Catherine Underwood
Director of SWAN Training School Alliance and Deputy Head of Sponne School
Catherine is Deputy Head Teacher at Sponne School, the lead school in the SWAN Training School Alliance and also the Director of the Training School. Catherine has overseen the strategic development of the training school school from the initial teaching school application process in 2012. Her role includes the overview of the strategic development of the core areas of Initial Teacher Training (ITT), Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and School to School Support. During the last few years the alliance has grown year on year with both a secondary and primary strand to include over 35 members in total, largely from the South Northamptonshire area.
The School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) trains over 35 colleagues annually, in a combination of subjects for secondary phase. Our CPD strand responds directly to the needs identified by our alliance head teachers. Many bids for funding for School to School Support have been successful. Most recently, this has included a successful Strategic School Improvement Fund bid for a project to support disadvantaged students improve progress and attainment in reading and literacy at key transition points in their education.
Claire Thompson
SWAN Training School Manager
Claire has been with the SWAN Training School since 2018. Claire's role includes; finance & administration, management of the office and advising on the strategic vision of The Grand Union Training Partnership (GUTP) and the SWAN Training School Alliance.
Helen Moseley
SWAN Training School Alliance Administrator
Helen undertakes all aspects of administration for the SWAN Training School Alliance, processing course bookings and facilitating course and network event set-ups. Helen is a point of communication for colleagues attending Training School events and is always there to support and offer advice.
Ann Pugh
Director of The Grand Union Training Partnership
Ann has worked with the Scheme for many years and has taken on just about every role there is within The GUTP - she has been a School Based Tutor, the Subject Leader for MFL, the Deputy Director and now the Director of the course. Alongside this role, she is an experienced MFL teacher at Guilsborough Academy. Ann is particularly proud that during her management, the Scheme has been able to award Masters level credits to our trainees, alongside the award of a Post Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) and the ability to gain Qualified-Teacher Status (QTS). Her role includes: developing the strategic vision of the Scheme, reporting regularly to the Governing Body, management of the rest of The GUTP Team, as well as lots of face-to-face support of the trainees.
Nathan Richardson
Deputy Director of The Grand Union Training Partnership
Nathan divides his time between teaching Secondary School children the magic of Shakespeare & poetry and working with the Trainee Teachers who are enrolled with The GUTP. As a former trainee and English School Based Tutor, Nathan has been involved with The GUTP from the very beginning of his teaching career. He says that it is the school-based nature of the course – and the fact that trainees have School Based Tutors who are current teachers in our associated schools – which makes the scheme so successful. Nathan's role includes: training the School Based Tutors to ensure consistency across the scheme; training the trainees, helping to give them a sound base of pedagogical knowledge and ideas about good practice to apply in their own teaching; and helping to organise the training programme across the subjects by liaising with our Subject Leaders.
Kate Martin
Grand Union Training Partnership Recruitment & Administrative Officer
For most of our applicants, Kate is the first person they come into contact with when applying for a place with The GUTP. All of our applicants comment on how helpful, organised and friendly Kate is in guiding them through these initial stages. Kate says that if you are looking to apply but need more information then email or call The GUTP and she can help you through the process. Kate’s role includes interfacing with UCAS, processing applications, organising interviews, arranging DBS checks and so much more.
Assie Storey
GUTP Finance & Administration Assistant
Assie is the first person you speak to on the phone and the person who responds to your e-mails. Her role is so varied that it would be impossible to list all that she does – but if there is administration involved then Assie is involved too.
She always has a smile on her face and a kind word to say which endears her to the trainees we have on the course.
Since joining the GUTP team, Assie has commented on how supportive she thinks our scheme is. She has seen that trainees have the support of a dedicated mentor, a subject leader as well as the GUTP staff to help them navigate their way successfully through their training year and beyond.