Our SLES/ALES

School:
Sandringham School, St Albans

Current Role:
KS3 Coordinator for English

About Me:

At the heart of my role, I am an outstanding practitioner. I have worked hard in eight years to develop a range of teaching and learning strategies that support my students in their progress. Working in two schools other than Sandringham has also allowed me to draw upon a wide range of behavioural and academic experience.

In 2014, I was a core teacher in an English faculty that delivered 96% A-C in English Language and 86% Literature. 100% of my class achieved their target grade in Language. At A-Level this year, my Year 12 English Language class secured an ALPS score of 2 and in my outstanding OFSTED inspections in 2013 and 2014, my lessons were referenced for their exemplary assessment procedure and their high levels of progress.

In terms of curriculum, my role as Assistant Head of English and KS3 Coordinator has offered opportunities to respond successfully to range of changes that have taken place in education. Most recently, I have been part of the working party developing “life without levels” which has resulted in a model implemented in September 2016. This work has been used to support other schools in the process. As KS5 Coordinator early in my career, I have used my knowledge and experience to inform other parts of my role as a manager and leader of curriculum across the faculty.

Within the context of the wider school, I identified an area of development regarding teacher and TA collaboration and successfully completed a HertsCam TLDW research project last year. I was able to feedback to whole staff about my findings. I developed my skills as trainer of outstanding TAs with Olevi in May 2016. Not only will this training impact our own school, I will be delivering Inset within the Teaching School Alliance and beyond.

Furthermore, as Gifted and Talented Coordinator, a large amount of reading and research around talent lead me to believe that this area needed to evolve and modernise to suit our school needs. I successfully re-branded “Gifted and Talented” in its entirety which encouraged a more inclusive approach, an ethos of “gifted and talented for all.”

I am also a trained coach (Olevi, The Power of Coaching) and successfully created and implemented my own coaching programme for post-NQTs. I also currently coach at Sandringham.

Specialist areas of expertise:

• KS3 English Curriculum and Assessment
• Utilising TAs effectively in the classroom
• Coaching

Other areas of expertise:

• Gifted and Talented
• The School’s Direct programme (Lead Tutor)

Recent training:

• Olevi’s “Outstanding Teaching Assistant Programme – Training the Trainers”

School:
St Albans Girls’ School

Current Role:
Specialist Leader in Education, Curriculum Leader for Geography

About Me:

I have been working at St Albans Girls’ School for nearly three years and have previously worked in a large mixed school in North West London and in the independent sector. These schools have varied greatly in terms of ability, catchment and ethos. Through my ten years in teaching I have taken on a range of roles within these schools and have been a middle leader for seven years as both a head of department and head of faculty. I have gained a lot of experience in managing the challenges that come with these roles in order to create a department/faculty that is able to work together effectively to the benefit of the students and the staff. I have led several staff training sessions on middle leadership and dealing with key issues e.g. difficult conversation with staff.

Recently I have had the opportunity to work with departments in other schools with middle leaders that were facing a range of challenges. I have found this to be a thoroughly fulfilling and reflective experience. Through my experience of coaching and mentoring (both ITTs/NQTS and new Middle Leaders) I have been able to support the middle leaders within these department in making short and long term goals, and creating strategies for them to use to meet these.

I am very interested in the development of middle leaders and helping them to establish thriving departments with quality teaching and learning at their core. Through working as a Head of Humanities with a main focus on behaviour for learning, I am also interested in developing strategies to support with BFL and how curriculum design is crucially important to this. I am currently involved in working with the Head of 6th Form in leading the 6th Form teaching and learning working party at STAG’s, I am very interested in effective 6th form teaching and how this can be further developed through strategies such as flipped learning.

Examination boards Teaching:

• Edexcel B Geography GCSE
• Edexcel A level Geography

Specialist areas of expertise:

• Middle Leadership

Other areas of expertise:

• Geography- teaching and learning
• Mentoring- NQT’s/ITT’s and new Curriculum Leaders

Recent training:

• A level (Edexcel)– Marking mock examinations and using feedback effectively
• GCSE (9-1)- Mock Marking Training
• Marking NEA A level Geography
• Effective Middle Leadership

School:
The Totteridge Academy, N20, London

Current Role:
Assistant Principal, Teaching and Learning

About Me:

About Me I am a skilled and experienced teacher and senior leader with a clear vision of what successful learning is.

I am currently employed as an Assistant Principal at the ULT Totteridge academy, a role I have held since January 2015. I lead on Teaching and Learning and am also responsible for CPD in the school. CPD needs are based upon my detailed working knowledge of both teachers and pupils and I target training and support in many different ways. On an individual level, I work closely with teachers, using support plan structures and coaching techniques to improve performance and as a result pupil attainment. I also work with departments, conducting full department reviews and designing appropriate development strategies which are then monitored through line management procedures. On a whole school level, I am responsible for the monitoring of effective teaching and learning, through lesson observation, work scrutiny and detailed analysis of planning materials. I frequently lead whole staff CPD. I have also delivered CPD to middle leaders to enhance their own CPD as well as that of their teams

Previously I was employed for 18 years at the highly successful Central Foundation Boys School in central London and held the roles of Head of French, Exams Officer, NQT induction tutor, and Lead practitioner, as a member of the extended senior leadership team. I have been a professional learning mentor for both new and experienced staff and have much experience of professional coaching. I was responsible for creating a thorough yearlong induction programme for both NQT and experienced teachers, as well as a School Direct partnership with 2 other schools in Islington, and have also delivered CPD on behalf of Islington LEA.

I have completed extensive training on what constitutes effective lesson observation and have participated in shared observations in 3 Ofsted inspections within the schools that I have been working in. I am also a trained Challenge Partners reviewer and have most recently participated in a review of a middle school.

I was appointed an SLE in 2013 and have worked within the Alban Teaching Alliance to support the delivery of modern foreign languages across both key stages 3&4. Furthermore I have recently been working with other SLE colleagues from within the Alban Teaching School Alliance and we have successfully secured national funding to design and implement teacher subject specialism programme for delivery from September 2016

Specialist areas of expertise

• Modern Foreign Languages (French specialism)
• Teaching and Learning
• CPD

Other areas of expertise:

• NQT Induction
• Mentoring
• Teaching and learning

Recent training:

• Effective Lesson Observation (3 days)
• Challenge Partner Reviewer training
• Prevent and safeguarding training

Exam Boards taught:

AQA

School: Sandringham School

Current Role: Assistant Headteacher

About Me

I have currently worked at Sandringham since September 2018 and am responsible for a number of areas including NQTs and RQTs, reporting and assessment without levels, parental engagement, coaching, catch-up funding and the student leadership team.

Previously I worked at Canons High for 7 years where I had a number of roles, the main being Head of English and Media, responsible for the progress of students at KS3-5 in these subjects. In this role, I made a number of changes to the way in which the curriculum was organised, namely reducing the number of areas studies to focus on depth as well as redesigning the KS4 curriculum to include more spacing and interleaving and introducing split classes to improve student experience.

I also held a number of other responsibilities during my time there, the majority focusing on curriculum development, assessment without levels and CPD. A very large project which I worked on in school was introducing a new assessment framework at KS3 which is based on SOLO Taxonomy. This project took 3 years and I was involved from research and development, undertaking a pilot study, review and evaluation before implementation across school. I have also been a coach both in school and, for the last three years, on the DfE Women Ed programme.

My personal interests within education include coaching, teaching and learning and challenge. I have recently worked with NACE on a project around KS3 transition which involved producing an Essentials Guide and delivering CPD including a webinar. I have also worked with NACE in a number of schools on Challenge to help colleagues develop provision and practise. I have found my work in coaching particularly rewarding and very much enjoyed working with women across a number of different schools and with different levels of experience.

Exam Boards taught:

• AQA English Language and English Literature GCSE.
• Previously taught OCR English Literature A’Level at Canons High.

Specialist Areas of expertise:

• CPD

Other areas of expertise:

• Assessment
• Teaching and Learning
• English
• Coaching

Recent Training:

New to Assistant Headteacher Programme

School:
Robert Barclay Academy, Hoddesdon

Current Role:
Specialist Leader in Education, Assistant Headteacher

About Me:

I have been Assistant Headteacher at the school since 2017, responsible for standards, raising attainment, monitoring and internal quality assurance. During my tenure, I have been responsible for implementing numerous strategies which have enabled us to track progress and react to concerns when identified.
I have completed a Masters Degree at the University of Cambridge in Education, focusing mainly on assessment. I have developed methods to increase the efficiency of marking, helping pupils to learn better from the feedback they receive whilst also helping staff to manage their workload. I have implemented these strategies within my faculty and have presented my work to numerous schools at networking events. I am particularly interested in how the information gleaned from marking can be used in a better way to benefit pupils and teachers alike. I am adept at creating systems which work well, whether paper based or using database solutions.
I am also competent in assessment at department/faculty level, particularly in MFL. I have developed a good understanding of what needs to be put in place to enable pupils to make the best progress that they can. Thorough long-term planning and careful consideration of options before changes are made are my key strengths in this regard.
I have supported several NQTs, GTPs and staff during my career. I have also been part of the ‘Life after Levels’ consultation group which supported secondary schools in their move away from National Curriculum levels.

Specialist areas of expertise

• Assessment and marking
• Modern Foreign Languages teaching

Other areas of expertise:

• Curriculum design
• New curriculum updates
• Supporting new staff

Recent training:

• SLE (2016)
• M.Ed (2016) Leadership

Exam Boards taught:

AQA (GCSE and A-Level French and German)

School:
Sir John Lawes School, Harpenden

Current Role:
Assistant Headteacher

Responsibilities:
Teaching and learning;Teacher led development work; SMSC; Assemblies; Harpenden Secondary Schools Trust liaison; Staff cover; Senior link for Year 7, Maths, Media and PSHE/Citizenship

About Me:

I first arrived at Sir John Lawes in 2007, as second in English. After spending four years as head of department, I joined the senior leadership team as assistant headteacher in 2014. Since then, my main focus has been on teaching and learning, and I have led school improvement work, staff development and events in this area. As part of this, I also lead on SMSC education, which has included community cohesion and links with other schools, as well as WRAP training. I am responsible for our HertsCam Teacher Led Development group and am currently in my first year of the HertsCam MEd in Leading Teaching and Learning. Their philosophy of non-positional teacher leadership has had a great influence on the teaching and learning initiatives I have led within our school.

My experience as an English teacher goes back to 2002. I spent the first few years of my career in South London, where I worked as second in English, gifted and talented co-ordinator, and head of year 11. Since becoming an SLE in 2013, I have supported schools with non-specialist English teachers, helped with mock exam moderation, and collaborated with schools to review English provision through a process of meetings, work scrutiny, lesson observation, student voice, and collaborative planning for schemes of learning.

I am most passionate about the benefits of teachers working collaboratively to improve students’ education. I am also interested in ways we can challenge students of all abilities, develop young people’s curiosity, use questioning effectively, engage hard-to-reach families, and find ways to address emotional barriers to learning. I have developed projects on many of these areas and also delivered workshops on other areas, such as: literacy, encouraging students to take pride in their work, and teacher’s use of voice in classroom settings.

Specialist areas of expertise

• I was appointed SLE for English when I was Head of English in 2013.

Other areas of expertise:

• Teaching and learning across the school, including staff development in leading learning and improving teaching, and developing middle leaders.

Recent training:

In the past 12 months I have participated the following CPD activities:

• I have started a Masters in Education with the University of Hertfordshire
• I have been on the reviewing team for 2 Challenge Partners QA reviews, where I led on teaching and learning (Jan 2016) and achievement and outcomes (Oct 2016).
• ‘Crossing the Bridge’, which focused on transition from primary to secondary (July 2016).
• I have led SJL Academies Trust training for middle leaders, as part of our Trust Leadership Conference 2016-17, but also for ATSA (Jan 2016). I also led and participated in the SJL Trust conference for senior leaders in November 2016.
• I have led and attended two Sir John Lawes staff training sessions: learning groups 2015-16 and the annual staff conference (March 2016).

School:
Mandeville Primary School

Current Role:
Assistant Head
KS1 Lead
English & Communication Lead
Y2 Team Leader and teacher
Student teacher mentor

About Me:
I have been working at Mandeville for the past 7 years and over this time I have taught in all key stages. I have had a range of responsibilities in my teaching career including leading music, RE and PSHE and leading Y3 and Y5 teaching teams.

Mandeville is a National Support School and for the past 4 years I have been involved in supporting teachers in other schools. This has included supporting and developing subject leadership (PSHE and English), supporting and developing effective planning and teaching of English, NQT training and support for delivering the English teaching sequence and developing a forum for English Leads to share good practise. In this role I have supported and developed good practise for individual teachers, working with them to identify areas to work on and improving outcomes for the children in the class. I have also given support to English leaders in primary schools, addressing specific issues and working on action plans to improve outcomes. We are a National Support School and as such I have regular visitors watching my teaching and I have also led tailor-made sessions on teaching English to groups of NQTs.

In developing effective teaching of English in primary schools I have a particular interest in developing talk for writing, using drama to support speaking and writing and engaging boys in writing. I am passionate about developing children’s love for reading and have established a weekly Reading Festival in our own school, established book groups across KS2 and developed guided reading across the school that includes regular reading for pleasure.

As part of my role on the Senior Leadership Team I take part in yearly reviews where we look at data, observe all teachers and scrutinise books and then establish our priorities and write a development plan for the year.

Specialist areas of expertise

• My specialism is teaching English in primary school and leading the subject across the school.

Recent training:

• I have received in-house training on supporting and mentoring teachers which led to supporting a range of schools and teachers. In my role as KS1 Lead I have attended training this year on the Y2 curriculum. As part of my English development I lead a Primary Forum for primary English leads and attend regular Hertfordshire cluster meetings for English. I also attended the Herts Growing Great Writers conference in Autumn 2016. I am currently a mentor for a student teacher (ITT) and have attended additional training for that role.

School:
St George’s School, Harpenden

Current Role:
Head of History and Politics
From September 2016 Assistant Head – Curriculum

About Me:

I have been Head of History at St George’s since 2008 taking on Politics in 2014.  St George’s has been graded Outstanding in all of the three inspections of my tenure.  My main areas of expertise lie within History and Politics, leadership and education.  I have successfully managed two periods of major curriculum change (2008 and 2015) and have overseen a significant enlargement of the department.  In 2016 we had 45 Y12 A level students in both History and Politics and 100 at GCSE.  I currently oversee 11 staff. Results are comparable with the best comprehensives in the country. The department I run has an outstanding reputation in the school community.

As an active member of the Historical Association, I remain a strong advocate of the importance of History as a distinct discipline. I have examined in both History and Politics.  I have had a range articles published in Teaching History and have also published guidance for AQA on Controlled Assessment.    A strong collegiate culture drives and shapes the teaching of the department I run and reflects the emphasis of the TLDW I completed on Departmental Subcultures in 2014 with HertsCam.  A strong advocate of History education outside of the classroom, I have led trips to Eastern Europe, Germany and France, and my practice has been enhanced through employment as a teacher – consultant for Rayburn Tours.

I am also interested in Assessment reform and remain committed to the principles of AFL.  I have led INSET on AFL, Strategic Growth and Visible Learning.  In my new role since September (Assistant Head Curriculum) I am responsible for not only standards of teaching, but also curriculum innovation.

Specialist areas of expertise

• History and Politics management
• Leadership and education:  pedagogy and practice.

Other areas of expertise:

• Assessment – AFL
• Visible Learning.
• Mentoring within History
• Staff development and extra-curricular.

Recent training:

• AQA History A Level – The Bigger Picture
• The Future of Assessment 2016 Conference – Keynote by Prof Dylan Wiliam.

Exam boards taught:

IGCSE
AQA: Modern World History (Year 11)
AQA: American Revolution 1760-1803 Politics, American Government and Politics (Year 13)

School:
Bishop’s Hatfield Girls’ School, Hatfield

Current Role:
Head of Humanities
Head of Geography
Global Dimension Co-ordinator
Specialist Leader in Education for Geography

About Me:

I am an enthusiastic teacher of over 30 years who leads by example. I have been employed at Bishop’s Hatfield Girls’ School as Head of Geography for 14 years and Head of Humanities for 8 years.  I have been involved in the SLE initiative for 3 years.

I have extensive experience as a coach/mentor for PGCE Geography students and trainees on the Schools Direct programme, as well as NQT colleagues within Humanities. I have worked effectively and supported many colleagues within the teaching profession, both at my current school, in local consortium schools and also wider afield, enabling them to work collaboratively and also share their approaches of best practice with others they lead. A highlight has been the opportunity of working with colleagues in a range of schools to achieve the prestigious Princes’ Teaching Institute award for Geography. I have a wealth of experience in developing and implementing strategies to raise attainment and standards in Geography, including the tracking of underachieving students and putting in place proactive strategies, such as booster sessions, developing more effective differentiated resources and setting up mentoring of students. Teachers involved have found that their own ability to identify and support underachievers has improved.

Since taking on the role of Head of Humanities RAISEonline and IDSR data has put BHGS in the top 3% of schools nationally. My strong leadership and the high expectations I set colleagues within my team have been a contributing factor. I have led successful initiatives to support PP pupils and work to improve their resilience and self-confidence and arranged master classes and workshops for more able students. My teaching and leadership were identified as ‘outstanding’ by OFSTED. I have extensive experience of the assessment of both GCSE and A-Level. I have held the role of Global Dimension Co-ordinator for over 11 years and have run whole school inset as well as supported staff in developing exciting and interactive resources across all subject areas. I have co-ordinated and inspired colleagues to achieve the International Schools Award and have been able to mentor and work collaboratively with teachers in Kenya, Germany, India and Bangladesh. I have planned and run numerous fieldtrips, educational visits and extra-curricular enrichment activities in the UK and in Europe to expand pupil experiences and foster a greater love of learning.

Specialist areas of expertise

• Geography
• Global Dimension
• Mentoring

Other areas of expertise:

• CPD and lesson observation

Recent training:

• Implementing the new GCSE and A-Level AQA specifications
• Princes Teaching Institute Schools Day

Exam boards taught:

• GCSE:  AQA Specification
• A-Level:  AQA Specification

School:
Beaumont School, St Albans

Current Role:
Head of Science

About Me:

I am currently Head of a large Science department at Beaumont school. I have previously held the role of Key Stage 4 coordinator. In previous roles I have been Head of Chemistry, Head of Year and Head of Key Stage 3. I have been teaching for 15 years and have worked in a Boys Grammar school, a mixed independent school as well as Beaumont.

In 2009, I became a Specialist Leader of Education in Behaviour and Attendance and in 2014 was appointed as an SLE for Science in the ATSA.  I have led on a considerable number of whole-school projects, have chaired a learning Improvement team, presented at conferences and Teachmeets on Outstanding Learning, Numeracy in Science, Easy pedagaogy, and been a member of the Beaumont Teaching and Learning Team.  I have also led a number of INSETs for colleagues at Beaumont and other schools ranging from Implementing BLP to Stretch and Challenge in the classroom.

In my SLE role, I have coached colleagues to promoted posts, supported a non-specialist in her first year of teaching Science and set up a Heads of Science network.  My personal interests in Education are teaching and learning and successfully implementing the new Science curriculum.

Specialist areas of expertise

• Science
• Teaching and learning

Other areas of expertise:

• I am an experienced subject mentor and subject knowledge assessor for trainees and am an experienced examiner for GCSE.

Recent training:

• Secondary Science conference
• Secondary curriculum conference

Exam boards taught:

AQA GCSE Trilogy and Chemistry
AQA A-Level Chemistry

School:
Beaumont School, St Albans

Current Role:
Deputy Headteacher with responsibility for curriculum, assessment and school self-evaluation.

About Me:

At Beaumont I have overseen a review of the Key Stage Three curriculum and the initial implementation of a knowledge-rich approach. In doing so I have drawn on my reading of experts like Michael Young, Christine Counsell and Mary Myatt, but have also sought at all stages to lead change through dialogue and to place the subject leader at the heart of the decision making process. The aim has been to ensure that we provide as ambitious a curriculum as possible, establishing a broad entitlement for all learners, while also laying strong foundations for further study in each subject.
I have taken the lead on data and assessment for several years in more than one school, improving systems and sharpening the tools of analysis along the way. As my own understanding of attainment and progress data has developed, I have come to the conclusion that a good deal of work is needed across the system to ensure that assessment is reliable and provides valid judgements about what students know and can do. Most importantly of all, we need to ensure that all assessments flow logically from the curriculum and are based foursquare on what we want students to learn.
In addition to my main areas of specialism, I have read widely on pedagogy, CPD and other educational issues and am convinced that we can achieve better outcomes for students and also reduce teacher workload. The key to this is to make judicious use of research, applying it to the local context, and to be willing to make tough decisions about dropping the practices which may be embedded, but are not supported by the available evidence.
I have been a Specialist Leader of Education since 2012, when I worked at Sir John Lawes School in Harpenden. I have provided support at a variety of schools in the area since then, covering both whole-school and subject-specific matters.

Specialist areas of expertise

• Leadership of Curriculum.
• Assessment.

Other areas of expertise:

• Evidence-informed pedagogy
• School self-evaluation.
• School improvement planning.

Recent training:

• ASCL Curriculum Conference.
• FFT Data Analysis.
• Ofsted Inspection Framework.
• Lots and lots of reading!
• Growth mindsets led by Carol Dweck.
• Assessment without Levels led by The Key.
• Challenge Partners reviewer training.

Exam boards taught:

Edexcel History, GCSE and A-Level

School:
Sandringham School, St.Albans

Current Role:
Associate Assistant Headteacher
Responsibilities: Staff development (CPD and INSET),  professional mentor, EPQ programme and line management of the arts and theatre.

About Me:

I have taken responsibility for all CPD at the Alban Teaching School Alliance for the last three years and have liaised with over 25 schools in the alliance and beyond in ensuring the ATSA offers a broad CPD provision that both meets the needs of schools and responds to external demands within the profession.  I have specialised in training for middle leaders, staff looking to move from Good to Outstanding and I am a lead facilitator for the Improving Teacher Programme and the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Programme.  I can work with schools to ensure the correct professional learning opportunities are available and also design bespoke CPD packages to match a school setting.

I have supported schools in a range of ways including middle leadership development, supporting new middle leaders, working with teachers to improve classroom practice and in raising accountability for tracking and systems as a middle leader.  I have led training for whole staff and middle leaders on a range of topics including setting a vision, strategic planning, managing difficult teams and leading effective meetings. I have also supported a wide range of projects in music and the arts.

I have over 20 years’ experience as a music teacher and head of faculty and in recent years I have line managed all arts subjects in the school.  Within this role I have lead the strategic development of the arts through changing times for our subjects.  I have completed two full Artsmark applications and established a vibrant Arts Award programme at the school.  I have supported schools in setting up new art provisions, preparing for Ofsted and setting up meaningful schemes of learning.  I am also the lead trainer in Music for all Hertfordshire NQT teachers.  This work is in collaboration with Herts for Learning and the ATSA.

Specialist areas of expertise

• Middle leadership.
• Professional learning.
• Supporting outstanding T&L.
• Observation mentor for ITT and NQT training.

Other areas of expertise:

• Music and the Arts
• EPQ
• Support colleagues in improvement classroom practice, management of teams.

Recent training:

• National Teaching Schools Summit 2016
• Recently qualified as facilitator for Olevi OTAP

Exam boards taught:

AQA GCSE, Edexcel A-Level

School:
Samuel Ryder Academy, St Albans

Current Role:
Head of Mathematics

About Me:

In recognising the challenges facing our young people in response to the increased rigour of the revised GCSE curriculum, I am keen to ensure all students begin their study with robust mathematical foundations. As a mathematics teacher, I have consistently delivered outstanding student outcomes based upon numerous benchmarks. As Head of mathematics, I have developed a high performing team achieving student progress far above the National Average.

As Head of mathematics, I have utilised a coaching approach: recognising and building on areas of strength alongside identifying and developing areas of weakness in a collaborative manner, to develop the efficacy and autonomy of colleagues in a rapid and sustainable manner. This has resulted in student progress substantially exceeding National expectations.

As Head of mathematics for students aged 4-19 in addition to delivering a programme of mathematical enhancement and enrichment at a partner Primary School, I have experience of mathematics teaching and learning across the full spectrum of age ranges and prior attainment levels. This work builds upon earlier success with a project through the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics.

I have an intrinsic desire to share my passion for mathematics with all students and colleagues. I believe everyone has an innate ability as a competent mathematician; it is our role and responsibility as teachers, to nurture and develop this ability over a number of years. Through personalised support and effective coaching, I am temperamentally optimistic all classroom leaders can develop the skills necessary to realise the mathematical potential of all students.

Head of mathematics / SLE
Samuel Ryder Academy (All-Through Academy, St Albans) September 2014-Present

Additional Responsibilities: Head of Year, Mathematics Across the Curriculum Coordinator, Head of Student Leadership, Primary/Secondary Phase mathematics link, Primary-Phase enrichment delivery at partner Primary academy, Secondary-Phase learning-review support at partner Secondary academy, SLE support at local Secondary school

Teacher of Mathematics
Icknield High School (Secondary School, Luton) September 2013-August 2014

Additional Responsibilities: Numeracy Across the Curriculum Coordinator, School lead for Hungary for Calculation Project (NCETM)

Edexcel GCSE marker May 2016-Present

GCSE – Edexcel
A Level – Edexcel

Specialist Areas of expertise: 

• Secondary Mathematics

Other areas of expertise:

• KS2-3 Transition
• Behaviour Management

Training recently attended:

• Coaching Skills for Leaders
• Maths No Problem Teaching – Yeap Ban Har
• Getting to grips with A-Level Statistics
• Strategies to support raising achievement across KS3, 4 & 5

School:
Simon Balle All-through School, Hertford

Current Role:
Second in English Department, with responsibility for KS3.
Line management of the departmental ASAs.

About Me:

I am an experienced teacher who has been in the profession since 1985.  In my present post, I have taught English at Simon Balle for 9 years. Prior to that I taught English and Drama at St Mary’s High School, Cheshunt. I have acted as Head of Department, and been responsible for KS4.  Currently, I am second in English with responsibility for curriculum and progress in KS3.

I am skilled at curriculum development and have significantly strengthened the curricular provision in KS3 to match the needs of the new GCSEs. A current priority is developing responses to literary non-fiction and a creating a sustained focus on contextual factors. In common with many schools, AQA is the exam board we use.  I teach A Level English Literature (AQA LitB), and set up the new curriculum for examined units and NEA.

Through my work with Osiris Outstanding Teaching Intervention, I have developed a keen interest in ways classroom practice can be adapted to increase levels of challenge, engagement and impact.

I line-manage the departmental ASAs, working closely with them to ensure vulnerable students have best targeted provision in all key stages.  I have led development of different forms of intervention to ensure that teaching methods are effective and have sustainable impact.

My areas of interest and expertise include:

• Improving the learning environment to facilitate engagement and progress
• Effective use of iPads and other digital technology in English,
• Behaviour for Learning to ensure engagement and progress
• Whole school literacy, with an emphasis on written accuracy and key terminology
• Transition from KS2 to KS3
• Challenging high attaining students
• Improving progress and engagement in reading, including use of the library and effective deployment of ‘Accelerated Reader’
• Standardisation and moderation at all key stages
• Creative writing, including
• Promoting cultural capital with disadvantaged students

Using feedback effectively to maximise impact and progress

Specialist areas of expertise

• English

Other areas of expertise:

• Drama

Recent training:

• AQA Whole School Literacy
• OSIRIS Education ‘Outstanding Teacher’ Intervention’
• Leadership East NPQML Level 1

Exam boards taught:

AQA

School:
Roundwood Park School, Harpenden

Current Role:
Head of MFL
Professional Coach

About Me:

I have been teaching MFL for 10 years and currently lead the MFL faculty at Roundwood Park School.  My lessons are recognised as outstanding and students are enthused by my creative and innovative teaching.

I am a Subject Mentor for MFL trainee teachers and I also enjoy working with more experienced colleagues to help them recognise and build on their strengths.  I have been a Professional Coach since 2011 and run the Coaching for Leaders training programme for the Alban TSA.

Recently I have been working with other SLE colleagues within the TSA to develop the languages subject enhancement course for teachers, a programme supported by the National College. This TSST course is now being successfully delivered by us as a team.

I have set up and developed a strong support network for PMFL colleagues in the area and lead training sessions to allow a smooth transition from KS2 to KS3 French.  I see the value in networking and creating support structures between schools.

I have experience working with Edexcel GCSE and AQA A Level exam boards.

Specialist areas of expertise

• MFL strategies for primary and secondary colleagues
• Training Year 9 pupils as language leaders.

Other areas of expertise:

• Leading a team
• KS2-KS3 transition
• Coaching

Recent training:

• Carol Dweck on Mindset
• DfE training on setting up a TSST course

Exam boards taught:

Edexcel GCSE, AQA A-Level

School:
The Priory School, Hitchin

Current Role:
Lead Practitioner with a focus on behaviour.

About Me:

I have worked at The Priory School since 2005. I was Head of Mathematics for five years before becoming a Lead Practitioner in 2013. I have been an SLE since 2016 and am currently working jointly with North Herts Teaching Alliance.

I have previously worked closely with the University of Hertfordshire, as a mentor for PGCE and GTP students, and quality assuring the work completed by mentors in other schools.

My current role is based around teaching and learning with a focus on behaviour. Part of this involves supporting teachers with their classroom behaviour management and delivering CPD to whole staff or smaller groups offering practical strategies for the classroom. I have also been sent to support a failing school and worked with colleagues from other schools who need support in moving to outstanding teaching.

Last year I was seconded to Stevenage ESC to support my understanding and develop my skills with students who have behavioural barriers to learning.

Specialist areas of expertise

• Mathematics (support for HoD)
• Teaching and Learning
• Behaviour for learning and rewards systems
• High/Low ability teaching
• Support for those new to teaching
  

School:
Sandringham School

Current Role:
Director of Learning: Computer Science
Hub Leader and Master Teacher for Computing at Schools

About Me:

In my current role as Director of Learning: Computer Science at Sandringham School, and whilst working at Roundwood Park school, I have worked with a number of Primary and Secondary staff and schools in leading CPD opportunities; working to design curriculum models for individual schools, supporting staff in enhancing their subject knowledge and most recently, proposed ideas surrounding assessment without levels within Computer Science.

During and since my degree level studies I have undertaken research surrounding Computing within education across the North West of England and Hertfordshire; I later used findings from this to deliver CPD opportunities within this region as well as a road show in the Channel Islands and other events in Hertfordshire.

I am a practitioner who never settles for anything less than the upmost excellence in all that I do. This is something that has informed my leadership style, I am someone who is motivated to continual improvement, always seeking out the next opportunity and trying to make what may seem impossible, very much reality.

A key motivator for me surrounds the principles of outcomes. Whether through my leadership I am shaping a new initiative or overcoming a small hurdle, my ultimate goal is to improve outcomes for each individual student it will impact upon, as well as the wider school or educational community. As an advocate of continual learning and professional development myself, I thoroughly enjoy helping and sharing insights with others in developing areas of their own practice, subject knowledge and other areas of difficulty.

I have a firm belief that any project, training or initiative that I offer or take part within needs to be fulfilling in the first instance, provide clear guidance and motivation to stimulate a change, but most importantly have maximum impact upon student outcomes and wellbeing.

Specialist areas of expertise

• Computer Science Subject Knowledge
• Curriculum Design and Pathways
• Securing Student Success at KS4 and KS5
• Blended Learning
• Assessment Without Levels
• Flipped Learning

Other areas of expertise:

• Level 2 Google Certified Educator

Recent training:

• SLE training

Exam boards taught:

I currently deliver OCR GCSE and A Level Computer Science. I am also currently work as a Specialist Examiner for these qualifications

School:
Sandringham School, St Albans

Current Role:

Director of Economics, Business and Enterprise – managing a business and economics department, across a range of courses and three key stages. Promoting enterprise on a whole school level across the school.

Gifted and Talented Co-ordinator – Co-ordinating and managing gifted and talented provision on a whole school level.

Herts for Learning Business NQT Tutor – Coaching and training for NQTs across Hertfordshire.

Nottingham Business School Fellow – input and advise on curriculum and teaching and learning developments between secondary schools and universities.

About Me:

In my career thus far I have worked across a range of schools. These have varied in their nature, culture and catchment dramatically. The range of schools is inclusive of inner city schools in Nottingham, a comprehensive school in Bedfordshire and a comprehensive school in St Albans. I became a head of department in my NQT year in Bedfordshire where I developed a Business & Economics department, to later go on to manage and lead the MFL department as well. Last September I moved to Sandringham School in St Albans, to continue leading a Business & Economics department, but also take on the whole school role of Gifted and Talented Co-ordinator.

Educationally, some of the areas I am interested in include; school improvement, narrowing attainment gaps, behaviour management and curriculum design. Thus far I have supported a range of schools departmentally. The support has included curriculum design, teaching and learning strategies, behaviour management strategies and resource design.

Specialist areas of expertise

• Business
• Economics
• Enterprise
• Gifted and Talented

Other areas of expertise:

• Departmental leadership

Recent training:

• SLE training

Exam boards taught:

AQA GCSE Business, AQA GCSE Economics
AQA A Level Business, AQA A Level Economics
Edexcel GCSE Business, Edexcel GCSE Business and Economics
Edexcel A Level Business, Edexcel A Level Economics
Edexcel BTEC Business Level 2,  Edexcel BTEC Business Level 3

School:
Garden Fields School, St Albans

Current Role:
Deputy Headteacher
Curriculum Leader
English Leader

About Me:

I have been Deputy Headteacher at Garden Fields for three years. One of the key parts of my role is Curriculum Lead and English Team Leader. I am responsible for leading on the CPD and Teaching and Learning development throughout the school – balancing high quality outcomes with engagement and enriched learning opportunities.

Over the past three years, I have worked with the Head, SLT and the school team to develop outcomes throughout the curriculum. I am passionate about providing children with the best possible education, whilst creating innovative and exciting curriculum opportunities. Using coaching (and mentoring where needed) to support colleagues to develop their pedagogy is a particular interest of mine.

Prior to working at Garden Fields, I have worked in a variety of schools in Hertfordshire and in Australia. I began my teaching career as an NQT at Shepherd Primary School where I enjoyed developing my own teaching pedagogy, for example, I loved learning about the work of Shirley Clarke, Pie Corbett and Ros Wilson. After a few years, I went travelling to Asia, New Zealand and Australia, where I spent just over a year teaching in Australia. This helped to broaden my experience and helped to develop my teaching further, creating a clear understanding of teaching for a range of needs.

When I returned from Australia, I briefly worked as a supply teacher and I taught in a range of schools in Hertfordshire, before working at Woodhall School in South Oxhey. The school was, at the time graded as ‘Requires Improvement’ and, as a team, we worked to develop the outcomes for pupils, achieving a ‘Good’ at our next Ofsted inspection. After this, I moved to Wood End School in Harpenden where I became senior teacher and English subject leader.

I love teaching English, especially finding ways to inspire children to want to read and write. The balance between having high expectations, clear modelling, engaging contexts and the importance of creating a love of real books underpins a lot of what I teach and lead with English. At both Wood End and Garden Fields, I worked (and continue to work) with colleagues, supporting their teaching of English – including areas such as ‘Talk for Writing’, ‘Big Writing’ and tickled pink/green for growth marking.  I enjoy helping to motivate and inspire teachers to plan engaging and high quality outcomes, providing support and guidance as required.

In addition, through my role as Curriculum Leader, I work with all the subject leaders and SLT phase leaders to develop their leadership of their area of the curriculum/school. This gives me lots of satisfaction, especially supporting them to develop their leadership and confidence, including supporting them to deliver Inset and training to the rest of the school team.

I love teaching and learning and really enjoy developing these skills in others. I am looking forward to using my specialism and skills to support other schools through the Alban TSA.

Specialist areas of expertise

• English
• Primary Leadership

Other areas of expertise:

• Coaching
• Mentoring
• Strategic planning
• English leadership
• Curriculum leadership and enrichment

Recent training:

• ILM Coaching Award

Exam boards taught:

Year 2 and 6 SATs

School:
Sandringham School, St Albans

Current Role:
Head of KS5 Chemistry and a member of Sandringham’s Professional learning team.

About Me:

I have been at Sandringham School, St. Albans since 2000.   I have taught all science subjects to GCSE and A’ level Chemistry. I began my career in Tring school where I held the position of deputy Head of House for 2 terms and Head of House for 1 term. This was the only pastoral system in the school. I then moved to Rickmansworth School to be the Head of Chemistry. This gave me full responsibility for the GCSE Chemistry course and results and the A’ level course and results. After 3 years I also held the position of deputy Head of Year 11 continuing my pastoral experience. I was Head of Chemistry when the changes were made to AS levels and A2 level. This was a huge change at the time and required extensive planning and liaising with colleagues. I then took a career break before returning to teach at Sandringham school. In my previous role as Acting Head of Chemistry I led the department through the current changes from AS and A2 back to the linear course.

My interest is in making science accessible to all and helping all student’s progress to their full potential. I thoroughly enjoy my subject and know that my passion is seen by my students and others. I have been involved with a Chemistry show for the last 7 years and this is aimed at Year 6 students from local primary schools to engage them in the wonder of science through a variety of different experiments. I  have worked with other colleagues in developing the school’s ReAct policy, this looks at structured feedback to help students become more independent through creating tasks for them to complete that will improve their work.

Specialist areas of expertise

• Science teacher.

Other areas of expertise:

• Positions I have held include Head of House, deputy head of House, Head of Chemistry, Deputy Head of Year 11 and Acting Head of Chemistry.
• I have experience in Science and pastoral.
• As part of my PLT role I work with others to develop the learning of students and staff.

Recent training:

• SLE training

Exam boards taught:

AQA GCSE Science and AQA A’ level Chemistry

School:
Sir John Lawes, Harpenden

Current Role:
Assistant Head of Science

About Me:

I have taught Science at Sir John Lawes since 2012 and am a Biology specialist, although I am experienced in teaching all three Sciences to Key Stage 4. As Assistant Head of Science I run our Biology A level course and have overseen its successful transition to the new system of terminal examinations and practical endorsement. I am also responsible for Key Stage 3 Science and have been working to develop the links between Key Stages 3 and 4 so that students of all abilities are effectively prepared for the new linear GCSE courses. I am interested in developing strategies to continually improve Science teaching and learning without adding to staff workload, and in the effective use of data to support progress in the classroom.

In 2014 I carried out a TLDW project through the HertsCam Network looking at differentiation strategies in Sixth Form teaching, and in 2017 I graduated with an MEd in Leading Teaching and Learning from the University of Hertfordshire, taught by HertsCam. My Masters project was based on developing teaching strategies to help students improve their problem-solving skills, which has had a positive impact on teaching and learning and has also led on to developments in approaches to student wellbeing. Through these experiences I have come to appreciate the value of collaboration between teachers to develop solutions that are effective and relevant to their own context and to that of their school, and the potential within schools and departments to improve themselves and to sustain these improvements.

I am also a Head of House at Sir John Lawes, and enjoy the opportunity this provides to engage a wide range of students in competitions, teamwork and activities beyond their academic experiences.

Specialist areas of expertise:

• Science Teaching & Learning

Recent training:

• SLE (2018)
• MEd Leading Teaching & Learning (2017)

Courses taught:

• OCR GCSE 21st Century Science – Combined Science, Biology
• OCR A level Biology A

School:
St George’s School, Harpenden

Current Role:
Deputy Head of House and Teacher of Mathematics

About Me:

I have worked in my current role at St George’s School for 2 and a half years, dividing my time between teaching mathematics and working within the pastoral system of the school across the full age range – and I have a particular passion for pastoral work. I oversee the attendance for my house around 350 students as well as working with my Head of House to support students on a range of pastoral issues. Previously, I was an Assistant Director of Learning for Mathematics at Sandringham School, and Second in Mathematics at King’s (The Cathedral) School Peterborough. I studied Mathematics and Statistics at Edinburgh University, and have a PGCE and Masters in Education from Cambridge University.

In my previous roles I was responsible for writing schemes of work & assessments, line managing staff, analysing results and mentoring NQT’s. I have a particular interest in problem solving and open-ended questions to aid meta-cognitive skills – the topic of my Masters thesis. More recently, my interests in mathematics teaching have been technology-led, particularly in light of the new A Level, and I am working to develop resources to aid students’ use of graphical calculators. I have also led training sessions to staff and students on using graphical calculators, and on using SMART boards to enhance teaching.

I have taught GCSE Edexcel previously, as well as Edexcel A Level, but I currently teach OCR GCSE, FSMQ, A Level and Further Mathematics A Level and have taught the following modules: Core 1-4, Statistics 1&2, Mechanics 1, Further Pure 1. I am also an experienced examiner for Edexcel Statistics 1. On a whole school level, I have completed a training course on Level 3 coaching and I am involved in the set-up of a coaching team at St George’s. I have a personal interest in staff wellbeing and have set up a wellbeing team at school. I have also led inter-school INSET on “Lazy Teaching Methods”, and have led a series of INSETs to new teachers with a focus on managing time effectively and wellbeing. I am also involved with a project currently on promoting positive relationships with students.

Specialist areas of expertise

• Mathematics
• Pastoral

Other areas of expertise:

• Coaching
• Mentoring

Recent training:

• Coaching Level 3 course.
• Conference on Pastoral Leadership
• SLE training

Exam boards taught:

Edexcel, OCR

School:
Roundwood Park School & Further Maths Support Programme

Current Role:
Leading practitioner in mathematics at Roundwood Park School (2 days a week)
Further Maths Support Programme Area Coordinator for Herts, Luton and Harlow (3 days a week).

About Me:

During 26 years of teaching mathematics full-time at Roundwood Park School, I have been second in department, Advanced Skills teacher (with an outreach role in local KS1 and KS2 schools), professional coach, Specialist Leader in Education and Leading Practitioner (developing teaching and learning briefings and effective lesson planning documentation).

Since September 2014 I have worked for the Further Maths Support Programme for 3 days a week and have supported schools in the area with their KS5 provision. This has involved delivering enrichment sessions at KS4 and 5, and teacher training. I hold the NCETM Level 3 Professional Development Lead Accreditation.

As a professional coach I have coached colleagues at Roundwood Park School and I have been involved in the delivery of the successful training course on coaching for the Alban Teaching School Alliance. In collaboration with Leanne Ungaro I have devised and presented a subject knowledge enhancement course which has now completed its second cycle.

My particular interests centre around the support for students and teachers as they engage in problem solving activities and new curricula at KS4 and KS5. Recent activities include setting up network meetings across the county on the 2017 A level in mathematics and presenting training for the Developing Mechanics Teaching work group set up by the Matrix Mathematics Hub.

Specialist areas of expertise

• Key stage 5 mathematics

Other areas of expertise:

• Coaching
• Teacher training
• KS4 enrichment activities

Recent training:

• FMSP Area Coordinator conferences, Delivering Higher GCSE, Level 3 CP Lead

Exam boards taught:

Edexcel GCSE, OCR A-Level

School:
Furneux Pelham C of E School

Current Role:

• Senior teacher at Furneux Pelham C of E School
• Member of SLT
• English, Art and DT Subject Lead
• EYFS Lead

About Me:

I have worked as a primary teacher in Hertfordshire for 20 years since graduating from Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education with a 2:1 BEd.

My roles have enabled me to remain in the classroom while developing my career in three schools across the county.  During this time, I worked successfully as an Advanced Skills Teacher for six years. Those I worked with understood that my knowledge and expertise self-reflective and so made the role of mentor or coach possible.   Head teachers and County advisors have requested continued support from me recognising the impact that my work was having.

My time as an AST has given me a wealth of experience in supporting teachers.  To this end, I have also coached in my own school.  My approach and advice is found to be honest but manageable.  A key strength to my leadership in the classroom is the positive and collaborative environment I create. I have worked with pupils to create routines and resources to encourage a love of learning and a clear understanding of what an effective learner looks like.

Staff have become more creative, taking my lead in their own classrooms.  For example, role play areas enjoyed by children from EYFS to Year 6.  Learning walks carried out by staff and advisors judge my classroom environment and management to be outstanding.

My strengths lie in the job I trained to do, although I am heavily involved in senior leadership responsibilities, I am used most effectively by supporting other teachers.  To my own ends, I often find that supporting and working with others makes me more reflective of my own practice.  I am continually learning and adapting.  Despite being judged as an outstanding teacher, I recognise that my work has changed immensely over the years to meet the growing expectations and standards required to deliver exciting and stimulating experiences.    I am highly motivated to try new and adapted initiatives in my own classroom and I enjoy sharing these with colleagues. To see my led agreed practices embedded in the school to keep our teaching up to date is inspiring.

Specialist areas of expertise:

• Leadership of continuing professional development (CPD)
• Leadership of curriculum (English including spelling and phonics, Art, DT, Assessment)
• Support to experienced teachers and middle leaders
• Initial teacher training (ITT) and newly qualified teacher (NQT) development
• Behaviour and discipline
• Classroom environment

Other areas of expertise:

• County Moderator for Standards at the end of Year 2.
• School-centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT)

Recent training:

• Write Here, Right Now – HfL Annual Primary English Conference
• Raising Attainment Through Broadening Vocabulary
• Understanding and analysing your Early Years Foundation Stage data
• KS1 Moderator Training

School:
Simon Balle All-through School, Hertford.

Current Role:
Assistant Headteacher with responsibility for professional development, performance appraisal, leadership development, Coaching and Mentoring, ITT and NQTs. Line management of MFL and Design and Technology. Sociology Lead Teacher.

About Me:

I have taught for over 30 years and held a range of leadership roles in 4 very differing schools, joining Simon Balle All-through School 10 years ago. I started my teaching career in Cheshire as a PE teacher and held a number of pastoral roles during my early years in teaching. When I moved South I took up my second subject of Sociology and developed a keen interest in teaching and learning and the development of professional learning communities which was a key component of my NPQSL. At Simon Balle I was initially appointed as an Assistant Head with responsibility for Teaching and Learning which remains a key area of focus in my latest role, ensuring teachers engage in evidence- based practice to enhance their teaching repertoire in order to achieve the highest possible student outcomes.

During this time I have supported schools to develop leaders, and in particular middle leaders, in a range of ways, including being seconded one day a week to support a school in challenging circumstances.  I have also worked on behalf of a National Academy chain to deliver teaching and learning INSET and leadership coaching.  Recently I have started to deliver the National Award for Middle Leaders on behalf of SSAT across a network of primary and secondary schools.

Coaching and mentoring is a particular personal area of interest and expertise both within my work in schools and beyond. I have led professional development and implemented coaching and mentoring systems in cross-phase educational institutions and for a National Governing Body. I have coached teachers and leaders on a diverse range of issues, provided coaching on interview techniques and have coached and mentored teachers in their transition to leadership roles and as part of their professional development on such qualifications as the NPQSL and NPQML.

Specialist areas of expertise:

• Professional Development
• Leadership Development
• Teaching and Learning
• Coaching and Mentoring

Other areas of expertise:

• Professional Mentor for Schools Direct
• NQT Induction Tutor
• Mentor for Chartered Teacher Programme
• School Coaching team lead

Recent training:

• SSAT Reducing workload, Creating time
• SCL Smart steps to reduce teacher workload
• SSAT National Award for Middle Leaders training

Examination boards taught:

• OCR Sociology