A NEW chapter in the professional development of teachers and school leaders across region has begun – with a Warrington school at its heart.

A new teaching hub, led by Warrington Primary Academy Trust’s (WPAT) Evelyn Street Primary School in Sankey Bridges, will be providing high quality teacher and school leader development for almost 300 schools across Warrington, Halton and Wigan.

Generate Teaching Hub is one of 87 teaching hubs that have now started operating across England, replacing the previous network of more than 800 smaller teaching schools.

A back room team will be based in another WPAT school, Simms Cross Primary in Widnes.

The new hub has been ‘made possible’ through a partnership of four schools: Bridgewater High School in Appleton, Evelyn Street Primary in Sankey Bridges, Wade Deacon High School in Widnes, and Golborne High School in Wigan.

The hub has got off to a ‘flying start’, currently providing online and face to face training and support to trainee teachers and launching a new, national programme of support for 300 newly qualified teachers and mentors.

The hub is also providing advanced skills development programmes for experienced teachers and aspiring leaders through the suite of six government-funded National Professional Qualifications -which more than 200 teachers are expected to enrol on this annually.

Bernard Clarke, director of Generate Teaching Hub, said: “We are all about generating innovative learning and collaboration to support schools in the work that they do.

“Great schools depend on great training and great support, and that is what we are here to do."