TEACHING SCHOOLS

Initial Teacher TrainingLead role in recruiting and training new teachers

Offering your trainees a support tool like BlueSky, demonstrates your commitment to their development and will aid recruitment. BlueSky then supports trainees to understand their development needs and work with their mentor more effectively. They can review their progress against relevant teacher standards and add evidence towards meeting their objectives.

Continuing Professional DevelopmentPeer-to-peer professional and leadership development

BlueSky reports identify skilled practitioners and those requiring support within your teaching school and across the alliance. You can then develop needs based peer-to-peer programmes led by your experts and monitor their impact within BlueSky. You can then widen and target this support by promoting this training outside of your network, all through BlueSky.

Succession Planning and Talent Management

Identify and develop leadership potential

Identify skilled colleagues, and those with leadership potential, and match to develop focussed CPD and training, recorded and evaluated all within BlueSky. Colleagues from different schools can mentor and support each other and individuals then track their progress within the software, enabling you to monitor and report on their development.

School-to-School SupportProvide and coordinate support for other schools

BlueSky simplifies cross-school working and enables you to support schools across your alliance. BlueSky Projects aid colleagues from different schools to collaborate and engage in action research and share best practice and expertise.

Specialist Leaders of EducationSLE designate and broker specialist leaders

Identify and broker your skilled subject leaders within BlueSky and then track and report on their impact. Use BlueSky to identify budding SLEs and develop relevant training across the alliance.

Research and DevelopmentEngage and lead in educational research

Use BlueSky to identify areas for research and development through reporting and gathering ideas from colleagues. Once defined, engage staff in action research projects, all within the software.

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BlueSky brings many benefits to teaching schools and teaching school alliances in carrying out your six areas of responsibility.

TEACHING SCHOOLS

Twitter: @blueskymatters | www.blueskyeducation.co.ukTel: 01483 880004 | Email: info@blueskyeducation.co.uk

National Association ofSchool Business Management

©BlueSky March 2015 TS-01-0315

BlueSky support and printed materials provide general guidance and should not be viewed as a specific recommendation when dealing with particular issues and practices.

What is BlueSky?BlueSky is online software to support the management of staff performance, professional learning and school self-evaluation. Because it is online, members of staff, trainees, mentors and alliance leaders can access it across your group of schools from wherever they are.

How does BlueSky support individuals?Every member of staff and trainee in your school, and across your alliance, has their own BlueSky account. This is where they track and log their own progress, can communicate with their line manager or mentor, request and book training and interact with colleagues in BlueSky projects.

Key BlueSky features and how they support teaching schools

Online PortfoliosIndividuals operate in a secure area that can be accessed wherever they

are. Mentors or line managers can monitor their progress and fully prepare for review meetings. If colleagues move between schools in the alliance, they can take their portfolio with them.

TrainingThis is where you can promote your training and external training

across your school, group of schools or to a wider audience via the BlueSky website.

CPDThis is where colleagues log all the CPD they engage in and request

to attend specific courses. Once entered into BlueSky, its short and long-term impact can be recorded, tracked and analysed.

Proposed Learning PlanThis is where colleagues record their training and development needs.

This information can then be reported on when designing professional learning programmes.

ProjectsA BlueSky Project is a group of people from one or several schools working

together in a secure environment. Members of the project can share documents and resources and engage in discussions.

ObservationsThis is where lesson observations are recorded, either live into BlueSky or on

paper to be entered later.

Self-evaluationThis is where qualitative and quantitative data is recorded. Including,

learning walks, work scrutiny, pupil and staff voice and leadership reviews which can be linked to individual, team, school or alliance priorities.