Newsletters

Dear colleague,

Welcome back after what we hope has been a restful half-term break.

You will be aware that we are set for a General Election on July 4th.

As a result, all DfE suppliers and contractors (which includes Potentia TSH) have to adhere to specific requirements and cease / postpone all funded marketing activities and campaigns that they have planned for the ECF and NPQ programmes until after the General Election. These restrictions will not lift until a new government is formed and the DfE confirms that activity can re-commence.

This means that until a new government is formed, we are only able to provide you with 'factual' information related to ECF and NPQ programmes commencing from September 2024. As such, the information in June and July's newsletter will look slightly different.

If you are making preparations to access ECF and NPQ programmes through us, your local Teaching School Hub from September 2024 and require support, please contact us directly via the Get in Touch section.

In this month's newsletter you will find information on the following areas;

National Professional Qualifications (NPQ)

Are you aware of the scholarship funding and eligibility criteria for specific NPQ's from September 2024? You will find more information about this in the NPQ section alongside the newly updated EEF implementation plan and a summary of event feedback as provided by our participants from across all of our NPQ's.

Initial Teacher Training (ITT)

This month you will find information related to school experience taster days, training for school ITT mentors, the East Midlands core ITT training record and the teacher degree apprenticeship (TDA) alongside the secondary Maths funded pilot. 

Early Career Framework (ECF)

Are you taking on an ECT from September 2024? If you are, you will find a summary of the steps you will need to take in this month's section. 

Finally.....

In this month's coffee break, we have information about the Arts Council England and their Music Hub Investment programme and who your local Music Hub is.

We are also delighted to share information from the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Early Years Stronger practice Hub which is led by Alfreton Nursery School, which can be found in the spotlight section. 

Kind regards,

Alan and the Potentia Team

Keep in touch

Sign up to receive this newsletter, follow us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn or email us via the dedicated inboxes at the bottom of this newsletter.

Would your school like to be involved with initial teacher training (ITT)?

In last month’s newsletter, we outlined these ways to be involved in ITT as a school:

1. Complete the  Initial Teacher Training School Engagement National Survey if you have not already done so.
2. Explore postgraduate routes into teaching for current members of staff with a degree who do not yet have QTS (qualified teacher status) but who are keen to progress in their career as teachers: PGCE, Assessment Only and postgraduate teaching apprenticeship. For further information about these pathways, click here.

School Experience Taster Days

One way to support recruitment into the profession is to offer school experience taster days. These can also be a great way to spot talent to support your own future recruitment needs. As a Teaching School Hub, we sometimes receive requests from potential teachers who would like to organise a few days of experience in the classroom prior to making an application for an ITT course.

We are currently seeking to expand our list of available schools across the region. To add your school to our list, contact itt@potentiatsh.co.uk

Training for School ITT Mentors in 2024-25

Are you aware of the mentoring requirements of the ITT reforms from September 2024?

From September 2024, schools will need to assign each trainee with a mentor who can spend at least 1.5 hours with their trainee each week.

To support school mentors in this critical role, the Department for Education is providing funding for 2024-25 to enable access to up to 20 hours of training. The training will be designed and provided by the accredited provider, who will allocate a lead mentor to support delivery.

Accredited providers will consider any relevant prior learning that mentors have completed, including as an early career framework (ECF) mentor. This may reduce the total hours of training a mentor needs to complete.

Schools funding claims will be in arrears for the actual hours training undertaken by the mentor. Schools will be able to claim up to a maximum of 20 hours per accredited provider for each mentor. School mentors who complete up to 20 hours in 2024-25, will then neeed to complete a minimum of six hours of annual refresher training in subsequent years. Training will cover the core mentor role, the ITT core content framework and specific training relevant to the accredited provider’s ITT curriculum.

If you are currently involved in ITT with an accredited provider, you will be informed of these changes by your provider. To find out more, go to: Offer a trainee teacher placement - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

East Midlands Core ITT Mentor Training Record

East Midlands ITT accredited providers and local teaching school hubs are currently collaborating to develop a record of core ITT mentor training for 2024-25. This will support school mentors who support trainees with more than one provider. The record will enable school mentors to demonstrate the core training they have completed with one provider, and facilitate discussions with other ITT providers about any additional training requirements. The intention is to support mentors as they work with different providers.

The Teacher Degree Apprenticeship (TDA) and the Secondary Maths Funded Pilot

The TDA is a new apprenticeship route into teaching that will provide candidates with the opportunity to earn while they learn. It is an employment-base, degree-awarding route into teaching. The TDA aims to broaden access to the teaching profession and allow those individuals to train who might otherwise have been unable to.

The TDA will be a 4-year course with an average of 40% off the job training. The courses will be delivered through ITT providers, working with employing schools on delivery. Employers will have access to the apprenticeship levy to fund training and assessment costs. The TDA will be available for people to train as primary or secondary teachers in all subjects.

In addition to the TDA for all subjects, a secondary maths pilot will start to recruit in autumn 2024 to assess the impact of additional salary grant funding. Eight pilot providers will design TDA courses in secondary maths and partner with employing schools to deliver them. Schools that employ trainees as part of the funding pilot will receive financial incentives to support with trainee salary costs in addition to the apprenticeship levy to fund training and assessment costs.

By completing the TDA, apprentices will receive both an undergraduate degree and qualified teacher status (QTS), whilst receiving a salary and avoiding student debt.

Recruitment for the primary and secondary TDA and for the secondary TDA maths pilot will begin in autumn 2024. Training for all routes will commence in autumn 2025. Further guidance on how schools can work with providers to recruit candidates will be available in due course from the DfE.

In the meantime, to find out more, go to:

Teacher Degree Apprenticeships: how they work and when to apply – The Education Hub (blog.gov.uk

Secondary maths teacher degree apprenticeship funding pilot: providers - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

NPQ funding is changing to a partially funded national model for the Autumn 2024 cohort.

Only 10,800 funded places are available nationally (75% less than 2023-24), meaning there is a good chance supply outstrips demand in every region.

The NPQs that are fully funded for all teachers and leaders employed in state-funded schools, as well as those employed in state-funded 16 to 19 organisations in England:

• NPQ Headship
• NPQ SENCo
• NPQ Leading Primary Maths
• Early Headteacher Coaching offer

We have received the eligibility list for full funding and will be contacting all schools early next week to let them know of their eligibility status for all NPQs.

Don't delay in making the decision to provide these opportunities for your staff and register early.

Checking Eligibility 

You should check the course eligibility criteria before you register. You may meet the funding criteria but not the course eligibility. 

You can find out how to check the eligibility of your workplace for autumn 2024 when registration opens later this year. 

Event Feedback on Delivery of NPQs

We are delighted to report that from the most recent analysis of event feedback, across all NPQs and multiple cohorts, the outcomes are overwhelmingly positive.

• 99% rated the organisation of our events as good or better.
• 99% rated the quality of the facilitation/training of our events as good or better.
• 99% agreed or strongly agreed that they felt able to apply what they have learnt in the event to their role.
• 98% agreed or strongly agreed that they felt able to apply what they have learnt in the event to their practice.
• 99% agreed or strongly agreed that they are confident that their training is helping them to build on what they already know.
• 99% agreed or strongly agreed that they are confident that their training is providing them with the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to progress in their career.
• 94% agreed or strongly agreed that the Delivery Partner (Potentia TSH), responsible for delivering their training, is considerate of their workload.
• 98% agreed or strongly agreed that their training is delivered in a way that promotes diversity and equality of opportunity.
• 93% agreed or strongly agreed that as a neurodivergent learner, the event supported them.

Thanks must go to our team who supports our facilitators and participants in the preparation, delivery and follow-up of events. A huge thank you to the amazing team of NPQ facilitators that come from schools within our region and Potentia TSH.

The Updated EEF Guidance on Implementation

In last month's newsletter, we informed you that the Education Endowment Fund had updated their guidance for schools. The EEF Implementation plan is a key part of our NPQ's and is the focus of block 1, Leading Improvement. For more information on the updated guidance and to download the poster, please go to

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/guidance-reports/implementation

Alternatively, you can watch a webinar led by the Derby Research School and other colleagues.

Implementation Guidance Report Briefing Event April 2024

If you have any questions related to NPQs, then please contact Jan Pierce on npq@potentiatsh.co.uk

September 2024 Starters

If you have taken on / are taking on an ECT who will be starting in September you will need to register them for their Appropriate Body Service and Early Career Framework.

All ECTs need to be registered before they begin induction.

Please register your ECTs for their two aspects of their entitlement below:

Appropriate Body

1. Register your ECTs for their Induction via the Appropriate Body Services on ECT Manager for Potentia TSH.  (if your school isn’t yet registered you will need to register the school and then add the ECTs and Induction Tutors)                                                

Early Career Framework

2. Ensure your school and Induction Tutor details are correct on the DfE Manage My Early Career Teacher site.  Once you are granted access you will be able to register your ECTs and Mentors.
3. Complete the Education Development Trust Registration Form. (if you’re not already working with EDT and Potentia)

Here is an overview document of the AB and ECF

Early Career Framework

Welcome back to the final term ECTs and Mentors!

An overview of this term’s learning for those on the standard route is as follows

AB Services

Progress Reviews and Assessments

Progress Reviews and Assessments will be due this term – look out for those reminders, which will go to the registered induction lead via ECT Manager. If the Induction Lead or Headteacher details need changing please do this directly on ECT Manager. If you have any issues, please contact Jane Straw, our AB administrator, who can support you.

Further Opportunities and Resources for ECTs

Early Years Teachers

Early Years Practitioners in all settings now have access to the newly appointed Early Years Stronger Practice Hub based in Alfreton, Derbyshire! Please visit their website to find out what support your ECTs can get from them https://www.alfreton.derbyshire.sch.uk/stronger-practice-hub

Useful Links:  

Appropriate Body Services Potentia  

Appropriate Body and ECF Overview Webinar for Induction Tutors 

Appropriate Body Induction Training 1 for Induction Tutors  

Appropriate Body Induction Training 1 for ECTs 
Writing Reviews and Assessments 
 

Early Career Framework with EDT and Potentia 

Early Career Framework welcome for Mentors and ECTs 

Music Hub Investment Project

What are Music Hubs?

Music Hubs are partnerships of schools, local authorities, community groups, music organisations, industry and more. They are coordinated by a Hub Lead Organisation.

Music Hubs deliver and support high quality music education for children and young people within a local area, covering every part of England between them. 

Who is your local Music Hub?

Derby & Derbyshire Music Partnership has been appointed to lead the Derbyshire Music Hub.

Derby & Derbyshire Music Partnership has been appointed by Arts Council England to lead the Derbyshire Music Hub from September 2024, as part of an ambitious national programme to provide high-quality music education for all children and young people.

If you are interested in learning more about your local Music Hub, please visit their website.

Or if you would like to know more about the Arts Council England Music Hub Investment Programme, please visit their website.

Early Years Stronger Practice Hub

Our Hub has been super busy this month with a plethora of events, webinars and resources for practitioners. School-based practitioners have been offered free, fully funded access to Dingley's Promise and Siren Films. 

Key Events and Resources

Please view our full list of offers by viewing our  May Newsletter, focusing specifically on the resources showcased on pages 5 and 6. 

It is not too late to sign up for our Julie Fisher conference, that is taking place in Chesterfield on Tuesday 11th June, 9.30am-3.30pm focusing on Understanding and Developing Impactful Interactions with Children. To see more information and to book, please click here.

View a summary of our FREE CPD offers by watching our launch webinars for:

• Siren Films - Launch Webinar
• Dingley's Promise - Launch Webinar

View our Rachel Mortlock series which focusses on purposeful adult interactions and deployments in continuous and enhanced provision, and play - View Here

Join our Hub by filling out our short registration form and receive email updates on free CPD offers available to you and staff within your setting.