Teacher Lab Launched

Decemeber the 16th 2011 was the official opening of the the Teacher Lab here ar OSCA. The TeacherLab has been developed by the principal and academy staff of Ormiston Sandwell Community Academy, in partnership with the Education Foundation, to provide a focused and supportive environment for teachers.

The facility is an in–school tool to support the continuous professional development of teachers. Sitting at the heart of the school the TeacherLab provides an important development space that normally requires staff to travel off site to find a suitable facility. It will be used by teachers to improve their practice and to test out new ways of teaching subjects across the curriculum. It allows the school to rapidly improve the skills of classroom teachers, acts as a tool for school improvement and assists in the process of thinking, prior to a major refurbishment of the academy. As part of the Ormiston Trust family of academies, OSCA has the flexibility and independence to work on innovative projects to improve educational experience.

OSCA principal, Janice Farrell said, “One of the big challenges facing schools is the need to continually improve and support quality teaching and learning. TeacherLab allows us to develop staff in ways that are relevant, good value and tailored to our needs as a school. Investing in staff improves teacher quality. A facility that allows teachers to take risks in a safe space, should be available in every school.”

OSCA Vice Principal, Zoe Stucki said: “We’ve developed TeacherLab from the bottom up – which will allow us to get it right for the teachers and others from outside the school who may want to use the facility. The learning space and the way we use it will change and develop over time, to meet the needs of teachers. Professional development is not a bolt-on but a core part of the work every school and teacher.”

Ian Fordham, Director of the Education Foundation and advisors to the project said “TeacherLab is about re-thinking professional development for teachers and complements the government’s teaching schools programme. The UK’s first TeacherLab  underlines the importance of investing in teacher quality and we are delighted to be involved in this pioneering project.

We will work with schools and other partners to set up a collaborative network of twelve TeacherLabs across the UK in 2012.”

Joyce Hodgetts, Managing Director of Ormiston Academies Trust, sponsor of OSCA, says “This is exactly the kind of innovation we promote within our academies. OSCA have worked alongside the Education Foundation to create a facility that can ultimately be developed to support teaching and learning in other schools and academies, ensuring that educational practice continues to flourish.”