Quality of Education
Our vision
At Leeds West Academy, we understand the impact an effective teacher has on the learning and progress a student makes. What happens in the classroom is at the heart of everything we do, and we believe that we should always strive to be the best we can be.
The images below demonstrate our Every Lesson Expectations. These expectations are the foundations of our teaching and learning and are used by all staff as a springboard for high quality, enjoyable lessons.
Every Lesson Expectations
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High Quality and Personalised CPD
"The very best schools have a relentless focus on making sure that even more of their teachers become great…to me, this is what the job of school leadership is about…creating a spark that lights little individual fires of great pedagogy around the school, which then gather momentum and become an inferno of excellence.”
- Shaun Allison
LWA CPD Model
|
CPD Strand |
Description | Delivered Through | Benefits |
|
Strand 1 |
Mandatory, whole-school CPD in which all teaching/ ANT staff are involved. Aligns with Academy’s Strategy for Securing Excellence | INSET days, after school directed time training sessions, T&L morning briefings | Staff receive the same CPD for practice to be in line with the whole Academy vision and strategic priorities. Everyone develops an understanding of what great teaching looks like. |
| Strand 2 | Directed CPD where specific staff engage in developmental CPD. Mandatory for identified colleagues, opt-in for all staff | Scheduled sessions for middle and senior leaders, including the Middle Leader Forums, induction programme for staff new to the Academy, weekly one-to-one coaching through the leverage programme. | Staff are able to engage in career development opportunities relevant to their specific role or stage. |
| Strand 3 | Opt-in CPD for staff to choose from with a view to personalising their own professional development and engage with pedagogy at a deeper level. | A full internal programme of voluntary activities for staff to engage with on a number of levels including 15 Minute Forums, EduBook Club, SAM club and the T&L Library. External CPD opportunities will also be provided throughout the year. | Staff can follow their own interests in a way that can fit around work/ life/home commitments. Staff can harness exemplar practice from within and outside the Academy, seek and try out new ideas and thrive on collaborating with and learning from each other. |
| Strand 4 | ITT and ECTs programme developed for teachers in the early stage of their career. | A full programme of calendared, high quality CPD throughout the year, subject mentoring and coaching. | Teachers are supported to develop and secure foundations of knowledge, skill and understanding. |
| Strand 5 | Trust-wide CPD programme for all staff on the areas of Beginner Teachers, Leadership Development, Aspiring Leaders, Maths, Science, English and Vulnerable Groups. |
Twilight sessions on a Wednesday evening throughout the year, facilitated by staff from the WRAT. |
An opportunity to collaborate with colleagues from across the Trust. Through some of the CPD programmes, staff will also have the opportunity to carry out and write-up an action research project. |
CPD Menu
| Area | Details | Contact |
| 15 Minute Forums | Every Friday at 7.50am (with a light breakfast and hot drink provided). 15 Minute Forums are informal sessions hosted by different members of staff sharing pedagogical strategies/ideas/resources linking to academy mechanisms, for example High Performance Learning (HPL). Staff can personalise their CPD by attending/delivering sessions relevant to their interests and priorities. Staff can request topics for the forums to meet the needs of themselves or staff in their department. | Aimee Hanson |
| Teaching WalkThrus | ‘Great teachers aren’t born – they’re made’. Using WalkThrus is a safe way for staff to access instructional coaching to explore, experiment, challenge and be challenged holistically or in a specific area of practice. They can be accessed independently or used as training material for larger groups, in the format of five-step visual guides. LWA are members of the WalkThrus community. Current topics include: explaining and modelling, behaviour and relationships, oracy, curriculum planning, as well as many more. |
Katie Wylde
Aimee Hanson |
| True Colours | True Colors is a personality profiling tool that explores the values, needs, strengths and joys of individuals. It allows individuals to reflect on themselves but also learn how to best relate to others they work with. For leaders it is a superb tool to learn how to communicate with, motivate and achieve common goals within your teams. Your starting point for True Colors is the completion of the Personal Success workshop which takes place over two sessions. Training and follow up sessions can take place on request by different teams – teaching and non-teaching. | Katie Wylde |
| Kagan Training | Kagan Structures are easy to learn and implement, fun for all and produce profoundly positive outcomes, such as quizzing techniques to complement Total Recall and forming teams to enhance personalisation strategies. Learn structures and their steps by trying Kagan out in this interactive, fun club run by a qualified trainer. The best part about Kagan is that the structures can be taken back into classrooms the next day to increase collaboration and foster high levels of engagement. Training can take place on request by different departments. | Katie Wylde |
| BASIC Coaching | BASIC Coaching - Andy Buck’s BASIC coaching model is a concise and powerful method for coaching. Whether you would like the opportunity to be coached to support you in an existing, new, or aspiring role, to assist you in completing a qualification or simply to help develop your classroom practice. We have 12 trained BASIC coaches who are available upon request. Find out more about the BASIC coaching model here https://www. basic-coaching.com/ |
Katie Wylde
Aimee Hanson |
| External Qualifications | We work closely with staff to support with qualifications or programmes that support professional growth and aspirations, including NPQs, NCE Apprenticeships and post-graduate study. Colleagues who are interested in programmes are advised to discuss this with their Line Manager in the first instance. | Aimee Hanson |
| WRAT CPD | Colleagues will have the opportunity to participate in different Professional Learning Communities throughout the year, providing the opportunity to learn and develop alongside colleagues across the WRAT schools. Full details of the 2022-23 provision will be shared at the start of the year. | Nicola Widnall (WRAT Central Team) |
| Associate Programme | The Associate Programme provides an avenue for staff members to shadow a colleague who is in a role senior to their’s or complete a project they would not normally have access to in their substantive role. There are two routes for accessing an Associate Role, through internal adverts or individual proposal. |
Aimee Hanson
Sam Pocock |
| The PTI (The Prince’s Teaching Institute) | Leeds West Academy is proud to be a PTI Unlimited member, giving staff access to high quality personal professional development and subject knowledge enhancement run by subject experts. Sessions run throughout the year and include online, face-to-face, and residential programmes. Individuals can work towards the certificated Subject Leadership Mark. The PTI covers leadership, Art, English, Geography, History, Maths, MFL (French and Spanish) and Science. The PTI have announced that they will be introducing a vocational offer during the year ahead. The PTI (ptieducation.org) | Aimee Hanson |
| Leeds Learning Partnership | Our subscription to the LLP provides a platform for local networking and high quality CPD across curriculum areas, leadership, and priority topics. The LLP provides a cohesive professional learning programme of over 60 events in the year, with innovative training opportunities in partnership with Huntington Research School. | Aimee Hanson |
Strand 4 CPD: LWA Provision for Early Career Teachers (ECTS)
‘Life as a teacher begins the day you realise that you are always a learner’
At LWA and WRAT we invest heavily in the support and development of Early Career Teachers (ECTs) to inspire, grow, and empower those new to the profession. Our high-quality and bespoke training programme (in-line with the ECF) provides opportunities such as outstanding CPD and exceptional mentoring and coaching that will create confident, evidence-informed, and effective professionals who have a lasting impact on the success of young people in West Leeds.
| Area | Details | Dates/Times |
| Early Career Framework | Our offer with Ambition Institute will provide you with an additional package of support and training resources, including self-study material, ECT Conferences and Clinics. | All ECTs are automatically enrolled on one of the coaching or mentoring programmes |
| Instructional Coaching | ‘Great teachers aren’t born – they’re made’. Your mentor will observe you weekly and provide developmental and supportive feedback following the evidence-based instructional coaching cycle. The weekly observations will focus on developing bite-size and specific aspects of your practice in-line with Ambition Institute modules. The cycle uses a mix of review, praise, setting action steps, reflection, modelling and deliberate practice. ECTs are encouraged to use the WalkThru material to enhance and complement their coaching. Full details are in the main CPD Menu. | At key points throughout the year and by request |
| Bespoke Workshops | Every teacher has what it takes to be great. Research shows that the first few years of your development are the most crucial. These bespoke workshops are aimed at equipping you with the tools to be an inspiring and successful classroom practitioner and will often include delivery through Kagan Structures to further boost your teaching and learning toolkit. | Fortnightly on Mondays for ECT 1s Separate halftermly workshops for ECT 2s |
| Morning Surgeries | These mornings are dedicated extra time to your development, giving you the chance to check in with the Professional Mentor and other members of the ECT Team. | Weekly for ITTs/Teacher Apprentices |
| WRAT CPD | At key points throughout the year, there will be many opportunities to network with other ECTs from across the Trust. There will be a range of training sessions delivered by experts across the four Academies, plus some subject-specific workshops. | At key points throughout the year |
| The PTI (The Prince’s Teaching Institute) | For ECTs, the PTI offers a unique subject-specific developmental programme throughout the year with the opportunity to receive PTI New Teacher accreditation. The PTI New Teacher subject days can be found at https://www.ptieducation.org/ | Half-termly |
| Social Events | There will also be opportunities for team building, sharing resources and socialising with other ECTs to celebrate achievements throughout the year. | At key points throughout the year |
"A key to growing as a teacher is to keep company mainly with teachers who uplift you, whose presence inspires you and whose dedication drives you"
- Robert John Meehan