Teaching Schools:Working in Partnership

Professional learning: working together

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Contents

Foreword 3Designing, delivering and managing ITT programmes 4ITT Recruitment and selection 6Quality assurance of school led programmes 7Mentoring and coaching 8Practitioner enquiry and research 11Access to professional and academic awards 12Developing and delivering professional learning 14Strategic leadership of people development 16References 18

As you will be aware theUniversity of Chichester’scommitment to Initial TeacherTraining and the ContinuingProfessional Development ofteachers has a long history.

In keeping with this, we welcome theTeaching School initiative as anopportunity to work with schools in amore focused way as befits the alliance ofschools serving a particular area.Supporting the development and deliveryof professional learning is at the heart ofthe University.

The University of Chichester’sDepartment of Education comprises ateam of very experienced professionals.Staff have built upon very successfulcareers in school and beyond and arekeen to engage with schools, departmentsand individuals to enhance the pupilexperience. Bringing new trainees into the profession will continue to be a majorfocus but the success of our CPDstrategies has meant the engagement with trainees extends far beyond the InitialTeacher Training Stage.

The partnership with schools has neverbeen stronger and is recognised by Ofstedas a particularly effective component inour ‘outstanding’ status. Developing anetwork of Teaching School alliancesenables those partnerships to flourish stillfurther with colleagues engaging in schoolbased projects and school staff joining usin the university to enhance their own andothers’ professional lives.

To this end the information containedwithin is intended to be illustrative and notexhaustive. You will see that severalinitiatives have developed as a result ofschool colleagues identifying a particularneed and discussing potential solutionswith us. It is our aim to build upon theseto enhance the professional lives ofteachers and in turn make a difference tothose in school. We look forward to theprofessional dialogue and working withyou to that end.

Tony Weaden(Head of Education)

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Foreword

With longstanding experience inthe management and leadershipof an outstanding, (Ofsted2010) ITT partnership alongwith the design and delivery of arange of ITT programmes, theUniversity of Chichester has theexpertise to work with TeachingSchools to devise and contributeto the delivery of effective, highquality ITT provision.

This quality of provision was noted byOfsted (2010) who commented upon:

‘the very strong leadership team whichprovides a clear framework, a vision forcontinuing improvement and close integrationof all teacher education across the phases of provision’‘the high quality of centre-based trainingwhich is creative and innovative’ and ‘highquality training which is carefully personalisedto meet the needs of each individual trainee’.

Collaborative working in this area woulddraw upon the university’s extensiveknowledge of the statutory requirementsfor ITT provision.

Designing, delivering andmanaging ITT programmes

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‘Teaching school alliances will takeresponsibility for: workingstrategically with an accreditedprovider on the management andleadership of the ITT partnershipto ensure joint planning so thatschools and universities maximisethe integration of school andcentre-based training anddetermine which partner is bestplaced to provide key aspects ofthe training programme’

(National teaching schools handbook, 2011)

There are exciting opportunities toenhance creative partnership workingbetween teaching schools and theuniversity. In devising ITT programmes,models of delivery drawing upon provenpractice could include:

• teaching schools hosting university based student teachers for individual, paired or group placements;

• groups of university based student teachers visiting a teaching school to observe good practice;

• staff from a teaching school leading subject or professional study sessions either in school or at university;

• school based trainees attending programmes of university sessions.

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ITT Recruitment and Selection

The University of Chichesterhas longstanding experience of recruitment and selectionstrategies for a range of ITT provision.

The University has the expertise to workwith Teaching Schools to devise aneffective, rigorous recruitment andselection strategy as noted by Ofsted(2010): ‘procedures forrecruitment and selection are rigorous’.

In devising recruitment and selectionstrategies the ex cellent partnership modelsalready employed would be furtherdeveloped and would include:• teaching school staff and university tutors

forming an interview team;• interviewees engaged in

teaching/supporting pupils in a school setting observed by school and university staff;

• interview tasks devised and delivered jointly by the school and university;

• joint recruitment events.

‘Teaching school alliances will takeresponsibility for: working with anaccredited provider on theselection and recruitment of high-quality trainee teachers’

(National teaching schools handbook, 2011)

The University of Chichesterhas long standing, successfulexperience of working incompliance with rigorousexternal quality frameworks,including Ofsted.

The University’s Education Department haswell established, externally verified qualityassurance procedures which operate atprogramme, department and institutionlevel.

Ofsted (2010) noted a key strength of theuniversity’s outstanding ITT provision to be‘monitoring and quality assurance proceduresthat are meticulously applied’.

This success was achieved through rigorousQuality Assurance of the following:• Mentorship across each school and

across the Partnership;• The role of the Professional Tutor;• Recruitment and selection;• Observation and assessment of

student teachers;• Student teacher experience and

entitlement across the Partnership;• Taught provision;• Auditing existing quality assurance

practice;• Setting up and monitoring an

outstanding ITT partnership.

These processes can be tailored to meetthe needs of emerging Teaching School ITTand CPD provision.

‘Teaching Schools will also beresponsible for assuring the qualityof the work that they, their strategicpartners and SLEs undertake’

(National teaching schools prospectus, 2011)

Quality Assurance of school led programmes

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Mentoring and Coaching

For many years the University ofChichester has trained mentorsto support its student teacherson their school placements.

The mentorship programme introducesgeneric skills of mentoring, includinglistening skills, conflict management andeffective target setting. It has been used by school colleagues as a preparation forsupporting student teachers but also forworking with NQTs and experiencedteachers or managing department teams.A teaching School may also wish to explore a programme to promote peercoaching; a process of collaborativeprofessional learning.

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‘Teaching schools will work withalliance schools to build capacity anddevelop the culture required foreffective coaching and mentoring.This includes developing both theskills required by the different formsof coaching and mentoring and theunderstanding of when to use them.’

(National teaching schools handbook, 2011)

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Case studySome schools in the partnership aim tomentor train all their teachers, so that theyare able to fully support teacher trainingand can thus understand its importance inschool improvement.

A partner school approached the universitywith a request for 12 teachers to attendthe mentor training course. The difficultiesof releasing a large number of staff at onetime are evident and the school askedwhether the training could be deliveredother than in the regular locations. Indiscussion with the school a suitable timewas identified (in this case when one yeargroup was on work experience and oneyear group engaged with exams) and twotutors from the university spent threeconsecutive days in the school leading the training.

The school colleagues were able to fulfilsome commitments, such as registration oftheir tutor group, but were also able toexperience a concentrated mentor trainingcourse working collaboratively withcolleagues from a number of departments.This enabled the teachers to work togetherand to follow up initiatives in school afterthe course. Evaluations prove this to be ahigh impact training model which teachingschools may wish to follow.

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Practitioner Enquiry and Research

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As part of the nationalPostgraduate ProfessionalDevelopment programme, the University of Chichesterreports annually the impact of teachers’ school-based/practitioner research and cites examples of the influence that it is making in schools.

Hundreds of teachers that have studied atMasters level with the University ofChichester have their own story to tellregarding the difference it has made tothem and their pupils.

Case StudyPortsdown Primary School, PortsmouthTeachers from Portsdown Primary Schooldeveloped a school-based transitionproject, which had been identified fromschool improvement targets.

The University of Chichester was invited towork with the school to co-design thecontent of a postgraduate certificate inprofessional practice that would enablesuccessful participants to acquire 60-masters level credits. Drawing on theexpertise of colleagues from school anduniversity, a joint programme wasdeveloped to meet school needs and was delivered over one academic year.

As a result teachers undertook a piece ofaction research, which investigated anaspect of transition. Senior managementembraced the initiative wholeheartedly andallocated time in school to carry out theresearch; they have since set up a researchlibrary in the school. From the fivesuccessful participants, two of the teachershave transferred their credits to theMA(Education) and are now studying togain a full MA award.

‘We believe that engagement in R&Dwill be a feature of the most effectiveteaching school alliances’

(National teaching schools handbook, 2011)

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Access to Professional andAcademic Awards

The University of Chichesterhas a long and distinguishedhistory in primary andsecondary teacher training atboth undergraduate andpostgraduate level, plus a wide range of Masters levelprogrammes and a FoundationDegree in Teaching and Learning Support.

The mutual trust and high regard thatexists within the school: universitypartnership is widely acknowledged andleads to many opportunities forcollaborative work in support of school-based projects.

Case StudyBinstead Primary School, Isle of WightStaff from the University’s MathematicsCentre worked in partnership withBinstead Primary School to further developan existing CPD collaboration with localprimary schools into an accredited modulefrom the MA(Mathematics Education)degree programme.

The potential of taught post-graduate studyto enhance standards in mathematics wasrecognised and the head teachersubsequently initiated and coordinated theproject as part of the school’s wider CPDoffer.

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The participating teachers work towardsmodules that support independent school-based work around projects that respondto identified school needs.

The teaching approach minimises the coststo individual schools by replacing moretraditional face-to-face meetings with virtualon-line seminars held in the evenings atmutually agreed times.

‘Teaching schools will work withalliance schools to increase accessand reduce costs for appropriateprofessional and academic awardsand qualifications’

(The National teaching schoolshandbook, 2011)

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Developing and DeliveringProfessional Learning

The Department of Education isthe largest in the University ofChichester and benefits fromhaving a breadth of expertiseand experience amongst itsstaff, most of whom have held senior teaching andmanagement posts in schools.

Continued research in their field hasenabled many colleagues to earn eminentreputations. These combined effectsenable us to be able to respond to nationalagendas and to work with teachers andsupport school-based projects in a bespoke way.

We are always pleased to work inpartnership and/or provide shortcourse/consultancy in areas that helpschools to raise standards and supportschool improvement plans.

‘Teaching schools will ensurethat their alliance is able todraw upon specialist expertisefrom beyond the allianceschools’

(National teaching schoolshandbook, 2011)

Case StudyThe Government’s White Paper TheImportance of Teaching (Oct 2010) clearlystated their intention to address priorityareas: Behaviour management andimproving early reading by promotingsystemic synthetic phonics and assessingreading at age six.

The University of Chichester EducationDepartment has a proven track record of developing and delivering high quality,effective and relevant experiences fortrainees and teachers in both of these areas:

Systemic synthetic phonics: One highly effective delivery modelinvolves University tutors working withschools over a dedicated period of time,during which the trainee develops theirunderstanding and theory of systemicsynthetic phonics; plans sessions; observes best practice; and teaches in a school-setting.

This has proved to be a successfulprofessional learning experience for theschool-based teacher/mentor as well, whoin addition to engaging in the completelearning exercise, also shares theirresources and contributes to a questionand answer plenary event.

Behaviour: The Education Department at theUniversity of Chichester has dedicatedtime and expertise to this area, and hasestablished an innovative project that aimsto explore how ITT students can learn and improve their own behaviourmanagement techniques through theobservation of others.

This project focuses on behaviourmanagement and builds on existing linksbetween partnership schools and currentwork within a TDA Partnership Projectand a schools’ locality behaviour strategygroup . A Special Interest Group aims tobring all current discussion within oneforum (incl. colleagues from schools andthe university).

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Strategic Leadership of PeopleDevelopment

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In December 2010 theUniversity bid successfullyto become a member ofthe National Leadershipand Training Framework,which is managed by theNational College for School Leadership.

The Framework is formed of 41 nationalproviders, of which the University ofChichester is the sole Higher EducationInstitution in the south east region. This is a prestigious and advantageousposition; we benefit from strong workingrelationships with partners and keystakeholders, which enable us to bid forGovernment Leadership and Trainingcontracts until 2014. For instance, in 2011the University led a successful £6.6mconsortium bid to manage and deliver theEarly Years Professional Status programmein the south of England.

‘Teaching schools will supportalliance schools in developingtheir strategic leadership ofstaff development that leadsto school improvement’

(The National teaching schoolshandbook, 2011)

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Case StudyThe University is committed to all aspectsof leadership and managementdevelopment, from the smallest team ofmentor and trainee teacher to the largeteam that is a whole school.

Many of the techniques used in initialteacher training also apply to professionallearning and development. For example, apartner school wanted to ensure that theirSEF evidence (that the school was able toidentify good and outstanding teaching)was suitably rigorous; they approached theUniversity with a request for universitytutors to visit the school to observe Headsof Department/ Heads of Faculty carry outtheir regular observations of members oftheir teams.

This initiative drew on the requirements ofthe University’s initial teacher educationprogrammes, which include jointobservation of student teachers to qualityassure mentor judgements. The universitytutor watched the lesson observation;discussed the judgements with theobserver; witnessed the feedback to theteacher and debriefed the observer.

The process assured the rigour of themanager’s observation; it requiredmanagers to refer to the criteria on whichtheir judgements were based and,

on occasion, to challenge their colleagues. The discussion process made all partiesinterrogate existing practice.

The whole process enabled managers to become acutely aware of their role inmonitoring and improving the quality ofteaching and learning in theirdepartment/faculty.

Department for Education (2010) The Importance of Teaching, London:Department for Education.

Department for Education (2011) Training our next generation of outstandingteachers: an improvement strategy fordiscussion, London: Department for Education.

National College for School Leadership(2011) National teaching schools handbook,Nottingham: National College for School Leadership.

National College for School Leadership(2011) National teaching schools prospectus,Nottingham: National College forSchool Leadership.

Ofsted (2010) University of Chichester InitialTeacher Education inspection report, London: Ofsted.

References

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www.chi.ac.uk/education

Find out moreContact: 01243 812011Email: teachingschools@chi.ac.ukWeb: www.chi.ac.uk/education

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