Welcome to Issue 10 of the SWIFT Events Newsletter
You will find courses, events, conferences and training from our partners to support your professional development and enhance the work of your school. Simply click on the booking link to the course you are interested in, to get more details or book straight on!

Featured in this Issue:
SWIFT Summer Conference | Thursday 30 June 2022 
0900 - 1545 | Exeter Racecourse
This year’s conference is themed around today’s key agendas - professional development, curriculum, disadvantaged and school improvement – and has options for leaders from all phases. We hope the conference enables colleagues to feel enriched, informed and inspired. The conference is open to everyone: school leaders, governors, teachers, researchers and other educational providers.
Keynote Speakers:
Diana Osagie | Founder & CEO – The Academy of Women’s Leadership
How to be an effective resilient leader in 5 steps
James McNeillie | Ofsted South West Regional Director
Ofsted updates, findings and questions
Sir Mufti Hamid Patel CBE | Chief Executive of Star Academies
Raising aspirations and transforming the life chances of disadvantaged young people
Workshop sessions with:
Phil Armstrong, Sam Sims, Ruh Alford, Sufian Sadiq, John Tomsett, Jon Eaton, Graihagh Crawshaw, Jean Gross

ECT & RQT Conferences | Wednesday 6 July 2022 | ECT 1000 - 1200 | RQT 1400 - 1600 | Online
Speakers:
Helen Thorneycroft | Kingsbridge Research School
Creating Effective Learning Behaviours in Classroom Environments
Nasreen Majid | Reading University
Education and the Climate Emergency – Reimagining our Future, Together
Professor Lee Elliott Major | Exeter University
Social Mobility and the Challenge Facing Schools

Booking Links for all conferences can be found in the newsletter!

Highlighted Programmes:

• Introduction to Oracy for Primary Schools
• National Professional Qualifications (NPQs)
• SWIFT Early Career Framework and Appropriate Body Registration
• Primary Subject Leadership Programme
• Maths Hubs Professional & School Development Opportunities 2022/23
• AQA Feedback on the 2022 GCSE Examinations
• Child & Young People's Mental Wellbeing Training-The-Trainer Sessions

Read the Newsletter here......

​SWIFT has been working in partnership with the Plymouth Oracy Project since 2019 (Plymouth Teachers School Alliance). The introduction to Oracy session is designed to give schools new to oracy a clear overview of the strategy, its evidence base and how schools can access training and support next year. By attending, school leaders will be well placed to determine the potential benefits of an oracy-based approach in their own school.

Free to all - Online
Tuesday 21 June 2022 1545-1715 or Thursday 23 June 2022 1545-1715

Session Content

• Why is oracy important? What the research tells us.
• What is oracy? Dialogic talk, skills framework, developing quality talk, vocabulary.
• Our experience and impact this far, including schools case studies.
• Programme option overview if you want more from PTSA.

Both sessions delivered online, for Head Teachers, Senior and Middle Leaders and teachers in Primary Schools.

Free copy of the book 'Closing the Vocabulary Gap' by Alex Quigley for all delegates who book and attend.

ESW Associate & Strategic Leader of Teaching & Research Schools | Education South West Roger Pope CBE opens this June issue by contemplating the role of Teaching School Hubs:

"The recent White Paper has reinforced this strategy [the attractiveness of teaching as a career], alongside the desire for all schools to join a “family” – a.k.a. a Multi Academy Trust. This gives added importance to the role played by Hubs as we develop the education structure. We become not only a glue, but a super-glue in the system."

There's also more information about the new National Institute of Teaching and the current Department for Education Appropriate Body Reforms and Induction Assessment consultation. You can also find tips for effective parental engagement, read reports from the TSHC training day and our 2022 Literacy Conference; plus an introduction to the The Maternity Teacher Paternity Teacher Project - as well, as of course, features from our sponsors.

It was exciting to hold our second SWIFT Literacy Conference in-person at the end of last term and to welcome a huge range of delegates at Exeter Racecourse with with as much buzz as in 2019.

David Didau, author and expert talked knowledgeably about the importance of reading and of building a reading culture within our schools.
 
“Reading: there are few things that are likely to make as much of a difference.”
“Reading aloud is gap narrowing.”

Other keynotes including John Tomsett, author and erstwhile Headteacher of Huntingdon School who explored the complexities of the 0 to 19 curriculum - explaining how curriculum development must rest on teacher development.
 
“A child's vocabulary at five predicts how well they'll learn to read, how well they'll do in the school system. We really have to get that right; that's our number one priority.”
Dr Julian Grenier, appointed by the Department for Education to lead on the revision of Development Matters (quoted by John Tomsett).

Helen Prince, author, developer and contributor to Oxford University Press’s Word-up Podcast Series, explored the power of Oracy through prosody and provided delegates with specific takeaways they could use within classrooms.
 
“There’s a causal relationship between oracy and improved behaviour.”
 
Our keynotes also delivered effective breakout sessions, and and other breakouts included the Director of Primary Literacy from OUP; AQA provided an expert on Language in the form of Lance Hanson; Anna Szpakowska from LYFTA contributed towards cultural capital and Bedrock’s Ellie Ashton explained the power of Disciplinary Literacy. WeST’s Executive Director of English, Scott Davies paired with Vicky Thornton to explore the implementation of Forensic Reading.​

If you attended this year’s Literacy Conference and would like to feedback to inform future conferences, we would welcome your feedback by clicking on the link below: 

“The NIoT is going to revolutionise the way teachers receive training in this country, with cutting edge research alongside training delivered by national experts.” The Rt Hon. Nadhim Zahawi MP, Secretary of State for Education

At the end of last term, the Department for Education announced that the School Led Development Trust had been awarded the contract to deliver the new National Institute of Teaching (NIoT).
 
The National Institute of Teaching is a new, ambitious, Government-funded body that sets out to transform teacher development. It is led by a school-led partnership of four Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) with outstanding track records in school-led university-accredited teacher development:
Harris Federation, Oasis Community Learning, Outwood Grange Academies Trust and Star Academies.
 
Each of the founding MATs will lead one of the four Regional Campuses, and each campus is supported by three Associate Colleges. We are delighted that Education South West (ESW) has been appointed as one of the founding Associate Colleges and will be working directly with Oasis Community Learning. As an Associate College, ESW will be responsible for supporting the Regional Campus to ensure scale, reach cold spots in current provision and deliver the NIoT training programmes.
 
This is exciting news for the SWIFT partnership and SWIFT's collective expertise and experience will play a key role in the design and delivery of the NIoT programmes within the region and evolve and build on our Teaching School Hub responsibilities within Devon, Plymouth and Torbay.
 
So, what is the National Institute of Teaching?

• A truly school-led organisation: the NIoT will be run by schools for schools. Programme participants will have an experience that is school-based with programme design and delivery benefitting from the input of current practitioners – teachers, senior leaders, Headteachers and Executive Leaders– who understand the demands of teaching workloads.
• A best practice incubator: the NIoT will find, interpret, generate and communicate research, applying the insights to the design and delivery of professional development programmes.
• A substantial investment in teacher and leader training research in England: the NIoT will make its research available for free to all teacher training providers so that it can be applied to improve teacher development across the country.
• An impact-focused organisation: its unique position gives the NIoT the opportunity to link data on teacher and leader development with data sets on pupil achievement, enabling it to see what truly makes an impact on children’s outcomes. This is something not done anywhere in the world outside North America.
• Once Degree awarding powers are granted, the NIoT will become the only university in the UK solely focused on the development of teachers and school leaders combining academic awards with outstanding practice in schools.
• A key provider of the full “Golden Thread” of qualifications throughout teachers’, school leaders’ and system leaders’ careers, setting exemplary standards in the delivery of courses from initial teacher training onwards. This will mean participants seamlessly progress from one programme to the next throughout their professional lives.

 
What opportunities does the NIoT create for the SWIFT partnership?

• It enables us to be part of the design and delivery of world-class professional development for teachers and leaders.
• A new ITT programme will be available from September 2022 for first delivery from September 2023; which will support the creation of excellent choices for prospective applicants between high quality local, regional and national programmes.
• Extend the role of SWIFT, so that it has a part to play in training and support NLEs and in supporting research into best practice.
• Make a significant contribution to developing an evidence base about what works for teacher development.
• Opportunity to access degrees that bring together research and school practice in innovative ways.

 
These are very early days, so there is much to develop our thinking around and we look forward to future developments of the National Institute of Teaching.

 Welcome to Issue 9 of the SWIFT Events Newsletter
You will find courses, events, conferences and training from our partners to support your professional development and enhance the work of your school. Simply click on the booking link, to the course you are interested in to get more details or book straight on!

Featured in this issue is our free event Introduction to Oracy for Primary Schools
Tuesday 21 June 2022 | 1545 - 1715 and Thursday 23 June 2022 | 1545 - 1715
SWIFT has been working in partnership with the Plymouth Oracy Project since 2019. In this period, we have trained over 200 teachers from across Devon in oracy. The Introduction to Oracy session is designed to give schools new to oracy a clear overview of the strategy, its evidence base and how schools can access training and support next year. By attending, school leaders will be well placed to determine the potential benefits of an oracy-based approach in their own school.
​
About this Session

• Why is oracy important? What the research tells us.
• What is oracy? Dialogic talk, skills framework, developing quality of talk, vocabulary.
• Our experience and impact this far, including schools case studies.
• Programme option overview if you want more from PTSA.

A free copy of Alex Quigley's book 'Closing the Vocabulary Gap' will be sent to delegates that book and attend one of the sessions. This offer is limited to one person per school.

Read the Newsletter here.......

Whole School SEND are now recruiting for an exciting opportunity to join eight tailored, regionally-based professional development groups funded by the Department for Education.

“I must say it was one of the most purposeful and useful things I have been a part of in my professional career.” (2021-2022 PD group participant)

Participants from the 2021 - 2022 programme were found, after completing the programme, to have:

• Increased confidence and awareness for SEND
• Better resources to support staff
• More inclusive policies
• Improved SEND governance
• Improvements in Teaching and Learning

Outcomes for children and young people with SEND continue to be below outcomes compared to those with no SEND; exclusion and absence rates are higher for those with SEND, and there is growing concern about the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people with SEND in particular. Improving SEND provision across all schools is key to improving all outcomes.

To help tackle these issues, Whole School SEND is running a programme of regional professional development groups. The aim of these groups is to build a model of sector-led improvement that will support participants to undertake their own school-improvement project within their setting. This is an opportunity to access free, Department for Education-funded CPD with a proven record of success.

Each group will be facilitated by a WSS Regional SEND Lead, but will be driven by its members, providing a space for peer-to-peer reflection, challenge and support.

Participation is encouraged from school-based colleagues in all roles and across all school types, including colleagues from Further Education, and particularly those with an interest in leading projects within their schools. Participants are not required to have an established interest or background in SEND. Participants are particularly welcomed from under-represented groups as it is hoped that each group will include a broad range of experiences and perspectives to inform discussion.

By joining these groups, participants commit to:

• Designing, implementing and evaluating a school-improvement project within their setting.
• Attending five virtual group meetings across the summer, autumn and spring terms.
• Undertaking between one to three one-to-one professional conversations with a WSS Regional Lead.
• Becoming part of a specialised network of professionals.
• Creating a professional development log which will record details of your project and contribute to public outputs published by March 2023 on the Whole School SEND website.

Each regional group will be loosely arranged around one of the themes below:

• The inclusive classroom: high quality teaching in every setting
• ​Leadership of SEND: building a culture of collective responsibility

However, participants are encouraged to undertake a variety of projects and the discussions and aims of the group will be driven by its members.

In return, participants will receive support in developing their projects from the experienced Regional SEND Team, as well as individual support tailored to their role, school and setting. ​

Information Webinar 
To help schools decide whether to apply for a place, Whole School SEND will be hosting a short information webinar on Wednesday 8 June 2022 | from 1630 to 1645.

It is recommended that the Headteacher and SENCO from your setting attend.

You can, of course, register your interest for the project prior to this session, and webinar attendance is not a prerequisite for participation.

Register your Interest 
If you wish ​to participate in the  professional development groups, please complete the following online form by Tuesday 14 June 2022 | 0900.

For more information see the job advert and specification here:  

Matthew Pitts, Deputy Head of School & English Hub Lead, Cornerstone Academy Trust led this fifth network event, “Winning Them Over: Overcoming Struggles in Parent Engagement” to provide guidance for teachers in the context of reading and literacy.
 
Put simply, there’s no perfect solution to winning over parents.
Any parent body is made up of human beings who inevitably do not fit into boxes.
 
It’s a case of doing the best you can.
Sometimes in education we think we can’t “crack it” and want to impact the whole class or cohort and so we deprioritise. But by impacting some key parental engagement, teachers can reduce the number of “on watch” children who are more vulnerable to drops in progress and gaps in their knowledge.

Research shows that parental involvement can still have an impact.
The benefits are clear for those children whose parents are engaged in their schooling and spend time with their child at home going through their classwork and reading with them.
 
“Parental involvement in the form of ‘at-home good parenting’ has a significant positive effect on children’s achievement and adjustment even after all other factors shaping attainment have been taken out of the equation. In the primary age range the impact caused by different levels of parental involvement is much bigger than differences associated with variations in the quality of schools. The scale of the impact is evident across all social classes and all ethnic groups.”
 
Source: The Impact of Parental Involvement, Parental Support and Family Education on Pupil Achievement and Adjustment: A Literature Review | C. Desforges and A. Abouchaar (2003)
 
The stablishing factor is for a child to allow for transitions between teachers and also when teaching and learning in the classroom is not as good as it could be due to staff absence and struggling teachers.
 
Ultimately children need to be educationally resilient.
But it is important to be realistic as teachers are never going to engage all parents. 

Educational Endowment Foundation (EEF) research undertakes what it terms “meta-analysis” of all the current analysis that it distils into simple takeaway points. Their research into parental engagement was based on 97 different international studies in ten different countries. Strong evidence showed that those schools working on parental engagement demonstrated a four-month educational improvement across a child’s career.
 
​One advantage is that the implementation cost of many parental engagement strategies is very low. Low budget high reward.
It’s a question of using what you have in place, i.e. school infrastructures.
 
Research shows that impact can vary at different stages with the highest impact in Early Years settings and this impact gradually lessens as the child gets older. This is to be expected given children become more secure in themselves as learners. However, whilst children might make rapid progress, they are still dependent on adults in every aspect of their lives. The most strongly seen impact in reading is home reading, which does not require huge technical knowledge.
 
There are nevertheless the inevitable “tussles and tensions” in parental engagement.
 
“Teachers often lack confidence and knowledge to work with parents, and schools do not always recognise or value the ways in which parents are already engaged with children’s learning. Furthermore, schools generally do not collect sufficient data on their own interventions, particularly relating to the impact on academic outcomes. For their parents face numerous logistical barriers to further engagement, including costs, times and transport.”
 
Source: Review of the Best Practice in Parental Engagement | Goodall and Varhous 2010

When considering interventions, the key advice is for teachers to consider:
How do you know that’s helpful to parents?

So, what are the barriers for parental engagement?
Research shows there are three types of barriers:

1. Physical and practical – time of meetings
2. Social and demographics - not attending parental training, parents living in poverty.
3.Stigma – the school and education might not be valued. To consider how to avoid this failure for parents
 
What about those schools who have had a successful impact?
Research shows there are five areas for success:
 
1. Take a whole school approach.
2. Training for staff.
3. Identify parents’ needs.
4. Outward-facing ethos.
5. Digital technologies.
 
Source: Review of Best Practice in Parental Engagement | Goodall and Vorhaus 2010
 
What methods can schools focus on?
Research demonstrates four processes:
 
1. Spaces
2. Online platforms
3. Communication methods
4. Relationships
 
But above all, it is essential that schools know their parental body:
 
1. What makes them tick?
2. What are their struggles?
3. Where do they hang out? (social media!)
 
Cornerstone found they had greater take-up for online meetings and duly uploaded recorded meetings to Vimeo for parents to watch when they wish.
 
Too often, Headteachers do not speak the same language as parents.
Show parents what’s going on in the classroom - don’t tell.
 
Schools can make the classroom more transparent by inviting parents to:
 
1. Watch a lesson
2. Join in virtually
3. Learn to coach
 
Take a moment to think and “critically review how you work with parents.”
 
And how can schools guide parents to engage with their children at home?
Certainly, to foster a love of reading and to guide how to read more efficiently. Schools could demonstrate by reading a few paragraphs of a book and then discussing the pages. Film it!
Invite parents into school and show them with a live child and teacher/Teaching Assistant reading together.
 
Do the best you can with what you have.
 
Thank you to Matt and Cornerstone Academy Trust for this thoughtful and pragmatic winning approach to Overcoming Struggles in Parent Engagement.

Report by Jude Owens, PA to the SWIFT Executive Team

​It is undisputable that accounting for all staff, students and visitors in a timely manner is critical to the success of a fire evacuation.

To ensure the safety of students during an emergency schools must have an effective evacuation plan in place, that is simple enough to follow for all staff and students.

During an evacuation, it is important to know exactly who is on your premises to ensure all pupils, visitors and members of staff are located for. Often schools track this information through spreadsheets or paper documents; however, ensuring these documents are up-to-date can be difficult to manage.

An effective way to overcome this concern is to look at alternative methods that can provide live data for who is currently on site, with the ability to pull one report that can be easily accessed by all teachers.

In the event of a drill or fire evacuation, the InVentry Anywhere app allows you to access a real-time copy of everyone who is onsite from any mobile device to improve the efficiency of your evacuation procedure.

Find out more with InVentry and understand how you can ensure the safety of students during an emergency – all at the touch of a button.

The SWIFT Central Team were pleased to attend the recent inaugural Teaching School Hub Council Training Day “Inspiring Excellence” in Birmingham opened by keynote speaker, Robin Walker, Minister of State at the Department for Education.
 
Minister Walker began by thanking Teaching School Hubs for their “determination and hard work” in delivering Initial Teacher Training, the Early Career Framework and National Professional Qualifications - “an enormous benefit to teachers” and delivered in a short time within the context of the unique challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.
 
Direct support to school leaders is invaluable through TSHs as national networks of centres of excellence of teacher training and development across England. The essential role of TSHs is to ensure schools can access their entitlement to high-quality professional development and help provide school leaders with expertise and access to support in order to improve their practice – “and ultimately to change lives.” On that note, Minister Walker commended TSH colleagues for attending the TSHC training day as an investment in their own professional development. 
 
Great teachers are the bedrock of the education system.
Minster Walker recalled his own schooling and the disappointment of being moved to the bottom set of Maths. Yet his teacher challenged and motivated him and helped him to succeed.
Everyone can recall an inspirational teacher who transformed their life and empowered them to believe they could succeed.
 
The DfE vision is for a world class education system.
 
“Every teacher needs to improve, not because they are not good enough, but because they can be even better.” Dylan Wiliam 
 
Great teachers are made not born.
The recent White Paper has stated by 2030 that every child will be taught by a great teacher. 
As part of this goal to support teachers to improve outcomes in the classroom they can access a “Golden Thread” world class professional development at every stage in their career, underpinned by evidence frameworks and reviewed independently by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF).
 
The DfE’s new national development infrastructure will also focus on the design and delivery of the ECF programme with TSHs the backbone in levelling up teaching quality.
Importantly, evidence especially shows the positive impact of expert teaching for disadvantaged children and those children who have fallen behind in their learning.
 
Minister Walker acknowledged reforms are in their infancy and delivery requires focus “to consistently listen, learn and improve our delivery.” But, as part of these reforms, it is pleasing to report to date that over 25,000 Early Career Teachers (ECTs) and 23,000 Mentors have undertaken the funded ECF Induction programme. Data and transparency are also allies to building a stronger system and the DfE will soon be publishing recent surveys and data for ECF reforms.
 
Furthermore, as part of working hard on how they communicate, the DfE are addressing issues highlighted by TSHs. Making ECF materials more user-friendly and simplifying the digital service for easier navigation and a quicker and easier sign-up process for Early Career Teachers and Mentors.
 
Schools can play their role too in ensuring their ECTs can access their entitlements and funded time off timetable. The Appropriate Body (AB) service also plays a significant role in the teacher development system and a consultation has been launched in how to reform the AB to ensure that schools are giving their ECT (s) a high-quality induction.
 
The NPQs have got off to an excellent start with excellent take-up and there is great anticipation about the launch of two new specialist programmes for September: the Early Years Leadership and Leading Literacy.
​
Minister Walker encouraged TSHs to keep feeding back to the DfE and TSHC for them to analyse and keep improving the service and commended TSHs for their “phenomenal” pace and scale of achievements thanks to their “passion, dedication and hard work.”
 
“You are the best of the best in delivering teacher development.”
 
Next, Chair of the Teaching School Hub Council (TSHC), Richard Gill reflected on what the 87 Teaching School hubs achieved since September 2021. An important starting point has been in understanding the unique role and strategy of TSHs in compiling operating plans – starting with defining job descriptions for their teams and their successful recruiting.
 
In this journey of leading brand-new organisations and explaining the role of the education system TSHs have provided an understanding of the role of the Appropriate Body Service and statutory induction and provided full access to the Early Career Framework and National Professional Qualifications programmes. To do this, TSHs have worked with lead providers and supported teachers and leaders on the ECF and NPQs and the DfE portal. But as well as delivering on these key Golden Thread programmes, TSHs have also strengthened existing partnerships and relationships and implemented a governance structure and helpfully shaped DfE policy development through feedback.

Read here this informative blog from our sponsor Wolferstans Solicitors.

It’s been a while since we mentioned the dreaded Covid-19 pandemic, but the Government has recently announced new guidance for living safely with Covid.

The guidance provides information for those with symptoms of respiratory infections, such as Covid-19; people with a positive Covid-19 test and their contacts; and advice on safer behaviours for everyone.

Workplace Guidance
One of the main changes for employers is that the working safely guidelines for the various sectors has been removed, with employers instead needing to consider the needs of those at a higher risk of serious illness.

Employers are encouraged to be aware of Covid symptoms in order to reduce the risk of transmission between employees. If a member of staff has Covid-19 symptoms, then the respiratory infection guidance below should be followed. 

To limit transmission within a business, employers should ensure that there is adequate ventilation in the workplace, that hygiene facilities are available and that any workspaces are kept clean and sanitised.

The requirement to explicitly consider Covid in a risk assessment has been removed, as has the need to inform public health of an outbreak, but employers can still consider it in their assessments should they choose to do so.

Previously, employers could reclaim SSP paid due to Covid related absences, but this is now not the case following the closure of the rebate scheme.  Employers will need to ensure that they pay employees SSP for Covid absences if they have been absent for at least four days in a row (including non-working days), in line with regular sickness absences.

Whilst there is no obligation on someone who has symptoms to refrain from coming to the workplace, the guidance suggests that employers should allow them to work from home where possible, where that is not the case, to look at alternative options.

People with Respiratory Infections
From 1 April 2022, anyone with symptoms of a respiratory infection, such as Covid, and who have a high temperature or are not feeling well should limit contact with others and stay at home where possible.

Anyone who has a positive Covid test result (whether because they chose to carry one out or were asked to) should again try to limit contact with others and stay home for five days following their positive result.

As has been the case throughout, anyone that tests positive should refrain from close contact with those who have a reduced immune system and are at risk of serious illness. The guidance in this case is that contact should be avoided with those at a higher risk of serious illness for 10 days.

Employees who are at higher risk of serious illness should be taken into account.
They should be able to wear a face mask where possible and may need to work from home to reduce their risk, however the requirement for them to shield has been removed.

Leaving Home Whilst Positive
In a slightly controversial move, those with a positive result will not be forced into isolation and instead, will be able to leave their homes, and continue to go to work, even whilst they have symptoms. However, there is guidance which should be taken into account:

• well-fitting face covering or masks should be worn
• exercising should be done away from others
• crowds and enclosed spaces should be avoided

If you would like any further guidance on how Covid-19 might impact you, then please get in contact with a member of the Wolferstans Team on 01752 663295.

Introducing, Lyfta, the award-winning digital learning platform that broadens horizons and brings learning to life.

Lyfta invites students to explore, and connect with, real human stories from across the globe, through interactive 360° spaces and powerful short films.
 
The platform provides an impactful and captivating way for students to experience human diversity, and for educators to build cultural capital and nurture the vital skills and values children need to thrive in our changing world.

“I have been blown away by what Lyfta has put together. This is a fantastic platform that can be used across all subject areas. The significant impact on student personal development is huge as is being able to show our students what diversity truly looks like. The stories are wonderful and emotive, giving students the opportunity to be part of the lives of strangers they will meet around the globe.”
Zena, Dixons McMillan Academy
 
“Lyfta really has been a lifeline this year – not a bolt-on, but a resource to enrich and enliven the curriculum. Cannot recommend highly enough.”
Dan Morrow, CEO, Dartmoor MAT
 
Do you want to find out more AND receive £100 for your school?
Attend a one-hour call with the team to be part of our national study, designed by our Head of Educational Research, Dr Harriet Marshall and hear more about what Lyfta can offer and we will transfer a £100 payment to your school for your time.
 
We are looking for 100 primary and 50 secondary schools to be part of the study.
We look forward to hearing from you. 

For More Information ​

Featured in this issue is SWIFTs Universal Programme for 2022/23
We are delighted to present the SWIFT Universal Programme for 2022-2023, which sets out the courses, professional communities, and other opportunities that are delivered through the SWIFT partnership.
​
Highlights for 2022 – 2023:

• A focus on subject-specific training, especially where there are no curriculum hubs. Please see the new Subject Masterclass Series that we are launching, which brings together the best national and regional trainers.
• An enhanced Teaching and Learning Series, including WalkThrus with Tom Sherrington and sessions with the Kingsbridge Research School.
• The Literacy and Oracy Series has been expanded, offering schools and trusts greater range.
• A new Science Series, bringing together a selection of courses from the Science Learning Partnership.

Read the Newsletter here.....

We are delighted to release details of our Primary Subject Leader Briefings for 2022-2023, covering English, Maths, Early Years and Science. These are designed to provide expert guidance, updates and training to middle leaders. They compliment our Professional Communities, which focus more on providing links to local expertise and best practice. 

We are pleased to introduce our new sponsor, Goosemoor Educatering.

Goosemoor Educatering are proud to provide the very best in quality fresh food, in exciting, child- led meals, all within any school’s current budget. 

Since its inception as a family business in 1957, Dart Fresh / Goosemoor Foodservice has built a reputation as the leading provider of quality food products and produce across the South West of England, based on the constant strive for perfection for its customers.

We are delighted to announce that sign-up for the SWIFT Early Career Framework (ECF) and Appropriate Body (AB) Service 2022 - 2023 is now open, full details of which can be found on the ECF and AB website pages.

If you have new Year 1 or Year 2 Early Career Teachers (ECTs) starting at your school this September, then you will need to register for these services via the sign-up link below.

Please note, you do not need to complete this sign-up form for any ECTs who are already participating in our ECF programme and AB service.

The form should be completed by your school ECF Lead/Induction Tutor and it will be helpful to have the following information to hand:
 

• Number of new Year 1 and Year 2 teachers that you anticipate starting at your school in September 2022
• School URN (Unique Reference Number)
• Finance Manager name
• Finance email address
• Finance postal address if different from your school

Information Webinar
In addition, following the recent series of ECF and AB information events, we are pleased to announce that we will be running an additional webinar for any schools who are new to either our ECF or AB service on: Tuesday 24 May 2022 | 1545 - 1645.

​If you would like to join us and learn more about the SWIFT ECF programme and AB service, please register for the webinar:

Any Questions?
If you have any further questions about either the SWIFT Early Career Framework or Appropriate Body service, then please do not hesitate to get in contact with our team: 

In this May issue at the start of the Summer Term, ESW Associate & Strategic Leader of Teaching & Research Schools | Education South West Roger Pope CBE considers where the immediate and the strategic compete for time and attention. 

"The immediate and urgent concern is the final preparation of children for tests and exams, and ensuring their smooth transition to the next phase of their education. At the same time, our eyes are on the horizon. Where do we want to be at the end, not of this year, but the next…and the one after that? What are our dreams and goals for the future? And if we want to achieve that gleaming castle on the hill, what do we need to be doing before the summer break in order to lay the foundations?"

You can also read how the WalkThrus Programme has transformed the school culture of Haringey Education Partnership, and catch-up on the Cornerstone Academy Trust EdTech Festival and the Early Career Framework and Appropriate Body engagement event webinars; as well as features from our sponsors.

Welcome to Issue 7 of the SWIFT Events Newsletter
You will find courses, events, conferences and training from our partners to support your professional development and enhance the work of your school. Simply click on the link, to the course you are interested in, to get more details or book straight on!

Curriculum Forum | Invitation to Lead a Workshop
Featured in this issue is an invitation to teachers and leaders, involved in the design and delivery of curriculum, to submit a proposal to lead a workshop at SWIFTs first Curriculum Forum, taking place in October.
The forum will be a termly event that covers four aspects of curriculum design:

• design
• content
• equality
• leadership.

The forum will be split into two parts, Part A will feature keynote speakers and Part B is where delegates can choose to attend a range of workshops. SWIFT are looking for submissions from teachers and leaders to lead a workshop, details and a link to the application form can be found on the front page of the newsletter. We look forward to hearing from you!

Read the Newsletter here.....

The Cornerstone Academy Trust is a Department for Education selected EdTech Demonstrator with a local, national and international reputation for innovative use of technology in education.

As well as the extensive range of DfE fully funded support packages it offers, it runs an annual EdTech Festival, designed to inspire educators to integrate technology into their practice, and in turn enhance opportunities and outcomes for young people.

This year’s event, Back to Reality – a Vision for the New Normal, took place at the end of March and focused on the continuing role of EdTech in the post-pandemic reality, and was attended live by almost 400 people, plus many more on catch-up.

The Festival provided an opportunity to hear from industry experts and high profile speakers, including representatives from Microsoft Education, Discovery Education, Babcock, ClickView, 2Simple, FlipGrid, and Literacy Planet in a total of 74 sessions, just a few of which are highlighted here. 

The event was officially opened by Bridie Tooher, Deputy Director of Digital Strategy for the DfE, who delivered DfE’s Digital Strategy for Education and its inclusion within the first Schools White Paper in six years. She began by reviewing where schools are on the digital journey, and how the pandemic has moved the use of EdTech forward very significantly, not only in the classroom but with CPD, interactions with parents and more. She emphasised the need for schools to plan a strategy for taking advantage of the opportunities that technology presents.
 
Bridie summarised the key points that the Secretary of State for Education has made about EdTech in the new White Paper. The first strand is to get the physical infrastructure right and ensure that it works. Extra money is going into providing broadband for all schools by 2025, and the DfE is currently publishing standards for technology for all schools to work to. Tech is not seen as standalone, but embedded as a tool into everything schools do, to support teachers and cut workload.

​The second strand is around data transparency, and the third around evidence-informed education – proving that tech makes a difference.

“It’s never tech for tech’s sake, but it’s how tech can be that enabler, and how it can support.
The ultimate goal is raising standards for all our children; but actually if we know there are certain types of tech and ways of working that free up teachers, and they can spend more time face-to-face in class, evidence will help to address the challenges.”

When Bridie was asked why the EdTech demo programme will shortly be stopped when it’s been so successful, she said:

“With the launch of standards, there’s a framework out there regarding tech. We’ll be asking what support schools need; now’s the opportunity for us to see what comes next in terms of capability building. We’ve got this period of engagement as part of launching standards and look forward to hearing from and talking to the sector about what you need. We are evaluating the ‘new normal’ to see what the support looks like – share your feedback with us.” 

​Fiona Aubrey-Smith, a former teacher, school leader and advisor who is now Director of One Life Learning, presented From EdTech to PedTech: Shifting the Narrative Around Education Technology. Her message was that tech is more than a useful tool; it is a powerful mechanism for enabling different forms of effective communication. Fiona discussed the pedagogy of the use of technology; the how rather than the what of using EdTech.

“What you believe about teaching and learning and about knowledge and schooling makes the greatest impact on the experiences of colleagues and your students in front of you… your beliefs will shape their thinking and their lives through the very choices you are making about their learning.”

Michael Kimber is a Professional Development Lead, teacher, Microsoft Certified Educator, Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert and STEM Learning Science Learning Partnership Lead for Devon at Cornerstone Academy Trust.

His presentation, Top Apps to Improve Engagement, detailed the best apps to use in the classroom to keep pupils engaged.

“To improve engagement, learning should be relevant, personalised, and collaborative.”

Michael encouraged everyone to innovate, try new things and pay attention to what’s new and detailed some of the apps he loves to use in the classroom, including Flipgrid, PowerPoint, Microsoft Forms, ClickView, Immersive Reader, Sli.do and Kahoot!

​“Technology is an accelerator. This can be a good and a bad thing – it can accelerate great or poor practice, and it can accelerate engagement or lack of engagement. It’s about the teacher, using it strategically and in the context of your class to make a difference to learners.” 

Paul Edge, Deputy Head Teacher at Ribblesdale High School offered his insights into Accessible Technology to Support Teaching and Learning.

He alluded to the enormous amount of change in technology we have seen over the past 100 years, while the classroom still looks fairly similar. However, he emphasised that what young people are experiencing in social media today, compared with only 20 years ago, means that sometimes we lose sight of how young people use technology and what they expect from their teachers.

“We need to consider how our young people actually utilise the tech on a daily basis and how we can use those skills that they have to support them from that inclusive curriculum perspective.”
 
Attendees showed a lot of interest in presentations by representatives of some of the suppliers offering digital resources and platforms to schools.

Literacy Planet’s Dave Weston presented How Digital Resources Can Help Develop Literacy in an Early Years and KS1 setting. He explained that 65,000 students across the UK use Literacy Planet every week, and that a PWC report highlighted its use for 30 minutes a week was shown to improve literacy outcomes.
 
 “Literacy Planet is an engaging tool that can support literacy learning, particularly phonics. Our aim is not only to help students improve their literacy levels, but also allow them to have fun while doing so.”

Andrew Tidswell is Director of Professional Development and Partner Learning for Discovery Education and a former teacher.

His presentation provided a deep dive into how digital technologies such as video, imagery, audio and digital text can be used to transform teaching and enrich learning across the curriculum.



He also noted how much technology has advanced in education, particularly over the past 30 years, and pointed out that we have to prepare students for changes in a fast-moving, shrinking world:
“85% of the jobs which will exist in 2030 haven’t even been invented yet!”
 
Andrew explained that at Discovery Education they consider STEM a culture, not a class – it’s about a collaborative approach to learning between teachers and students. Discussing the preparation of students for their future employment, he highlighted an Economist report that concluded:

​“Problem-solving was the most in-demand workplace skill, followed by collaboration, communication, critical thinking and creativity.”  

Steve Beswick, Surface Business Development Director at Microsoft Education, was a keynote speaker at the festival. He works for Microsoft’s worldwide education team, developing the Surface for Microsoft in education. His discussion of Surface in Education provided the context in which skills need to be developed in the classroom.

"It’s not just about what we teach, but how we teach,” and described how the technology of the Surface is there to empower teachers, engage students, optimise operations and transform learning, pointing out that the workplace is changing and, for both teachers and the future workforce.

​“Modern work requires modern devices.”
 
Steve gave a number of reasons why the device you choose for your school is important, including potential cost savings, learning outcomes, deployment and management, security, integration with cloud technology and environmental sustainability as well as the features of the product itself. 

Jon Coles, CEO of United Learning, delivery partner for the EdTech Demonstrator Programme on behalf of the DfE, was another keynote speaker. As the Programme comes to an end, his advice to schools as they write their own strategies included the consideration of more flexible working arrangements for staff, accessing curriculum and catch-up lessons on the programme website and the willingness to try different things now that technology is available to support education. He urged people to ensure that they access the free advice and support for EdTech during the one remaining term it's available.

The key messages that attendees took away from the four days of presentations were:

• Don’t let the past two years of developing EdTech go to waste; continue to utilise and embed the skills learnt into daily teaching and the curriculum
• There is still a term left to get free support through the EdTech Demonstrator Programme
• Every school/trust should have a digital strategy
• Follow the evidence when selecting your EdTech packages
• There is a wealth of EdTech resources out there to enhance teaching and learning

You can still watch all the presentations free-of-charge here:

With the final term of this current academic year in full swing it is now time to look ahead to the next year with schools invited to attend the Appropriate Body and Early Career Framework information engagement events - either to find out more if new to the SWIFT delivery; or for existing schools who are already working this year with SWIFT and who tuned in for an update.
 
SWIFT ECF Lead, Chris Harris began proceedings by introducing SWIFT: as two of the Department for Education’s (DfE) Teaching School Hubs, Colyton and Kingsbridge, working with other partners.
 
The Appropriate Body (AB) and Early Career Framework (ECF) are two distinct entities, and Chris introduced the Early Career Framework as the two-year statutory professional development entitlement for new teachers joining the profession, part of the DfE’s Recruitment and Retention Strategy – heralding the start of a teacher’s Golden Thread journey.

​Partnered with national provider, Teach First, and having benefitted from the 2020 – 2021 DfE/Teach First ECF pilot year, SWIFT is pleased to be the delivery partner of this forward-looking support training for teachers in their first two years of teaching,
 
Essentially, the DfE recognises that teacher quality = success for students, and particularly for disadvantaged children. Research and statistics show that effective CPD, development and support in a teacher’s early years is more likely to ensure effective achievements and longevity of teachers in the profession.
 
The spirit of the ECF is as a supportive programme. And as part of schools’ support for their ECTs, they are required to provide ECTs with 10% additional timetable time in Year 1 and 5% in Year 2. ECTs must have access to effective mentoring, which is a significant and beneficial element of the Early Career Framework programme.
 
As teachers we understand the value of aiming high and as part of the Year 1 programme, ECTs engage in six half-termly modules led by their SWIFT Delivery Lead with edifying learning material relevant for the classroom, complemented by a maximum of four and a half hours per half term of private study on the Teach First online learning platform, Brightspace; supported by weekly interactions with their school Mentor based on Instructional Coaching. In addition, this year’s ECTs are invited to attend the ECF Summer Enrichment Conference on Wednesday 6 July 2022. 

Next year when the ECF cycle begins again for the new Year 1 ECTs, as part of SWIFT’s pragmatic and considered support, the official start date will be from the week commencing Monday 19 September 2022 in order to allow ECTs the few essential weeks to embed in their schools and to discover the reassuring basics that can make a big difference to the start of their teaching career.
 
The programme will commence with individual induction days for Mentors and ECTs during the first and second weeks of the programme; and significantly, these will be as in-person events. A novel experience in the aftermath of the past two years of Covid-19 and based on feedback from this year’s cohort who expressed a wish to network and meet together with fellow programme members.
 
Teachers also understand the value of forever learning and the benefits of experience with lessons learned this year from various aspects of the programme – not least, the online learning platform, Brightspace. Chris took the opportunity to thank stakeholders for their flexibility in the delivery of the programme and celebrated the pleasingly positive feedback in a Teach First survey at the start of this year in which SWIFT compared very highly against the national average.  

​There will also be opportunities for ECTs to benefit from development cycles. For example, to meet and observe an expert in their school and to participate in the leadership enrichment series through Brightspace, progressing in the future to engaging in NPQs and other aspiring middle leadership or specialist opportunities. Additional opportunities to expand an ECT’s repertoire include SEND enhancements, a visit to another school, an invitation to join the SWIFT Professional Communities network with termly subject events, CPD opportunities such as the Spring Term Racial Literacy programme, high quality videos for seminar catch-up, the end of year ECT conference - which incidentally and importantly, Mentors and SLT are also welcome to join; and membership of the Chartered College of Teaching. All of which are part of the journey to support and encourage the transition from ECT to experienced teacher.
 
Above all, SWIFT is committed to being a strong support for schools, and understands that this translates into positive student outcomes.

Some good news about Year 2 funding. Those schools engaged in the full induction programme with SWIFT will receive an additional £1,200 for their additional ECT 5% timetabling and additional Mentoring. What’s more, in the Summer Term schools receive approximately £1,600 as a back payment for their Mentor completing the training programme.
 
There’s more good news. Too often programmes can be associated with paperwork, but there’s no expectation for schools to do any paperwork or record-keeping for the ECF - unless it is useful for you. Hence its distinctness from the Appropriate Body. And there’s no need for schools to re-register their existing ECTs into Year 2. That’s automatic. But schools will need to ensure that Mentors are allocated and we understand the significance of timetable challenges. So, it’s important to get this right and make adequate time. Ideally, the same Mentor will continue with their ECT for both Years 1 and 2 and it is important that schools keep SWIFT and the DfE informed in the event of any changes.

So, what about the Appropriate Body that complements support for new teachers. The other SWIFT speaker, Chris Barnett - one of the Strategic Leads for the SWIFT AB, explained about this vital lifeline of support to schools in managing the statutory induction of their teachers.
 
Working with schools, the SWIFT AB service monitors and supports to ensure that ECTs work towards their end of Year 1 and 2 formal assessment and check the paperwork and undertake QA visits and supplementary support where required.
 
We encourage schools to be aware of assessment deadlines and to be proactive about support and capacity needs in your school. 

Based on SWIFT’s experience this year, the SWIFT AB Service has updated their Year 2 costings from the current 60% Year 1 and 40% Year 2 ratio to the future 50% in both Years 1 and 2. For the sake of clarity in the continuing academic year cycles, it is worth noting that Year 2 ECTs will be known as Cohort B.
 
Similar to the ECF, existing ECTs on the programme will not need to reregister for Year 2. But new ECTs in either Year 1 or in Year 2 new to their school will need to be registered and you can find the sign-up form at the end of this report. 
 
Behind the scenes on-boarding of ECTs involves detailed work. Hence the sooner schools sign-up the smoother the process for all parties.  But SWIFT HQ is here to assist - with guidance on completing the AB Service Level Agreement and how to register on the DfE portal (for example, remember to keep handy the TRN and date of birth of your ECT and Mentor).

Report by Jude Owens,
PA to the SWIFT Executive Team

For More Information ​

In this April issue before we break for the Easter holidays, ESW Associate & Strategic Leader of Teaching & Research Schools | Education South West Roger Pope CBE reflects on the Department for Education 'Opportunity for all: strong schools with great teachers for your child' White Paper:

You can also read about the Teach First Early Career Framework (ECF) Survey that shows the effective work of the SWIFT ECT Team; as well as a report on our Spring Leadership Forum last month; plus an interview with an Appropriate Body Induction Tutor, along with the current services from our sponsors.

Looking ahead to the Summer Term, SWIFT will be hosting the annual 2022 Summer Conference on Thursday 30 June 2022 dedicated to the key agendas of professional development, curriculum, disadvantaged and school improvement and school leaders, Governors, teachers, researchers and other educational professionals are all warmly invited to attend. 
 
Report by Jude Owens, PA to the SWIFT Executive Team  

Welcome to Issue 6 of the SWIFT Events fortnightly Newsletter

You will find courses, events, conferences and training from our partners to support your professional development and enhance the work of your school. Simply click on the link to the course or event you are interested in to get more details or book straight on!

​This issue is crammed full of upcoming courses and for your ease of use they are split out by phase.
Take a look at our forthcoming Professional Communities, including Secondary Food, Primary PE, PSHE and Character Education.

Being held online on the 6th July 2022, with the following exciting keynote speakers:

• Helen Thorneycroft | Kingsbridge Research School Creating Effective Learning Behaviours in Classroom Environments
• Nasreen Majid | Reading University Education and the Climate Emergency – Reimagining our Future, Together 
• Professor Lee Elliott Major | Exeter University Social Mobility and the Challenge Facing Schools

Over 170 school leaders from across the Devon, Plymouth and Torbay area came together online on the first Wednesday in March for the Spring Leadership Forum with the shared focus of school improvement and teacher development.
 
SWIFT Director, Martin Smith welcomed delegates and introduced the South West Institute for Teaching as Colyton and Kingsbridge Teaching School Hubs, two of the 87 Teaching School Hubs working together on the Department for Education’s national programme. SWIFT are leading on delivery of the Appropriate Body Service and Early Career Framework, the reformed NPQs; as well as offering a rich range of continuing professional development opportunities for schools. Based on a partnership of schools and Multi Academy Trusts, Kingsbridge Research School, Curriculum and Initial Teaching Training partners, SWIFT is proud of its unique partnership and is committed to working with schools and leaders across the area.

Keynote speaker, Tom Sherrington opened the conference with his Introduction to Walkthrus and Tom will be working with schools on a SWIFT programme next academic year (for more information see here with a discount available for SWIFT members).
 
Coaching is an increasingly acknowledged essential teaching and learning tool, and Walkthrus consider 50 key teaching techniques in five steps with “wrap around” ideas, providing guidance about what is needed to teach well. It is not enough to simply hope that teachers will improve. Professional development must be a key driver, rather than accountability; thereby moving away from top down observations to a ground up and organic professional dialogue in schools.
 
Walkthrus overlap and dovetail with existing coaching programmes and is a powerful training tool to support schools to create their own tools and use materials common to their setting with a shared language that codifies training techniques. It is important to meet and discuss the teacher’s lesson with precise praise and then probe together as a supportive developmental process and to build trust.
 
Walkthrus provide slides, videos, and trainer notes and cover curriculum planning, questioning and feedback. Questioning and feedback are key to the training, using a range of definable techniques. Teachers are encouraged to think about the learning process and how students process their working memory across a range of abilities and needs and how to challenge in the classroom.
 
Tom inspired school leaders to invest in professional development at the heart of the school and to sustain this investment and ultimately unleash colleagues’ creativity.
 
The next keynote speaker was HMI, Stephen Lee on the latest Ofsted briefing presenting key messages about curriculum, which was a central focus of the Education Inspection framework (operational for the past four years). Previously, Progress 8 data could have triggered an inspection; but this is Ofsted’s conscious attempt to refocus the conversation on the central purpose of schools. 
 
Since Ofsted’s Chief Inspector Amanda Spielman started in post in 2017, Ofsted has refocused on the curriculum and in particular the substance and knowledge that we want young people to acquire, so that they know more and remember more of what they learn. Learning needs to be broken down into components as sequencing to ensure that pupils are secure in their learning before they progress. Otherwise, there is the danger of missing knowledge and accumulating gaps as a “cumulative disfluency.” 
 
A good curriculum should be ambitious and coherent and seek to secure sequenced learning and build up over time complex schemata where knowledge is increasingly connected together. It is important to be clear about what the curriculum means and to consider intent (aims), and thinking about the curriculum, implementation and ultimately the impact.
 
Subject experts have rich, detailed knowledge in their long-term memory by effective learning, which helps pupils to build up their knowledge. It is a misapprehension that skills can be developed separately from knowledge. School leaders need to consider whether their curriculum identifies the knowledge that pupils need to achieve their education goals and whether they have learned this knowledge.
 
Looking at Early Years, this is an essential foundation for children’s learning and schools can decide how they discuss the curriculum with Ofsted as there is no preferred view of how schools design the Early Years Curriculum. When children learn and remember a new skill or knowledge, it can be said that they are making progress and Stephen assured those small* primary schools where a senior leader; for example, the Headteacher has several roles that Ofsted is committed to working with them on a deep dive.
*Small = 150 or less pupils on roll.
 
Following the keynotes, delegates had opportunity to attend the following phase-specific sessions:

• Early Years | Communication and Language and making a difference for our youngest pupils (Jean Gross CBE).
• Primary | Curriculum Design and Subject Leader Development (Helen Crowther, Principal at Greetland Academy)
• Secondary | Understanding how grading standards and awards will be set this year and beyond, upcoming examinations and support and implications (Julian Clarke, AQA’s Head of Curriculum).
• Special | Updates in the post and present COVID world regarding the issues impacting Alternative Provision and also trends in national AP policy and practice (Sarah Dove, Chair of PRUsAP).

 
Concluding this Spring Leadership Forum event, SWIFT Director Martin Smith thanked all the speakers for sharing their dynamic thinking and the session leaders for their leadership and to all the delegates for being part of the conversation.