Dr Challoner’s Grammar School was designated as a National Teaching School in 2013 by the National College for Teaching and Leadership, the first secondary school in Buckinghamshire to be granted this distinction. Leading a Teaching School Alliance - the Astra Learning Alliance (www.astra-alliance.com) - involves taking responsibility as a 'system leader' for a range of key national priorities commonly known as 'the big six'. These include Initial Teacher Training, Continuing Professional Development (CPD), Research & Development, School to School Support and Specialist Leaders of Education (SLE’s).
Astra Learning Alliance on TwitterAs a School-Centred Initial Teacher Training provider (SCITT) working with the Institute of Education (UCL) and our partner schools, we provide outstanding support and training for new entrants into the profession, both primary and secondary.
Further information, including recruitment for 2016/17We have designated thirteen teachers across the Alliance as SLEs in the following areas:
SLEs are experts in their field, available to support colleagues in other schools and provide CPD where appropriate.
Further information, including how to request an SLE or apply to become an SLE with the Astra Alliance, can be found here:
Applying to be a Specialist Leader in EducationThe Astra Alliance aims to provide outstanding professional development opportunities for colleagues at all stages in their career across and beyond the Alliance.
Full details of our CPD opportunities, including how to apply to attend a course, can be found in the Talent Development section of the Astra Learning Alliance website:
Continuing Professional DevelopmentAs an National Leader of Education, Dr Mark Fenton is the Executive Headteacher at Ealing Fields High School, a Free School.
His role includes developing strategy based on the principles of ‘Building Learning Power’ as well as supporting the recently appointed Headteacher.
We are delighted to have been recognised as an outstanding centre for research and development by the NFER, achieving the Schools’ Research Mark in June 2014, one of the first schools in the country to do so. This includes work within Dr Challoner’s, for example the Student Research Group, the Parent Research Group and staff research, as well as projects that extend across the Alliance.
Further information about our exciting and pioneering work can be found here:
Astra Alliance research projects