Hub Models of Partnership Liz Martindale Partnership Coordinator

Hub Models of Partnership Liz Martindale Partnership Coordinator MMU e. martindale@mmu. ac. uk

How and why did this model start? How is it organised? What are the benefits? What are the challenges? What has the feedback from head, mentors and students been? • How does it fit with the White Paper? • Where next? • • •

How? Why? PGCE Hub Model • Alsager cluster of school – 4 schools • Trialled in 2013/14 in helping to decide if they wanted to apply for School Direct • Each school had 2 PGCE students for placement 1. These students then rotated round the schools for PGF. • All students were timetabled for CPD on Wednesday afternoons • Every two to three weeks the eight students would come together for a CPD session in one of the schools. Some of these sessions were delivered by school staff with areas of expertise. On other occasions it allowed the students to come together informally. • The staff led sessions were funded by the money given to schools adopting the hub model.

BA Model Through this model a cluster of schools would ‘adopt’ a number of students for the three years of their degree. The students would be placed in school A for their first year SBT experience, move to school B for their second year SBT experience and finally move to school C for their final SBT experience. If three schools were to work together on this model then two of the schools would have a pod of 3 BA 1 students (2016/17). The following year each school would have two BA 2 students in a paired placement (2017/18) and in the final year each school would have two BA 3 students in separate classes (2018/19). This does not limit these schools to only having these students.

Flexible organisation • Varies from cluster to cluster depending on need, number of schools involved and the programme that the students are studying on. Macclesfield cluster – group of 5 schools all part of the All Hallows cluster of feeder schools • PGCE model with eight students supported across two placements – PG 1 and PGF • As schools vary in size, different schools support different numbers of students e. g. St Alban’s 2 x PG 1 students and 3 x PGF students but St Paul’s had 2 x PG 1 and 1 x PGF • All 8 students come together on a regular basis throughout the two placements for a programme of CPD which is delivered by a variety of staff across the five participating schools.

PGCE Hub Model Overview PGF Placement STUDENT PG 1 Placement School Year group A B C D E F G* EYFS student School 1 Year 5 (paired placement) School 2 Year 2 School 1 Year 5 (paired placement) School 3 Year 1 / 2 School 2 Year 5 School 4 Year 1 School 2 Year 2 School 1 Year 5 School 3 Year 1 / 2 School 5 Year 3 School 4 Year 2 School 2 Year 5 School 5 Year 1 School 1 EYFS

CPD Opportunities • • Over the duration of the two placements the PGCE students have been involved in eight additional CPD sessions. The focus for these have been: Behaviour management and safe guarding; Assessment – Challenging more able children, Af. L strategies, the importance of feedback; EYFS training SEN – Quality First Teaching, making effective use of Teaching Assistants; Reading focus – Reading Recovery, Phonics, Guided Reading; Maths focus – Numicon, Maths mastery; P. E. training; Sharing good practice. In future cycles the students will have sessions on job applications and teacher readiness – progressing to employment and the NQT year.

What are the benefits of the hub model ? • Professional development for teachers who have planned and delivered elements of the training package; • Gaining knowledge and skills based on the first-hand experience of the teachers delivering the training; • Training bespoke to the needs of the group and context of the cluster; • Training covered elements that there isn’t always time for in university sessions; • Students getting the opportunity to visit each of the five schools; • Students working alongside NQTs as a networking opportunity; • Students felt a sense of belonging; • Head teachers get to see a wider cross section of PGCE students with a view to employment potential; • Quality assurance – visits from the professional mentor in the lead school to carry out joint observations and feedback with each of the class mentors in the other participating schools; • Professional development and support for the professional mentor from the University (beyond the scheduled termly professional mentor network events);

What are the challenges? • Organising the rotation of the students around the schools so that they each get the age phase experiences and variety of contexts that will enrich their development; • Organising the workshops and training to be hosted at other schools; • Communication – keeping all of the schools, the students and the University in the loop; • Travelling for the students to the different schools for the training sessions – some schools were much further apart, so geographic locations of schools within the hub needs considering;

Feedback through the research project See handout from Helen Kerry’s joint research project through MMU and ASPE (Association for the Study of Primary Education) • Research project carried out as part of ASPE – school based research project supported by MMU; • Questionnaires to students, class mentors and head teachers; • Feedback from SBT tutor and Professional Mentor; • Head teachers are very keen to continue with the hub model – various benefits but especially with staff development; • Potential of new schools joining the established hub; • New hub being established by one of the head teachers of the original hub; • All students would recommend the opportunity of being part of the hub model; • Impact of the training and network opportunities on the students’ practice and development; • Class mentors felt well supported and willing to continue to support students in future placements under the ongoing hub model; • Teachers who delivered the training continue to be happy to deliver again in the next round.

How does this model fit with the recommendations of the White Paper? • • A high quality teaching profession which embraces evidence-based practice to drive standards up in schools; (Introduction to Chapter 2) All new teachers to enter the classroom with advanced subject knowledge, practical behaviour management skills and a greater understanding … of how to adapt their teaching to unlock the full potential of pupils with a wide range of different needs; (2. 20 & Chapter 6) Schools being more involved/having greater responsibility for the design and delivery of training programmes; (2. 23) Schools increasingly taking the lead in developing and delivering high quality professional development; (2. 46) These are just some of the examples of how the White Paper seeks to raise the profile of school-led ITT and in which the hub model provides some of these opportunities. It is about developing the relationship between MMU and the schools participating in the hub model of partnership, giving schools a greater level of involvement without having to adopt training models such as School Direct, Teach First or SKITTs.

Where next? • For MMU – to continue to grow the number of hubs that are operating across both the BA and PGCE programmes; • For the Macclesfield cluster: – Involving the high school in the training and professional development e. g. delivery of training by a PE specialist; – Bringing new schools on board; – Supporting the development of the new “partner” hub; – Review the training offered; – Continue to research the effectiveness of the hub model and the training opportunities provided within it; – Continue to support and develop reflective practitioners.