College will lead the way in training up neighbours

A TOP-PERFORMING Moorlands school is to be handed responsibility for supporting hundreds of other schools and training teachers.

Painsley Catholic College, in Cheadle, will become a teaching school ‘hub’ from September.

It forms part of a Government overhaul of school improvement work.

But the changes mean several other schools in Staffordshire will effectively lose their teaching school status to make way for the new super-hubs.

Painsley will be given responsibility for supporting schools in the Moorlands, Stoke-on-trent, Newcastle and Stafford.

The Government says each hub can expect to serve an average of 250 schools and offer a range of training for everyone from new or ‘early career’ teachers through to aspiring headteachers.

They will also oversee school-toschool support, particularly for schools classed as requiring improvement. It could include expert advice on lesson planning, classroom management and how to ‘engage with pupils.’

But it’s not clear if they will use teams of specialist leaders of education (SLES) - serving teachers who previously went into other schools to offer help with a particular subject area or issue.

Rachel Waugh, principal of Painsley Catholic College, said: “We are delighted to have been successfully designated as a teaching school hub.

“It is an important development for the continued professional development of teachers and leaders in education. We are thrilled to be at the forefront of training to ensure the highest quality of teaching and leadership in schools for the benefit of the staff and young people we serve.”

There will be 87 hubs across England, replacing the existing 750 teaching school alliances.

Although Staffordshire was particularly well-served by the teaching school movement, some other parts of the country had little or no coverage. That’s why the Government has been keen to introduce a more strategic approach.

Teaching schools were originally designed along similar lines to teaching hospitals, focusing on growing the next generation of staff.

School standards minister Nick Gibb said: “It is important that teachers and school leaders feel supported in their career.

“The hubs will make this substantially easier, with expert practitioners able to give experienced advice to those schools able to benefit from it.”

It is thought that each hub will get £200,000 of funding and will keep the status for at least three years.

Any high-performing school was eligible to apply.