Blazing a trail in learning

9:00am Thu Mar 14, 2013

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A school is one of the latest 150 in England to be awarded teaching status.

It means Toot Hill School, Bingham, will lead the training and professional development of its staff and work with other schools to improve teaching standards.

Toot Hill, awarded the status in the third wave of selections by the National College for School Leadership, will be able to train teachers in the classroom rather than on university postgraduate courses.

Staff will attend a formal induction at the National College’s learning and conference centre in Nottingham.

Teaching school status is given to less than 2% of the state schools in England.

It is awarded to those judged outstanding by Ofsted and where quality of teaching is found to be outstanding overall.

Wendy Nelson, Toot Hill’s teaching school leader, said: “Becoming a National Teaching School is an exciting opportunity for local schools.

“By creating a network of 22 local primary and secondary schools we will be able to share good practice among staff and continue to develop the best teaching methods and approaches.”

The teaching school initiative, started two years ago, seeks to create 500 teaching schools by 2015.

The programme enables schools to lead a group of local schools, working with other partners including at least one university, to support teachers and leaders.

Jonathan Taylor, a head of school at Toot Hill, said: “This excellent news will benefit students and staff.

“Teaching school status will help to ensure that learning at Toot Hill continues to be engaging, exciting and innovative.

“The teaching school will complement our extensive training programme for staff, which already includes the opportunity for teachers to study for a masters degree in education, in partnership with The University of Nottingham.

“We look forward to working with all of our partner schools in this important initiative.”

Maggie Farrar, executive director at the national college, said: “Teaching schools like Toot Hill should be proud of their achievement as they need to be at the top of their game to take on this role — outstanding in their own performance and have a track record of raising standards through school-to-school support.

“With some 350 teaching schools around the country we are now well on our way to creating a self- improved school-led education system.

“These are the schools that are blazing the trail by harnessing the finest teaching talent in the profession to drive school improvement in innovative ways, and bring real benefits to pupils and staff.”

Schools to work with Toot Hill include Archbishop Cranmer Church of England School, Aslockton, Carnarvon Primary School, Bingham, Cropwell Bishop Primary School, St Peter’s Primary School, East Bridgford, Elston All Saints’ Primary School, Farndon St Peter’s Church of England primary, Flintham primary, Gunthorpe primary and Langar Church of England Primary School.