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.
49
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!
95
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.
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.
Katie Rose
Specialist Leader of Education
Katie is an experienced KS2 practitioner and was the literacy leader at Shawlands Primary School. She has implemented whole school changes to the writing curriculum to embed SPaG objectives, ensure cross curricular links and consistency of pitch, expectations and challenge. The subject is now more...one of the strengths of the school and standards and progress have continued to rise over the past few years. Katie has outstanding subject knowledge and has worked with a variety of schools to deliver CPD to staff of all levels. She loves being involved in research and development opportunities and is currently working within her own setting to investigate the benefits of whole class guided reading. Katie has recently moved to Summerfields Primary Academy.
Steven Honeyman
Specialist Leader of Education
Steven is an outstanding practitioner who is currently Assistant Head Teacher and leader of teaching and learning at Ward Green Primary School.
He has a keen understanding of quality first teaching in order to improve standards for children, engage more able pupils and drive sustained more...improvements using Assessment for Learning techniques and data to raise pupil achievement, resilience and independence. With a wealth of experience teaching in KS2, predominantly in Year 6, Steven is particularly interested in motivating children to become active and collaborative learners and has implemented changes which help children take ownership of their learning. Steven has recently successfully commenced a new role as a Director of Learning at HCAT.
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.
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.
Jonathon Bean
Specialist Leader of Education
Jonathon the Head of School at Churchfields Primary, after several years as a full time Year 6 teacher, along with Assistant Headteacher, PE & Sports Leader, Maths Leader, Assessment Leader & KS2 Leader. He had consistently outstanding lesson observations from both in-school staff and more...outside agencies, and specialise in a range of areas, mainly assessment (having created assessment systems from scratch), maths and PE (in particular engaging large numbers of pupils/least active and maximising the PE Premium). He has also personally won several awards for PE, including Barnsley Adult of the Year for the last 2 years, as well as the Yorkshire Sport PE Premium Award for how sport premium funding was spent, along with getting the Centre of Excellence status for his school from Yorkshire Sport/Sport England. At university he was in Early Years, and also has a master’s degree in Outdoor & Experiential Learning, which again is something he has a keen interest in, in developing innovative ways to use this in (or out of!) the classroom.
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.
Nicola Simpson
Specialist Leader of Education
Nicola is an experienced and outstanding practitioner and SLE at High View Primary Learning Centre. She is currently Deputy Headteacher/Core Strategy and KS1 Leader with a focus on Foundation Stage and KS1. Her specialisms are in teaching and learning, phonics and teacher training. Nicola has more...supported schools and individuals in a number of areas particularly in raising the standards of teaching and learning within KS1. Nicola quality assures NQT assessments as part of Tykes TSA Appropriate Body statutory functions.
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.
Aiden Tallant
Specialist Leader of Education
Aiden is an outstanding practitioner at Hoyland Common Primary School with experience working in KS2. His current roles at Hoyland Common Primary School are: KS2 leader, ICT Lead and he has a TLR for Curriculum Innovation and Teaching and Learning, through these roles he has worked with staff across more...both Key Stage 1 and 2 to develop practice and enhance teaching and learning. In addition to this, he has also supported other schools as an outstanding teacher and SLE. His SLE areas are ICT, Curriculum, and Teaching & Learning. Aiden has a clear understanding of how to create a current, knowledge and skills based curriculum which meets the needs of all learners after recently implementing changes to practice and policy within Hoyland Common Primary School. Aiden has recently successfully commenced a new role as a Director of Learning at HCAT.
