CPTSH and Harris Institute of Teaching and Leadership: Strengthening system leadership through peer review and partnership
Strong partnerships are at the heart of effective system leadership. For Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Teaching School Hub (CPTSH) and Harris Institute of Teaching and Leadership, a collaborative peer review partnership has become a powerful mechanism for continuous improvement, professional challenge and innovation.
Since first connecting in 2020, the two organisations have worked closely to support one another through significant change, sharing expertise, testing ideas and strengthening professional development across their respective regions.
For Mark Beyer-Woodgate, Senior Director of Teaching School Hubs, Appropriate Body and Apprenticeships at Harris Institute with responsibility for three DfE-Designated Teaching School Hubs in North East London, South London and South Essex, the relationship has become an invaluable source of trusted support.
Building a network during a time of change
The partnership began at a pivotal moment for the education system, as Teaching School Alliances transitioned to the new Teaching School Hub model.
Mark explained: “This great professional relationship began in September 2020, a year before CPTSH officially opened, when there was a mixed model of professional development providers across the East of England consisting of existing Teaching School Alliances and newly-formed Test and Learn Teaching School Hubs.”
With many organisations navigating new responsibilities, building strong regional connections quickly became essential.
“Lesley Birch (now CPTSH Strategic Lead and Deputy CEO of Meridian Trust) was chairing the regional meeting and supporting the transition from the Teaching School Council perspective,” Mark recalled. “This was needed to quickly make contacts with other system leaders of professional development, establish a supportive network of local and regional colleagues and share key information from the DfE.
“As CPTSH was then designated along with the other Teaching School Hubs in the East of England, our new network meetings became invaluable for the sharing of intelligence and best practice when working at scale.”
Those early conversations laid the foundations for a partnership that has continued to evolve over the past five years.
A partnership built on professional challenge and shared expertise
Since its inception, the collaboration has expanded well beyond informal networking, creating structured opportunities for peer review, strategic planning and organisational development.
“Over the past five years we have collaborated effectively with CPTSH on several projects including: TSH Governance, Annual TSH Peer Review, National Appropriate Body Peer Review, East of England ITT Strategic Group and ITT Providers Network, East of England AB Network, and East of England RISE initiative,” Mark said.
“Specifically, the CPTSH Lead (Lynne Birch) and AB Lead (Helen Thatcher) have worked with us closely providing professional support and challenge, reviewing our self-evaluations, providing written appraisals of our improvement plans, helping us to manage change, and assess and mitigate risk.
“In return we have done the same and provided CPTSH with an open dialogue to benchmark perspectives on different lead providers, including the new Excellence in Reception Teaching programme.”
This openness has enabled both organisations to reflect honestly on their practice while learning from each other’s experiences and perspectives.
Driving continuous improvement
For Harris Institute, one of the greatest strengths of the partnership has been its role in embedding a culture of continual improvement.
“Through our rigorous Teaching School Hub peer review process we have been able to maintain our focus on continuous improvement across the last five years," Mark reflected.
The partnership has also provided valuable support during periods of organisational and national change.
“We have been supported during significant transitions including the establishment of our new Teaching School Hub in North East London, the staffing restructure at Harris Institute, and the introduction of new DfE courses and ongoing updates to statutory guidance,” he said.
Having a trusted external partner has enabled Harris Institute to navigate these developments with confidence while ensuring quality remains at the centre of its work.
Inspiring innovation across the system
Beyond quality assurance, the relationship has encouraged both organisations to think creatively about how they meet the needs of schools.
“The leaders at CPTSH are innovative and dynamic and this inspires us to do similar ambitious work,” Mark commented.
He detailed several examples where CPTSH’s approaches have informed Harris Institute’s own thinking:
“Whether it be their approach to whole trust NPQ cohorts, or their methods for sharing impact with their community through local leadership local impact reports, we have benefitted from their creative ways to meet school needs in their context.”
Equally important has been the confidence that comes from working with colleagues whose advice is both objective and dependable.
“Their advice is always accurate and impartial and in the fast-paced and often conflicting space in which we work it is invaluable to have partners like them whom we can trust and collaborate with,” Mark added.
Relationships rooted in shared purpose
For Mark, the partnership’s success is built not only on professional expertise but also on shared values.
“It is a pleasure to work with CPTSH colleagues,” he shared. “We value their generosity, honesty, and robust system leadership. They care deeply about the positive impact they are having on their community, and their moral purpose is strong.”
Mark also highlighted the wider contribution CPTSH colleagues make beyond the peer review process itself.
"We value their reflections on our practice and their contributions to the regional meetings and national boards,” he said.
The result is a relationship that extends beyond formal collaboration, creating opportunities to influence policy, share emerging practice and strengthen professional development across the wider education system.
Next steps for collaboration
With Teaching School Hubs continuing to evolve, both organisations see the partnership becoming even more important over the next 12 to 18 months.
“We know that Teaching School Hubs will be preparing for their next DfE designations and establishing plans for sustainability,” Mark explained. “We have already contributed significantly to DfE reforms to professional development and improvements to the school workforce and this next period will require our partnership to continue to drive the DfE’s theory of change, introducing new programmes for reception and inclusion and collaborating with RISE teams over their regional plans.”
Looking ahead, Mark expects the partnership to continue focusing on what has made it so successful to date: openness, shared learning and collective problem-solving.
"The strengths of this partnership continue to be sharing best practice and targeted working through case studies of cold spots and areas of disadvantage to affect lasting change,” he concluded.
Case study developed: July 2026