What is a Teaching School and Teaching School Alliance?

Teaching schools

Teaching schools are good or outstanding schools that play an important role in a school-led system, working with others to provide high-quality training and support for school improvement in their local area. Launched in 2011, there are now more than 800 teaching schools across the country and their role includes:

• Co-ordinating and delivering high-quality, school-based initial teacher training (ITT).
• Spreading excellent practice by supporting other schools, particularly those that need it the most.
• Providing professional and leadership development for teachers and leaders across their network.

To become a teaching school, a school must be judged at least “Good” in their most recent Ofsted inspection and have a proven track record of delivering ITT and supporting other schools.

Teaching school alliances

All teaching schools form alliances between themselves, their partners and the schools they support. Partner organisations vary, but often include a higher education institution, other schools and local authorities.

Alliances offer more than the sum of their parts. Their strength lies in all of the schools and staff in the alliance and the skills and experience they bring. The structure of alliances varies depending on the local situation: some are led by a single school, others by multiple schools or partnerships.

                             

     The Teaching Schools Council  

 

 

The Teaching Schools Council represents all teaching schools. It works with system leaders to promote an inclusive school-led system, as well as leading the designation of new teaching schools.

It is a peer-elected group made up of 17 regional and national representatives, all of whom are serving school leaders of designated teaching schools.

The Teaching School Council has 3 commitments. They want to ensure that every school in England is:

• Entitled to relevant and timely support
• Prepared to be a giver of support
• In an effective partnership