TTLH Team

Tracy Williams

Hub Lead Arthur Terry

Languages:  French, Spanish (and a little bit of Latin!)

Current Role:  Trent and Tame Language Hub Lead, ATLP Trust Lead for Languages, Arthur Terry SCITT Languages Lead.

Experience:

Since completing her PGCE in 2005, Tracy has taught French, Spanish and Latin in two secondary schools. She has been a French subject lead and a Core Leader for Languages.  She is currently the MFL Subject, Pedagogy and Assessment Lead for the Arthur Terry SCITT and the ATLP’s trust lead for Languages.  As Trust lead, Tracy supports the ATLP’s 6 secondary Language heads of department to implement their innovative and comprehensive curriculum plans in in KS3, KS4 and KS5.  Over the last five years, she has also been responsible for the design and resourcing of a KS2 ATLP French Curriculum which has included extensive CPD for non-specialist teachers. Much of her work as Trust Lead focuses on developing understanding of and implementing elements of the 2016 MFL pedagogy review. The impact of this work can be seen in healthy take-up of languages at GCSE level and beyond alongside the steadily improving outcomes at GCSE across secondary schools in the trust.

As Hub Lead for the Trent and Tame Language Hub, Tracy is excited to bring language teachers and leaders across the region together to create a strong and sustainable network of passionate linguists who share best practice and find innovative solutions to the challenges we encounter on a daily basis!

Specific Areas of Interest: 

• Explicit teaching of phonics,
• Cognitive Science,
• Developing Intrinsic Motivation for language learning
• Finding ways to get young people actually SPEAKING different languages.

What was your initial motivation to learn another language?

When I was in primary school, my parents used to have ‘secret’ conversations at home in French every time they wanted to say something but didn’t want my siblings and I to understand.  I was determined to be part of these conversations and decided to try really hard in French lessons.  I was delighted when aged about 14, I was able to join in the conversations!  By that point, I was hooked!

Clare Oberman

Hub Lead  Painsley Catholic College

Languages:  French, Spanish, German and Latin

Current Role:  Trent and Tame Language Hub Lead, The Golden Thread Teaching School Hub director, North Mids Maths Hub Senior Leadership Link, Behaviour Hub Strategic Lead and the Manager of The Bell Foundation Centre of Expertise for the West Midlands

Experience:

Clare has taught French, German and Spanish for nearly 30 years. She has worked in a range of schools in both rural and urban settings and in areas of high disadvantage.  She has led large MFL departments and has previously been responsible for establishing a Language College in a school setting under SSAT.  As a lead of four Hubs, Clare is passionate about professional development of all staff to improve outcomes and life chances for children and to support the recruitment and retention of practitioners in all school settings.

As Hub Lead for the Trent and Tame Language Hub, Clare is committed to increasing the uptake of modern foreign languages and developing high quality local and regional language networks to support practitioners within the Hub reach.  As a collective of schools within the Hub, Clare is eager to collaborate with others using evidence-informed practice to support language learning and strong outcomes for students.

Specific Areas of Interest: 

• Metacognition and self-regulated learning
• Oracy and language acquisition
• Explicit teaching of phonics,
• Disciplinary literacy

What was your initial motivation to learn another language?

My family has always advocated the importance of learning about and from others.  My very first language teacher when I was 8 was wonderful.  She was patient, kind and pushed me to be my very best.   I was very lucky to have inspirational language teachers throughout my own schooling and many opportunities to travel abroad.  I always wanted to learn more and experience new cultures.

Abby Gannon

Specialist Teacher – Arthur Terry

Languages:  French, Spanish

Current Role:  NCLE Specialist Teacher in the Trent and Tame Language Hub, Second in Department at The Arthur Terry School

Experience:

Abby Gannon the Specialist MFL teacher in the Trent and Tame Language Hub.  She is also the Second in Department at the Arthur Terry School. She has been working as a Languages Teacher for 18 years teaching French and Spanish to KS2 through to KS5.  Abby has worked as a Learning Coach and a Professional Coach supporting ITT students from The University of Birmingham, BCU and the Arthur Terry SCITT.  As a GCSE examiner for AQA, she has delivered training at MAT level which supported the progress and attainment of Year 11 students. Abby is passionate about languages and aims to help students and colleagues to see the magic of language learning and to come to love teaching and learning languages.  She is excited to be working in the Language Hub and is eager to motivate fellow language teachers and learners and to see language teaching evolve.

Specific Areas of Interest: 

• Intrinsic Motivation
• The importance of primary languages and strong KS2 provision

What was your initial motivation to learn another language?

In 1993, I stepped into a Year 7 French classroom with Madame “K” and that day changed my life forever. That was it, that was the spark that ignited the fire in my belly to teach languages.  Madame “K” had the most infectious energy and excitement for languages and enveloped her learners into her world of language learning.  Over the past 18 years, I have tried to inspire the same love of language learning to all my learners.

Shelley Walklate

Specialist Teacher – Painsley Catholic College

Languages:  French, Spanish, Italian

Current Role:  NCLE Specialist Teacher in the Trent and Tame Language Hub, Head of MFL at Painsley Catholic College, Cheadle

Experience:

After completing a BA (hons) French & Italian at The University of Birmingham, and some time spent working as an ESOL teacher in the north of Italy, Shelley began her teaching career in the UK. Having now taught in a number of different secondary schools, in a variety of settings, Shelley is presently Head of Department at Painsley Catholic College leading a team that is passionate about inspiring students with a lifelong love of MFL. Shelley is excited to be working as a specialist teacher for the Trent and Tame Language Hub, keen to share her own passion and motivation with other teachers who strive to make MFL accessible, useful and enjoyable for every student.

Specific Areas of Interest: 

• Cognitive science
• Self-belief in language learners
• Phonics

What was your initial motivation to learn another language?

It all started with a teacher….! My GCSE Italian teacher made the language easy and made me believe that I could speak Italian! I’ve always loved English, and reading, and was fascinated by the links I began to see between English, French and Italian. I genuinely felt like a new world was opening up to me as I became increasingly more proficient in other languages, and I’ve been passionate about sharing that excitement ever since!