Ad Astra Academy Trust Archives - Brougham Primary School

A group of newly qualified teachers have been celebrating after completing a 10-month in-house teacher training programme.

Six newly qualified teachers recently attended a special graduation ceremony at Hartlepool’s West Park Primary School after completing Ad Astra Academy Trust’s Train to Teach programme.

Under the scheme, participants train on the job rather than go to university and no previous teaching experience is required.

One of the graduates – Caroline Hall – who previously worked in the financial sector for 30 years, has secured a job at Barnard Grove Primary School.

She said: “Completing the Train to Teach programme has been an incredibly rewarding experience. It has challenged me, supported me and given me the knowledge and confidence to become a qualified teacher. I couldn’t have asked for a better start to my teaching career.”

Thomas Coverdale, who has trained at Middlesbrough’s Ayresome Primary School, commented: “Becoming a teacher has been a lifelong dream of mine, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see my dream become a reality thanks to Ad Astra’s Train to Teach scheme.”

Fellow graduate Kayleigh Brown added: “My training journey has been incredibly rewarding. The guidance of experienced teachers and supportive mentors, combined with daily classroom experience, has given me the confidence and skills to begin my teaching career.”

Under the scheme, trainees graduate with a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

Helen Durnion, School Improvement Lead for Ad Astra Academy Trust and the Train to Teach lead, said: “The graduation ceremony was a wonderful, celebratory occasion.

“All of our trainees have been totally committed to the programme over the last 10 months, and many have already secured teaching roles.

There are ten primary schools under the umbrella of Ad Astra Academy Trust across Teesside, County Durham and Hartlepool. They are Ayresome and Sunnyside in Middlesbrough, Crooksbarn and Rosebrook in Stockton-on-Tees, Barnard Grove, Brougham, West Park and West View in Hartlepool and Deaf Hill and Kelloe in County Durham.

Anyone interested in the Train to Teach programme can apply from September 2027 by visiting www.adastraschools.org/about-us/scitt/

Alternatively, for more information, call 01429 282090 or email traintoteach@adastraacademytrust.com

Graduates are pictured at the ceremony with Ad Astra Academy Trust staff.

29 July 2026

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A Hartlepool teacher is calling time on her education career after working in the same primary school for the last thirty-five years.

Caroline Tyerman started working at Brougham Primary School in 1990 as a Year 5/6 teacher (10/11-year-olds) and after undertaking various roles at the school, the popular staff member will call it a day at the end of the Summer.

Caroline, who is currently the school’s Lead Practioner for SEND (Special Educational needs and Disabilities), said: “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time at Brougham and will leave with many fond memories.

“Brougham is a very tight knit community, and the school is at the heart of it. During my time here I’ve built up wonderful relationships with parents and pupils and always tried my utmost to support them in every way – both inside and outside of school.

“Brougham is a very different school to when I first started. I feel the school is in a much better place now; there is a very strong leadership team which are always driving new initiatives.

“Brougham is now in a position where it is able to provide support to other schools, and this is testament to the hard work and commitment of everyone associated with the school.”

Caroline said that she is looking forward to her retirement and is planning to travel and spend more time with her family. She is also an avid Middlesbrough FC fan.

Sarah Greenan, Headteacher of Brougham Primary School, said: “Caroline has taught various year groups during her time at the school and for the last five years has been our Lead Practioner for SEND.

“She has vast experience and knowledge and has also been a brilliant mentor to the school’s senior leaders. She is the ‘go to’ person in the school and has always gone above and beyond.

“Caroline knows the school inside out and the support she has given to staff over the years has been invaluable. There’s no doubt that she’ll be missed but she’s going to continue as a volunteer which is great as she will continue to be a valuable asset to the school.”

Caroline has led the PE and Science curriculums at the school and also ran the football and cricket teams. She has also accompanied pupils every year to the Carlton Camp residential centre.

Brougham is one of ten schools under the umbrella of Ad Astra Academy Trust.

Andy Brown OBE, Chief Executive Officer with Ad Astra, said: “Caroline has been a brilliant ambassador for Brougham during her 35 years at the school.

“She epitomises everything that you want to see in a teacher and her service has been exemplary. I wish her a long and happy retirement.”

The other primary schools within Ad Astra are Barnard Grove, West Park and West View in Hartlepool, Crooksbarn and Rosebrook in Stockton-on-Tees, Ayresome and Sunnyside in Middlesbrough and Deaf Hill and Kelloe in Durham.

Children from ten primary schools across Teesside and County Durham came together recently (7 June) to demonstrate their sporting talents.

Pupils from Ad Astra Academy Trust schools met up for the day-long sports event at Middlesbrough Sports Village where they competed in a range of events including running, long jump, hurdles and distance throwing.

Pete Wiley and Helen Durnion, School Improvement Leads with Ad Astra, helped co-ordinate the event.

Pete Wiley said: “We organise regular collaborative events for our schools and the sports event was a huge success.

“All of the pupils showed their determination to succeed. They gave their all and competed in a very respectful manner.

“One of our primary schools (Ayresome) hold their annual sports day at Middlesbrough Sports Village so we modelled their programme and it worked really well.

“Performing at such a notable regional sporting venue like Middlesbrough Sports Village can only help inspire our pupils to achieve high in their chosen sports.”

Around 150 youngsters aged between 7 and 11 took part in the event and they all received a medal.

A rosette was also awarded to a child from each school who was judged to best reflect the Ad Astra Academy Trust STARS (Support, Togetherness, Achieve, Respect, Success) values.

The ten schools under the umbrella of Ad Astra Academy Trust are Sunnyside and Ayresome in Middlesbrough, Crooksbarn and Rosebrook in Stockton-on-Tees, Barnard Grove, Brougham, West Park and West View in Hartlepool and Deaf Hill and Kelloe in County Durham.

Andy Brown OBE, Chief Executive Officer of Ad Astra Academy Trust, said: “This was a wonderful event, and I would like to thank everyone who contributed to its success.

“As a Trust we encourage our pupils to participate in sport and physical activity as part of our overall approach to promote healthy lifestyles.

“Events like this are also important because they provide an opportunity for our children to meet their counterparts from other schools.”

Ad Astra Academy Trust was formed in 2015 and over the last nine years has grown across the Tees Valley, providing education for over 3,500 pupils and 525 employees in Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees and Hartlepool.

Children from eight primary school across Teesside came together this week (24 January) to demonstrate their creative art talents.

Pupils from Ad Astra Academy Trust schools met up at Sunnyside Academy in Coulby Newham for the day-long event where they made ceramic tiles from clay.

Prior to the event, pupils were tasked with designing their tiles to reflect the principles and values of individual Ad Astra schools.

Helen Craggs, Art Leader at Sunnyside Academy, who helped co-ordinate the event, said: “This is the first time that Ad Astra schools have collaborated on an event like this.

“Sunnyside Academy is the only school within Ad Astra to have its own kiln, so it is an ideal location.

“The event has given children the opportunity to demonstrate their creative talent and all of the ceramic tiles will be displayed at Ad Astra’s Festival of Education later this year.”

The eight schools under the umbrella of Ad Astra are Sunnyside and Ayresome in Middlesbrough, Crooksbarn and Rosebrook in Stockton-on-Tees and Barnard Grove, Brougham, West Park and West View in Hartlepool.

Andy Brown OBE, Chief Executive Officer of Ad Astra Academy Trust, added: “Creative arts features strongly in all of our schools and is an important part of the curriculum.

“All of the children have fully embraced the event. The artwork is of an exceptional standard, and I am very proud of all the pupils who participated.”

Issued by Alastair Rae, on behalf of Ad Astra Academy Trust. For further information, call 07581239557.

25 January 2024

A two-year pilot project involving several Teesside primary schools has improved the speech, language and communication skills of nursery pupils (3 and 4-year-olds).

Ad Astra Academy Trust, which oversees eight primary schools in Hartlepool, Middlesbrough and Stockton-on-Tees, joined forces with SHINE – an education charity that works with schools and other organisations, to help children reach their true potential – to launch the £52,000 initiative in 2021.

Such has been the success of the scheme; Ad Astra Academy Trust bosses are set to continue the programme across its eight primary schools.

Pete Wiley, Ad Astra Academy Trust’s School Improvement Lead, said: “Among our schools, we observed that two-thirds of pupils enter reception with below-typical language and communication skills.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has undoubtedly exacerbated this problem, leading to a surge in referrals to speech and language services, which are already overwhelmed.”

The Trust developed a wide-ranging project, encompassing various strategies designed to enhance children’s communication and language abilities.

These included improving the quality of nursery environments, equipping staff with the necessary skills to foster high-quality interactions with children, and involving parents in the process.

Since the project began, schools across the Trust have witnessed significant improvements in how well children communicate.

For example, at West View Primary School in Hartlepool, 51.1% of children are classed as “ready for reception” this year when it comes to listening and attention – an improvement of 10 percentage points (40.8%) on the previous year.

Regarding speaking, 46.6% are deemed “ready for reception” – an improvement of 8 percentage points (38.6%) compared to last year.

Laura Wears, SHINE Champion at West View Primary School in Hartlepool, commented, “There’s certainly a case to run this project indefinitely. Language-rich environments, with highly skilled staff, are the key to developing young people’s speech, language, and communication skills.

“These skills are fundamental building blocks within a child’s development, and it is imperative to embed this early in a child’s education.”

Meanwhile, at Brougham Primary School there have been several initiatives including:

Training for early years staff, building expertise in delivering high-quality interactions unique to each child.
Development of a communication-friendly environment that promotes conversation and interaction.
Empower and enable parents to develop their own children’s communication and language through parent workshops such as ‘stay and play’, creating handouts for parents to refer to later.

Fiona Nicholson, Deputy Headteacher at Rosebrook Primary School in Stockton-on-Tees, said: “It is so important that our youngest children get off to the best possible start at school and the SHINE project has helped us to focus on the children who need additional support to bring their speech and language skills to the required level.

“It has enabled us to invest in a variety of resources to promote creativity and imagination. Staff have also taken part in training around developing questioning and vocabulary to ensure our school is a ‘word rich’ environment.

“It has been a really positive project with a marked improvement of communication skills amongst 3 and 4-year-olds which is vital to their future learning.”

Pete Wiley added: “The project has been a real success story. Staff knowledge and understanding of how to support communication and language has grown, pupils are generally making better progress and parental involvement has improved.”

Ad Astra Academy Trust was formed in 2015 and over the last seven years has grown across the Tees Valley, providing education for over 3,000 pupils and 500 employees in Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees.

The eight primary schools within Ad Astra Academy Trust are Barnard Grove, Brougham, West Park and West View in Hartlepool, Crooksbarn and Rosebrook in Stockton-on-Tees and Ayresome and Sunnyside in Middlesbrough.

Pupils and staff from West View and Brougham primary schools in Hartlepool

Issued by Alastair Rae on behalf of Ad Astra Academy Trust. For further information, contact Alastair on 0758 1239557.

A Hartlepool primary school and UNISON have joined forces to recognise the fantastic work undertaken by school support staff.

‘Stars in our Schools’ is an annual UK-wide celebration, co-ordinated by UNISON, to acknowledge the invaluable contribution by the likes of catering and admin staff, cleaners, family support advisors and ICT technicians.

The celebratory event took place at Brougham Primary School today (23 November). School leaders praised the support staff whilst pupils showed their appreciation by making a short film which was seen for the first time.

Support staff also received a certificate and a goodie bag from UNISON’s Dawn Nicholson as she thanked everyone for their dedication and hard work.

Brougham is one of eight primary schools across Teesside under the umbrella of Ad Astra Academy Trust.

Chris Simmons, Chair of Ad Astra Academy Trust Board, said, “Our teaching staff and school leaders do an amazing job across all of our schools, but we also have a wide range of support staff who are equally valued for the roles they play to help children learn, keep safe and healthy and make sure our schools run efficiently and smoothly.

“We’ve supported this initiative for a number of years, and we are delighted to team up with UNISON once again to celebrate the work of the unsung heroes in our schools.”

Support staff Hayley Barclay and Michelle Allison, who are both higher level teaching assistants and former pupils of the school said the event was lovely surprise.

Hayley Barclay said: “It’s lovely to be appreciated and the event was a really nice surprise. We are told every day that we are appreciated but seeing the children saying lovely things about us and watching the video was wonderful.”

Michelle Allison commented: “The event was fantastic. It makes the tough, stressful days more rewarding and worthwhile, and it was lovely to hear from the children about the impact that we have on them and that we really make a difference.”

Andy Brown OBE, Chief Executive Officer of Ad Astra Academy Trust, commented: “As a Trust we are so lucky to have such talented and dedicated staff and on a daily basis I am humbled and amazed at the commitment, care and drive to ensure our children get the best education possible.

“The Covid pandemic really highlighted just how important support staff are to keeping schools up and running, providing vital support to children and families, and helping pupils progress in their learning.

“Support staff were on site during lockdown periods making sure the buildings were deep cleaned, arranging IT for online learning and supporting the children of key workers. The contribution support staff make cannot be under-estimated.”

Dawn Nicholson, UNISON’s Area Organiser, said: “UNISON is really pleased once again to work in partnership with Ad Astra Academy Trust. School support staff are so often hidden behind the scenes, but they are vital to the education of young people. Their roles are incredibly diverse, from cooks, cleaners and family support advisers to teaching assistants, admin staff and school business professionals.

“They all play a vital role in every aspect of school life and without them schools simply could not function. This annual UK-wide celebration is a great opportunity for pupils, parents and teachers to promote the work of their support staff and thank them for their outstanding contribution.”

Sarah Greenan, Headteacher at Brougham Primary School, commented: “The event provided an opportunity to highlight the contributions made by this fantastic group of employees.

“We recently asked our children to reflect on the support they receive at school, and it really brought a tear to the eye. I was left in no doubt that the work of employees at Brougham, goes well beyond, a child’s desk.”

Ad Astra Academy Trust was formed in 2015 and over the last seven years has grown across the Tees Valley, providing education for over 3,000 pupils and 500 employees in Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees and Hartlepool.

The other primary schools within Ad Astra Academy Trust are Barnard Grove, West Park and West View in Hartlepool, Crooksbarn and Rosebrook in Stockton-on-Tees and Ayresome and Sunnyside in Middlesbrough.

A famous Olympic ski jumper and celebrity landed in Teesside this week (Monday 4 July) to help inspire teachers and education bosses.

Michael David Edwards, better known as ‘Eddie the Eagle’, was Guest Speaker at Ad Astra Academy Trust’s Festival of Education 2022 Conference at Teesside University, Middlesbrough.

Edwards rose to fame in 1988 when he became the first British ski jumper to appear in the Winter Olympics for over 60 years.

Despite finishing last, Edwards won the hearts of the nation for his effort and commitment, earning him celebrity status. He went on to carve out a successful career and in 2016 his life story was portrayed in the biographical film, Eddie the Eagle.

Over 200 delegates attended the annual event which has not been held for three years due to the pandemic.

Andy Brown OBE, Chief Executive Officer of Ad Astra Academy Trust, said: “The theme for this year’s event was that you don’t need to be perfect to be a good teacher or education leader and Eddie the Eagle is a brilliant example of how you can be successful without being at the top of your game.

“The whole ethos throughout Ad Astra and across our eight schools is that we work hard to create a togetherness so that staff can learn from one another and support each other.

“We don’t expect staff to have all the answers and never make mistakes. We want them to learn from their failures as much as their successes.”

Eddie the Eagle told delegates that from the age of 13, when he started skiing, it was his dream to compete in the Winter Olympics.

He added: It was through determination, resilience, and perseverance that I made it to the Olympics – all traits that are vital to teachers and those working in education.

“If you have a dream, you have to hold on to it and you’ll get there.”

Andy Brown also spoke at the event which was being chaired by BBC Radio Tees presenter Rachel Teate.

Another key speaker was Andrew Hammond, brother of former Top Gear co-host Richard Hammond. Andrew is a headteacher and author of several children’s books.

Chris Simmons, chair of the Ad Astra trustees gave a vote of thanks at the end. He said: “Schools are at the centre of communities, and I want to thank you all for your hard work.

“You fly the flag for our children. You love them, you teach them, you care for them, and you play a huge part in shaping their lives.”

Just under £450 was raised during the day for the Russ Devereux Headlight Project – a charity providing mental health support.

Eighty-six per cent of its schools are judged by Ofsted to be either “outstanding” or “good”.

There are eight primary schools within Ad Astra Academy Trust. They are Barnard Grove, Brougham, West Park and West View in Hartlepool, Crooksbarn and Rosebrook in Stockton-on-Tees and Ayresome and Sunnyside in Middlesbrough.

Eddie the Eagle and Andy Brown video