ABBEY School in Darlington received a surprise visit from a leading civil servant who shared his expertise in the education sector.

Chris Wormald, head of the Department for Education and policy adviser to the Secretary of State for Education, spoke with staff at the school and visited a number of classrooms.

He spent time in the staffroom discussing a range of subjects and was particularly interested in how Abbey train their teachers, whilst keen to meet with those at early stages of their career. Headteacher, George Ford, felt it was a learning experience for everyone.

He said: “We understand more about how research, that is teacher-led, can have such a valuable impact on the profession.

“Although there are diverse approaches to training teachers, it is the outcome that counts.

“This is something we positively demonstrate at Abbey.

“It was good to have a conversation with someone like Chris who was very knowledgeable about educational policy and practise.”