The Excelsior Academy success story will be showcased tomorrow to scores of teachers at one of the UK’s most prestigious education conferences.
A team of four assistant principals will explain to delegates at a packed SSAT National Conference 2016 in Birmingham how Excelsior cascades continuous professional learning to staff to ensure exceptional outcomes for students and teachers.
Tracey Kelly, Sara Reed, Saraah Nijaila and Hannah Dabbs will lead a 50-minute workshop, explaining how Excelsior tailors professional development to fit the training needs of individual staff and the unique circumstances of a school serving an economically challenged and socially diverse local community.
Branded ‘Leading – Making the Impossible Possible’, SSAT 2016 brings together school leaders from across the UK to learn how truly great leaders turn the seemingly impossible into a reality.
Over two days, international speakers and system leaders will inspire delegates who can choose from over 40 workshops to attend – one of which is led by the Excelsior team on Friday December 2nd at Birmingham’s ICC venue.
Excelsior’s successful application to present at SSAT 2016 featured its continuous professional learning strategy and the work undertaken by all staff to sustain professional growth to accelerate pupil progress.
Tracey, Assistant Principal at Excelsior’s Hadrian School, said: “It’s a real honour to be selected to speak at SSAT – we were ecstatic to get the opportunity as we think we’ve got a lot to offer other schools.
“The range of cultures and languages at Excelsior means we can offer a unique perspective on how we use continuous professional learning for staff to drive pupil achievement across the academy.
“We use a non-hierarchical model – we believe that if we do something really good then we need to share that with all the staff across our academy.
“We have to think differently and think outside the box because we are teaching in a unique environment – not every school has 46 languages spoken with a large proportion of Eastern European pupils.
“We celebrate these facts and have an evolving teaching model to fit those circumstances.”
The team will be showing a video to delegates of school life at Excelsior and driving discussion in the workshop sessions to stimulate debate and increase understanding of the work they do.
Craig Taylor, Excelsior Academy Executive Principal, said: “It’s a real privilege for schools to be asked to present their work at the SSAT Conference and I’m really proud that our team will be able to tell Excelsior’s success story on such a prestigious national stage.”