New Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Teaching School Hub officially opens to support teacher professional development

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Teaching School Hub, one of 87 Hubs selected by the Government in a £65 million investment to provide high-quality professional development to teachers and leaders in England, has officially opened.

Back in February, it was announced by the Department for Education (DfE) that Histon and Impington Junior School, part of Cambridge Primary Education Trust (CPET), would be the designated Teaching School Hub for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough schools from 1^st September. Now the Hub is set to support 336 schools, making it the third largest Hub in the country, with a range of professional development for teachers at all stages of their careers.

Initial priorities in the next 12 months are implementation of the Early Career Framework for all new teachers, delivery of National Professional Qualifications for school leadership, and providing initial teacher training with partner organisations locally. It will also undertake collaborative working with curriculum hubs and signposting professional development for DfE approved and partner training programmes in the region.

“We want every teacher, school leader and wider school staff to have the best professional development they can,” said Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Teaching School Hub Lead Lynne Birch, formerly Schools Engagement Adviser at Cambridgeshire County Council. “We are committed to facilitating this through delivery partner providers, signposting, and commissioning development opportunities where there are gaps in the region. We have a long track record of working together in our area which has brought us to the creation of this Hub. Integral to the success of the Hub will be the continuation of that approach and deepening our relationships with schools, Trusts and partners in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. We strongly believe that this Hub belongs to them.”

The Hub is committed to working in collaboration with early years’ providers, primary, secondary, alternative provision, special schools, further and higher education providers and other regional stakeholders. These include Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex Teaching School Hubs, local authorities, Ely and Peterborough Dioceses, Anglia Ruskin University, the University of Cambridge, curriculum hubs and research schools.

CPET Executive Principal/CEO Lesley Birch, one of just 12 school leaders to have been appointed by the DfE to the new national Teaching School Hubs Council last month, added: “The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Teaching School Hub is a significant development for the region because it forms part of the Government’s plans for the implementation of the recruitment and retention strategy to raise teacher quality and effectiveness. We exist ultimately to support Cambridgeshire and Peterborough schools and Trusts in having the best professional development offer from the moment someone decides they want to train as a teacher and throughout their career. It is privileged responsibility, and one that we embrace.”