Towergate Insurance, one of our sponsors, provides an insight into health and wellbeing support as one of the major factors in the recruitment and retention of talent. In a significant survey* of 500 decision makers in the UK, undertaken for our sister company Towergate Health & Protection, 42% stated their support for the health and wellbeing of staff is a key reason people stay with their employers. In addition, 31% said health and wellbeing support is a key reason people choose to work for them. The research supports our anecdotal evidence of the wider reaches of health and wellbeing support, and why it is so important that employers have a clear and well-communicated strategy. The wider the health and wellbeing support offered, the better the array of talent it will attract and retain. On the flipside, nearly one in five (18%) employers stated that not offering enough health and wellbeing support impacts their ability to recruit and retain people: a stark warning for all. Health and Wellbeing Support for health in general was viewed by 42% of employers to have increased the most in importance for enhancing the recruitment and retention of talent. 26% percent of employers said support for mental health had increased most in importance, and 19% said it was the overall health and wellbeing package that had grown most in terms of priorities. Social interaction through work (11%), communication of support offered (9%), support for financial health (9%), and an environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy (8%), were also identified as increasing in importance. So, the support offered needs to be wide and holistic. Implementing a Strong Health and Wellbeing Programme According to the survey results, and evidence seen by Towergate Health & Protection across its client base, implementing a strong health and wellbeing programme is vital in the recruitment and retention of talent. Moreover, the programme must be widely communicated to employees and easily accessed and managed by employees and employers alike if it is really going to make a difference. The Four Pillars of Health and Wellbeing A strong programme must support all four pillars of health and wellbeing: emotional, physical, financial, and social health - to add the most value to recruitment and retention. Research shows that all four are not only important in keep existing employees healthy, and to retain their loyalty, but also to attract new employees. Employees’ needs and demands have shifted dramatically since before the pandemic struck. We have all had a realignment of priorities, and employers need to match these if they are to attract and retain the best staff, which is only going to become more important. *Research conducted by Opinium on behalf of Towergate Health & Protection. Sample: 500 UK HR decision makers. Field dates: 28 January to 7 February 2022. Contact To find out how Towergate could assist your school in finding the right employee benefits for your staff, contact Adrian Henley. Towergate Insurance, is a trading name of Advisory Insurance Brokers Limited. Registered in England Company No. 4043759, Registered Office: 2 Minster Court, Mincing Lane, London, EC3R 7PD. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. This can be checked on the FCA’s register by checking the FCA website at www.fca.org.uk/register or by contacting them on 0800 111 6768. Towergate Health & Protection, a trading name of Health and Protection Solutions Limited, is an independent intermediary, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). This can be checked on the FCA’s website or by calling them on 0800 111 6768 (freephone). Not all products and services offered are regulated by the FCA. Registered in England and Wales No: 4907859. Registered office: West Park House, 23 Cumberland Place, Southampton, SO15 2BB.
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Ilsham English Hub are pleased to host the following free CPD sessions in the Autumn Term. Gill Jones HMI English Talk Thursday 29 September 2022 | 1600 - 1700 | Online Gill Jones HMI, Deputy Director, Schools & Early Education will talk about learning to read and write, drawing on research from Ofsted English Research Review and the implications for teachers of primary age children. The session will cover communication and language, phonics, handwriting, transcription and comprehension and Gill will be joined by Kirsty Godfrey HMI, Specialist Adviser. N.B. This session will not be recorded. Teachers as Readers Group | Open University/UKLA Ilsham English Hub Session 1 | Wednesday 12 October 2022 Session 2 | Wednesday 23 November 2022 Session 3 | Wednesday 18 January 2023 Session 4 | Wednesday 15 March 2023 Session 5 | Wednesday 24 May 2023 Session 6 | Wednesday 21 June 2023 From 1600 - 1730 Open to all! These six informal, friendly and supportive sessions will help to develop evidence informed practice, widening knowledge of children's literature and other texts, enriching Reading for Pleasure pedagogy and documenting the impact of children as readers. There is an expectation that attendees will try to attend all the sessions. Transforming your School Reading Culture Core Session 1 | Wednesday 12 October 2022 | Reading for Pleasure: a Whole School Culture Core Session 2 | Wednesday 23 November 2022 | Creating Whole School Change Core Session 3 | Wednesday 18 January 2023 | Creating a Reading School: Structural Changes Core Session 4 | Wednesday 15 March 2023 | Creating a Reading School: Behavioural Changes Core Session 5 | Wednesday 21 June 2023 | Celebrating Impact and Sustaining Change From 1230 - 1500 Transforming your School Reading Culture is a sustained, research based CPD programme aimed at Primary English Leaders. The group looks to develop a whole school reading community and culture and will be facilitated by Danni Cooke and Carly Watson. Participants can benefit from five core sessions plus ten optional workshops. It is however, necessary to sign-up to attend all five core sessions to be part of the group. In between the five sessions, participants complete gap tasks related to developing participants’ own knowledge of children’s literature, understanding of reading for pleasure pedagogy and developing the reading for pleasure culture in their school. Those who commit to the programme will be expected to attend all sessions. N.B. This is currently not open to Wave 4 Partner Schools - if this is you, then please, send email Danni Cooke. The optional online workshops will run from 1600 to 1630 on the following topics:
Further details to follow on dates and times. Contingent Talk Session 1 | Thursday 10 November 2022 Toolkit Focus: Why do books matter so much? What is child-led book talk? Gap Task: Book talk and complete the pre-project survey. Session 2 | Thursday 19 January 2023 Toolkit Focus: Quick reflection on first session. Gap Task: Set up a timetable for sessions and start note-taking. Session 3 | Thursday 23 February 2023 Toolkit Focus: Quick reflection on the last session and troubleshooting. Gap Task: Film yourself with one of your target children and choose a snippet to share. Session 4 | Thursday 4 May 2023 Toolkit Focus: Reflection. Gap Task: Complete survey From 1400 - 1500 The structure of this work will be four sessions led by Danni Cooke, Ilsham and Rowena Lucas, Ilsham and Ramsbury English Hub Leads and the focus will be on Early Years Foundation Stage (nursery/pre-school included, but can be bridged into Year 1). In-between each session, participants will be invited to try out the strategies that they explore to ensure that they reflect on the previous workshop. This work is open to a maximum of 20 schools. N.B. This is currently not open to Wave 4 Partner Schools - if this is you, then please, send email Danni Cooke. Schools will need to sign up for all four sessions and as a commitment to the sessions will be sent two books for use in the work. Ilsham English Hub Showcase Thursday 6 October 2022 | 0900 - 1200
We recommend Heads of School, SLT, Reading/Phonics Leaders attend this session. This showcase has been updated in accordance with current up-to-date documentation and priorities. Some schools might be eligible for a total of £160 funding each to support supply cover to attend. Schools will be assessed for eligibility when spaces are booked. If supply cover has been given in previous years, then it cannot be claimed again. Oral Blending and Segmenting and Soft Sounds Thursday 6 October 2022 | 1600 - 1700 | Ilsham English Hub This workshop will look at the importance of the foundations of understanding the skills of oral blending and segmenting and soft sounds and will be useful for any colleague who wishes to develop their understanding of the foundations to build effective phonics learning. Nurseries and Pre schools are welcome to attend. The Role of the Reading Leader (Autumn 1) 14 October 2022 | 1130 - 1300 | Online This webinar will look at the key priorities for this point in the term as the reading leader and will be run every half term with a different focus to enable leaders to develop in the reading leader role. Contact Ilsham English Hub will also be booking audits for the Autumn Term where they can look at personalised support and access to funding. Please contact Danni Cooke if you would like to find out more. We recently saw the release of the Government’s response to their consultation on the proposed Data Reform Bill. It is still early days for the proposed legislation and there is a lot to go through from this response. In addition, the timeline for the new legislation and exactly what it will look like based on this response is unclear at this stage. But our sponsor, SchoolPro TLC, has looked at the consultation outcome and you can read their initial reaction and thoughts about how it might impact on working with schools in the future. Privacy Management Programmes to be a Compliance Requirement This is one that we have been expecting and we have built the online audit/accountability tool in the new portal with this possibility in mind. Essentially, the proposal is to reduce down the accountability requirement to the following six key areas (from the current ten):
This potentially simplifies the process and our audit tool has been developed to be fully configurable. So, if this change goes ahead as suggested, the existing tool can be adapted to the new Privacy Management Programme and relevant information, actions etc already in the tool, can be ported across as required. The Government have been keen to highlight that this is not to reduce the rigour of accountability and lower standards, but to create a more flexible tool that can scale depending on the risk level of the organisations. This may well ease some of the burden on smaller schools, for example. Data Protection Officers (DPO) to no longer be mandatory and to be replaced with a ‘senior responsible individual’ This proposal removes the need for an independent DPO with no conflicts of interest and allows the role to be taken on by a senior individual within the organisation. That person will still fulfil many of the existing roles of a DPO, so it is likely that many organisations will simply continue with their existing arrangement. The ‘senior responsible individual’ will be responsible for:
At present, it is not fully clear if this will apply to all organisations; or whether it will be only small organisations and those that do not process high levels of sensitive data that are able to drop the requirement for a “DPO”. We are obviously going to keep a keen eye on this one! Removal of Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) The thought here is to provide a more flexible and tailored approach to organisations. Again, the Government are keen to emphasise that this is not to reduce rigour and lower standards and they state that organisations will still have to identify, assess and manage risk. This may allow for a more risk-based approach where lower risk processing has a simpler risk management approach and higher risk processing still follows a similar DPIA process to what is currently in place. However this is implemented; thankfully, this should not involve new risk management for legacy systems as the Government has stated that “existing DPIAs would remain valid as a way of achieving the new requirement. Removal of the Record of Processing Activities (RoPA) Requirement As with DPIAs, this is to provide a more flexible approach that can be tailored to different organisation depending on size and the nature of their processing activities. This will link to the Privacy Management Programmes and will require organisations to have “personal data inventories” that “describe what and where personal data is held, why it has been collected and how sensitive it is.” From what we have read so far, we believe that our existing data mapping tool will allow for these inventories to be created still with very little need to be adapted from their current format. Those are a few of the points we think will have an immediate impact on schools. Of course there are more detailed analyses of all the proposals available online, such as this useful one from the IAPP: It is also clear that not everyone is happy with the proposals.
Reading through the response, the prevailing theme appears to be “we asked about this, most of you weren’t happy with proposed changes… so we’re going to make some anyway;” which is an interesting approach to a consultation. All we can say is, watch this space… Report by Ben Craig CIPP/E, Director of SchoolPro TLC Ltd Last week, the Department for Education (DfE) presented a live webinar to discover how to support staff at all levels and access the wide-ranging support available from the Department to improve staff experiences and ultimately improve pupil outcomes. The event also featured guest Headteachers who shared their passion for teacher development and discussed examples of how the programmes are supporting the staff and young people in their settings. The webinar included:
To watch the webinar recording, click on the link below and you can also download a copy of the PowerPoint presentation and collated Q&A document.
The Met Office has warned that temperatures could hit 43C over the coming week, which would make it the hottest day ever recorded in the UK. Our sponsor, Wolferstans Solicitors, provides some guidance for employers as summer temperatures soar. If it’s too hot to work, can employee’s leave? Under UK law there is currently only a minimum working temperature set, which is 16C. However, if the employee’s work involves rigorous physical effort, the temperature should be at least 13C. There is unfortunately, no meaningful figure that can be placed on high temperatures, to indicate if it is in fact too hot to work. That said, employers are responsible to ensure their employees and workers are comfortable and in their working environment. This extends to helping them keep cool. Health and safety should also factor into an employer’s consideration as to whether it is too hot to work. Can employee’s legally ask for air conditioning in their workplace? Employers are obliged to keep employees comfortable, which falls within them needing to ensure the working environment is of a reasonable temperature for those using it. From this, the concept known as "thermal comfort" has been established. By managing the thermal comfort within the workplace employers are more likely to improve morale, productivity and health and safety. The Health and Safety Executive note the six basic factors to cause temperature discomfort are:
A way in which they suggest you can control the thermal comfort of these factors is by using air conditioning units or air dehumidifiers. If you want further advice on whether you should be installing air conditioning, as you feel are having employee complaints about the temperature in the workplace, then please get in contact via the below contact details. Do employees have to wear their usual work attire in sweltering heat? This very much depends on the organisation. For example, if you are employing tree surgeons you would not be complying with the health and safety laws and organisational policies if you allowed you employees to not wear their personal protective equipment, such as the thick heavy chainsaw trousers which they most likely do not wish to be wearing on an extremely hot day. In circumstances where it is reasonable for there to be a flexible dress code, such as in an office environment, employers should be doing this to help with employee’s thermal comfort and productivity. If in doubt whether this applies to you, the Health and Safety Executive provide further information on this. How else can employers ensure that "thermal comfort" is managed well? Hybrid working is becoming increasingly popular and making the most of this on an extremely hot day could benefit employers and employees. Employers need to consider whether the building they have is equipped for a heatwave. In doing this they should factor in whether there is a lot of glass, if it is an older building, whether there is good ventilation, and whether or not they already have air conditioning installed. Employee productivity could be higher, should they be allowed to work from home in a cooler environment. If this is not possible then employers need to control the thermal comfort of their employees in the workplace as best as they can, given their circumstances. Ways to do this is by providing fans, if safe to do so, in the event they do not have aircon. If you have any concerns over your workplace, or employees refusing to attend work during the heatwave, please make contact via our new enquiries section of the website. By Rachel Lee, Wolferstans Solicitors Earlier this term, Director of Kingsbridge Research School, Jon Eaton led a professional development session for SWIFT Directors based on the Education Endowment Foundation’s Professional Development Guidance report. The recommendations from the report state:
Essentially, when designing professional development, consider the 14 recommended EEF mechanisms as a checklist to strengthen the effectiveness of training as part of the implementation process, along with other strategies, for example, coaching. The follow-up session looked at a Theory of Change as an implementation tool to inform programme and intervention design. A Theory of Change can be used to improve communication, motivation and programme design. Showing the causal chain behind a programme supports deeper thinking about exactly what the programme is supposed to achieve and how. By working backwards from the desired outcome, via the intermediate outcomes, to the original problem (“This leads to this, leads to that…”), we also help develop a shared understanding. Another bonus for schools is improved evaluation. A Theory of Change helps leaders identify weaknesses in planning, leading to clearer sense of what to evaluate. Otherwise, the danger can be that assumptions are made. Jon cited a Kingsbridge Research School project which used the Theory of Change model to develop an improved transition experience in Maths, involving Maths staff, CODE Maths Hub, CEOs and school leaders. By the end of the session, our Directors were enthused, engaged and keen to identify a shared SWIFT Delivery Team project in order to put into effect this gift of a logic and clarity to energise their combined CPD delivery. May our schools find the SWIFT 2022 – 2023 programmes all the more measured and motivating for you and your colleagues. Report by Jude Owens, PA to the SWIFT Executive Team Kingsbridge Research School Teaching and Learning Series 2022 - 2023
Session 1 | Designing Effective Professional Development | Friday 14 October 2022 | 0930 – 1100 | Online Session 2 | Effective Modelling in the Classroom | Friday 20 January 2023 | 0930 – 1100 | Online Session 3 | Designing a Theory of Change | Monday 17 April 2023 | 0930 – 1200 | Coombeshead Academy Listening to celebrated poet, children's author, presenter and former Children's Laureate, Michael Rosen makes me wish I were a primary school teacher, a Secondary Teacher of English – or even better perhaps…a child hiding in a corner with a book, or looking forward to my bedtime story with a loved one. This Reading for Pleasure session introduced by Ilsham DfE National English Hub Lead, Danni Cooke, and Early Years and Phonics Specialist Leader of Education with the Learning Academy Partnership was always going to be a treat like reading a gripping good book. Michael’s credentials to talk on this lovely literacy topic are aplenty. A parent himself, actively working in schools leading workshops and as a writer in residence, television presenter, with a PHD in reading and writing and currently Professor of Children’s Literature at Goldsmiths, University of London in which a module studies and researches the best ways to approach children’s books in classrooms with a book of teachers’ projects due to be published in the autumn. Children benefit from “reading widely and often” beyond the classroom that can be seen in test results and attainment/achievement and ultimately, the years that children stay in education. Fact! We know it and believe it. But empirically, it is based on the esteemed longitudinal study, “Family Scholarly Culture and Educational Success: Books and Schooling in 27 nations,” by M.D.R. Evans, Jonathan Kelley, Joanna Sikorac and Donald J. Treimand from representative national samples across 27 nations, and with over 70,000 cases. “Children growing up in homes with books get three years more schooling than children from bookless homes, independent of their parents’ education, occupation, and class. This is as great an advantage as having university educated rather than unschooled parents, and twice the advantage of having a professional rather than an unskilled father.” In a lively storytime session, Michael read from Maurice Sendak’s 1960s children’s book, “Where the Wild Things Are” (cue lots of scary atmospheric pictures) as he skilfully guided the audience to see the story from a child’s eyes (and ears!), interpreting the words, pictures and concepts. And a new concept for me, this was part of Early Years and Year 1 pupils learning about the “interiority.” Engaging, thought-provoking and certainly reinforced the audience’s love of reading and the wish to share this love with children. In this value-added talk, so, to the takeaway tips and Michael Rosen’s Top Strategies to create a reading culture in schools – all of which are doable and dynamic, so without further ado... 1. Home School Liaison Mindful that some parents might not be literate, might have language difficulties, might have their own preconceptions of schools and teachers, there’s value in developing a home school culture. Set up a Home School Reading Committee to act as “Book Champions.” Organise bring and buy sales to encourage parents and pupils that sharing books is normal - and reach out to parents! 2. Hold Book and Reading Events Get everyone excited! Book sales. Book swaps. Second-hand bookshops. Enact book dramatisations and invite parents to watch and play out a story. 3. Appoint a School Librarian But what about sharing a School Librarian across a number of schools in a Trust or locally? 4. Share Information on Local Libraries Yes, we know the story about our national library service… Keep parents informed. Some might think they have to pay to use the library. Tell them they can borrow the books! 5. Set Up School Book Groups Let the School Book Group influence others with their reading ideas and discussions. 6. Adopt an Author or Illustrator Why not?! A win-win for the school and the author! 7. Making Books Dignify the making of books. Make the children the authors and celebrate the joy of books and reading. 8. Regular Activities Nourish activities with books. Think fiction poetry, music, guides to sites. 9. Show your Emotion about Special Books As teachers and staff, share books that mean so much to you. Bring in cherished books, talk about them and say why they are cherished. 10. Book Reviews To get started online, see: https://booksforkeeps.co.uk/ http://www.lovemybooks.co.uk/ https://www.lovereading.co.uk/ https://www.booksfortopics.com/ Print and pin-up in the classroom book reviews from newspapers and magazines AND of course, get children to write their own 11. Train Colleagues and Children on Children’s Literature Set up reading for pleasure groups and study children’s literature. 20 minutes after school. Booklovers always like an insight into a favourite author’s favourite books. You heard it here that Michael’s favourite books are “Emil and the Detectives” by Erich Kastner (for older children) and “Clown” by Quentin Blake (for younger), and in the realm of poetry, Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce and Decorum est” and “Down Behind the Dustbin” by Mr Michael Rosen no less. We thank Michael for his uplifting talk that makes reading for pleasure palpably so and to Ilsham English Hub for hosting this event. Watch out for the Goldsmiths, University of London “Children’s Literature in Action” free e-book due to be published in September. Report by Jude Owens, PA to the Executive SWIFT Team For more information and inspiration from Michael see his YouTube channel: More RFP CPD from Ilsham English Hub Ilsham English Hub are providing the following FREE TO ACCESS Reading for Pleasure offer of support for the next academic year: Teachers as Readers Group A Open University/UKLA evidence informed practice CPD. Open to all! There will be six informal, friendly and supportive sessions to help develop evidence informed practice, widening our knowledge of children's literature and other texts, enriching or Reading for Pleasure pedagogy and documenting the impact of children as readers. Session 1 | Wednesday 12 October 2022 Session 2 | Wednesday 23 November 2022 Session 3 | Wednesday 18 January 2023 Session 4 | Wednesday 15 March 2023 Session 5 | Wednesday 24 May 2023 Session 6 | Wednesday 21 June 2023 From 1600 to 1730 | Zoom There is an expectation that attendees try to attend all the sessions. Transforming your School Reading Culture (TSRC) Programme The TSRC programme is a sustained, research based CPD programme aimed at Primary English Leads. During the course of the programme participants will engage deeply with reading for pleasure pedagogy and leadership theory to transform their school’s reading culture. Participants will attend five sessions and complete gap tasks in between sessions: Core Session 1 | Wednesday 12 October 2022 | Reading for Pleasure: a whole school culture Core Session 2 | Wednesday 23 November 2022 | Creating whole school change Core Session 3 | Wednesday 18 January 2023 | Creating a reading school: structural changes Core Session 4 | Wednesday 15 March 2023 | Creating a reading school: behavioural changes Core Session 5 | Wednesday 21 June 2023 | Celebrating impact and sustaining change From 1230 to 1500 | Zoom There is an expectation that attendees try to attend all the sessions. The gap tasks will be related to developing participants’ own knowledge of children’s literature, understanding of reading for pleasure pedagogy and developing the reading for pleasure culture in their school. Audits
Work is underway for Autumn Term audits where Ilsham English Hub might be able to help your school with further personalised support and access to funding. For more information contact Ilsham DfE National English Hub Lead, Danni Cooke. 8/6/2022 0 Comments SWIFT 2022 Literacy ConferenceIt 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: A secondary focused English Professional Communities meeting is due to be scheduled and if you would like to contribute, please contact Jen Knowles | Jen.Knowles@sw-ift.org.uk The power is in the network. Report by Vicky Thornton, Assistant Principal: Teaching & Learning – Literacy at Ivybridge Community College and SWIFT English-Network Lead.
“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?
What opportunities does the NIoT create for the SWIFT partnership?
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. 26/5/2022 0 Comments Whole School SEND Professional Development Groups 2022 - 2023 - and a job opportunityWhole 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:
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:
Each regional group will be loosely arranged around one of the themes below:
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. Please contact info@wholeschoolsend.com if you require this document or the Expression of Interest Form in an alternative format. Join Whole School SEND Whole School SEND (“WSS”) Deputy Regional SEND Leader (South West) For more information see the job advert and specification here:
26/5/2022 0 Comments Winning Them Over: Overcoming Struggles in Parent Engagement | Cornerstone English HubMatthew 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. “You are the best of the best in delivering teacher development.” 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. Looking to next year, what will be the role of the Teaching School Hub Council?
Certainly, to continue to support and provide resources required by TSHs so that they, in turn, can fulfil their aims and objectives. The TSHC is also due to set up advisory boards with members across the network and provide support with capacity and market share and help with scaling up and maintaining the quality of service to schools. During a live discussion group to consider the greatest success of TSHs in the first full year of implementation Director of SWIFT Martin Smith noted the positive programme member feedback for the Early Career Framework and the NPQ lead provider surveys; as well as delivering at scale and beyond expected levels thanks to a strong Central Team, wider partnership and positive working relationships across the Colyton and Kingsbridge Teaching School Hubs. An apt end to this report, with SWIFT absolutely committed to maintaining the strong impact of Teaching School Hubs. Report by Jude Owens, PA to the SWIFT Executive Team 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:
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
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. For More Information
9/5/2022 0 Comments Early Career Framework and Appropriate Body Service 2022-2023 | SCHOOL SIGN-UP NOW OPEN!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:
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: By Chris Harris, Deputy Director of SWIFT
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. |
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