Tykes Teaching School Alliance will endeavour to continue to help support and lead a sector led system of school improvement with a view to ensure that the children of Barnsley and beyond receive an outstanding education.
We will achieve this by:
Ensuring that all young people within our schools are awarded with the best possible opportunities and support to achieve their full potential.
Creating a collaborative approach to a self-sustaining school led system based on honesty and trust.
Hosting a pathway for teachers and our school community from pre-qualification to system leadership that will provide personalised continuous professional development (CPD) and learning opportunities.
Offering all school-based professionals CPD with a collaborative learning focus and joint practice development.
Providing opportunities, both individually and collectively, for leadership development within the alliance in order to create a sustainable approach to succession planning.
Enabling all staff to enjoy their chosen careers and to grow and develop in a nurturing, caring environment.
Together, Barnsley schools become part of something more…
Our promise to all our trainees is to deliver progressive school direct teacher training with support, guidance and professional development opportunities.
From the outset, dedicated, experienced mentors and staff within our family of schools welcome you and support you as a member of our school community.
Our team is committed to providing the very best training at the start and throughout your teaching year. They will drive, guide and develop you to prepare you to enter into the teaching profession.
Apply
Entry requirements for the courses are a 2:2 degree, along with GCSE maths, English and science (for primary) at grade C/4 or equivalent.
All teachers are expected to be competent in Fundamental English and mathematics. Initial Teacher Training (ITT) providers are expected to make an assessment of English and maths knowledge of a trainee before QTS is awarded.
The application window for the September 2021/2022 cohort will open via UCAS on Tuesday 13th October 2020.
Please contact our team to find out more about your training options.
Tykes TSA training is fun, innovative and exciting. Training with us will enable you to fulfil your ambition in becoming a future teacher.
From the amazing things you will experience and the day to day things that you will learn, you will certainly have structure and a supportive ‘family’ around you to progress.
School based learning is bespoke to all our individual trainees. You will have an experienced mentor to encourage and guide you throughout your training. You will also have additional support colleagues within your host school as well as tutors from SHU.
Specialist Leaders of Education (SLEs) deliver taught training sessions to ensure trainees are fully equipped to enter the teaching profession. The programme covered is innovative and relevant to the current climate and needs of the local region.
Our family of schools provides many opportunities for sharing excellent practice. Help and support is always at hand whenever you need it.
Nurture
You are safe hands, is our philosophy for all trainees. We foster a nurturing approach to all trainees and provide everything that you need to be the very best that you can be.
Our guiding principle is to support, nurture and grow trainees throughout the alliance.
We champion equality and opportunity for all and we host inclusive working environments for everyone.
At Tykes TSA, we pride ourselves on a holistic support for trainees where the wellbeing of individuals is at the heart of working together. We care.
Grow
Graduating the programme means the award of QTS/PGCE qualifications (60 credits at Masters Level).
Upon graduation, Tykes TSA offers all graduates support to gain employment.
95% of our trainees succeed to secure employment as NQTs before or after graduation.
We are a registered Appropriate Body for Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs), therefore we can continue to support you throughout your first year of teaching and beyond.
We provide an extensive portfolio of career pathways that are available to every teacher starting their journey with Tykes TSA.
We promote a breadth of continuous professional development courses, Newly Qualified and Recently Qualified Teacher programmes, Middle and Senior Leader training and National Qualification programmes.
49
Initial Teacher Training trainees have gained Qualified Teacher Status Tykes through Tykes TSA over the last 3 years. We have a 100% pass rate!
461
Early Careers Teachers have successfully passed their Induction with the support of Tykes TSA over the last 3 years. We have a 100% pass rate!
95
Barnsley Schools have connected with Tykes TSA over the last 3 years to access services such as evidenced based CPD and/or bespoke School to School Support.
133
Schools across the wider region have utilised the services of Tykes TSA over the last 3 years.
Join our family of schools – together we can be part of something more…
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School to School Support
View our individual system leader pen portraits.
Alistair Budd
Local Leader of Education
Alistair is Principal at Upperwood Academy and has supported many schools within Barnsley and further a field. His strengths are supporting schools in their deployment of staff and assisting schools in developing clear systems for teaching and learning to ensure a high quality provision is experienced more...by all pupils. Alistair is the Strategic Lead for Tykes TSA's Initial Teacher Training Programme. He is also a Pupil Premium Reviewer.
Simon Benson
Specialist Leader of Education
Simon is an experienced and outstanding practitioner in Secondary Education, having work for over 10 years in the Barnsley area. As SLE for ITT and NQT Development and Lead for Early Career Teachers at Horizon Community College he annually supports and develops large cohorts of trainees, NQTs and more...RQTs as well as their Mentors and Coaches. Simon is passionate about the application of Instructional Coaching and Deliberate Practice and has developed this as standard practice within the Early Career Teacher provision at Horizon. This has been further enhanced by his role as a Facilitator for the Educational Development Trust's ECF Programme through which he leads Local Groups Sessions to NQTs and their Mentors alike. Although his area of expertise is within Teaching & Learning, Simon spent many years as Subject Leader for History and as a result has also a well-rounded knowledge of Curriculum and Assessment.
Jennifer Hunt
Consultant Headteacher
Jen is an experienced teacher and is now Head Teacher at Hoyland Springwood Primary School. She has supported many schools across Barnsley in various capacities for a number of years; with leaders new to headship, developing quality wave 1 teaching across a school and working 1-1 with teachers and more...leaders to develop their knowledge and expertise.
Gerry Foster Wilson
National Leader of Education
Gerry is the CEO of Every Child Matters Academy Trust. She is an experienced NLE working with schools in a variety of contexts. Gerry has a track record of school improvement including moving schools in special measures to good. Gerry has worked at both national and local level writing national strategy more...and delivering CPD to ensure that this was successfully developed at both national and local level. She has a wide range of experience of leading multi-agency services to meet locally set targets. Gerry represents Headteacher colleagues at the Trust Executive Group and on the Barnsley Alliance Board. This has enabled her to contribute to both educational and wider service policy. She has 3 years’ experience of working as a lead OFSTED inspector. Gerry is currently working alongside the local authority to offer specialist SEND provision to meet the needs of the borough.
Katy Falconer
Local Leader of Education
Katy is the Head of School (Primary) at Holy Trinity and was the previous Head Teacher at Jump Primary School. She has experience of developing leadership, analysing data and action planning to improve outcomes at all levels. She particularly enjoys working as part of a team.
Jenni Wyrill
Specialist Leader of Education
Jenni is an experienced KS2 practitioner and Director of Teaching and Learning where she continues to implement change in order to rapidly raise standards and improve progress across PACT. She has supported schools across Barnsley for many years as an AST and literacy consultant and adores more...developing creative curriculums. Jenni works closely with support staff and supports collaborations in the training, policy writing and planning for effective support staff practice. She also enjoys areas of research alongside working towards her Master of Education.
Theresa Smith
Specialist Leader of Education
Theresa is an outstanding and driven practitioner, who is Head Teacher at High View Primary Learning Centre. Her specialisms are literacy and SEN. Fully updated of the current SEN changes, Theresa is strategically managing the transitional period across schools. With an enthusiasm for literacy, more...Theresa has implemented changes through schools that have raised standards and improved progress. Theresa designed and delivers Tykes TSA's Subject Leader programme.
Tom Banham
National Leader of Education
Tom is the CEO of HCAT. He is an experienced NLE and provides school to school support to schools in a variety of different contexts. He is a lead facilitator on the NPQH Programme and is the Chair of the South Yorkshire Teaching School Hub and represents South Yorkshire Teaching Schools at the EMSYH Regional more...Summit and Local Area SRIB. Alongside this he is also a member of the Barnsley Alliance Board that facilitates the strategic sector led school improvement of Barnsley Schools. He also is a representative of the Barnsley Formula Funding review Group for the Local Authority. This network of support enables him to access an array of specialist knowledge and expertise from a diverse pool of system leaders ranging from NLES, LLES, Consultant Heads, SLES and other field experts across the whole of the Education Sector and beyond.
Billy Fallon
Consultant Headteacher
Billy is an experienced and outstanding Year 6 teacher and Head Teacher at Hoyland Common Primary School. He has supported schools across Barnsley as both an AST and SLE. Teaching of literacy across KS1 and KS2 and having a whole school approach to quality teaching and learning are examples of the more...support he has provided.
Filippa England
Specialist Leader of Education
Filippa is an outstanding practitioner who is currently Learning and Achievement Leader across the Every Child Matters Academy Trust.
Her specialities are in teaching and learning, engaging disadvantaged pupils, and using assessment techniques and data to track pupils and plan for progression. more...With a wealth of experience teaching in KS2, Filippa is particularly interested in encouraging children to become active learners and has implemented changes which help children become more reflective and take ownership of their learning. Filippa is part of Tykes TSA's Initial Teacher Training operational group supporting the recruitment and quality assurance of our Schools Direct Trainees. She is also a facilitator on the Education Development Trust's Early Careers Framework.