A PRIMARY school in Warrington has been chosen to lead the professional development of thousands of teachers and leaders across the region.

Warrington Primary Academy Trust (WPAT) was tasked by the government to provide a 'hub' to support teachers in their training and development.

Evelyn Street Primary School, one of seven WPAT primary schools in Warrington and Widnes, has been appointed as the regional teaching school hub for Halton, Warrington and Wigan.

The hub is one of 81 new regional teaching school hubs announced by the Department for Education - giving every school in England access to a centre.

Each hub will be funded for an initial three years by the government and will play a significant role in delivering high-quality professional development to teachers at all stages of their careers.

This includes school-based initial teacher training, training and support for early career teachers and specialist and leadership qualifications.

The Halton, Warrington and Wigan regional hub will be responsible for the professional development of teachers and school leaders across almost 280 schools.

Louise Smith, CEO of WPAT, said the process of consulting with partners across the region to create a three-year delivery plan would begin immediately.

She said: "We are delighted to have been chosen after a rigorous selection process.

"One of the key strengths of our bid was the time we invested in collaboration with partners in Warrington, Wigan and Halton.

"We now look forward to working across the hub area to support our schools."

The new Halton, Warrington and Widnes hub builds on the work of Warrington Teaching School Alliance, which has been part of WPAT since 2014.