Author and education leader inspires teachers at conference

Bruce Robertson, author of The Teaching Delusion trilogy, was chosen to launch this year’s Teaching and Learning Conference, staged by the Advance Learning Partnership (ALP).

Mr Robertson, Headteacher of Berwickshire High School, works closely with primary and secondary schools with a particular focus on pedagogy, curriculum and school leadership, and is in great demand as an education consultant and conference presenter.

(Image: Peter Barron)

He told a packed audience at Bishop Barrington Academy, in Bishop Auckland: “Teaching is the most important job in the world. We are in the business of transforming lives, and we should never lose sight of that.”

ALP, which leads a family of 18 secondary and primary schools, has this year launched a new teaching and learning framework to underpin a strategy to continually improve the quality of teaching and learning across the trust’s schools.

The conference, organised by Catherine Taylor, ALP’s School Improvement Partner, was focused on the ‘Activating Hard Thinking’ pillar of the new framework.

“The aim of the conference is to support ALP’s ethos of achieving excellence through collaboration, and to share good practice,” said Miss Taylor. “The Teaching Delusion trilogy is a highly respected, practical, evidence-based guide to improving teaching standards, so Bruce was the perfect fit as our keynote speaker.”

(Image: Peter Barron)

ALP Chief Executive, Kelvin Simpson, told the audience: “Every child deserves consistent, high-quality teaching, based on sound research, so they get the best possible start in life. The year of achievement we have put together as a collective is staggering, and I am overwhelmed by the dedication and commitment I have seen across the trust.”

Mr Robertson’s keynote speech, which was described as “inspirational and thought-provoking” by Mr Simpson, was followed by a range of workshops delivered by experts from within the trust.