| Bishop Vesey’s Training School, March 2009 |
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1. BVGS Training School Supported Accredited Staff Development.  Our priority area of development as a new training school was to develop a research culture amongst the staff at BVGS. We introduced the ALR ( Assistant Leadership & Research) Scheme as a means of doing this. This has been presented to governors at previous meetings such as on 19.2.08 by SAB & 5.2.09 by WEP. This sheet accompanies the table listing all the staff at BVGS who are following practitioner focussed research and courses, see APPENDIX 1. These are a as a direct result of the ALR application process outlined in the document, ‘BVGS Training School ‘Flagship Initiative.’ Assistant Leadership & Research Bursaries. BVGS has 66 full time teaching staff equivalent.
Statistics • 19 staff or 29% engaged in accredited practitioner lead research. • 4 x Non teaching staff completing accredited professional development. 2. ITT, Less GTP and more PGCE trainees. We are currently engaged in a fresh round of Initial Teacher Training. For many years our commitment to ITT has been in the form of the GTP programme with as many as 6 trainees at BVGS in any 1 year. This year we will have had 3 GTP full time trainees and 2 second school placement GTP trainees. In addition to this we shall have had 2 first placement PGCE Students and 4 second placement PGCE students. We shall aim to evaluate the pros and cons of PGCE and GTP placements before deciding on the direction for next year. The involvement of BVGS in so much ITT has meant that a large range of staff have received training as mentors. This helps to keep departments up to date with fresh ideas on teaching & learning. See APPENDIX 2. Statistics are as follows: • 11 Staff have received GTP mentor training directly from ITT providers. • 8 Staff have received PGCE mentor training directly from ITT providers. • Within the last year 19 staff have been ‘Skilled up’ as ITT Mentors. • This is 29% of our teaching staff. • The widest range of departments we have ever had are involved in ITT. 12 out of 15 or 80%. This would have been higher if students had not dropped out. 3. CPD and the Training School. a) Professional Development for Staff. I have introduced the following procedure which should help to target the use of Training School funds for CPD funds. I highlighted this procedure on this years annual TS review document and it was accepted as a mechanism to fund CPD : • SAB, GEG & JC decide on a proportion of TS budget which could be labelled as a ‘Departmental Training Fund’. Possibly around £3000 for the remaining financial year, with a view to identifying a budget for the next financial year in light of demand and available funds. • Departments will be invited to: i) identify important Training/CPD Needs. ii) Departments then select staff who should take part in the Training/CPD. iii) Choose the Training/CPD provider. • These requirements are passed on to myself or GEG. We assess each one as an application for funding and decide which we should prioritise. • Any skills/information gained by an individual on any course must then be cascaded to the rest of the department and evidence of this provided to SAB/GEG in the form of a simple evaluation sheet and minutes of a department meeting etc. b) Professional Development by Staff. BVGS has 66 full time equivalent staff. There has long been a significant involvement of staff with CPD. • 21 staff have been involved in the last 12 months. • 32% of staff have contributed to CPD in the last year. APPENDIX 3 illustrates examples of the type of CPD contributions made by staff at BVGS it is in no way exhaustive. 4. Funding of B.V.G.S. Training School, ‘Classroom Coaching Assistants’. BVGS Training School wants to introduce some training direct to the classroom through an innovative scheme which would enable University aspiring students to acquire coaching skills that could, in turn, have a positive impact in the classroom.: I am in the middle of this years process to select and ‘train’ a small number of sixth formers as classroom coaches. • Following the Christmas of the lower sixth year, each department selects 2 sixth formers who are studying their subject who might be effective as classroom based coaches. I should like us to target for those who might be not necessarily become officers or be contributing to school life as sportsmen or musicians, but those good ‘solid’ students who often find that opportunities pass them by. • We would aim to fund a ‘Coaching’ course for all those selected around Easter. By using University based tutor and preparing a credible certificate of course completion this could prove to be an excellent experience for university entrance. • Each coach should then make themselves available for no more than 1 double period per week to be engaged by that department as a Classroom Coaching Assistant. • The role of the Classroom Coaching Assistants would be determined by the head of department and the classroom teacher/s involved. • The coaching role is anticipated to involve working directly with KS 3 or 4 pupils who ask for help and/or are identified as needing help and guidance. It might even be that several KS3 or 4 pupils are not achieving near their expected targets or their classroom behaviour is poor and would benefit from the presence of a 6th form Coach. • This role would provide a useful support for departments. It would engage 6th formers as positive role models and would give also them useful life skills. • If this scheme is successful then we could aim to bring in more 6th formers and grow the scheme. The Future, 2009 – 2010 Financial Year. i. To continue the excellent work of the ALR Scheme. ii. To establish our new CPD management scheme. iii. To trail the sixth form coaching programme. iv. To support the language college both directly and indirectly. v. To oversee, fund & support whole school preparation and improvements to teaching & learning. This will cover much of our Ofsted Preparation. vi. To fund a new i/c ITT post within training school. vii. To examine the sharing of clerical support with Language College. SAB 3.09 |