CPTSH and L.E.A.D. Teaching School Hub: How peer review is strengthening leadership, practice and provision
When Teaching School Hubs were introduced, collaboration became essential. As organisations navigated a new national framework, opportunities to learn from trusted peers have proved invaluable in developing consistent, high-quality provision for schools.
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Teaching School Hub (CPTSH) and L.E.A.D. Teaching School Hub have established an innovative cross-region peer review partnership which has become much more than a quality assurance exercise. It has created a space to share ideas, benchmark practice, challenge thinking and refine strategic decision-making, helping both organisations to strengthen their programmes while remaining responsive to the evolving needs of schools, trusts and educational professionals.
For Amanda Griffiths, Teaching School Hub Director at Lincoln-based L.E.A.D. Teaching School Hub, the relationship has provided an important source of external perspective, professional challenge and collaborative problem-solving.
Establishing a trusted peer network
The partnership developed as Teaching School Hubs were navigating a completely new national framework and seeking meaningful ways to benchmark their performance.
“Our relationship with CPTSH began following the introduction of the Teaching School Hub Framework from the DfE, which was the catalyst for collaboration due to the need to calibrate our own self-assessments,” Amanda explained.
“Initially, we worked with Harris Teaching School Hub, which provided valuable insight from a hub operating on a much larger scale and within a very different geographical context of London/Essex. Alongside this, we recognised the value of collaborating with another hub of a similar size and demographic to our own, which led to the formation of a peer review group with Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Teaching School Hub.
“The partnership was created to facilitate knowledge and ideas sharing, provide external validation, encourage strategic reflection, and deepen our understanding of the Hub assessment framework. It has also enabled us to identify areas for improvement while benefiting from support and challenge from colleagues operating within the same educational landscape.”
The evolution of the peer network has “provided externally validated evidence for L.E.A.D. Academy Trust Board colleagues regarding our performance against Teaching School Hub standards” and, looking back, Amanda believes this type of partnership was essential during the early years of the TSH programme.
“It was important for collaboration to occur between Teaching School Hubs due to the fact that this was a newly-established DfE initiative in 2021. Working together with CPTSH enabled greater benefits as there was a shared understanding of the challenges, expectations and work required in this new landscape,” she added.
Learning through collaboration
Since its formation, the CPTSH-L.E.A.D. relationship has evolved into a blend of structured peer review and ongoing professional dialogue.
“The partnership with CPTSH has developed through both formal and informal collaboration,” Amanda commented. “This has included structured peer review visits as well as more ad hoc meetings where shared challenges have been explored collaboratively, particularly within areas such as the ITTECF, advertising and ensuring value for money across programmes. CPTSH colleagues have been extremely open in sharing resources, models, structures and approaches, allowing us to reflect critically on our own systems and practices, and vice versa. They have also invested significant time in joint working and professional dialogue.
“One particularly valuable aspect has been their willingness to trial innovative approaches, such as whole-school NPQ delivery models, which has prompted considerable reflection and development within our own hub. In turn, the collaboration has created a mutually supportive environment where both hubs are able to share experiences, challenge thinking, and learn from one another’s successes and areas for development.”
The peer review process itself has become an important driver of continuous improvement, with each annual visit focusing on a different aspect of Teaching School Hub delivery.
“In choosing a different focus for each visit each year it has enabled progress to be maximised,” Amanda said. "Visiting one hub with a specific focus allows that hub to drill down into their own practice, systems and processes whilst enabling the hubs who are reviewing that hub an opportunity to reflect and consider their own work in this area. This process is then repeated across the remaining two visits that year.”
Turning shared practice into lasting improvement
For L.E.A.D. Teaching School Hub, the collaboration has delivered tangible benefits across both programme delivery and organisational development.
This partnership has had a significant positive impact on our development and confidence as a Teaching School Hub,” Amanda reflected. “One of the clearest examples has been the introduction of a CRM system, influenced by the effective implementation and use of similar systems within CPTSH. We have also benefitted greatly from working together to refine the systems, processes, governance and operational structures relating to the Appropriate Body service.”
Alongside practical improvements, the peer review process has reinforced confidence in strategic decision-making while highlighting opportunities for further development.
“The collaboration has provided reassurance and validation regarding the quality and direction of our own work, while also helping us to identify opportunities for further refinement and improvement,” she continued.
“The peer review process in particular has strengthened our strategic thinking and provided valuable external perspectives that have enhanced both operational effectiveness and confidence in our overall provision.”
Benchmarking success in a shared context
Amanda detailed how the partnership has enabled measurement across multiple areas of provision:
“Working closely with CPTSH has been especially valuable because they operate at a similar scale and within a comparable context to our own. This has enabled meaningful benchmarking in a range of areas, including staffing structures, programme design and strategic planning. The partnership has supported reflection on the number and type of NPQs offered annually, as well as considerations around programme quality and provider effectiveness.”
Organisationally, it has encouraged both hubs to compare approaches to leadership, delivery, and operational systems in a constructive and supportive way. “As a result, it has strengthened our own strategic decision-making and supported continuous improvement across both programmes and organisational structures,” she said. “The other aspect of collaboration is where time has been saved through the sharing of resources. This has led to an increase in the effectiveness and quality of documents, building on each other’s practices and approaches.”
Founded on professional integrity
Amanda believes that one of the partnership’s biggest strengths is the trust that has developed between both organisations.
“CPTSH has been an extremely positive and constructive partner to work alongside,” she summarised. “Their colleagues are continually reflective, open to challenge, and consistently demonstrate humility and integrity in their work. They approach collaboration pragmatically, always with a shared commitment to securing the very best outcomes for the schools and communities they serve. The openness and honesty within the partnership have created a culture of trust, enabling meaningful professional dialogue and genuine collaboration.”
Ultimately, Amanda welcomed CPTSH’s balanced approach to both support and challenge L.E.A.D. Teaching School Hub. "The greatest value they have brought has been their willingness to share expertise, reflect critically alongside us, and contribute thoughtfully to both challenge and support in equal measure,” she reflected.
Continuing to develop together
With the Teaching School Hub remit continuing to evolve, L.E.A.D. expects the partnership to become even more valuable over the coming months.
“Over the next 12-18 months, we intend to continue and further strengthen the peer review process, given the depth of thinking, professional challenge and valuable insights that emerge from each visit and discussion,” Amanda shared. “The partnership will also provide an important opportunity to reflect collaboratively on the redesignation process and the evolving national educational landscape, including changes to government policy and legislation such as RISE.”
As new responsibilities are introduced for Teaching School Hubs, both organisations are committed to continuing their shared learning. “In addition, we anticipate working together to respond effectively to areas being incorporated into the Teaching School Hub remit, including Reception and Inclusion Training,” she added.
Looking ahead, Amanda sees the partnership continuing to deliver exactly what has made it so successful since its inception: openness, professional challenge and a shared commitment to continuous improvement.
“Continuing to collaborate closely will ensure that both hubs remain reflective, responsive and strategically aligned in meeting the needs of schools, trusts and educational professionals,” she concluded.
Case study developed: July 2026