Advanced Skills Teachers (ASTs)

In Kent there are over 100 school based Advanced Skills Teachers (excellent practitioners) and their role includes:

• coaching and mentoring
• demonstrating and team teaching
• supporting leadership and management
• innovative teaching and learning
• developing the range of teaching and learning strategies
• supporting effective assessment for learning and pupil progress tracking
• developing practice to take into account learning styles
• raising pupil motivation and engagement in learning

The Local Authority supports schools in making funding applications for ASTs and once appointed they are supported in planning and developing their outreach work schedule.

Lead Teachers

National and local initiatives have acted as a catalyst to build capacity within clusters and networks by training lead teachers. For example all clusters currently have at least one Hands on Support lead ICT teacher and many will have similar expertise in primary literacy and numeracy and the secondary strategy. A number of lead teachers have been trained in PE or Maths and two primary lead teachers from each cluster have been trained in music.

Lead teachers will be identified in liaison with clusters and through existing networks such as specialist schools, subject forums and direct contact with schools. Each network of lead teachers is supported and co-ordinated by an Advisory Service Kent (ASK) Officer. Lead teachers may facilitate networks, provide training opportunities in their area and programmes for individual schools, including classroom based work and coaching and mentoring of subject co-ordinators.