Interview with Tania Cox, Director of Blackdown Education Partnership Training School / Blackdown Education Partnership

"Personally, the thing I enjoy the most of working for a Teaching School Hub is the diverse range of schools and colleagues I get the opportunity to work with and their absolute wealth of expertise and experience shared with me.”

Tania Cox is the Trust Director of Training and Learning for Blackdown Education Partnership and works with schools across the Trust, as well as schools across the South West, linked with her SWIFT Teaching Hub Partnership roles of Appropriate Body Service for Early Career Teachers (ECTs), Early Career Framework Facilitator, Initial Teacher Training Campus Lead and Course Facilitator, and Membership Services Lead for Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
 
After graduating in Environmental Science, followed by a PGCE, Tania has 20+ years of primary teaching experience, having worked across all primary Key Stages in a range of teaching and leadership roles, including a recent Headship of a primary school in the First Federation Trust in Devon. Last year, Tania successfully completed a Masters Degree in Education Leadership & Management (MSc).
 
Tania has always been passionate about supporting staff at all phases of their careers to progress in a way that supports their interests and bespoke career pathways, and has been involved in supporting trainees, Early Career Teachers and Mentors, and draws on this experience to support her current role to oversee trainee and ECT induction and development.
 
The driving factor behind Tania’s work is knowing that the support and investment in staff at all stages, but particularly in the early stages of colleague’s careers, enables staff to thrive, grow as expert practitioners and ultimately benefit the children in our schools. 

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1. Drawing on your experience as a former Headteacher, what key skills do you bring to your roles with SWIFT? 
The main benefit of my experience as a former Headteacher is a living and breathing understanding of the challenges faced by schools.
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As a result of my first-hand experience of these significant challenges, I can bring this understanding into my various roles with SWIFT; Membership Services, Appropriate Body and Initial Teacher Training. This is particularly true when thinking about regional and individual challenges faced by schools. For example, I can help to shape the SWIFT Membership Services CPD provision based on local Trust and School Improvement Priorities.  

We know that a significant challenge faced by schools is insufficient funding and resources, and this insight informs how we can help schools to find the most cost-effective, value for money sources of professional development opportunities for staff by understanding school needs as a starting point. 
This also contributes to my support for Early Career Techers (ECTs), Mentors and School Leaders in the work I do with the SWIFT Appropriate Body Service, in trying to find creative solutions to challenges that may occur during their induction.  

My role as Headteacher has also guided my strong belief in investing in people and ensuring the Golden Thread of professional development supports staff to grow from trainee to ECT, to middle leadership and beyond. I have always been proactive and proud to support colleagues either to progress through the leadership scale or to develop a specialism or an area of expertise. Having that understanding helps me to think about my work with SWIFT Membership Services in considering appropriate training we can provide colleagues that enables them to progress most effectively, which benefits staff significantly and ultimately, the children we serve. 

I have experienced teacher recruitment and retention challenges, and enjoy working with SWIFT Initial Teacher Training to ensure that we are recruiting and training the best people to work in our schools, leading through to helping ECTs to continue their teaching profession journey. It is my hope that this investment provides a solid foundation for teachers to thrive, and not only survive their early career stage and to remain in the profession in the future.  

In terms of skills that I bring to my work with SWIFT from my role as a Headteacher, I would add empathy, diplomacy and negotiation skills; because my current role can sometimes place me in situations where I have to support schools and teachers and to find a positive outcome.

Finally, my direct work with colleagues in schools benefits me because I am no longer primarily based teaching in a school, and I could otherwise find myself quite distanced. But the work that I undertake with trainee teachers in delivering training, and delivering seminars for the Early Career Framework as well as visiting schools and supporting ECTs and trainees in their schools is an enjoyable aspect of my role with SWIFT and also keeps me connected to the classroom environment. 

2. What do you find to be most rewarding as a SWIFT Appropriate Body Service Lead?
As already mentioned, there are times when things do not always go smoothly for a number of reasons. There are occasions where ECTs can find their two-year induction to be a particularly challenging time. Understandably, they are suddenly removed from having a lot of support as a trainee teacher, to having a full-time class, and many of the roles and responsibilities of their 20 + years experienced colleagues; which can be very challenging for some ECTs.

This is why I enjoy supporting ECTs who might be finding this a challenge and supporting those schools who perhaps have not had an ECT in their school until now. Helping Induction Tutors in schools to navigate all the systems and procedures to help them have a good experience through induction. For example, helping schools to develop a support plan and finding that teachers can meet the Teaching Standards at the end of that journey is particularly rewarding.

Continuing this work, I love my training facilitator role for ITT, and Early Career Framework Delivery Lead for Year 1; working directly with trainees and ECTs; seeing how theory delivered in seminars links with their practice, watching them grow and develop over the year.

3. From your experience working with SWIFT, what do you consider to be the current biggest challenges in education?
As mentioned earlier, I think the current biggest challenge in education is funding and therefore providing resources in schools, which is becoming increasingly difficult. Even though schools wish to invest in professional development for teachers and available services, it is becoming increasingly challenging because of limited funding.
 
We know that here in the South West there is quite a high level of disadvantage for our students in many of our schools for one reason or another; which is another big challenge, of which I am aware, certainly when I am working with trainee teachers and Early Career Teachers.
 
Another significantly reported challenge that I experience through my work is the high level of need in schools balanced with available resources when we think about Special Educational Needs, and some of the challenges that presents due to the lack of available agencies and support services, which can consequently impact on workload and well-being for staff. 

4. What do you most enjoy about working for a Teaching School Hub?
I have now been in this role for exactly a year and personally, the thing I enjoy the most about working for a Teaching School Hub is the diverse range of schools and the colleagues I work with and their absolute wealth of expertise and experience shared with me.
 
Being a primary practitioner, I have learned a lot from secondary colleagues and am also fortunate to have access to the most up-to-date research and thinking through the work that the teaching hub provides. The training that I deliver through the Early Career Framework and initial teacher training enables me to access the most current thinking in education. Being a facilitator also encourages me to continuously reflect on your own leadership and practice, drawing on my prior experiences to share will colleagues - both what has worked and not worked! 

I value working with colleagues across the whole of the South West, in addition to my work within Blackdown Education Partnership, which is mutually beneficial in building networks and collaborations.
I can support schools in providing the optimum professional development opportunities. Schools can also be supported with their teacher recruitment challenges through trainee placements. 
 
I also enjoy drawing on the expertise within those schools. For example, people who might lead Professional Communities and who can mentor trainee teachers.

5. What are your three main hopes for the future of the teaching profession?
How to narrow this to three things?!
 
Thinking about the teaching profession, I would have once said reforms to Ofsted; but I would probably not prioritise this as highly now that there appear to be some positive adaptations in progress.
 
Firstly, I would focus on teacher retention and improved retention, with schools offering more competitive salaries, flexible working arrangements, specialist training, promoting leadership, a work-life balance and better well-being, in addition to alternative routes to gaining QTS.
 
I have worked with some amazing colleagues, but they do not have a degree and many Teaching Assistants who have been in the role for years and are virtually, teaching classes, but do not have that specific qualification to progress into teaching officially.

Hence, I think we need to be looking at alternative routes, which seems to be beginning to happen, and I would like to see that happen more rapidly.
 
Secondly, increased professional development and collaborative practice.
Having more time dedicated for professional development, including that important follow-up. Not only sending someone on the training, but giving thought to how the training will be implemented and most impactful so that afterwards, the specific training has supported and upskilled teachers.

Thirdly, more opportunities for collaboration and sharing good practice and expertise.
I am a very strong believer that shared practice and collaboration can be hugely impactful and we should be outward-looking, outside of our Schools and Trusts, at all levels, by ensuring we are equipped and confident to make the best decisions to suit the learners in our school, to serve our communities as a common goal.
 
That is why I love working with SWIFT and my role supports that idea, and ethos of collaborative working together, networking and partnership strengthened by those common goals. 

We thank Tania for sharing insights into her roles and for her valued contributions as a SWIFT Partner.
Interview by Jude Baylis, SWIFT Executive Assistant