrick Hannaway
Richard Sutton
Smith
Martin Clinton
Pam Jones
Jane Robinson
Meopham Primary
Ifield Special School
Simon Langton Girls
Helen Tait
Jane Garrett
Alan Brookes
Debbie Coslett
Paul Luxmore
Gwynn Bassan
Gary Holden
Maggie Bolton
Structure: There are two groups working within the KMTSN. A strategic group attended by
headteachers of the lead schools and an operational group led by the directors of each of
the teaching alliances. Occasionally sub groups are formed to work on particular projects
such as the LLE pilot.
KMTSN Website
The launch of the KMTSN website is imminent and will be available on www.kmtsn.co.uk.
This will provide a central portal that links directly to all the Kent and Medway teaching
school alliances. It is designed to provide an easy link for schools to find out what support,
research or training is happening in their local areas.
Maths Hub
KMTSN collaboration was successful in gaining a Maths hub for Kent and Medway. The Sir
Joseph Williamson Mathematical School will act as the lead school for a very exciting
opportunity to develop the quality of maths provision, professional development, research
and support in the area. The hub will implement national projects to stimulate improvement
and innovation in maths education. This will complement the school improvement led by
teaching school alliances.
Middle Leadership Training
The majority of alliances provide Middle Leadership courses such as the NPQML or indeed
bespoke training dedicated to the needs of the school. In one alliance 85 teachers have
been trained for NPQML (or equivalent) and 26 are currently being trained. This alliance has
also trained 58 middle leaders in bespoke training at the request of 3 secondary schools.
There are no totals currently available for KMTSN partners but it would be reasonable to
assume similar activity across the alliances. LLSE have trained 305 teachers in NPQML.
Senior Leadership Training
The NPQSL and NPQH courses are available across alliances depending on demand. One
alliance has trained or is currently training 38 senior leaders. LLSE have trained 291 teachers
in NPQSL and 117 in NPQH.
Local Leader of Education (LLE) Pilot
The KMTSN Alliances are 1 of 20 national pilots to explore local solutions to the recruitment,
designation and deployment of LLEs. The group agreed to focus this work in the 2 different
contexts of North West Kent and Medway. The project aims to recruit new LLEs in these
areas in January 2015 and then to provide locally-tailored training, induction and support for
deployment. It is important to tie this work closely with the KLE initiative, offering
opportunities for eligible Headteachers to gain the national LLE designation and enabling
the KLE designation to offer a pathway towards LLE designation.
Talent and Succession Planning Pilot
This pilot focused on the Talent Management Pathways trying to develop structured and
systematic talent management and succession planning. This is in response to the current
national problem of finding and developing future leaders.
Aims:
 Provide opportunities other than, but complimentary to the NCTL suite of Leadership
programmes
 Identify Aspiring Middle Leaders and Aspiring Senior Leaders
 Provide opportunities to experience different models of leadership
 Test the validity of pre and interim NCTL programmes
 Test the validity of a shorter (6 weeks) leadership development programme
 Develop the model of leaders as coaches
In total there were 17 participants coming from 14 schools in the pilot. 13 schools were
used for internship and 16 leaders were trained in coaching.
School to School Support
Teaching alliances have the opportunity to bid for funding to support RI schools where
capacity allows. In the last round which closed in November, 44 maintained schools and 13
academies were identified for support and money has been bid for.
Specialist Leaders of Education (SLE)
Teaching Alliances are responsible for the recruitment, commissioning and deployment of
SLEs. All Teaching Schools operate a shared recruitment process to ensure standards are
benchmarked. In total there are 176 available to support local schools. On November 18th
there was a conference organised to bring together all the SLEs, to provide training, sharing
good practice and networking opportunities.
School Direct
All Teaching School Alliances lead School Direct partnerships through which trainee teachers
are trained in schools. This presents an opportunity for Teaching Schools to provide
pathways for the development of new teachers, through NQT, NQT+1 and into middle
leadership pathways. In Kent and Medway School Direct partnerships have been allocated
664 places for training in 2015-16. Feedback from a current trainee:
‘School Direct teacher training has been an overwhelmingly positive experience for me so
far. The school-based nature of the programme means that I feel very much part of the
school and am constantly learning from the practice of my colleagues. As my teaching
timetable increases, I am growing in confidence and building up skills in a step-by-step
manner. I am well supported by my mentors, who are keen to provide as many training
opportunities for me as possible. These are complemented by training days run by
Canterbury Christ Church University and the Teaching Alliance, which have been extremely
useful for both their content and the opportunity they have afforded me to share experiences
with other School Direct trainees.’
Leadership Training for future leaders
The funding for courses such as the MK+, Leading to Headship and into Senior Leadership
have been severely cut back. This year a small amount of funding (20k) is being targeted at
leaders ready for headship in primary, small, rural, special or coastal contexts. Only 10
places are available and the Kaizen Teaching Alliance is leading on this initiative.
KMTSN is hosting a workshop on 12th December. The aim is to enable schools to work
together to consider priorities for leadership development, to identify priority actions to be
taken forward by schools and to begin to consider how schools might work together to
increasingly lead on the commissioning and provision of school-led leadership development.
KMTSN would like to invite KAH Chairs to the session. This session has been planned in
conjunction with MK+ and LLSE.
Teaching School Council
Dr Gary Holden provides an important link between KMTSN and the Teaching School Council
which is attempting to drive the school led system of improvement.
Teaching Leaders – Johan Jensen
At the request of Pam Jones the KMTSN strategic group met with Johan Jensen representing
Teaching Leaders an educational charity, heavily subsidised by the government, to address
educational disadvantage by growing a movement of outstanding middle leaders from
schools working in challenging contexts. Currently there are over 200 schools in Kent and
Medway that would be eligible for this high quality training. There is a strong focus on
accelerating pupil progress, raising achievement and reducing the tail of underachievement.
There is a cost to the school and it is a two year programme for exceptional middle leaders.
There were a number of headteachers who were or had used this programme and were
highly complementary of the impact it had made. Johan can be contacted via:
[email protected]