The ultimate aim of the work undertaken by our learning partnership is to have a positive and sustainable impact on the lives and opportunities of all children and young people by raising standards of teaching and improving learning outcomes.
Besides the work we do as a learning partnership, St. Anthony's works within an alliance - a group of schools and strategic partners that are supported by the leadership of the learning partnership. Working together means a stronger team of professionals and a wider range of knowledge, skills, and experience which can be deployed across the 'Big Six' strands of work undertaken by each teaching school.
Supporting Other Schools
We lead the coordination of school-to-school support. This usually involves working with a school or academy in challenging circumstances to bring about improvement but can also encompass work to ensure standards are maintained at high levels. Priorities are identified to support underperforming schools and academies. Local authorities and Dioceses work with us to support schools in need of improvement. We ensure that the best system leaders are working to improve the quality of teaching and leadership where it is most needed. This includes deciding how to use the services of system leaders to provide support to other schools, such as:
Tiers are used to determine the amount of support an eligible school can get:
A school will get up to 3 days’ support and advice from a national leader of education (NLE) or equivalent to help the leadership team identify and implement improvements within its school.
A school will get:
A school will get:
The tier of support a school receives will depend on its Ofsted inspection history.
Schools:
For all tiers of support, the NLE will work with a senior school or trust leaders to identify improvements in areas including:
These will be delivered through evidence-based support programmes and high-quality system leader support.
For those schools that become eligible for support during the year, DfE will initially contact their trust, diocese or local authority to inform them of the offer available before contacting the school directly.
Our NLEs begin the school to school process, commissioning contracts and brokering support. Here are the main NLEs working currently with our TSA:
Lisa is a passionate and enthusiastic leader who strives to improve the school system both in her own school and across her alliance each and every day. She is currently an active Headteacher at St Anthony's Catholic Primary School, a school rated outstanding under her leadership since 2010, currently providing support to several schools across four local education authorities. She has experience of working in primary schools with very different socio-economic backgrounds but mainly demonstrates expertise in schools with challenging circumstances, especially inner-city locations.
In addition to this role, Lisa is also the Director of the St Anthony's Teaching School Alliance, where she leads all aspects of the Alliance, working with her skilled strategic partners. Lisa has shown proven success in school improvement working with schools in special measures, moving them rapidly to good, and also with RI schools also on their journey to good.
As a leader of an outstanding school, Lisa is keen to showcase the highest of standards within an inner-city location, proving it can be done! Lisa is rated as an outstanding leader of an outstanding school. She is driven and focused on developing whole-school systems and strategies that underpin successful schools. She has mentored newly appointed Headteachers as well as utilising the experience and talent in her own partner schools to support schools in special measures.
Lisa's passion for organisation, developing whole staff and distributive leadership enable her to develop strong teams across a school, improving communication, expectations and raising standards. Within her own school and the alliance, Lisa is blessed to have a number of skilled professionals that excel in each area of school life, with her own school now rated as a national support school with four specialist leaders of education. Lisa has a strong moral sense of service to her alliance and is successful in her aims.
Siobhan is currently headteacher at Rothwell St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in the outer South area of Leeds and has been in post for 8 years. Previously, Siobhan was the deputy head at St Mary’s and held the post for 9 years where she taught in Reception. She started her career in Wakefield, where she taught for 6 years across Year 1 and Year 2. She has led most subject areas and has held positions of leadership either at subject level or school leadership level.
Siobhan has always had a passion for Early Years and Assessment in her career and she thrives on supporting others to develop these areas, as well as others, in the schools she supports. She is a strategic partner to St Anthony’s Teaching School and sits as lead NLE for ITT as well as being a member of the School to School Support team. She has extensive knowledge of system leadership and has supported many schools that have been part of the funded School to School Support grant, as well as those who broker independent support. She is always looking to improve further and develop her own school in its mission to provide the best education for all pupils. She currently has three SLE’s in her own school who support ITT and School to School support.
What do you enjoy most about the teaching profession?
I am passionate about developing schools to ensure that the best possible education is available for all pupils, at all times. I am keen to support staff in their career development and ensure that I hold on to my vision that all members of the school community should be engaged in life-long learning.
‘Each day we leave an imprint of ourselves on the hearts and mind of the pupils we teach’