Histon and Impington Junior School awarded Teaching School Hub status for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Histon and Impington Junior School, part of Cambridge Primary Education Trust (CPET), will be the designated Teaching School Hub for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough schools, following an announcement by the Department for Education (DfE) on 10th February.
A total of 81 new Teaching School Hubs have been selected to provide high-quality professional development to teachers and leaders in England, with a £65 million investment from the DfE over an initial three years. Each hub, all of which will be operational and helping schools from September, will have its own defined geographical patch and will be expected to be accessible to all schools within that area, serving on average around 250 schools each.
The Teaching School Hub led by Histon and Impington Junior School will help in delivering the Early Career Framework reforms as well as a reformed suite of National Professional Qualifications (NPQs), including new specialist NPQs, in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. It will also deliver Initial Teaching Training (ITT) and additional high-quality evidence-based professional development.
“We are delighted to share the good news that Histon and Impington Junior School will be the designated Teaching School Hub for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough,” explained CPET CEO/Executive Principal Lesley Birch. “We would like to thank all those involved in the Cambridge Teaching Schools Network (CTSN) and Teaching School partners across the area, as well as Cambridgeshire County and Peterborough City Councils, for supporting this application which has led to this successful outcome for the region.”
“We already have extensive experience in delivering high-quality teacher development and school improvement, but we are not complacent and are excited about building existing capacity and capability to address specific needs, gaps, and barriers of the Hub area. We will be working in partnership with over 330 schools in our region, as well as with the other designated Hubs, to do that. What, and how, we do this is to be carefully considered and it will be a gradual journey.”
In the DfE’s statement Minister of State for Schools, The Rt Hon Nick Gibb MP, said: “We know teachers are already providing the best education possible for pupils, and this is especially true while schools are closed to most pupils. These new Teaching School Hubs will further support the profession by providing the best possible training and development opportunities. It is important that teachers and school leaders feel supported in their career. The Hubs will make this substantially easier, with expert practitioners able to give experienced advice to those schools able to benefit from it.”
Chair of the Teaching Schools Council, Richard Gill, added: “The Teaching Schools Council (TSC) congratulates all 81 schools and/or Trusts which have been designated as a Teaching School Hub. They will now join the existing six ‘test and learn’ hubs that were announced in January 2020 to form a national network of excellence in teacher training and development. The work of the TSC has been instrumental in supporting this programme to date and we are proud to be the sector body that will continue to be a key partner in these reforms.”