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Teaching and Learning

This training is facilitated by Samantha Austin School Improvement Director for Teaching & Learning

As a Team Leader for AQA (English Literature) Sam is fortunate to have attended their two-day standardisation. Where they assess and discuss responses from students. Over the years, these discussions have provided invaluable insight into the assessment objectives and the misconceptions that still are prevalent in some schools. Remedying these to improve literature results at the schools Sam has worked; Sam will be providing a half-day CPD session on how to teach English Literature to achieve the best possible outcomes for our students.

Objectives:

  • An in-depth exploration of the assessment objectives, including the misconceptions around them.
  • An exploration of teaching approaches that will enable learners to secure ‘easy’ marks (grade 4s)
  • An exploration of teaching approaches that will enable potential high achievers to secure grade 7-9s.
  • An exploration of teaching approaches that will develop learners’ essay writing skills, including introductions, analysis and structuring of essays.
  • Discussion and tasks using some standardised material from AQA to develop teachers’ accuracy of marking and to develop their understanding of how and when marks are awarded.

Outcomes:

Attendees will leave armed with a greater knowledge of:

  • How, why and what the exam boards are awarding for
  • What the exam boards are prioritising
  • Assessment objectives
  • A wide range of teaching approaches and strategies to support effective teaching
  • Increased accuracy of marking to support moderation and standardizing within their faculties
Event Date Fri, 26 Sep 2025 9:30 am
Event End Date Fri, 26 Sep 2025 1:00 pm
Cut off date Tue, 23 Sep 2025
Individual Participant Price £30 for the first delegate, £25 for additional delegates. Secondary SLA members 2 free places.
Event Venue Information http://bit.ly/2RyDCwm
Location GUTP House Training Centre

This training is facilitated by Sophie King School Improvement Director for English

 

Objectives:

A session not just for new teachers and non-specialists:

Understand how grammar and syntax is a foundation of secure and clear writing.

Determine which strategies and approaches can be most easily adopted in to existing teaching strategies for the benefit of individual cohorts of students.

Decide upon the best strategy to trial / return to departments with.

Outcomes:

With mastery of vocabulary an ongoing priority outside of English departments, teaching the nuances of grammar for creative and transactional writing is certainly considered more of an area for subject specialists and therefore expertise and confidence is needed. Alongside reviewing tried and tested methods for ‘writing’, this session will look at how grammar can be manipulated in analytical and academic writing to enable students to write with more fluency, efficiency and with a greater degree of sophistication, regardless of starting point.

Hopefully you will leave the session with a few strategies to trial alongside your department approaches to writing.

 

Event Date Mon, 29 Sep 2025 3:15 pm
Event End Date Mon, 29 Sep 2025 4:15 pm
Cut off date Wed, 24 Sep 2025
Individual Participant Price Secondary SLA members only
Location Online via Zoom

Training on new OFSTED requirements.

Further details to follow.

Secondary SLA members 2 free places. Primary SLA members discounted price. Lunch included.

 

 

Event Date Thu, 06 Nov 2025 9:00 am
Event End Date Thu, 06 Nov 2025 4:00 pm
Cut off date Mon, 03 Nov 2025
Individual Participant Price Secondary SLA members 2 free places.
Location GUTP House Training Centre

Key objectives for this training:

  • Develop a confident understanding of adaptive teaching
  • Consider scaffolding as a key facet of adaptive teaching (high challenge, high support)
  • Understand adaptive reaching in relation to supporting high need pupils
  • Plan for implementing high quality universal teaching and targeted support
  • Session structure

     

    Session 1: What problem is adaptive teaching solving? Understand, define and initiate planning to establish adaptive teaching for universal teaching and targeted support

    Session 2: Consider the 3As model for adaptive teaching and the central role of scaffolding

    Session 3: Supporting implementation in every classroom – structured planning and sustaining success (targeting support to individuals, whilst providing high quality adaptive teaching for all).

     

    Session Outcomes:

Event Date Thu, 04 Dec 2025 9:00 am
Event End Date Thu, 04 Dec 2025 3:00 pm
Cut off date Fri, 28 Nov 2025
Individual Participant Price £175 per delegate non-members; Secondary SLA members 2 free places. Lunch and refreshments included
Location GUTP House Training Centre

Samantha Austin (TOVE School Improvement Director Teaching and Learning) facilitates this training

Aimed at all  secondary school class teachers. The training will explore a range of powerful teaching approaches and strategies to foster independence, critical thinking, and motivation. To develop teachers’ pedagogical knowledge in order to encourage autonomy by creating an environment that encourages self-directed learning, challenge, decision-making, and responsibility for pupils progress. Practitioners will gain a deeper knowledge of why it is important to develop learners’ autonomy and have some practical strategies to build on their practice and take back to their departments.

 

Areas of Focus:

·       Fostering a ‘growth mindset’ in our classrooms.

·       Embedding a culture of self-reflection and evaluation in the classroom.

·       Setting clear learning goals and scaffolding.

·       Strategies to develop ‘critical thinking’ in every day teaching with a focus on creating the                        effective questions and tasks.

·       How to promote and encourage speaking and listening in in our classrooms in order to develop            autonomy.

 

 

Event Date Thu, 29 Jan 2026 9:00 am
Event End Date Thu, 29 Jan 2026 4:00 pm
Cut off date Thu, 22 Jan 2026
Individual Participant Price £50 per delegate non-members; Secondary SLA members 2 free places.
Location GUTP House Training Centre

This training is facilitated by David Robinson - School Improvement Director (SEND and Inclusion) at TOVE

The Olevi Outstanding Teaching Assistant Programme is an opportunity for experienced teaching assistants who are, or who have the potential to be, outstanding in their role.

The sessions will develop the potential for teaching assistants to build upon their existing high level of practice and have a wider impact on improving the quality of teaching and learning across the school. This will allow participants to explore their current practice within a collaborative learning environment with colleagues.

This training is suitable for both Primary and Secondary Teaching Assistants.

The training will cover the following areas:

What is an effective TA?

Using different methods and styles of support to challenge learners

Creating opportunities for learning

Maximising impact

 

Lunch provided for the first day’s training, this is a repeat of last year’s course.

Event Date Fri, 06 Feb 2026 9:30 am
Event End Date Fri, 06 Feb 2026 2:30 pm
Cut off date Fri, 30 Jan 2026
Individual Participant Price £230.00 per delegate non-members; Secondary SLA members 2 free places; Primary SLA members £170 per delegate
Event Venue Information http://bit.ly/2RyDCwm
Location GUTP House Training Centre

This training is facilitated by David Robinson - School Improvement Director (SEND and Inclusion) at TOVE

The Olevi Outstanding Teaching Assistant Programme is an opportunity for experienced teaching assistants who are, or who have the potential to be, outstanding in their role.

The sessions will develop the potential for teaching assistants to build upon their existing high level of practice and have a wider impact on improving the quality of teaching and learning across the school. This will allow participants to explore their current practice within a collaborative learning environment with colleagues.

This training is suitable for both Primary and Secondary Teaching Assistants.

The training will cover the following areas:

What is an effective TA?

Using different methods and styles of support to challenge learners

Creating opportunities for learning

Maximising impact

 

Lunch provided for the first day’s training, this is a repeat of last year’s course.

Event Date Fri, 06 Mar 2026 9:30 am
Event End Date Fri, 06 Mar 2026 1:00 pm
Individual Participant Price £230.00 per delegate non-members; Secondary SLA members 2 free places; Primary SLA members £170 per delegate
Event Venue Information http://bit.ly/2RyDCwm
Location GUTP House Training Centre

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SWAN Training School Alliance

GUTP House
Sponne School
Brackley Road
Towcester
Northamptonshire
NN12 6DJ

Telephone: 01327 350284 x 7251

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