1. PDS Cluster NE 1.4 P3
Dave Cookson
Seaton Burn College
North Tyneside

2. Stakeholders
 Newcastle University
 Sunderland University
 Castle View School, Sunderland (withdrawn)
 Churchill Community College, Wallsend
 Duchess’s High School, Alnwick (replacement)
 Hirst High School, Ashington
 Seaton Burn College, Seaton Burn
 Walker Technology College, Walker

3. Project aims
 Share good practice within and beyond the PDS Cluster.
 Increase the number and quality of placements in challenging
schools.
 Improve the quality of Professional Studies programmes in the
Cluster schools.
 Provide additional training to subject mentors in cluster schools.
 Improve the experience of trainees by offering them time in Cluster
schools.
 Widen the knowledge of trainees not placed in “challenging”
schools by showcasing best practice in Cluster schools at a
conference.
 Work with the current cohort of ITT students to provide feedback on
‘Towards Your Future’ days at university in 09-10.

4. Term 1
 Professional mentors visit other Cluster
schools to see PS programme in
action.
 ITT students to visit other Cluster
schools to see PS programme in
action.

5. Visit to Hirst High School
 “Very enjoyable, interesting
informative and recommended for
other schools to adopt.”
 “Very interesting to see the operation
of another school outside of my
placement. The presentation from
NQTs was very worthwhile.”

6. Term 2
 All mentors in Cluster schools (and
others) invited to attend twilight inset
delivered by experts.
 ITT students to visit other Cluster
schools to see PS programme in
action.

7. ITT Mentors inset
 Positives:
“It was fabulous!”
“Brill – really formative”
“Really useful session”.
100% of mentors said the inset was very useful or useful.
 Improvements:
“Copies of PowerPoints please” (on the school website)
“We will set up a forum on the Learning Platform”
“More opportunity to discuss with colleagues”
“An e-mailing network so we could keep in contact”
“More food!”

8. Term 3
 An outreach package offered to
“challenging” schools not currently
offering ITT placements.
 ITT students not placed in
“challenging” schools invited to a
conference led by staff currently
teaching in such schools.

9. ITT Conference 11/12 June
 Positives:
“incredibly valuable”
“invigorated my commitment to the
profession”
“the content has been fantastic”
 Improvements:
“more time with each of the speakers”
“hold it earlier in the year”

10. Positives so far
 Visits to schools have been very beneficial
for PTs and ITTs.
 ITT students have experienced time in the
Riverbank Centre (Hirst) and the Trax
Centre (Churchill).
 PS programmes have improved from seeing
and discussing other PS programmes.
 ITTs have a more balanced view of
“challenging” schools.
 Support from the RMG link.

11. Alterations to aspects of ITT provision
 At Seaton Burn the ITT programme
has been amended in light of the good
practice seen at other cluster schools
e.g.: shadowing a student in their
tutor group for a day; spending 2 days
with the SEN department rather than
½ a day as previously.

12. Measurable impacts
 Mentors have improved their practice
as a result of attending the mentors
inset.
 New mentors have been brought
onboard.
 Feedback on the quality of placements
has never been higher!

13. Impact on relationships
between schools and providers
 The relationship between Seaton Burn College
and Newcastle University has been
strengthened.
 The relationship between Seaton Burn College
and Sunderland University has become more
strained.
 Seaton Burn currently works with the
universities of Newcastle, Sunderland, Sheffield
and the Open University.

14. Impact on relationships between
schools within the cluster
 Learning exchanges have occurred
between some cluster schools,
especially Seaton Burn, Churchill and
Hirst.
 Seaton Burn will look to other cluster
schools for support and advice in
future – an informal network.

15. The “challenges” of challenging
schools have come to the fore…
 Two schools replaced their cluster colleagues.
 One cluster colleague (non teaching) has recently
become acting Head of Maths!
 One school withdrew as it was becoming an
academy.
 One school withdrew as it became a National
Challenge school.
 As the pressure of the academic year has risen the
ability to give time to the project has been
squeezed.

16. The future
 Outreach package is an exciting prospect –
benefits to universities are potentially great.
 The project is sustainable – a number of
initiatives will continue into the future if
funding can be found and the impact on
schools is deemed to be positive.
 As part of the Seaton Burn BSF bid we are
looking to become a centre of excellence in
training ITT students.

17. Further information
 www.seatonburn.n-tyneside.sch.uk
 david.cookson@northtyneside.gov.uk