SWIFT South

History

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Our Teaching School Alliance

As part of Education South West, Kingsbridge Community College was one of the first 100 schools nationally to be designated as a Teaching School. This status recognises the outstanding practice in the school itself and its track record of working collaboratively to support the development of other schools. Our Teaching School Alliance, the South West Teaching School Alliance (SWTSA) was formed in September 2011. From this alliance Teaching School South West (TSSW) was developed.

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When Teaching Schools made their appearance back in 2010, Kingsbridge and Ivybridge Community Colleges were jointly designated in that first cohort.  From the beginning this was about building collaborative partnerships, using mutual challenge and support to improve outcomes for children.  SWTSA was the concrete embodiment of that aspiration, and much has been achieved by staff and schools as a result.
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Funding and designation of Teaching Schools ended on 31st August 2021.  Those original aspirations live on through the new Teaching School Hubs. Kingsbridge and Colyton have both been designated as the two Teaching School Hubs covering all schools in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay. We are building a new collaborative called the South West Institute for Teaching, SWIFT, to carry forward the best of the earlier models and bring you the best professional development landscape.

Two Hubs: One-Area Approach

​Colyton Teaching School Hub and Kingsbridge Teaching School Hub have combined to create a one-area approach to delivering the core Hub activities.
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By working together, we can create the best opportunities and easy routes of access for schools in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay. This approach also means that we can combine our resources efficiently so they go further, so we can better meet the specific needs of all our schools in all areas, ​regardless of type, size and location.

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SWIFT South

​From September SWTSA will be renamed SWIFT South and will be part of Kingsbridge Teaching School Hub.  As SWTSA did with Teaching Schools South West (TSSW), SWIFT South will bring you all the advantages that the scale of SWIFT can offer, contextualised for our locality.
We look forward to working together as members of this next iteration of the school-led system.

SWIFT South Purpose

​SWIFT SOUTH’s work and success is focused on the following areas:
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1. Providing tailored continuing professional development to staff across SWIFT South our Alliance. SWIFT South delivers its own CPD, as well as signposting access to an extensive number of discounted courses through South West Institute of Teaching (SWIFT);
2. Supporting the rollout of the Early Career Framework by acting as a delivery partner for SWIFT.
3. Working as a SWIFT partner, signposting EEF-endorsed programmes, in partnership with Kingsbridge Research School.
4. Working as a SWIFT partner signposting, facilitating, and delivering DfE-approved CPD in line with the Department's Standard for Teachers' Professional Development.
5. Supporting SWIFT with the rollout of the new National Professional Qualifications.

Evolution of Teaching Schools (Local)

2011

First Teaching Schools designated in area Cohort 1

2016

14 stand alone Teaching School Alliances in area

2018

Teaching School South West V.1 (SWTSA, Dartmoor TSA and Exeter Consortium)

2020

Teaching Schools South West V.2 (Kingsbridge Teaching School Hub, SWTSA, Dartmoor TSA, Exeter, Plymouth, South West Specialist Schools, Torbay TSAs)

2021

TSSW V.3 (Colyton and Kingsbridge Teaching School Hubs, 10 former TSAs)