Teaching School

Valentines has been a teaching school since 2011. This status allows us to offer professional development to schools in the area as well as providing high-quality training for our own staff. We are also involved in initial teacher training; ensuring new teachers are of the highest calibre.

As well as offering training and support, teaching schools identify and co-ordinate expertise in partner schools, using the best leaders and teachers to:

work with other strategic partners, including universities, to train new entrants to the profession
lead peer-to-peer learning
spot and nurture leadership potential
provide support for other schools when needed

Teaching Schools work together within an alliance – a group of schools and other partners that are supported by the leadership of a teaching school.

Our current Alliance partners are:

Apex Primary School, Redbridge
The Institute of Education
Lister Community School, Newham
Ilford County High School

University of East London
Highams Park School, Waltham Forest
Holy Family School, Waltham Forest

The high quality of our professional development for all staff was reflected in Valentines being one of the first schools in the capital to be awarded the Pan-London Quality Mark Gold Award for CPD. We welcome a large number of trainee teachers each year by working in partnership with a range of HEI providers, as well as working with SCITT providers and supporting the GTP programme.

Valentines is a Leading Edge school and as such we work closely with our partner schools to raise standards through joint projects, in school support and staff training. We offer school-to school support through the Teaching School programme, and in addition, we offer bespoke support and CPD to schools or groups of schools in areas such as EAL strategies, coaching and raising achievement at GCSE and A-level. This is in the form of personalised training and/or follow-up support for individuals or groups.