Terry Grego

I am currently Deputy Head at Newham PRUs (Pupil Referral Unit for young people excluded from mainstream education) where I oversee the delivery of education, pastoral and therapeutic support for the young people the provisions serve. I am highly motivated, passionate and driven to provide outstanding education to improve the life opportunities for all young people. I believe that as teachers, we have a responsibility to develop thoughtful, responsible and engaged members of our global society. I believe that excellent interpersonal relationships with staff and students are at the cornerstone of successful education and I hold this at the core of my daily practice.

In addition to my first degree, Masters and qualified teacher status I also hold a Postgraduate Certificate in the Advanced Teaching of Shakespeare from Warwick University and The Royal Shakespeare Company. In 2019 I began The Difference Leadership Programme and completed their two year professional development course. Engaging with the most up to date academic research and leading pedagogic practice I worked alongside other senior leaders from mainstream schools, SEND schools and Alternative Provisions to share best practice and bring progressive curriculum knowledge back to Newham PRUs. I have brought colleagues in to share our best practice and have organised visits to other mainstream schools and PRUs to learn from them. These professional learning opportunities have variously focused on academic curriculum, pastoral, therapeutic support and intervention programmes.

As Deputy Head Teacher for Curriculum, Teaching and Learning at Newham PRUs I line manage our Assistant Head teachers for: Curriculum and Assessment; Inclusive Curriculum, Culture and Practice; Digital learning; Transition and Progression.  I work with SLT to ensure seamless integration of the long term strategic vision of the schools and the daily operational needs of the students and staff. Newham PRUs is a local authority Pupil Referral Unit with an ethnically, culturally, religiously and economically diverse intake all with varying levels of SEMH needs and/or SEN.  I am responsible for ensuring that across the suite of subjects our curriculum offer is appropriate for the range of courses that we offer, both academic and vocational, and for the range of pupils whom we serve. These range from students achieving GCSE grades 7, 8 and 9 to those completing entry level qualifications.

I am responsible for the progress of the students following our curriculum through triangulating what we observe in lessons with analysis of the progress, behavioural and achievement data. I have a collaborative, coaching leadership style which my work on developing our Quality Assurance process speaks to. I ensure that middle leaders feel the work is ‘done with’ rather than ‘done to’. Supportive meetings at the beginning of the process, with regular check-ins throughout support this. Along with paired learning walks and ensuring that all documentation is shared throughout the process in real time, combined with  dialogue  to moderate and standardise our observations, we have ensured a deliberately developmental approach to QA. This has ensured we have evolved our practice through an iterative process supported with robust professional dialogue and challenge.  From these deep dives I oversee the setting of action plans for improvement which inform the wider whole School Improvement Plan.

I am Deputy Headteacher for Curriculum, Teaching and Learning at Newham PRUs in East London. I am responsible for the development of Academic and Vocational Curriculum and Learning, ensuring a progressive, enriched programme of learning that supports and meets the needs of all students, providing access to external qualifications and opportunities. I lead Quality Assurance and the development of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Delivery across all Newham PRUs sites and provisions. I ensure that staff are familiar with pedagogy and current methodology in teaching and assessment, and that our professional practice reflects developments across the profession. I ensure that KPIs of student progress, assessment, attainment and outcomes are used effectively to inform strategic planning and future commissioning of places. Prior to this post in the same school I held the position of Assistant Head for Curriculum and Assessment. I have previously held the positions of Subject Co-Ordinator for Expressive Arts, Leader of Teaching and Learning for Expressive Arts, Humanities, PE, PSHE. This led me to Director of Learning for Humanities, Expressive Arts, Humanities, PE, PSHE overseeing a team of over thirty staff. Within the Pupil Referral Unit we have a combination of students; some have been permanently excluded, whilst others join us on a short term basis. I ensure that depending on how they have been placed with us, they follow the curriculum most suited to their needs, this includes receiving a variety of pastoral support and therapeutic intervention. Our cohort has a high proportion of EAL students and almost all are underperforming on entry. The majority of our young people have Speech, Language and/or Communication needs, we have a proportion who have diagnosed learning needs and many more who arrive undiagnosed but return to mainstream with an understanding of the learning support they require. Very many students have had Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and been through some form of trauma which affects their ability to regulate their emotions; some ‘act out’ whilst others withdraw. Whilst our pupils come from underserved communities with numerous intersecting indicators of deprivation, their learning and trauma issues affect all young people, not only those who find themselves marginalised and excluded. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours in Drama and Irish Studies, a Master’s degree in Drama and Theatre Education and a Postgraduate Certificate in The Advanced Teaching of Shakespeare. Prior to qualifying as a teacher I spent a number of years in the music industry working in marketing and PR. I am a passionate educator and believe that active engagement promotes enjoyment and improves the learning of young people. I am driven to provide outstanding education to improve the life opportunities for all young people. I believe students should take risks and fail along their learning journey to build their resilience and enhance their sense of achievement when they do fulfil their potential. When working with young people I promote critical thinking and in the schemes of learning I develop I always strive to enable students to see themselves as part of a global society. As an educator I am reflective and constantly striving to improve my practice whether through professional development, academic research or informal conversations with colleagues.

● September 2014 – September 2015. University of Warwick / Royal Shakespeare Company Post Graduate Certificate in the Advanced Teaching of Shakespeare. Pass with distinction. 

● September 2010 – September 2012. University of Warwick. Drama and Theatre Education Master’s Degree. Pass with distinction. Thesis title - Can a democratic learning space improve performance levels of young people in drama at Key Stage 3? 

● September 2008 – June 2009. University of Warwick. Drama and English PGCE. Pass (assessed as only pass/fail) 

● September 2000 – June 2003. St Mary’s College, University of Surrey. Drama and Irish Studies 2:1 BA (Hon) 

● September 1993 – June 2000. St Peter’s Catholic School and Sixth Form, Solihull. West Midlands 11 x GCSEs A-C 4 x A levels C-D