Congratulations to Mrs Gemma Barber who is one of three teachers from across the Brooke Weston Trust to have recently been accredited as a Specialist Leader in Education.

Mrs Barber, along with Ray Chambers from Brooke Weston Academy and Julia Mallard from Kettering Science Academy, underwent a rigorous assessment and application process to be awarded the designation, which means that they can offer training and advice to other schools. There are around 8,000 SLEs nationwide offering professional support to colleagues and promoting best practice in their subjects.

Mrs Barber is an SLE in Continuous Professional Development and Assessment. She said: ‘At the heart of everything I have done the common theme has been about improving education for all students. I believe that the key to this is working with teachers on the front line to develop and enhance their practice to make outcomes better for students. In this ever-changing landscape we need to support teachers throughout their career and give them the opportunity to become reflective and inspiring leaders as this is the only way we will improve the education system and outcome for our students.’

Mrs Cristina Taboada-Naya, Director of the Brooke Weston Teaching School said; ‘We are delighted that Gemma, Ray and Julia have attained their SLE accreditations. They are all talented teachers with a real passion for developing networks and expertise in their own specialisms. They are a great asset and we look forward to deploying them across the Trust and beyond so they can share best practice in the profession.’