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 2023/2024 cohort will open via APPLY on 4th October 2022.
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 ECTs before or after graduation.
We are a registered Appropriate Body for Early Careers Teachers (ECTs), 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, Early Career Teachers, Middle and Senior Leader training and National Qualification programmes.
68
Initial Teacher Training trainees have gained Qualified Teacher Status through Tykes TA over the last 3 years. We have a 100% pass rate!
516
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.
162
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.
Hayley Craddock
Specialist Leader of Education
Hayley is an outstanding practitioner in Secondary English; her vast experience in leading English departments spans over ten years. As an SLE for English and the Director of English for Northern Education Trust Kirk Balk Academy, Hayley has been instrumental in developing the academy’s English more...department through building and developing: leadership capacity; approaches to fostering examination skills, a broad and balanced English curriculum; staff development packages; innovative intervention strategies and departmental quality assurance and data tracking systems leading to improving and impressive outcomes for students in English. In addition, Hayley also has experience of driving school improvement in academies outside her own. As the English Director for Northern Education Trust Kearsley Academy in Bolton, she played a vital role in the rapid transformation of the English Department’s outcomes for students demonstrating her ability to significantly improve English Language and English Literature GCSE examination data.
Dawn Bradshaw
Specialist Leader of Education
Dawn is the Head teacher at Gawber Primary School and former Year 6 teacher and Deputy Head teacher. She has extensive knowledge in teaching all pupils especially Year 6. Her areas of expertise include maths (she is a maths specialist teacher) assessment, Year 6 and SPaG.
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
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.
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.
Dean Buckley
Local Leader of Education
Dean is the Principal at Kirk Balk Academy also oversees Kearsley Academy in Bolton as an Associate Executive Principal. Having supported numerous senior leaders and Principals from across his own Trust, Dean has a secure understanding and a track record of school improvement; particularly regarding more...the use of data to inform intervention and raise achievement, curriculum sequencing for an enhanced quality of education and collaborative learning techniques and a praise culture to transform provision. Being an Associate Executive Principal has meant that Dean has had the opportunity to influence the quality of education across the north of England whilst maintaining his own Headship in Barnsley; the town in which he has spent his entire career. Dean is 100% committed to Kirk Balk being an outward facing school and sees his LLE role as an ideal opportunity to develop strong working relationships with other schools and develop, even further, the talented individuals within them for the benefit of Barnsley children.
James Dransfield
Specialist Leader of Education
James is an outstanding practitioner of English and Acting Assistant Principal at Northern Education Trust Kirk Balk Academy working as part of the teaching and learning team with an oversight of the quality of teaching and learning for the school. In his role on the senior team, he has a strong more...understanding and wealth of knowledge with regards to all new to teaching programmes at ITT, ECT and RQT level. In this role, he has developed systems and packages of CPD that offer bespoke support and parallels the work provided by training platforms and providers that have then been utilised by the NTA and other training providers as a strategy of supporting those new to the profession. James is particularly passionate about quality first teaching and learning in the classroom as a key intervention strategy and how collaborative links can be made across the community in order to ensure the highest quality outcomes for all students in the local area.
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.
Natalie Whitehouse
Specialist Leader of Education
As Director of Teaching and learning, Natalie works closely with schools to implement change and raise standards and improve outcomes across HCAT. She has extensive experience in the classroom, particularly KS2 and over the past five years she has continually raised outcomes in Y6 in various schools. more...Natalie has a passion for teaching and learning and this is reflected through her innovative ideas that supports, challenges and gives all children to reach their potential. She is recognised as an Apple Distinguished Educator through her use of effective ICT that enhances learning in the classroom making it deeply personal for all.
Adam Fidment
Specialist Leader of Education
Adam is an outstanding practitioner who has worked across KS1 and 2. He is a classroom teacher at Wombwell Park Street Primary School with experience of managing children with challenging behaviour. Adam has experience in leading a variety of area including; computing, mathematics, Online more...Safety, website development, assessment, home learning and wellbeing, with specialisms in behaviour and SEN. Adam has supported a number of colleagues and other school within the area to raise standards in behaviour management and encourage a positive approach to supporting the SEMH needs of our children.
