Forest Gate school picked to help train teachers of the future

St Angela’s Ursuline school has been chosen to help train the next generation of teachers and play an important role in raising standards

The school has been selected by the National College for Teaching and Leadership to become a national teaching school – an important role in raising standards.

Teaching Schools take a leading role in recruiting and training new entrants to the profession, identifying leadership potential and providing support for other schools.

St Angela’s in Forest Gate was one of only 200 schools in England to be granted teaching school status in the latest designation round.

Introduced in 2011, teaching schools are all rated as “outstanding” and mark a shift towards school-centred training. They work with partner schools in an alliance, including at least one university, to ensure high quality school-led initial teacher training and professional development opportunities for teachers at all stages of their career.

They raise standards through school-to-school support, engage in research and development, and ensure that the most talented school leaders are spotted and supported to become successful head teachers.

Mark Johnson, Head teacher of St Angela’s said: “It is a great honour to have been chosen to undertake such an important role in training teachers. Our school and all the schools in our alliance have an excellent reputation in developing outstanding teachers and raising standards in education. Working together in an alliance will ensure more students receive an even higher quality of learning and help those students fulfil their ambitions for university and work.”

St Angela’s now leads the East London Teaching School alliance which also includes Plashet School in East Ham, Rokeby School in Canning Town and St Helen’s RC Primary in Plaistow.

NCTL has responsibility, in partnership with head teachers from the Teaching Schools Council, for the designation and quality of the teaching schools programme.