Who We Are

A network of excellence

The Hackney Teaching & Schools' Alliance is a supportive partnership of primary, secondary and specialist schools, each with a proven track record of successful improvement.

Steered by Clapton Girls' Academy, Kingsmead Primary School, Stormont House School (Secondary Special School) and Millfields Community School, we work to improve the quality of teaching and leadership through effective collaboration and personalised support.

What we do

The HTSA prioritises:

LEARNING - providing high-quality school-led training via a professional pathway from Initial Teacher Training to Senior Leadership.

COLLABORATION - creating a supportive network of schools that come together regularly to explore excellent practice at all stages of teaching.

SUPPORT - providing high-quality formal school-to-school support via a network of experienced professionals.

DEVELOPMENT - providing evidence-based professional and leadership development for teachers and leaders across our network.

Our People

KATE ROBERTS

Kate is the Director of the HTSA and sits on the HTSA Executive Board. She is experienced in providing professional development and is passionate about the impact of high-quality CPD. Kate was identified as a leading teacher when she worked in Haringey; as a class teacher and subject leader she supported several schools across the borough to improve provision in science, and her teaching was graded outstanding by Ofsted. Following her classroom and subject leadership experience, Kate was a Teaching and Learning Consultant for Hackney Local Authority, leading the borough’s primary science professional development offer and supporting schools to develop the quality of teaching, learning, and assessment. As an Associate Deputy Head, Kate supported a number of schools in Hackney with a range of school development priorities. Kate now has over 15 years of teaching experience across 3 London boroughs. She is passionate about all aspects of teaching, learning, and assessment and has worked as Deputy Head in Hackney for over a decade. Kate has also worked for the Institute of Education as a Professional Development Leader, where she ran a project aimed at developing subject expertise in primary schools.

Contact:

kroberts@clapton.hackney.sch.uk

02089854686 ext. 205

KEVIN MCDONNELL

Kevin is the Chair of the HTSA’s Executive Board. After starting his career teaching physics up to A level, Kevin has spent the last 30 years or so teaching and leading in a variety of settings with students who have had difficulties in mainstream education. Since 2000 he has been Headteacher at Stormont House School, which became one the first outstanding schools in the country in 2005. He has worked as a School Improvement Partner outside the borough and served on the Learning Trust Board during an intense period of improvement in Hackney Schools. He currently leads the HTSA’s Research & Development strand, with a particular interest in John Hattie’s ‘Visible Learning’ meta-research.

JANE BETSWORTH

Jane sits on the HTSA’s Executive Board. She has worked in Hackney as a teacher for almost 30 years, and since 2009 has taken the position of Headteacher at Millfields Community School. Jane has worked as an Executive Headteacher in two Hackney schools and is currently supporting the leadership at Harrington Hill School. She has also done some work as an Associate Ofsted Inspector and is currently a SIP for the local authority. Jane is an active member of the REU (re-engagement Unit) Steering Group and also represents primary Heads on the local authority Reducing Exclusions Board. Jane is currently a Community Governor at Morningside Primary School in Hackney and also at West Green School in Haringey and a Community Governor at Harrington Hill Primary School in Hackney.

LOUISE NICHOLS

Louise sits on the HTSA’s Executive Board. She is the Executive Headteacher of the LEAP Federation, a group of three Hackney primary schools that work in partnership: Kingsmead Primary School, Gayhurst Community School, and Mandeville Primary School. She has worked as a Headteacher in Hackney since 2004. Her first school, Kingsmead, became outstanding in 2011 and was designated a National Teaching School in 2012. Louise also became a National Leader of Education in the same year and she supports schools with leadership challenges and pupil premium reviews. Louise has a particular interest in initial teacher training and was part of a government policy advisory group focussing on the recruitment and retention of teaching staff. Louise also works as a School Improvement Partner for Hackney Learning Trust.

ANNA FELTHAM

Anna sits on the HTSA’s Executive Board. She has been Headteacher of Clapton Girls’ Academy, an Outstanding single-sex secondary school, since 2016. Clapton Girls’ Academy is one of the leading schools in the alliance, alongside Millfields Community School, Stormont House School, and Kingsmead Primary School. CGA is also where the HTSA is physically based.

HELEN EDWARDS

Helen sits on the HTSA’s Executive Board. She is the School Business Manager at Clapton Girls’ Academy and a Specialist Leader of Education with the HTSA in Business Management. Starting in her role when Clapton was a Local Authority maintained school, Helen saw the school through its business transition to Academy status in 2011. Helen has experience in planning budgets, linking them to School Improvement Planning and strategic finance as well as HR management. Part of the building schools for the future project, Helen has a wealth of building work and premises management experience.

Clapton Girls' Academy

Kingsmead Primary School

Stormont House School

Millfields Community School

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What we offer

The HTSA provides a range of high quality professional learning which includes:

Postgraduate Teacher Apprenticeship with PGCE in partnership with London Metropolitan University
A successful Early Career Teachers Programme for primary and secondary phase
A tailored Middle Leadership Programme delivered by expert professionals
A Successful Classroom Practice course for teachers in their third or fourth year of teaching
Bespoke school improvement work delivered by experienced and specialist leaders in education
Pupil premium review