INSET Directorship for Carole

Former Headteacher Carole Dennison is the new Director of the University of Teesside’s In-Service Education for Teachers (INSET) Unit. The Unit delivers a range of part-time, in-service courses for hundreds of practising primary and secondary school teachers from Teesside, North Yorkshire and South Tyneside.

Carole, from Chester-le-Street, comes to the post with a wealth of experience, including two Headteacher posts and working as an Adviser for Sunderland’s Local Education Authority. She started her first post as an infant teacher at Hasting Hill Primary School, Sunderland, teaching 5-7 year olds. Carole said: "I always enjoyed working with young children, they’re lovely to be with. So much learning occurs with this age group."

She went on to gain her first Headship eight years later, becoming Head of a new school, Albany Infants in Washington, Tyne and Wear. Carole later became Head of a larger school, Lambton Primary School, again in Washington. During this period, she also achieved two degrees through part-time study, a Bachelor of Education (BEd) and a Master of Education (MEd) at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Carole’s next role as an Adviser for Sunderland Local Education Authority saw her working in 25 Primary Schools over a four-year period. Her post partly focused upon professional development for Head Teachers and their deputies, and she helped governing bodies and staff with the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) training. Carole was also an OFSTED team leader, inspecting nursery and primary schools in Cumbria.

Carole said: "We have a successful course structure for teachers and I would like to widen professional development provision to other education staff, for example offering courses for classroom assistants and nursery nurses. I will be looking at some of our curriculum areas as schools do not stay static, the impact of the literacy and numeracy strategies and ICT (Information Communication Technology) mean we need to adjust the size and focus of our courses."

For more details on the INSET courses call 01642 384019.

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