insideKENT Magazine Issue 35 - February 2015 | Page 145

EDUCATION

Ashford School leads the way in sharing ideas
Ashford Prep School welcomed 20 teachers and students from other local schools this January in the first
of its workshops as a National Teaching School.

to use my whiteboard and IT too.
I really liked the ideas for a multisensory approach to teaching
languages.”
The event was organised by Ashford
School as part of its role as a
National Teaching School, and was
led by Year 2 teacher, Mrs Helen
Garsed-Bennet. She has already
met with other teachers, lecturers,
and student mentors at an Area
Partnership Meeting, which enabled
her to discuss Ashford Prep's role
and how it can best support them
with their professional career
development needs.

The participants took part in a workshop focusing on Literacy, Languages,
and Phonics, as well as touring the school and undertaking lesson
observations. They came from schools across East Kent, including Lenham
and Canterbury Christchurch University.

Garsed-Bennet explained why this
collaboration is so important: “The
opportunity to share ideas and
engage in dialogue with other
members of the professional body
is key to improving teaching practice
and raising standards. It also creates

“I saw lots of great ideas and it gave me a lot to think about with regards
to changes I can make to my own teaching,” said one visiting trainee
teacher. “I am definitely going to look at the pace of my lessons, involve
the children more with reading, and I now have some great ideas as to how

relationships between schools,
where