The Polesworth School and Birchwood Primary School – founding schools of the Community Academies Trust have been chosen to help train the next generation of teachers
There are only 700 Teaching Schools nationally out of 24,000 schools. They take a leading role in recruiting and training new entrants to the profession. They identify and develop leadership potential; they provide support for other schools, and work with schools across their alliance to raise standards of teaching. The latest designation round takes the number of Teaching Schools nationally to over 700.
The Polesworth School and Birchwood Primary School are two of 54 schools in England to be granted teaching school status in the latest round.
Introduced in 2011, Teaching Schools are all rated as “outstanding". They work with partner schools in an alliance to ensure high quality school-led initial teacher training and professional development opportunities for teachers at all stages of their career.
They raise standards through supporting other schools, engage in research and development, and ensure that the most talented school leaders are spotted and supported to become successful headteachers.
Roger Pope, Chair of the National College for Teaching and Leadership, which has responsibility, in partnership with Headteachers from the Teaching Schools Council, for the designation and quality of the teaching schools programme said:
“I’d like to congratulate both The Polesworth School and Birchwood Primary School - they should be very proud of this achievement. Teaching schools have shown themselves to be at the heart of school improvement. They’re supporting other schools, attracting and training the best new teachers and developing the next generation of leaders.“