May Day has passed and we hope that you enjoyed the Bank Holiday, but today is UPDATE May Day and we are pleased to bring you the latest news.

As Executive Director Martin Smith reflects in his introduction: 
"This May issue brilliantly exemplifies what a mature school-led system looks like...The many high-quality articles bring together expertise from individual schools, Multi Academy Trusts, education partners and the National Institute of Teaching." 

With partnership at the heart of our SWIFT work, Martin will soon be engaging with stakeholders on the partnership with our Teaching School Hub colleagues, OneCornwall to develop and widen the scope across the region. 

Read up on the recent National Institute of Teaching (NIoT) Teacher Educator Development Day led by Kyle Bailey, NPQ Lead for the South and West at NIoT and Birmingham South Teaching School Hub. The aims of the day were to strengthen the professional skills and expertise of teacher educators, engage critically with research and apply it to inform and enhance practice and build, sustain and deepen relationships between local colleagues. 

You can also catch up on some important Golden Thread programme updates to keep you informed.

If you are contemplating a smartphone-free environment in your School or Trust, Kingsbridge Community College's Principal, Tina Graham shares their journey and tips that developed as part of their wider commitment to student wellbeing, focus, and positive development. 

This month's interview is with Anthony Lees, Deputy Head of School for Marpool Primary School & EdTech Lead for the Cornerstone Academy Trust. A self-confessed tech nerd, Ant is well-placed to provide an insight into this rapidly growing area within our professional and personal lives. You read it here in UPDATE!

Devon Research School (DRS) shares a post on being one step ahead when it comes to Adaptive Teaching from fellow Cornwall Research School. As you would expect this is insightful, intentional and evidence-based and will add meaning to your practice. 

On that note, the Region's RISE Team invites you to attend the Boolean and London South West Maths Hubs’ Mainstream Inclusion Conference on Primary Maths coming up on Thursday 4 June 2026. Book here

From September, schools across England will be expected to take a more structured approach to allergy management and our sponsor SchoolPro TLC provides guidance on how to prepare.  As former school leaders, teachers and incumbent Governors, they are caring and knowledgeable. Contact the Team here

Nursery and Primary school cover service Exeter Supply Partnership are celebrating their tenth anniversary - and we commend their first decade dedicated to providing "reliable, experienced supply staff, and above all, offering an ethical, not‑for‑profit alternative that puts schools, educators and pupils first."  Contact here
 
As we have come to expect , Educatering our school catering sponsor are showcasing yet more of their delicious and nutritious food. See more pictures to feast on! If you are not yet part of the Educatering Schools Revolution contact the Team here 

Remember to book your place at the 2026 Summer Conference on Thursday 18 June 2026 at Exeter Racecourse. Five school weeks today! Designed to be relevant and memorable with presentations on: AI and Assessment, Equity, Wellbeing and Leadership, Care and Culture, Disadvantaged High Attainers, Masculinities in Schools and more. Network with like-minded colleagues and enjoy some lovely food from Goosemoor Educatering.

In the spirit of true and lasting partnership, we hope you relish a dip in this issue.
With all best wishes from the SWIFT Central Team - and a happy and rewarding onwards. 

“I feel energised as a Teacher Educator at a time when I was beginning to feel demotivated. I now want to push beyond my current remit to action system level change within my organisation and feel that the work today has helped empower me with tools and starting points for those conversations.”

The National Institute of Teaching (NIoT) Teacher Educator Development Day took place at the end of last month at the Birmingham Campus originally conceptualised around the themes of the NIoT rubric, with an opportunity to network and share, and learn from the dedicated research team at the NIoT.
 
Led by Kyle Bailey, NPQ Lead for the South and West at NIoT since 2024, Kyle’s other day job is Birmingham South Teaching School Hub Lead. In his NIoT role, Kyle benefits from working with great people, including members of our SWIFT TSH Team, Jen Knowles and Fiona McNeile, and OneCornwall partners; as well as other Associate Colleges, with whom Kyle has been working closely to better understand the needs of their regions.

Kyle is privileged to visit Campus Facilitators, many of whom are serving school leaders, which prompted his thinking for the day in recognising the need for colleagues across to country to meet in-person. He also wanted to give back and to amplify the work of Facilitators and to enable them to bring and share concrete resources to their NPQ delivery sessions. ​

​The audience of 80 colleagues spun the spectrum of the Golden Thread, including those currently leading the Early Career Teacher Programme, Teaching School Hub Directors, Heads of Professional Development at Multi Academy Trusts – plus representation from the Local Authority, and colleagues who currently work / do not work with the NIoT. Kyle is keen that colleagues are aware that the NIoT is more than its programmes and offers huge research opportunities.

Keynotes included Dr Chris Baker, who leads professional development at the Cabot Learning Federation (partner with Ambition Institute), on Why Teacher Educators are Essential for Sector Improvement - focusing on the role and challenges as a Mentor, Facilitator, and Head of Professional Development in school. NIoT Executive Director for Programmes, Reuben Moore led on Horizon Scanning and Implications for the Sector and Input on the Curriculum Assessment Review changes. Too often, information can be provided piecemeal and Reuben gave an overview on what is currently in place and what colleagues might need to consider and change. Finally, Margaret Mulholland from ASCL led the keynote on Supporting Other Teachers in an Educational Landscape with Greater Need, building on Reuben’s overarching themes, as well as inclusion – always a relevant focus for Schools and Trusts and a current big priority for the Government following the recent White Paper.
 
Delegates could choose to attend a variety of workshops. All of which shared the purpose of thinking through how to design and conceptualise teacher education. 

Dr Rob Nash, Head of Psychological Research at the NIoT led on Feedback Literacy and How to Make Receiving Feedback Less Awful, which was well received (not surprising perhaps with its engaging title!). Aretha Banton from Mindful Equity led the session on recruiting career changers from more ethnically diverse backgrounds and cultural competence. Leyla Palmer and Hayley Bissell from NIoT Associate College, Windsor Academy Trust, led the session on Adaptive Facilitation in Practice: Balancing Structure, Responsiveness and Instruction Synopsis. Whilst Oasis Community Learning, the founding NIoT MAT here in the South West, and One World Education, led a session together on Leading Learning: Rigour and Joy in Every Classroom. NIoT Tutors, Balli Dalli, Pete Gandon and Faye Murphy invited delegates to a session on Squeezing the Sponge: how can we provoke hard thinking and make effective application more likely in teacher education to get the most out of your practice. Finally, Chris Baker led on Making Change Stick: the Systematic ‘transfer of training.’
 
The Teacher Educator Day was a momentous day: impactful conversations and uplifting feedback on all the sessions. Feedback from attendees about the day was very positive with strong engagement in the sessions and colleagues attending from the North West and London will be hosting Facilitators at their own sessions later in the year.
 
“The best, most thought-provoking day of professional learning I have had in many years. I have made many notes and been inspired to reflect on my practices and our organisation as a whole.”
 
Looking beyond the conference, the intention is for colleagues to reference what they have learned and heard in the sessions and to mention in their NPQ facilitation training and to adjust the way they give feedback.
Equally, it has been an invaluable outreach exercise to some of the colder spots around the country and those Schools and Trusts who have yet to work closely with the NIoT - several of whom have already been in contact to request speaker details to ask them to lead on training sessions for their Trust.
 
Commenting on the day Kyle Bailey said:
“Above all, the Teacher Educator Development Day was pivotal in supporting the work of the NIoT in bringing together, connecting people, and supporting Schools and Multi Academy Trusts.
The NIoT is making a big effort here in the South West to push outwards and for members of our NIOT Team to run sessions to help boost the system overall and we are delighted to be leading on this support work.”
 
The South West region is central to supporting future NPQs and the delivery of the NIoT role by bringing people together and connecting Facilitators with Schools and Trusts. NIoT’s strong focus is on serving school leaders and it is gratifying that this aligns well with our SWIFT ethos of working with Schools and Trusts.

Teaching School Hubs will continue to play a vital, place‑based role, recognising that schools’ needs vary by geography and system context. Local knowledge in linking Schools, MATs, Research Schools and Hubs will strengthen collaboration and working alongside, listening, learning and feeding back is essential, and here at SWIFT as Teaching School Hubs, we will always be proud to exemplify this schools‑led, collaborative approach.

We are proud to partner with the NIoT for the Early Career Teacher Programme (ECTP) and National Professional Qualifications (NPQs).

Report by Jude Baylis, SWIFT Executive Assistant

A new, national resource to equip teacher educators with research evidence and practical insights to inform professional learning is the hot topic on educator’s lips across the country.
 
Built by a dedicated team at the National Institute of Teaching (NIoT), the recently published Evidence Portal brings together rigorous, high-quality research and expert perspectives from Schools and Trusts to empower teacher educators to be able to make evidence-informed decisions when designing and delivering professional learning and support. 

So why does it exist?
One of the NIoT’s core missions is to improve the quality of teacher and leader development at a system level by generating and interpreting research, applying the insights to the design and delivery of high-quality teacher development programmes to be shared across the sector.
 
We have seen this in practice with our published work with the NIoT on the delivery of the Early Career Teacher Programme (ECTP) in coastal and rural communities and more recently a research study into school level professional development. A number of SWIFT schools are also currently involved in an exciting AI and mentoring research project. 
 
£1.4 billion and nearly 2 million working days are spent on professional development each year. 
As teacher educators, we are surrounded by vast amounts of research but finding the time to make sense of it and knowing what really works in our own Schools and Trusts can be difficult. 
 
The NIoT Evidence Portal aims to solve this problem by bringing coherence to a crowded landscape and strengthens professional development by supporting teacher educators in accessing, interpreting and using research thoughtfully in their own context.
 
The Evidence Portal currently comprises two major features: 

The NIoT Evidence Toolkit
The toolkit brings together bite-sized, trustworthy summaries of professional learning approaches drawn from systematic reviews of international research on initial teacher education and professional development.
 
It is organised into a number of different strands, including inclusive professional learning, coaching and leading professional development in schools. Each of these strands summarises what the evidence shows about the approach’s effectiveness, its impact on teachers and pupils and the key factors that support successful implementation. Importantly, each strand also includes an ‘In Practice’ section which features insights from experienced teachers and leaders who share how they have applied the approaches, allowing contextualisation of the research making the evidence usable, relevant and ready to apply.
 
Your Questions Page
The team at the NIoT are aware that not every professional learning question can be answered by the Toolkit alone and often there is not enough systematic research evidence to create a strand within the Toolkit for emerging or under-researched topics. In this section, therefore in order to address this gap, they share rigorous evidence-informed responses to the questions that matter most to teachers, Mentors and leaders.
 
How can Professional Development be designed to support workload?
What motivates teachers to engage in Professional Development?
Is it most effective when it is specific to the setting, phase or subject?
 
This collection will be expertly curated over time, responsive to your questions and needs. 

Your Voice Matters 
As the Portal develops, new strands and more resources will be added so that it continues to evolve and to ensure that the evidence remains practical, relevant and responsive to the priorities of Schools, Trusts, leaders of professional development and teachers.  
 
The NIoT Team are keen to feature professional learning experiences from across the sector, so please do get in contact if you would like to share (see the links below).
 
We increasingly value our SWIFT NIoT Partnership. Alongside their wide range of high-quality programmes, the Portal is another dynamic and exciting initiative that we hope our Schools and Trusts will embrace.
 
If you have yet to discover the Evidence Portal, we encourage you to do so and we will keep you informed of other innovative NIoT opportunities to benefit you and your teams.

By Jen Knowles, SWIFT Director of Teaching School Hubs 

“I think it is important for Schools and Trusts to have teachers who wish to stay in the profession because they are happy and feel they are making a difference and are enjoying what they are doing, giving something to those children and being able to recognise and reward their teachers from a School and Trust level.”

This September marks a significant new juncture for SWIFT and the National Institute of Teaching (NIoT). SWIFT is working with the NIoT as the Lead Provider in delivering the newly launched Early Career Teacher Programme (ECTP). This relationship is founded on strong foundations as SWIFT is two of the NIoT’s Associate Colleges (Education South West and Colyton Grammar School).

The two-year Early Career Teacher Entitlement programme supports Early Career Teachers (ECTs) at the start of their teaching career and replaces the previous iteration as the ‘Early Career Framework-based training and induction.’
 
Positive partnerships are key, and our Teaching School Hub Team are glad to be working with the NIoT Team to ensure a smooth delivery for our schools in supporting their ECTs and Mentors so that they can focus on putting their induction learning into practice in the classrooms.
 
Head of the Early Careers Programme Faculty overseeing the ECTP programme at The National Institute of Teaching is Katy Micklewright.  Originally from Bristol, Katy has been a Teacher of Science and School Leader since 2009 and spent the latter years of her school career leading teaching and learning and induction in a secondary academy in Southampton, whilst working on pedagogy across a national academy trust; in particular, on the delivery of ECF and teacher development.
 
Katy is passionate about research and development, which is led by the needs of schools and teachers; and most recently she co-authored the NIoT’s project on rural, coastal and small school delivery of the ECF (read here). 

1. What experience and skills do you bring to your position as Head of the Early Careers Programme Faculty at the NIoT?
Having worked in secondary schools in some very disadvantaged areas for around 15 years across the South Coast, one of the things I am most proud and lean on most is my experience of what it is really like to be in schools.

I never want to forget that having been an Induction Tutor, looking after Early Career Teachers (ECTs) as part of that role across my school and other schools, I understand that you can never underestimate how difficult the job is for teachers and school leaders. Understanding the importance of being school-led and the governance process in schools and being able to visit schools regularly, all supports my role now with the NIoT.
 
For all that we do in the Faculty, we always ask, what will that be like if you are in a school and how will that work for you and for the teachers?
 
I always look back and remember very clearly all that I have been through during my years in schools including the difficult rollout of the Early Career Framework as an Induction Tutor with 15 ECTs at that time.
 
In terms of my skills, I think that being honest, and true to what teachers are telling us and listening and responding without being knee-jerk are probably some of the most important skills that I bring to my current role.
 
2. What do you consider to be the most noteworthy updates to the new Early Career Teacher Programme starting this September?
Firstly, I think the most obvious updates are the Mentor programme becoming shorter to be truly mindful of the workload and well-being of Mentors, as some of the most valuable colleagues. Early Career Teachers do not succeed as easily without an expert Mentor. Their relationships with them are absolutely vital, ECTs need that support and advice throughout this important time in their career. That is why they are so important.

The updated programme has seen us completely redesign the Mentor programme based on responses and feedback from Mentors to ensure that it gives them what they feel they need to be great teacher educators. Not only Mentors of ECTs, but to help with their own career development more broadly too.

Secondly, I think for us as Lead Providers and Associate Colleges, having more freedom to give flexibility to schools. Having worked with schools in the South West, particularly those in rural areas, coastal areas or very small schools, I understand that one size fits all is not appropriate and that teachers need to have agency and ownership over the direction of their learning and development. We have taken this opportunity to make our programme more flexible and applicable to different contexts than previous iterations, and we are very proud of the programme.

Thirdly, I think that any opportunity to look at adaptive teaching is valuable - whether it is for children with SEND, for children who come from disadvantaged backgrounds, or children who are struggling with learning, for whatever reason at that time. Teachers need to be given the knowledge and tools to adapt their teaching at every point, no matter what they are teaching, in what phase and so it is important that this adaptive teaching is explicitly interwoven into the whole programme. It is not only a stand-alone module. It is part of everything that ECTs will learn on the programme, and I know that I would have liked this to have been part of my training and induction, and I think this update is essential.
 
Plus, I value the agency to start talking about technology more, particularly AI and how that effects teaching and young people in today’s modern world.

3. As our sole Lead Provider for the ECTP, what are your hopes for your working relationship with SWIFT?
Where to begin - !
From working with SWIFT over the last couple of years has been absolutely integral to the development of this programme.
 
Working with Jen Knowles, Fiona McNeile and the rest of the SWIFT Team has given us many of the insights that we use to develop what the schools see and whenever we are designing and coming to content that we are going to make responses to, or whatever it might be in this process, we are always considering the schools in Cornwall and Devon and the surrounding areas where SWIFT works, because I think this context is unique.
 
For me spending time in those schools and in the area last summer working on some research projects with colleagues at SWIFT, and the schools and their teachers, has allowed us to make sure that we never forget those different contexts, whatever they may be and whatever the unique challenges are.
 
I also value the input from teachers and I look forward to attending and meeting some of those in new Trusts who have come on board and some of our colleagues will be doing the same to see the delivery and meet the teachers to find out even more about their context, because that is what our programmes are all about.
 
I would like to include a massive thank you to the SWIFT Team to date. They are invaluable and truly integral to this programme that is outstanding in part because of their contributions.
 
4. What would be your greatest wish for Schools and Trusts for this academic year.
I obviously have lots of wishes!

I think the job being a happy one that teachers enjoy is my number wish - no matter what it is that drives that happiness and enjoyment. I think that teaching is an amazing career and, personally, I miss school-life and the students desperately and I want teachers to feel like that about their job.
 
I think it is important for Schools and Trusts to have teachers who wish to stay in the profession because they are happy and feel they are making a difference and are enjoying what they are doing, giving something to those children and being able to recognise and reward their teachers from a School and Trust level.

It is vital that Early Career Teachers get to meet other teachers and to talk about the good things about their job to and celebrate and be rewarded. This is obviously essential so that teachers want to stay, but also so that they feel like the children are benefiting from the teaching, even though sometimes, it is hard.
 
For me, I think that is the most important wish, as if teachers stay in the job because they are happy, then we are going to have a much better education for our children at the end of the day.
 
5. If you and the NIoT were future-gazing, how would you think the ECTP might evolve over the next five years?
I think this one comes back to the second question around flexibility and context led programme.
 
As we learn more and as Associate Colleges, like SWIFT, learn more about the schools they are working with, I hope that this will allow us to ensure that the programme is as bespoke and content driven for teachers.
 
I also hope to see the increased recognition of Mentors as we continue to consider their workload and well-being all the time, and recognition of the important job that they do is front and centre of the ECTP.
I believe there are good moves towards this progress, but there is always more work to do and I believe this is going to evolve and I hope that it evolves in order to respond to the fast-moving environment in teaching at the moment, especially where technology is concerned.

I would like all schools to feel like their ECTs are coming in, feeling well informed, and they are truly building on what they have learned when they trained so that they can cope with our ever-changing environment. We are not quite there yet from a policy or a design perspective because nor do we know what is going to happen next. However, I think that is something that will evolve over the next few years and I hope it continues to do so and I am glad to be part of this evolution.
​ 
Interview by Jude Baylis, SWIFT Executive Assistant

This September, the SWIFT Teaching School Hub Team is thrilled to unveil its brand-new Early Career Teacher Programme (ECTP), marking a transformative moment in teacher induction and professional development across the South West. 

In partnership with the National Institute of Teaching (NIoT), this innovative programme launches after months of dedicated research, planning, and collaboration and reflects a bold step forward in supporting Early Career Teachers (ECTs) and their Mentors with a curriculum that is rigorous, relevant, and responsive to the evolving needs of schools.

A New Era for Early Career Teacher Development
Only five years ago, Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) completed a one-year induction with limited structured training. That changed in 2020 with the introduction of pilot ECF programmes and SWIFT was proud to be among the first delivery partners. Since then, SWIFT has played a role in shaping national policy, offering feedback to lead providers and the Department for Education (DfE) to ensure programmes truly meet the needs of schools and educators.
 
Now, the new Early Career Teacher Programme (ECTP) aligns with the updated Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), offering a carefully sequenced curriculum that supports ECTs in mastering:

• High expectations and pupil progress
• Subject and curriculum expertise
• Effective lesson planning and delivery
• Inclusive teaching strategies
• Assessment and behaviour management
• Wider professional responsibilities

What Sets the SWIFT-NIoT ECTP Apart?
This is not only a refresh, but it is also a reimagining of how we support new teachers and key enhancements include:

• Reduced Mentor Workload
  Recognising the demands on Mentors, the Programme now streamlines their involvement to one year, allowing for more focused and sustainable support.
• Enhanced SEND Support
  With deeper exemplification for SEND and alternative provision settings, SWIFT has also commissioned a local SEND expert to lead a dedicated Year 1 cohort, bringing regional insight directly into the training.
• Contextualised, Subject-Specific Content
  Real classroom examples from diverse schools and subjects make the learning tangible. ECTs and Mentors benefit from video, audio, and written materials that are accessible and tailored to their needs.
• National Expert Webinars
  Termly webinars offer direct access to sector leaders, giving ECTs the chance to explore key teaching practices and ask questions in real time.
• Evidence-Based and Locally Informed
  With NIoT’s in-house research team and SWIFT’s close involvement in research studies, the programme is built on the latest evidence and shaped by the realities of local schools.

Voices from the SWIFT Teaching School Hub

Fiona McNeile, Teaching School Hub Manager
"We move into the new academic year with a richer and more rigorous programme offer for ECTs and Mentors. We’re extremely proud to provide this opportunity to our local schools." 

Jen Knowles, Teaching School Hub Director 
“The significance of the change is huge. The removal of repetition and the inclusion of real teaching exemplification from EYFS to KS5 is incredibly exciting. We’re especially proud to see Devon and South West schools featured in the materials.”
​
Report by Fiona McNeile, SWIFT Teaching School Hub Manager