Tykes Teaching 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 TA 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 TA, 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 TA 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 TA.
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.
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Initial Teacher Training trainees have gained Qualified Teacher Status through Tykes TA 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 TA over the last 3 years. We have a 100% pass rate!
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Barnsley Schools have connected with Tykes TA over the last 3 years to access services such as evidenced based CPD and/or bespoke School to School Support.
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Schools across the wider region have utilised the services of Tykes TA 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.
Simon Tabbner
Local Leader of Education
Simon is the Head Teacher at Silkstone Common Junior and Infant School. He brings together his experience as an AST, a Deputy Head Teacher and currently works with Leeds Carnegie to develop teaching and learning. Simon enjoys working collaboratively with other schools looking at data, curriculum more...and the engagement of pupils to ensure the best outcomes.
Halina Connolly
Specialist Leader of Education
Halina is an experienced and outstanding SENCo, currently working at Summer Lane Primary School. She has over 15 years teaching experience and has previously supported schools in Barnsley, Kirklees and Wakefield. Halina has extensive knowledge of the SEN Code of Practice and can quickly analyse more...and identify areas of strength and areas for school improvement. She has developed systems to centralised interventions across school and is able to assess their effectiveness; which has led to school improvement and had a positive impact on pupil progress. She has supported schools in developing their SEN policy, Local Offer, My Support Plans and in completing EHCP paperwork. Halina has lead staff meetings on Provision Mapping, SMART IEP’s, Attachment Difficulties in Children and Dealing with Challenging Behaviours. She is passionate about ensuring all disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils achieve the best outcomes possible through careful planning, differentiation and support.
Ross Taylor
Specialist Leader of Education
Ross is an experienced practitioner and Assistant Head Teacher at Mapplewell Primary School who has taught across both KS1 and KS2. Ross' particular areas of expertise as an SLE are in reading and writing, in his current role at Mapplewell Primary school he leads on literacy, data and moderation. more...Ross has a clear understanding of how to create both a reading and writing culture within school and enjoys working with schools and individuals to help raise the standards in these areas. With over 10 years' experience of teaching across South Yorkshire, Ross has breadth of experiences to draw from.
Richard Whitfield
Specialist Leader of Education
Richard is a highly experienced Associate Principal for Northern Education Trust based at Kirk Balk Academy in Barnsley. Richard has over 15 years of experience working in the education sector, with the vast majority of that time spent working in Barnsley. As SLE for leadership of the curriculum Richard more...has a wealth of knowledge in the construction and implementation of highly effective curriculum models. In addition Richard is an SLE for leadership of CPD, ITT and NQT development and via his wider work within Northern Education Trust he currently leads the deployment and implementation of the Early Career Framework, Schools-Direct ITT recruitment and delivery of National Professional Qualifications for academies across the North of England. Richard has prior experience as an advanced skills teacher, as subject leader of Mathematics and he also sits on the local governing body of the Barnsley Primary partnership where he has a focus on Quality of Education.
Sam Garrood
Specialist Leader of Education
Sam is an Assistant Head Teacher at Mapplewell Primary school who has a wealth of knowledge from his time spent teaching in Year 5 and 6. In two years of teaching Year 6 through SATS exams, Sam has led both cohorts to exam results that have been within the top 1% of the country for progress made. He has more...a keen interest in Mathematics and loves to work with practitioners to give them the confidence to teach the subject knowledge and skills in a varied and engaging way. With five years of experience of teaching in inner city London, Sam has a broad range of experiences to draw from and share with other leaders and teachers.
Jen Hunt
Local Leader of Education
Jen Hunt is the Headteacher at Hoyland Springwood Primary and was previously the Headteacher at High View PLC. She has a breadth of knowledge and experience in leading teaching and learning, analysing data and action planning to improve outcomes at all levels. She firmly believes that it is a team that more...works together that has an impact on the outcomes of pupils both academically and emotionally. Leading in a school with resourced provisions and a high proportion of SEND and disadvantaged pupils, she has a strong belief in developing an all-inclusive school and providing high quality, first wave teaching to meet the needs of all children and ensuring commitment from all.
Rachel Ward – Head of School
Specialist Leader of Education
Rachel Ward is the Head of School at Parkside Primary Academy and also part of the Future Leaders network. She has been an SLE since January 2012 and has worked with a range of different schools and staff including primary, secondary and special schools. As an SLE, she has worked with senior leadership more...teams undertaking school improvement, building capacity within these schools so they can become self-sustaining and continue to improve. Her work as an SLE in primary and secondary schools includes leading teaching and learning, designing and facilitating bespoke professional development programmes and working with both teachers and associate staff to move teaching from RI to consistently good or good to outstanding. She is also a GCSE history examiner, working for AQA for the past 10 years.
Areas of Expertise:
• School improvement
• Continuous Professional Development
• Learning and teaching
• Coaching for leadership
• History KS1-KS4
Jodie Douglas
Specialist Leader of Education
Jodie is an outstanding teacher with a passion for Mathematics, and ensuring every child is challenged, and supported to make progress and build confidence. She has been teaching for 6 years and has experience of working across KS1 and KS2. Her current roles at Worsbrough Common Primary School more...are: Year 6 lead; Co-Maths lead; and P.E team member. In addition to this, Jodie has mentored PGCE students ensuring they are equipped with the skills required to be an outstanding, engaging, and supportive teacher. She has also mentored ITT students for Tykes TSA offering extra CPD and support for the areas of the Maths curriculum where their subject knowledge needs further developing.
Bek Griffin
Specialist Leader of Education
Bek is an outstanding practitioner at Hoyland Common Primary School with experience working in KS2. Her current roles at Hoyland Common Primary School are: Y6 teacher, TLR for Curriculum Innovation and The Reconnection Curriculum, and Science lead. Through these roles she has worked more...with staff across both Key Stage 1 and 2 to develop practice and enhance teaching and learning. Her SLE areas are Leadership of Curriculum, Leadership of Continual professional development, and Science.
Cathryn Egginton
Local Leader of Education
Cathryn Egginton is the Headteacher at Wellgate Primary School and has recently had the opportunity to be Associate Headteacher at another school within her Trust. During her time as Headteacher of Wellgate she has led her school through a successful OFSTED inspection, improving the school from more...Requires Improvement to Good.Cathryn understands the impact that good Leadership can have on staff and the life chances of all young people within a school. Cathryn has had extensive experience in monitoring and evaluating across the whole school, setting up systems and processes which effectively demonstrate the impact of teaching and learning on the progress of all pupils. She has also developed multi-faceted support packages including staff CPD, coaching, the modelling of effective practice, team teaching, joint planning and mentoring of individual staff members in order to improve their practice to ‘good’ and beyond. Cathryn also has experience of working with a strong Governing Body and recognises how their support and challenge can positively impact on the outcomes of a school.
