Spring Newsletter - RSA Academies' Teaching School€¦ · Spring 2019 Newsletter MATTHEW PURSLOW Director of TSA Welcome It is my pleasure to welcome you to the second TSA newsletter

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rsaacademiesteachingschool.org.uk [email protected]

Spring Newsletter

2018-19

www.rsaacademiesteachingschool.org.uk

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



1 RSA Academies’ Teaching School Alliance

Spring 2019 Newsletter

MATTHEW PURSLOW

Director of TSA

Welcome

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the second TSA newsletter of this academic year 2018-19. We have

seen a wealth of activity across the alliance this academic term, and in this new year at a time when

schools and colleagues alike face fresh challenges and developments both locally and nationally. Our

colleagues continue to demonstrate great resilience and support for their peers and for the learners

we support, and for whom we make social justice our focus and agenda as a progressive alliance. The

landscape for teaching schools and alliances is evolving; we continue to play an active part in

consultations and in involving our alliance in opportunities which we feel will benefit our students and

staff: in January we undertook a review of our practice and were rated as ‘Outstanding’ by the Arthur

Terry Teaching School and by Kelvin Peel of the National Teaching Schools Council—we are rightfully

proud of all of our achievements and of the incredible commitment demonstrated by so many

outstanding colleagues from across the family.

Since January, we have been again busy working with colleagues across our academies and partners.

Our ITT colleagues continue to strive for excellence in their training with continuing positive outcomes

with many now securing employment for 2019-20 onwards. In February and March, our dedicated

NQTs & RQTs came together again, with motivation and enthusiasm, to their respective second CPD

sessions, focusing on social justice, effective classroom practice, the Primary curriculum, student

leadership and BFL—I would like to thank all of the fantastic system leaders who, from across the

family, have facilitated these sessions and to our design consultant, Greg, for his innovation and

pioneering creativity in action research. Our TSST courses in Maths & Physics are now drawing to a

close with many immersion and whole school activities now taking place. We are looking to launch and

facilitate ’summer’ TSST courses in Maths across Birmingham and Coventry—more information has

been shared with partners and is highlighted later in the newsletter. Our ‘Leadership’ course 2018-19

in October for aspirant middle and senior leaders from across the family is now also nearing the

project stage of the course, and I would like to thank Mark Healy and Nic Beech for their excellent

facilitation of the course and the bespoke support provided.

Our system leadership provision has been rigorously reviewed ensuring that our designations support

all of our academies in an ever-changing educational landscape and that we grow our school to school

offer to have the most impact on our pupils and their outcomes. We will be interviewing for new SLEs

(Specialist Leaders of Education) ranging across Primary and Secondary phases in the new summer

term, and continue to work closely with Abbeywood Teaching School to expand our offer. The

relationship between Abbeywood Teaching School and the RSAA TSA continues to flourish with the

hugely successful Abbeywood Conference for Primary Headteachers in January with the dynamic

Hywel Roberts and Dr Debra Kidd. As a joint collaboration, our system leader, NQT and ITT offers have

now been combined and the next focus will be to merge our CPD provision to again develop our

cross-phase offer.

As an Alliance, we continue to grow and we are proud to welcome RSA Academy Sutton Park in

Kidderminster, the newest member of the Central MAT—we very much look forward to working with

colleagues from this school.

As we move from one term to the next, I am reminded of a quote from educationalist Marian Wright

Edelmann who says ‘Education is improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and

world better than you found it.’ This quote reflects the essence of the RSAA Teaching School Alliance

and is an integral part of our success and our culture. May I take this opportunity to wish you and your

families a restful Easter and a peaceful and enjoyable holiday.

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Pages

The Alliance—Who’s Who? 3

What we offer as an Alliance 4

News from ITT 5-6

Recent CPD Courses—NQTs/TSST/Leadership 7-8

Abbeywood Teaching School Conference 9

News from RSA Academies 10

Colleague Profiles across all career stages and phases

ITT @ RSA Academy

NQT @ Ipsley CofE RSA Academy

Leadership @ RSA Arrow Vale

SLE @ Hawbush Primary

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Social Media 15

RSA Academies’ Teaching School Alliance

Contents - Spring 2019

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Who’s who in the team?

Matthew Purslow

Director of RSAA TSA

Teresa Wilson

Director of ITT

Mark Healy

Head of Strategy

Nicholas Bradnick-Thompson

Assistant Principal

Adam Richardson

RSA Academies’ Coordinator

Helen Yorke

Programme Manager

Di Smith

Executive Principal

Fiona Thompson

Corporate Services officer

Leigh Danckert

Assistant Principal

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What we offer as an Alliance

Visit our extensive and comprehensive website:

http://www.rsaacademiesteachingschool.org.uk/

for more information about what we do as an alliance. We

offer bespoke training and a range of CPD opportunities. In

summary, our alliance can help and support you progress

from your training all the way through to system & school

leadership.

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News from the Director of ITT (Teresa Wilson) It has been a fantastic year to date, our secondary trainees have completed their two

placements and have made fantastic progress. I’m delighted to share trainees are working at

high levels and reports are suggesting grade 1 & 2 for a majority of them, this is a true

testament to their hard work, dedication and organisation. This is an amazing accomplishment

and they should be very proud of their achievements - I certainly am. Trainees have

demonstrated their resilience over the last few weeks, managing an increase in teaching hours

and assignments. The Design Thinking element of the course facilitated by Greg Klerx, which

supports trainees Enquiry module, has again been a fabulous success. Trainees evaluations of

the sessions have been very positive, with many of the skills shared, transferable into the

classroom. It has been great to hear the discussions and how it impacts classroom and professional practice. I’m very much

looking forward to seeing the presentations later this term.

Trainees are embedding practice and becoming more experienced in a range of Teaching and Learning strategies, during

lesson observations and evidence checks this is clear to see. Trainees continue to be actively involved in their professional

development, supporting and collaborating with each other - the sharing of good practice is vital to support professional

development.

Our Primary trainees are also doing very well, they are coming to the end of their second school placements and again

forecasted grades are grade 1 and 2, which is fantastic. Again, a true testament to their hard work and dedication. It was an

absolute pleasure to be part of their tutor meetings earlier this term and look at the evidence they have collected, lesson

planning was detailed and it was clear to see how much they have developed their professional practice. It demonstrated

clear embedded teaching and learning strategies and further how they are developing a range of resources to support the

children they teach.

Trainees are now looking for teaching positions and I’m pleased to share, Kieran, Yasmyn, Laura and Hannah have secured

teaching positions. There are many interviews coming up over the next few weeks - Good Luck!

Current recruitment for 2019-20 - we have received applications across a range of subjects and interviews are going well; with

a growing secondary and primary cohort for 2019-20. There are still vacancies across many subjects in our family of schools

with very attractive bursaries of up to £27k available in some subject areas; we offer courses in both Primary (early years,

general primary, primary with maths and primary with SEND) and a range of Secondary subjects across the West Midlands.

If you would like further information on how to apply or

information on our courses and provision, please either

contact me directly; alternatively visit our TSA website

and go to the ’Get into Teaching’ section; if you have

friends or relatives who are interested in teaching, please

do encourage them to come and talk to us or to contact

me directly at [email protected]

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ITT Internships

STEM Internships 2019

We have embarked on an exciting new programme to support teacher training

recruitment. We are recruiting Maths and Physics 2nd year undergraduates who have an

interest in teaching, for an exciting four week internship in the summer term. They will

receive a bespoke training programme, with the opportunity to immerse themselves in

the classroom, gaining valuable classroom experience. They will have the opportunity to

develop Teaching and Learning strategies, meet key staff and have the opportunity to

teach small groups of students. If you’re interested in a career in teaching, this is a great

way to gain some experience. A key advantage for interns, will be the opportunity to apply

for a teaching training position at their placement school and have the opportunity to

continue to do work experience after the programme ends.

If you are interested in joining our programme, or would like further information, please

contact me directly on [email protected] the closing date is 22nd May 2019. The

placement will commence in June 2019 for 4 weeks.

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Recent CPD—NQT & TSST

NQT INSET2nd March 2019Teacher Legacy; Social Justice; The Primary CurriculumStudent Leadership; Classroom Practice & BFL

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Recent CPD—Leadership

Our commitment as a Teaching Alliance to developing leaders within the ‘family’

continues this academic year with 22 colleagues from across the family joining us for

leadership training this academic year. The quality of the leadership provision again

demonstrates the ethos and vision of the RSA in realising potential and achieving

excellence. We wish the current leadership cohort every success throughout this year

long course. If you are interested in joining one of our leadership courses, please contact

[email protected] . Further courses will begin I in June.

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RSA Abbeywood Teaching School news

Conference 2019

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‘Since January the RSA Academies team has gone through a series of changes. Colin Hopkins MBE is the new Executive Director and Hannah Breeze is the new Senior Programme Co-ordinator, both started in January. The Social Action in Primary Schools (RSA4) programme has launched and after 3 successful workshops the year

4 students can now return to their schools to launch their own social action projects. The RSA Academies team held three day-long workshops with the commitment leads across the RSA Family of Academies. Each day gave the leads an opportunity to network and feedback best practice to each other and the team, whilst also planning future projects. Martin Robinson’s curriculum review con-tinued, and he has now worked closely with CRSAAT on curriculum design.

The team has been busy fundraising for new projects including a phase 2 for A Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health in Schools. Newer programmes such as the Contemporary Arts Space and Sustainable Fashion projects are in the pipeline too. There is to be a strategy meeting in April, that will look at a recent piece of work looking at what it means to be an RSA School, with the RSA Academies board.

Recent work in the wider RSA Education team includes the launch of The Cultural Learning Evidence Champions Handbook. Alongside this, the projects Schools Without Walls and Pinball Kids are due to publish their finding later this year. The Pupil Design Awards continues to go from strength to strength as the number of schools involved has grown to 21. Information on all these projects and more can be found on the RSA’s website.’


News from RSA Academies—Adam Richardson

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Career Stage Profiles

Name: Steven Wesswood

ITT– Geography

RSA Academy

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I am currently undergoing my teacher training year through the RSA Academies

Teaching School Alliance with my main placement being at RSA Academy in

Tipton. Prior to starting the teacher training programme, I was a Cover

Supervisor with an agency to provide a taster of teaching to ensure that it was

right for me. I was sent to RSA Academy and quickly fell in love with the school’s

ethos and general feeling of positive support I received from staff. I decided that

there was no other school to complete my teacher training.

During my teacher training I have had a wonderful experience and received a

plethora of support from very experienced staff across the RSA Academies

family. I feel that my second placement at Holyhead was challenging but with

the support and guidance from staff, I feel I have gained a wealth of experiences

that I intend to utilise through the last part of the training.

The support network has helped to prepare me for life beyond training. It is my

hope that I can complete my NQT year within the RSA Academies schools. It is

my belief that RSA Academy will provide a more holistic training experience that

allows me to further develop as a teacher. RSA Academy have made me feel

welcome and valued and even encouraged me to actively take-part in curricu-

lum design.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at RSA Academy and look forward to

continuing developing further throughout the teacher training and hopefully

beyond.

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Name: Leah Alcock

NQT – Drama

Ipsley CofE RSA Academy

I have now finished my second term as an NQT at Ipsley CE RSA Academy after successfully completing my Initial Teacher Training with the RSA Teaching School Alliance last year. Prior to my teacher training at RSA Arrow Vale I had worked as an unqualified teacher at Ipsley CE RSA Academy and relished the opportunity to apply for the position of Drama Teacher here.

The transition back to Ipsley as an NQT was fairly smooth; there is such a welcoming and supportive ethos in how they approach staff and pupils. This enabled me to quickly re-acquaint myself with policies and procedures, allowing me to conduct myself professionally as part of the team.

Training with the RSA undoubtedly prepared me for my year as an NQT and gave me the confidence to grasp any given opportunities. I quickly learnt how to liaise with Primary leads and develop a curriculum for Key Stage Two that would embed their learning in other subjects and allow them to experience an alternative perspective in drama. In Key Stage Three I was given the opportunity to create a learning journey that would accommodate our new KASE curriculum. Since then I have been involved in key Co-Design meetings for the department which support the shaping of drama and how this is designed, delivered and assessed. This has been a crucial element of my development as it allows me to liaise across the Trust and be a fundamental cog in bridging the gap in transition between year six and seven and between year eight and nine.

Aside from the developments made in my teaching and learning, I have continued to create extra-curricular opportunities within Ipsley CE RSA Academy by leading and designing the programmes for Drama Troupe, Performance Troupe and Choir. I have encouraged the opportunity for student lead learning within Drama Troupe by inviting Arrow Vale students to Ipsley and asking them to lead on tasks or activities within the Troupe. This is with the intent that the transition from Ipsley to Arrow Vale will be made easier for some of our Key Stage Three pupils. It has also engaged the leadership skills in some of the Troupe which has been a rewarding part of my teaching journey. I have been fortunate enough to solely experience the organisation involved with planning and implementing an external event/trip for Performance Troupe that culminated in a performance at The Palace Theatre as part of the Pyramid Choir.

In conclusion, my journey continues and everyday there are more opportunities on a small and large scale. My training has offered a wealth of support on every level, from my mentors to the team that I am part of. The most vital part of my training has to be that I have gained the creative courage to experience, explore and grasp the new and exciting opportunities that are made available to me.

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My name is Charlene Rawson and I was first appointed at

RSA Academy Arrow Vale in 2012 when the school first embarked its

journey as an academy. It has been a privilege to be part of the

journey to ‘Outstanding’ and also to be part of the RSA Central

Academies Trust family. It is a pleasure to still be a part of the RSA

family on the exciting, forward pathway that we are currently on and I’m excited to see

what the future holds.

As well as being a Physical Education, Health and Social ad Hair & Beauty Teacher, I am

the Team Leader for Year 10 and my role is to support pupils with their academic

achievement. I liaise with pupils, staff and parents to help ensure that all pupils are on

track and meeting their full potential. I also analyse data from our Key Assessments

regularly throughout the year to provide an overview of the year group’s developments

and the levels of progress. It is my role to ensure that all barriers to learning are

removed to enable outstanding learning can take place. Outside of school I enjoy going

to the gym and also fitness classes. Despite being a PE teacher and liking to keep fit, I

am quite a girly girl and enjoy doing my hair, nails and make up (hence teaching Hair &

Beauty).

Since September, I have been part of the RSA Leadership Programme with a focus on

my leadership career pathway. So far, the programme has been interesting; eye opening

and I have learnt a lot of new skills and strategies that I am now trying to implement in

my own leadership role at Arrow Vale. Meeting with colleagues from other schools has

proven useful to share ideas and thoughts but also to see how Senior Leadership roles

can be different in a High School settings compared to a Middle School or First School

setting.

Throughout the rest of the year, I plan to implement the skills that I learn on the RSA

Senior Leadership Programme course to launch and run my project effectively within

RSA Academy Arrow Vale. I am looking forward to the challenge that encompasses this

as it will definitely develop my leadership skills further. My intention is to motivate staff

and students alike to drive the project and hopefully, my project will have a positive,

lasting effect on the staff, school and wider community moving forward.

Charlene Rawson

Team Leader—YR10

RSA Arrow Vale



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CLARE PRICE

SLE—Hawbush Primary

EYFS/Phonics Lead

INTRODUCTION

Clare is a Specialist Leader of Education with an expert knowledge and

understanding of the Early Years Curriculum and Key Stage One.

BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCE

Preschool Manager (Corngreaves Academy, Cradley Heath – Na-

tional Teaching School)

Outstanding EYFS/KS1 practitioner (Corngreaves Academy)

Wider Curriculum Lead – Introducing Innovative approaches

EYFS and Phonics Lead (Hawbush Primary School)

Outstanding ECERS, Year One and Phonic results

Improving provision in EYFS

Supported other practitioners and leaders in other schools in

EYFS,KS1 and Phonics Teaching.

SPECIALISM

Improving EYFS, Phonics and KS1 outcomes

Coaching and staff development

The use of planning and assessment to improve teaching and

learning and accelerate progress .

Transition from EYFS to Key Stage 1

Creating Enabling Environments

Developing innovative approaches to teach the wider curriculum

(Project based learning)

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Social Media Updates

Help us with our ‘ before ‘ challenge!! In August 2019, the RSAA TSA

turn s 4 years old...we would like to have achieved a following of 400 on

Twitter ahead of this and 100 on Instagram. Please keep sharing our

profile and #s to allow us to reach these targets and make sure our

message is spread as wide and far as we can!!

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Documents

Spring Newsletter - RSA Academies' Teaching School€¦ · Spring 2019 Newsletter MATTHEW PURSLOW Director of TSA Welcome It is my pleasure to welcome you to the second TSA newsletter