Our mission is to support schools to recruit, develop and retain excellent teachers and school leaders, and in doing so to enable them to deliver exceptional outcomes for all pupils, especially the most disadvantaged. We deliver high quality professional development, from Initial Teacher Training to Executive Leadership via the Early Career Framework and the National Professional Qualifications, all underpinned by our core values of equity, partnership and rigour.
It's our goal that every teacher in our area should have access to all the tools they need to improve their educational offering, and the support they need to implement them effectively, no matter their background or situation. Diversity and inclusion are at the forefront of our decision-making and our curriculum, and we work with local schools and school groups to identify their specific needs so we can ensure our courses are tailored to meet them. We offer a wide range of teacher training options, from ITT training and the ECF framework implementation, to CPD courses and NPQs for teachers looking to take their career further. We're here to support the furthering of education, however we can.
London South was designated by the Department for Education as the Teaching School Hub for Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark in February 2021, and launched fully in September 2021. Since then, we have strived to succeed in bringing our mission and vision to our local, in line with our core values.
Our mission is to support schools to recruit, develop and retain excellent teachers and school leaders. We work to enable these teachers to deliver exceptional outcomes for all pupils, especially the most disadvantaged.
We implement our mission through several key areas of practice:
All of our work is underpinned by our three core values; Equity, Partnership and Rigour
Why?
We believe in excellent outcomes for all pupils. However, we acknowledge that more challenging barriers exist for some pupils, schools and communities and that they may require different support to achieve equitable outcomes.
Diversity and inclusion are at the forefront of our organisational decision-making, embedded into the curricula of our professional development programmes. We allocate additional resources to promote equity for pupils, teachers and leaders, and acknowledge that we are on a journey, with always more work to be done.
We believe that the solutions to the challenges faced by our schools can be found within our schools, when we work collectively. By working with local partners, professional development is tailored to local need, maximising the potential for sustained change.
What?
We work collaboratively with schools, local authorities and groups of schools to identify local need in Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark. We then draw on local expertise and relationships to design appropriate support, be it professional development programmes, practitioner research projects or 1:1 support. This support is delivered by local teachers and leaders from schools within the Hub region.
How?
Why?
We know that the most important factors influencing a child’s educational outcomes is the quality of teaching and leadership in their schools. We believe that the best way to ensure that all children have access to high quality teaching is through rigorous professional development underpinned by evidence of what works. We believe that evidence should supplement teacher expertise and not supplant it.
What?
Our CPD is informed by a thorough and careful understanding of the evidence base coupled with exemplification of the evidence in practice. It is led by expert teachers and leaders who have been selected through rigorous application and selection processes.
How?
London South works to achieve three key goals in education across our local area:
1. To be a trusted partner for schools, supporting the development of their staff from Teacher Trainees to Executive Leaders.
2. To build networks of excellence across the Hub region, bringing a coherent approach to understanding and responding to the needs of our school communities and education professionals.
3. To influence governmental decision-making at policy level, acting as bridge between local schools and national policy through effective system leadership.
The role of the Strategic Partnership Board is twofold:
The majority of members of the Strategic Partnership Board (including the chair) are independent of the Teaching School Hub Lead School (and any trust the school is part of, when this applies). The board would normally include:
The chair of the board holds a senior leadership position and is experienced in governance structures. Membership of the board is reviewed on an annual basis. The Teaching School Hub Director also attends each board meeting. Other members of the Teaching School Hub leadership and management team only report to the board as required.
The board provides strategic advice, challenge and support to the Teaching School Hub leadership. The board meets at least three times a year. Timing and main agenda items are specified below: