The Client
Leeds Teaching School Hub is a dedicated centre of excellence for teacher development, serving schools across the Leeds city region. Their mission is to deliver the “golden thread” of teacher development – from Initial Teacher Training through to Executive Leadership – while keeping the educational performance of disadvantaged children as their central focus.
Recognising that schools and trusts often struggle to navigate fragmented CPD offerings or lack a strategic, joined-up approach to career-long development, Leeds Teaching School Hub provides access to truly exceptional, expertly delivered programmes. Their vision ensures that colleagues at every career stage are supported and guided, with a steadfast commitment to improving outcomes for children whose lives are characterised by privation.
Strategy and Implementation
- Coherent Career-Long FrameworksThe Hub structures development as a continuous, progressive journey:
- Golden Thread Alignment: Programmes mapped from early career to executive level, eliminating siloed training.
- Phase-Appropriate Support: Specialist pathways for Early Career Teachers (ECTs), mentors, middle leaders, and aspiring headteachers.
- Evidence-Based Content: All CPD rooted in the latest educational research and practical classroom application.
- Targeted Focus on DisadvantageClosing the opportunity gap is embedded into every programme:
- Priority Lens: All training modules explicitly address how to raise attainment for disadvantaged pupils.
- Practical Strategies: Equipping teachers with tools to overcome barriers of privation, from attendance to vocabulary gaps.
- City-Wide Commitment: Uniting schools across Leeds around a shared responsibility for the most vulnerable children.
- Accessible, Collaborative DeliveryThe Hub makes high-quality CPD available to every school in the region:
- Local Hubs & Partnerships: Delivering training in accessible venues across Leeds to reduce travel burdens.
- Expert Practitioners: Facilitation by serving leaders and Specialist Leaders of Education (SLEs) with real-time classroom insight.
- No “One-Size-Fits-All”: Bespoke support for individual school contexts, from small primaries to large secondaries.
The Result
Leeds Teaching School Hub has become an indispensable partner for schools across the city region:
- Strengthened Teacher Retention: Schools report higher confidence and career satisfaction among early-career staff following Hub-led mentoring and ECT support.
- Measurable Impact on Disadvantage: Member schools show increased awareness and intentionality in planning for disadvantaged pupils, with early indicators of narrowing attainment gaps.
- Unified City-Wide Approach: The Hub has successfully created a shared language and collective responsibility for teacher development, ensuring that “Leeds: our city, our people, our children” is more than a strapline – it is a lived reality.
