Spring 2015 issue
IN THIS ISSUE:
 TPAT
• Teach Thurrock
Find the latest copy of the Teaching School Council newsletter
at the link below.
tscouncil.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Teaching-schoolsnewsletter-February-2015.pdf
 Research &
Development –
Expansive Education
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Welcome
Welcome to the latest edition of the Dilkes Primary Teaching School Alliance
newsletter. This newsletter will update you about the activities of the
alliance and all the opportunities that are currently available to you and your
staff.
“Shaping Teachers
to Transform Lives.”
Thurrock Primary Assessment
Tool (TPAT)
While primary schools across the nation
struggle to assess under the new
curriculum and find ways forward
without levels, we believe that in
Thurrock we have the answer.
A working party has been formed which
will work towards ensuring that the
assessment of children against age
related expectations in the new
The starting point for the project is to
collect a wide range of writing
exemplification from across the borough
to create our first set of standards files.
If you have any questions or would like to
be involved in the working party please do
not hesitate to contact a member of the
initial working party named below:
curriculum is consistent and simplified
by providing easily accessible resources
Rhys Latham - Dilkes Academy
and exemplification materials. To aid
the project, funding has been secured
Nicky Haslam – Giffards Primary
from the Dilkes Primary Teaching School
Alliance and the Thurrock Excellence
Kevin Imbush – Somers Heath Primary
Network.
The project intends to create free online
access for all Thurrock schools who
agree to join the project.
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“I was pleased to see the
level of engagement and
enjoyment of the children.
I actually feel excited
about developing my
practice”
DPTSA – Spring 2015
Teach Thurrock
Do you want an exceptional
career as a primary teacher?
The Teach Thurrock Primary
Partnership led by Dilkes
Academy is running an
innovative ITE programme for
both School Direct Salaried and
non-salaried (PGCE) applicants.
You will be nurtured by your
home school, and your training
will follow an innovative action
research model at Dilkes, which
complements the training you
gain at the Institute of
Education.
What our trainees say about our
course.
‘I liked the fact that you knew roughly
where you would be placed.’
‘Hoping for a salaried place, liked the
idea of working locally.’
‘I needed to have a salary whilst
training and also felt that the best
training would be on the job.’
Research & Development
Expansive Education
Following our Ambition, Achievement and
Aspiration Conference, where Bill Lucas was
our guest speaker, many of those who
attended were inspired by Bill Lucas and the
notion of developing teachers in Thurrock to
become life-long learners. As Professor John
Hatte states: “The biggest effects on student
learning occur when teachers become learners
of their own teaching.”
Bill Lucas has recently blogged about this
exciting project.
In recent years it has become fashionable to
knock local authorities. They are, so the
argument goes, inefficient and an
unnecessary brake on school autonomy and
innovation. It would be better to free schools
from their ‘interference’. That local authorities
are a bad idea when it comes to coordinating
schools has become an accepted orthodoxy.
Given the challenging financial times we have
been in, this has also meant dramatic cuts to
any remaining local school improvement
capability, with many authorities able to little
more than ensure adequate school places are
available and deal with safeguarding issues.
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Collaboration between schools where it
occurs these days is most likely to be
through membership of a chain of
Academies – potentially spread across
England – or via voluntary working with a
body such as SSAT or to our own Expansive
Education Network (eedNET).
Thurrock – going against the grain
So it is with genuine surprise and pleasure
that yesterday, I found myself in Thurrock
launching the local authority’s membership
of the eedNET. For the Borough of Thurrock
has decided that spending its money to
enable all 52 of its schools to participate is a
good idea. In fact, following a review of its
provision by ex Ofsted Chief Inspector
Christine Gilbert, they have created the
Thurrock Excellence Network to bring all of
its headteachers together to focus on the
leadership of improvement in schools. The
Network has a budget of £1million over
three years which is devolved to
headteachers – including all four teaching
schools – to distribute.
DPTSA – Spring 2015
DPTSA Calendar of Events
Course Title & Description
MFL Twilight Session
Come along to our FREE MFL twilight
training sessions which will run in Cluster
groups. If schools are unable to attend the
training set for their cluster group, they are
welcome to attend another, provided there
are spaces for that session.
Date/Times
Being Held at Dilkes Academy
Cost
FREE
Session 1
Introduction to primary methodology
Tuesday 20th January 15
Session 2
Games and songs
Thursday 26th February 15
Session 3
Story Telling
Thursday 12th March 15
Session 4
Grammar and Cross-curricular links
Tuesday 14th April 15
MFL Twilight Session
Come along to our FREE MFL twilight
training sessions which will run in Cluster
groups. If schools are unable to attend the
training set for their cluster group, they are
welcome to attend another, provided there
are spaces for that session.
Being Held at Quarry Hill Academy
FREE
Session 1
Introduction to primary methodology
Tuesday 3rd February 15
Session 2
Games and songs
Tuesday 3rd March 15
Session 3
Story Telling
Tuesday 24th March 15
Session 4
Grammar and Cross-curricular links
Tuesday 28th April 15
SPaG for KS1 Teachers
3rd March 2015
Free to Thurrock Schools
This practical and engaging full day course
will be presented by the Havering English
and EAL team and will focus on
strengthening the teaching of these aspects
of English throughout the school. It will:


Develop teachers’ grammatical
knowledge including terminology
and language structure
Enable teachers to develop pupils’
grammar, vocabulary and
punctuation in meaningful contexts
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DPTSA – Spring 2015
SPaG for TAs
A refresher for support staff to improve their
grammar and punctuation knowledge.
5th March 2015
£49 p/p
2 for £75
Outstanding Primary English
Conference
Theme – ‘picture books, creating
characters in words and pictures’
With Key Note speaker Leigh Hobbs
Your choice of workshops includes:

Enquiring Minds must know!

Teaching and assessing writing in
the new curriculum

Writing for Purpose

Phonics

SPAG

English in EYFS
TeachMeet
What is it?
Free CPD for teachers by teachers.
A TeachMeet is an organised but informal
meeting for teachers to share good practice,
practical innovations and personal insights in
teaching.
Why do it?
Learn something new, be amazed, amused
and inspired! It really is the best CPD there
is and it’s free! An opportunity to pick up
new ideas from practitioners from across the
region.
How does it work?
Share an idea, a resource a method that you
find particularly effective for learning. It
could be a website, an activity, a strategy,
absolutely anything!
Deliver a 3 or 7 minute presentation or
come along and watch.
Leading the New Primary Geography
Curriculum
DPTSA, in association with the Geographical
Association, are offering ‘Leading the new
Primary Geography Curriculum’ course. This
course will help you successfully lead
primary geography within the context of the
new curriculum, and raise the standard of
geography teaching and learning in your
class and across your school.
Join us to develop your understanding of
geography’s core knowledge and skills and
learn how to interpret and use the new
national curriculum to plan relevant and
exciting geography.
Find out how geography contributes to other
subject areas and whole school dimensions
such as sustainability, global learning and
learning outside the classroom.
9th March 2015 being held at Park Inn
Hotel, North Stifford Essex.
£199
10th March 2015
Free
17th March 2015
£199
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DPTSA – Spring 2015
Help’ I’m the RE Subject Lead’
DPTSA, in association with RE Today
services, are offering ‘Help I’m the RE
Subject Leader’ course. This course will help
you to become an effective and inspirational
RE Subject Leader in a primary school. This
one-day course will explore the role of the
subject leader, using practical activities to
develop your confidence and understanding
of RE and your leadership and management
skills. There will be a focus on creative
task setting, planning a scheme of work
using your local agreed syllabus or faith
community guidelines, and effective and
manageable monitoring and self-evaluation.
23rd March 2015
£199
HIT subject leader ICT
In September 2014 the new computing
curriculum became statutory, and schools
have had to manage the conversion from
ICT to computing. To help with these
changes, we would like to invite ICT subject
leaders to this useful and informative
course. Over the course of 8 sessions,
participants will become familiar with the
expectations for the new curriculum,
improve their pedagogical knowledge and
acquire a range of leadership skills to
enhance the impact they have across the
school. In addition, there will be
opportunities to observe practice within the
school and hear from local experts.
Session 1
Tuesday 21st April 9:00-4:00
Session 2
Tuesday 28th April 9:00-12:00
Session 3
Tuesday 19st May 1:00-4:00
Session 4
Tuesday 2nd June 9:00-12:00
Session 5
Tuesday 9th June 1:00-4:00
Session 6
Tuesday 16th June 9:00-12:00
Session 7
Tuesday 23rd June 1:00-4:00
Session 8
Tuesday 30th June 9:00-12:00
£850
Leading the New Primary History
Curriculum
Are you concerned about the requirements
of the new History National Curriculum at
KS1 and 2? Do you want to retain a creative
curricular approach which incorporates
history content, still inspires children and
helps to meet OFSTED's latest definition of
outstanding teaching and learning? Are
there areas of new content where teachers
lack subject knowledge? Then this practical
course is for you!
23rd April 2015
£199
6th May 2015 being held at Park Inn Hotel,
North Stifford, Essex
£199
Outstanding Primary ICT Conference
Theme - ‘New computing curriculum’
With Key Note speaker Mark Dorling
Early Bird Offer £175
Mark is a primary-trained teacher with
secondary teaching and industrial
experience. He has taught in mainstream
and selective schools. Mark joined Langley
Grammar School in 2008 to establish and
lead a cross phase (Key Stage 2/3)
transition project called the Digital
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DPTSA – Spring 2015
Schoolhouse, which has involved over 50
primary schools. Mark regularly coordinates
an ICT cluster group of primary and SEN
schools, is a guest lecturer on the
postgraduate programme (primary) at
Brunel University and delivers in-house
training sessions on his areas of interest and
expertise.
High Impact Teaching
Our highly popular 6-week
programme, delivered by Outstanding
teachers and trainers, focuses on supporting
teachers to link research evidence about
high impact techniques, with direct
observation of the methods being used in
real classes.
Headteachers Update with Tim Nelson
These termly sessions will focus on the
latest issues facing schools, as well as
suggestions for leadership teams based on
best practice seen around the country.
The day will include opportunities for
discussion and for questions.
Delegates will receive all the resources that
are referred to during the day to take back
to their settings.
5th June 2015 9am-4pm
12th June 2015 9am-12pm
19th June 2015 1pm-4pm
26th June 2015 9am-12pm
3rd July 2015 1pm-4pm
10th July 2015 9am-12pm
Mike Askew
The session, sponsored by Oxford
University Press and organised by Dilkes
Primary Teaching School Alliance, offers
the opportunity to attend a free full day of
professional development, looking in more
detail at:
What are Big Ideas and why are they
Important?
What are some Big Ideas in mathematics?
Planning and Teaching mathematics with a
focus on Big Ideas.
18th June 2015
£750
Early Bird Offer £700
8th June 2015
£80
Special Offer 2 for £140
£10
Dilkes Primary Teaching School Alliance
Garron Lane
South Ockendon
RM15 5JQ
01708 852128
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For further information
about the Teaching School
Alliance please contact
Michelle Fox.
contactus@dptsa.org.uk
DPTSA – Spring 2015