News

Award-winning Mathematics Mastery programme set to transform maths education in Doncaster.

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Due to the ‘Beast from the East’ we unfortunately had to move this huge event from the original date of 1st March 2018 to a couple of months later. The show finally took place on 2nd May 2018. Although it didn’t feel great at the time this extra time proved to serve us well.

Following the recent Headteacher's Breakfast Briefing attached is the PowerPoint which was presented to colleagues

As you may already be aware, the Doncaster Opportunity Area Launch Event taking place on Tuesday 10th April at the Keepmoat Stadium from 6pm-8pm in the restaurant – second floor, East Stand.

We are excited to announce that we can confirm the change of date for the 2nd School Improvement and Innovation Show which is taking place on the 2nd May.

POSTPONED

Partners in Learning Secondary Teaching School Alliance secured an AQA examiner to deliver training to four colleagues from across four Doncaster schools.

Partners in Learning Secondary Teaching School Alliance secured Jason Bangbala to deliver a training session on 'Conquering Low Level Disruption and Promoting Positive Attitudes'.

Help I'm a Middle Leader, looked at supporting the development of Middle Leadership, from writing action plans, measuring impact, coaching, becoming aware of what is expected of this role, undertaking action research and having the opportunity to work with other middle leaders from different settings.

The First TeachMeet in Doncaster

Due to an increase in demand, Partners in Learning are soon to begin recruiting outstanding leaders to become Specialist Leaders of Education (SLEs).

“Partners in Learning is THE major asset across the system. It is the middle tier that creates and binds the family of schools. Partners in Learning communicates with the local and wider needs of Doncaster schools. No matter your MAT or LA you should invest in Partners in Learning, this is why I support them” Damian Allen, Director of People (DCS/DASS).

As you may be aware £10m of the Teaching and Leadership Innovation Fund (TLIF) is available to all teachers and leaders working in opportunity areas and category 5 and 6 schools.

The Partners in Learning Annual Leadership Conference took place on 16th and 17th November 2017. The two days covered everything Social Mobility…What it means to be a Social Mobility Area nationally, in Doncaster and for our member schools. Workshops were held to provide our delegates with essential continuous professional development.

Five scientists from across two Doncaster schools attended session three of the Physics Subject Knowledge Enhancement Programme, to increase their confidence and competence in delivering GCSE physics.

Headteachers from 47 Primary Schools along with colleagues from Doncaster Local Authority, attended the most successful Partners in Learning Headteachers Breakfast Briefing to date.

As reported in our news article last month, our website designers Moirae Creative had been Shortlisted for 7 Prestigious Awards at the Digital Impact Awards 2017. This included ‘Best Use of Digital in the Education Sector’ for Partners in Learning.

“Research has previously been disconnected to practice – we are now recognising it’s about implementation”. Kate Josephs, (National Operations Director for The Academies Regional Delivery Group in DfE)

The first NQT session of the year took place at Hungerhill School on 20th September. The session was led by John Ryan, Science SLE.

Our website designers Moirae Creative have been Shortlisted for 7 Prestigious Digital Marketing Awards. This includes ‘Best Use of Digital in the Education Sector’ for Partners in Learning.

On Friday 7th July 2017 Doncaster Initial Teacher Training students had an evening of celebration. A good time was had by all!!

“Thanks to Partners in Learning we have the biggest Roots of Empathy project nationally” Roots of Empathy is an evidence-based classroom programme that has shown dramatic effect in reducing levels of aggression among school children by raising social/emotional competence and increasing empathy. Our tiny teachers teach children about feelings and how we must all care for each other.

Partners in Learning in Doncaster is one of eleven schools/teaching school alliances nationally to have won funding to boost the quality of teaching through better use of research. We are thrilled to have been designated as a Research School and to have the opportunity to work with the Education Endowment Foundation, Institute for Effective Education and Research Schools Network. This will enable us to further develop our work with schools, promote the use of evidence based practice and ultimately improve outcomes for children and young people in Doncaster.

Partners in Learning collaborated with Doncaster Local Authority to facilitate the Inspiring Reading for All conference…and what a conference it was!!

“Great day. Many thanks Rob Carpenter, Beryce Nixon, Steve Bower, Emma Bairstow. Creative quality learning for Doncaster children!”

A successful day of recruitment!!

In order to develop future system leaders, and to enable other schools to benefit from the wealth of expertise in many Doncaster schools, Partners in Learning would like to offer Primary Headteachers the opportunity to apply to become a future system leader.

“I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed today's session. It has given me real food for thought in how to ensure that the delivery of all development activities in school is carefully considered not just the content. Diane is inspiring. Thank you”.

The Headteachers Breakfast Briefing and Membership Event took place on 23rd June 2017. We had an excellent turnout. In addition to Headteachers attending, we also saw members schools Senior Leadership Team, Finance Managers and some Chair of Governors.

On the 29th June, Middle Leaders attended the final Middle Leader session where they each presented back a 45 minute CPD session to their peers on an aspect of Middle Leadership. This was followed by a formal celebration event in which Middle Leaders delivered a 5 minute presentation on ‘My Leadership Journey’.

Eight RQTs from Hungerhill, Ridgewood and South Axholme attended this celebration event which took place on the 22nd June.

Headteachers from across eleven schools in Doncaster attended an overnight residential on the 22nd/23rd June. At this event they examined future priorities for Doncaster, looking at how research and development feeds into this whilst providing a more in-depth insight into Partners in Learning Teaching School Alliance.

As the school year almost draws to a close we are taking the opportunity to reflect on the Creating and Leading Learning Schools course which has also come to end.

‘The Senior Leadership Course – ‘Onwards and Upwards' has just been completed by the first cohort and I was invited to attend the celebration afternoon. What I saw was exciting and innovative practice where participants utilised the opportunities for working with professionals outside their own schools. Delegates worked with partners or in triads to visit each other's schools, bounce ideas off each other and support the development of their projects. Participants were not only teachers but people in schools with posts of senior responsibility, including Business Managers and HLTAs. This course lends itself to developing all staff at senior level’ – Head Teacher

Due to an increase in demand, Partners in Learning are soon to begin recruiting outstanding Headteachers to become Local Leaders of Education (LLEs).

Colleagues from across eight different schools attended the Developing Effective Pedagogy Training at Hungerhill School.

A reciprocal reading follow up meeting took place on the 5th April. Helen Redford-Hernandez and Lucie Pond met with representatives from Enhanced member schools to review the Tinsley Meadows training and to look at next steps.

‘We know around 40% of the gap between disadvantaged children and their peers is already there by the age of 5, even the highest-potential children from disadvantaged backgrounds are likely to be overtaken at almost every stage in their life by peers from higher-earning families. Our defining challenge in Britain is to level up opportunity; making sure that all young people get every chance to go as far as their talents will take them.’ Department for Education Jan 2017

Firstly we would like to welcome our five new strategic board members to Partners in Learning; Jeremy Harris (Hatchell Wood Primary), Karl O’Reilly (Coppice School), Helena Honeybone (Town Field Primary), Julie Jenkinson (Bawtry Mayflower Primary) and Alison Navas (Canon Popham CofE Primary).

Partners in Learning contacted three schools with varying priorities. We asked if they would provide some insight to how working in alliance with Partners in Learning has benefitted their school. The schools we approached were: Copley Junior School, Hatchell Wood Primary School and Tickhill St Mary’s C of E Primary School. Here’s what they had to say ………….

Following two separate days of intense focussed work the TSA LLE Regional Training Event came to an end this week.

New College Doncaster has been delighted to have delivered the first 4 sessions in a 6 session programme aimed at teachers delivering GCSE English and GCSE maths.

Monday 20th March 2.15-4.30pm Are you interested in getting into secondary teaching? Come along to Hungerhill's free event and find out about our training programme.

Last week RQT'S from four different schools across Doncaster attended the second of three training sessions to develop their own action research project.

Last weekend seventeen SLEs from five different schools across Doncaster and beyond attended our annual Secondary SLE residential on the 10th/11th March at the National College, Nottingham.

“The role of Middle Managers is crucial to the steady and sustained improvement of schools. The Headteachers and Senior Managers provide the vision but Middle Managers effect the long-term changes, which will raise standards and improve the quality of education.” - Ofsted

Colleagues from seven secondary schools in Doncaster met to discuss language teaching and what constitutes the best pedagogy to deliver outstanding lessons.

The event held on 25th January 2017 at Doncaster Racecourse was a great success.

Over sixty primary and secondary delegates from Doncaster and beyond attended this training session.

Secondary colleagues discuss strategies to improve outcomes for disadvantaged students at the Pupil Premium Network meeting which took place at Hungerhill on 28th February.

2017 got off to a great start here at Partners in Learning.

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Partners in Learning Leadership Team!

Membership of Partners in Learning has surpassed our targets for 2016/17!

The StEP function successful transferred from the LA to Partners in Learning at the start of the academic year 2016/17.

Tickets are now on sale for ‘The 1st Regional School Improvement & Learning Innovation Show’ organised by Partners in Learning.

The majority of our Leadership Programmes have now commenced and feedback has been extremely positive; delegates involved in the Futures Thinking Programme started the course with a presentation from Sir John West-Burnham.

Last week 97 delegates from more than 30 schools across Doncaster attended our annual Leadership Conference, ‘Inspiring Leadership in the Brave New World’ in Nottingham.

The final session of the EEF TA programme took place on 25th November.

40 primary school centred trainees started in September 2016 and will move onto their second contrasting placement in the Spring Term.

Due to the need to increase capacity at Partners in Learning we are now recruiting an additional Administrator to work as part of our established Administration Team.

We would like to thank everyone who applied to become an SLE for Partners in Learning this term.

Partners in Learning System Leaders received their annual core training which took place on 12th and 13th October at the National College, Nottingham.

The Partners in Learning Secondary Teaching School have been designated by NCTL as the training provider for school leaders wishing to become Pupil Premium Reviewers for Yorkshire and the Humber.

Knighted in 2003 for his services to education, Sir John Jones has worked most of his professional life in challenging schools across the North West of England.

Partners in Learning are pleased to announce that we are now offering governing bodies the opportunity to access our team of accredited External Reviewers to support governors in the process of Headteacher Performance Management.

This year Partners in Learning is providing the STEP Function for Primary Schools in Doncaster. The StEP Training for all new and existing StEPs is taking place today at The Mary Woollett Centre.

This CPD day was a new venture for Partners in Learning as three local schools came together to focus on developing literacy across the curriculum.

With the beginning of a new academic year, the vision for the region remains unchanged; to deliver a high quality education for all our young people. I am sure you have all started your term with a review of your examination performance and an identification of what has worked well and what is needed to further improve next year.

Many thanks to the 18 talented Middle Leaders who attended the launch event on the 8th/9th of July at the NCTL Nottingham. We are really excited to be working with these dedicated individuals who want to make a real difference to improving young people’s education across Doncaster. More updates to follow after the first core day on the 30th September.

Many thanks to the SLEs who attended the session allowing us to share our exciting updates. Your input in developing future projects was invaluable and gratefully recieved.

In response to the changing educational landscape we have two new and exciting membership packages for you to choose from for 2016/17...

We have been designated by NCTL as the training provider for school leaders wishing to become Pupil Premium Reviewers for Yorkshire and the Humber.

The Doncaster Education link with Dalian was established in 2012 when a group of Doncaster Headteachers visited Dalian to set up partnership agreements with Chinese primary schools. Doncaster now has 11 Primary Schools linked to schools in Dalian.

The first secondary SLE residential took place on the 10-11th June 2016 and was a big success! The event provided our secondary SLEs with the opportunity to celebrate their success.

The DFE has set out its plans for the next five years in the white paper ‘Educational Excellence Everywhere’.