The HISP Teaching School Hub based in Southampton will continue to be at the forefront of teacher training and development for schools within the region for the next four years.

The hub’s reaccreditation means it will act as the designated hub for teacher training and development for schools across the south coast.

As part of the accreditation process, the hub had to demonstrate an understanding of the barriers the areas it serves are facing, a proven track record of delivering high quality training for both experienced and new teachers, and a plan to expand its capabilities.

Deputy Director of the HISP Teaching School Hub David Higginbottom (left) said he was looking forward to working with schools for another four years, especially those in disadvantaged areas.

David added: “I’m so pleased we’ve been accredited for another four years. Our work will help to ensure that pupils across the south coast will receive the very best education – no matter their background – for the next four years.

Having access to face-to-face training delivered by local educational experts is so important for teachers at every stage of their career. We focus on techniques teachers can put into practice as soon as they leave a session with us.”

The HISP Teaching School Hub is part of HISP Multi-Academy Trust and offers high quality education, resources and support for teachers.

Cat Scutt MBE, Deputy CEO, Education and Research at the Chartered College of Teaching, brings a range of sector-wide expertise to the NASBTT Board. A former English teacher, Cat’s roles have since focused on supporting teacher development both online and through face-to-face activities, with a particular emphasis on development using digital technology, through collaboration and by engagement with research and evidence. She has worked as a teacher and advisor in the state and independent sector, as well as in corporate learning and development. Cat leads the Chartered College’s work around teacher development and certification, including the Chartered Teacher programme, and its research activities and publications, including its award-winning Impact journal.

Damilola Dauda is Head of Operations at the Teacher Development Trust (TDT). She joined TDT in 2021 as Delivery Partner Manager, beginning her new role overseeing the operational delivery of TDT NPQs and other offers last March. Damilola’s career in education started with teaching summer school to primary school children in Nigeria as a teenager, before gaining a teaching English as a foreign language qualification and then becoming a qualified teacher via the PGCE route. She spent six years as a secondary Maths teacher in an inner-city school in London and then two years teaching abroad in Peru.

Jo Anderson, SCITT Programme Director at Wildern Partnership SCITT, has 25 years’ experience in education and has held roles as ITT Programme Director for ten years, External Moderator and more recently DfE ITT Market Associate. She is a secondary MFL specialist and over the years has taught primary MFL, secondary ICT and computing, and has led early career development in a variety of settings.

Keith Ford, Programme Manager at Somerset SCITT, has been a primary education class teacher, middle leader, senior leader and Headteacher of both a small rural school and large primary school, including autism centre. Across his career spanning 25 years he has always supported ITT and ITE. Keith has been a governor of various primary and secondary schools alongside his professional roles, giving him an understanding of the strategic importance as well as the accountability of governance.

Kikelomo Agunbiade, a Research and Training Consultant, trained as a science teacher through the Teach First scheme and has worked for a number of education charities and teacher training organisations. Her roles have included leading the DfE-funded Researchers in Schools niche ITT route, North London Manager for Teach First and running CPD for Teaching Schools, Heads, middle and senior leaders for SSAT. She currently provides education consultancy services including training on race and diversity, education and market research (qualitative and quantitative) and strategy development.

Stephanie Rodgers is Deputy Headteacher – Curriculum and Assessment at Dr Challoner’s Grammar School. Her senior leadership responsibilities have included the set up and leadership of Astra SCITT in Buckinghamshire which has been through the ITE Ofsted inspection process in both 2018 as a new SCITT, and in 2023 under the current ITE Inspection Framework. Stephanie led the reaccreditation process for Astra SCITT as part of the ITT Market Review and the formation of Astra Teaching School Hub, and is now also an Ofsted inspector for ITE.

The appointments follow the arrivals of business and finance specialists Alison O’Dornan and Sidikat Taiwo in the past 18 months, and new Chair of Trustees Anna Richards last November.

Anna said: “We are delighted to welcome our new Trustees who bring such a wealth of experience in ITT, education and commercial professionals to NASBTT. The diversity of our Board is now truly reflective of our membership, and together we look forward to reviewing, shaping and supporting NASBTT’s strategic direction.”

NASBTT Executive Director Emma Hollis added: “I would like to formally and warmly welcome our new Trustees. Damilola, Kikelomo, Cat, Keith, Stephanie and Jo joined us for their first meetings earlier this month and we are really excited to be working with them as we, and the ITT sector, enter a new phase moving into 2024-25.”

Next week (28th and 29th November), NASBTT is holding its online Annual Conference 2023 Mind the Gap, sponsored by MOSAIC. Speakers include DfE, Foundation for Education Development, nasen, National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), Ofsted, TDT and a number of SCITTs, HEIs, and Teaching School Hubs.

Created by media literacy charity, The Student View, and funded by the European Media and Information Fund (EMIF), and developed in partnership with award-winning investigative journalism group Bellingcat, education experts the PSHE Association, and the cross-party think tank Demos, the free programme is now available to secondary school teachers across the country. Teachers who register will also gain unrestricted access to lesson plans and guidance from the PSHE Association and a teacher handbook developed by Bellingcat and The Student View, alongside support from a journalist to help them set up a pop-up newsroom in their school.

Aiming to fill the gaps of support available to schools, the free ‘Media Literacy Champions Programme’ which was developed by investigative journalism group, Bellingcat, will provide education professionals with the most up-to-date resources, tools and techniques to help students find trusted information online to inform their personal, employment and democratic decisions; challenge mis and disinformation; and understand context and influence.

Despite the majority (68%) of teenagers saying they use social media for news, research by Ofcom in 2022 found that only one in ten (11%) were able to tell what’s real or fake online[1]. Further research by the communications regulator found that more than a third (36%) of children aged 8-17 said they had seen something ‘worrying or nasty’ online in the past 12 months.

Additionally, a survey commissioned by The Student View, discovered that nine in ten (90%) UK teachers want media literacy to be included specifically in their curriculum, and according to The National Literacy Trust over half (53.5%) believe that the curriculum does not equip children with the literacy skills they need to identify fake news[2].

Designed to change this narrative and improve students’ knowledge on deep-fakes and AI, unregulated influencers, and misinformation, the free training programme is delivered in three modules by expert trainers. Teachers must complete all three modules to become a verified ‘Media Literacy Champion’, and to fit around teachers busy schedules the interactive modules – delivered LIVE via Zoom – can be taken over a couple of months and do not require any pre or post ‘homework’.

The course modules will cover a range of topics on media literacy including; navigating mis-disinformation, fact checking, deep fake images/AI, targeted advertising, and being a critical consumer of news.

As part of the programme, secondary school teachers will be offered fully-funded training to deliver workshops to students and coach them as ‘junior news reporters’ to improve their critical thinking and media literacy skills. Researchers and investigators from Bellingcat will share their innovative approaches to open-source data, including social media, to enable students and teachers to spot misinformation and generate original investigations about their local community.

The opportunity is currently open to secondary school teachers across the country, with training sessions running up until January 2024. Professionals who are interested in taking part can sign up to the free media literacy training programme here: https://thestudentview.org/teacher-training/

Anna Richards (left), who has worked in ITT since September 2014 and been a NASBTT Trustee since December 2017, will lead the Board of highly experienced ITT, education and commercial professionals whose core remit is to review and agree NASBTT’s strategic direction. She succeeds former Chair Ian Hollingsworth, who stepped down in October after five years in post.

“In my view teaching is the best job in the world – and now more than ever we need inspirational teachers joining our profession to inspire and support the next generation,” Anna said. “Working for a SCITT, and previously as a Headteacher for five years, I have seen first-hand the positive impact that trainee teachers can have on a school community and children’s lives. I am honoured to be appointed Chair of NASBTT’s Board of Trustees to both represent and further develop school-led ITT, and in turn support school improvement.”

Recognising the challenges brought by the recent ITT market review and accreditation process, Anna explained what she sees as the core role of NASBTT and the Board of Trustees. “Firstly, whilst needing to remain agile, it is important that the organisation does not stray from its core mission,” she said. “That means providing member support and reassurance, representing our members at the highest level and passing information on to them as much as possible, and delivering more focused services that can help with the requirements of accreditation. The opportunity to come together is also really important. As a NASBTT member I have recently attended Espresso Shot Networking Events on accreditation, Ofsted and curriculum design, and by sharing our experiences we become much stronger.”

Anna continued: “As Trustees we exist, by definition, to hold the organisation and Emma Hollis (Executive Director) to account. However, the nature of education is far more collegiate and supportive, and so I see our role as shaping the direction of NASBTT. Our Board has professionals drawn from both within and outside of the ITT sector, which means we can provide more robust challenge and supporting thinking to ensure we are giving Emma what she needs to facilitate the development of school-led initial teacher training provision, whilst navigating an extremely challenging political landscape.”

When Anna joined Suffolk and Norfolk SCITT, which is one of the biggest SCITTs in the country with 200 primary and secondary trainees every year, she immediately turned to NASBTT for support. “Knowing that the organisation is there is a huge comfort, it always has been, and actually when I started in ITT the first thing I did was sign up to NASBTT membership,” she said. “The organisation has shifted and developed dramatically over the past five years. Initially it was more of an advice/support service to members. Now we have a wide range of products and services, all of which are designed to help the sector to develop. Accessing our online CPD modules and video resources for teacher educators, mentors and early career teachers, for example, is hugely valuable as we are giving people content they had either not thought about creating or had the time to develop themselves.”

Anna spoke about her pride in working for Suffolk and Norfolk SCITT and challenged schools to “do everything you can to support the future of the profession”. She explained: “We are proud of our profession and privileged to be able to work with so many inspirational trainees as they start their journey to become excellent teachers and future school leaders. The depth and strength of our partnership with schools across Suffolk and Norfolk means that we train our trainees to be part of the whole teaching profession rather than training them to teach in just one type of school. But we know nationally that some schools do not engage in ITT at all. If everyone took that approach we would not have teachers.”

NASBTT Executive Director Emma Hollis added: “I would like to formally welcome Anna as our Chair of Trustees. Our Trustees provide incredibly valuable support and challenge, as Anna herself has for over five years’ now, and I am really looking forward to working with Anna in her new role. I would also like to take this opportunity to once again thank Ian Hollingsworth who offered unerring support during his time as Chair. Professionally, he has been my guide and my supportive challenger as I have grown in my role leading NASBTT. He has also directly helped our team to grow the organisation to what it is today.”

The accreditation process was designed to ensure that all accredited ITT providers are able to deliver high quality ITT against the new Quality Requirements which will become part of the ITT criteria 2024/2025, and come into effect in September 2024. Recent reforms to ITT required all existing providers to re-apply for accreditation, as well as offering new providers the opportunity to apply for accreditation. 80 providers were accredited in the first wave, only one out of every three applying, highlighting the strength of the REAch2 application and the quality of the programme they will be providing.

As primary specialists, the REAch2 ITT programme will ensure trainees receive extensive training in learning how to work expertly with the youngest children, ensuring they develop a strong foundation for future learning and easing their transition to secondary school. The application also focused on REAch2’s strong track record of building partnerships between schools, across other academy trusts, and with specialist organisations, to highlight the wealth of opportunities available to trainees.

REAch2 placed the CCF offer at the heart of the application, highlighting how this entitlement would be delivered through a coherent training programme, on placement experience and intensive training and practice. The ITT programme will give trainees the opportunity to train in well-established local networks of schools at the heart of their communities, while benefiting from all the advantages of being part of a national network of primary practitioners.

Andrea Wright, Head of Early Career Teacher Development at REAch2 Academy Trust (pictured left) said: “This is an exciting new chapter for REAch2, building on the success of the REAch2 Teach Primary Partnership’s current ITT provision. REAch2 represents one of the largest networks of primary education professionals and is committed to creating expert primary practitioners and future school leaders who provide exceptional opportunities for learning for all children.

“We want trainees to: ‘Train locally, grow nationally’ benefiting from a broad and strong national network of schools who share our vision and values. We know that great teachers shape children’s lives, and we can’t wait to get started in training the next generation of expert primary teachers to do just this.”

Cathie Paine, CEO at REAch2 Academy Trust, said: “We are all delighted to be accredited as an Initial Teacher Training provider and are looking forward to helping develop fantastic new teachers. We know how much impact a great teacher can have on their pupils and I am thrilled that we can help train these teachers.

“This is also an opportunity to build upon our existing partnerships with schools to create an incredibly strong network of best practice. This will be invaluable in helping these new teachers make an immediate impact and quickly develop into outstanding primary practitioners.”

Professor Lynne McKenna, Dean of the Faculty of Education and Society at the University of Sunderland (pictured left), has expressed serious concern about the challenges currently facing education providers in a sector still trying to play catch-up from the pandemic.

Speaking to more than 100 Department for Education (DfE) staff at an online DfE Women’s Network, Professor McKenna outlined the obstacles which she warned were contributing to what has become known as the ‘Great Resignation’ of teachers from the profession.

Professor McKenna said: “For school leaders, the challenges are clearly around catch-up and recovery as the world emerges from the pandemic.

“Our children have had over two years of disruption to their education. Of course, school leaders are managing this at a time in education where teachers are feeling rather bruised, battered and exhausted.

“Once the heroes of the pandemic, the teaching profession is once again finding itself under enormous pressure, with increased workloads and bureaucracy.

“All of these factors are contributing to what is being known as the ‘Great Resignation’, as experienced teachers are leaving the profession and there are not enough new teachers to replace them.

“Alongside this, there is an unprecedented decline in initial teacher training (ITT) applications which means the sector is facing a teacher recruitment crisis like no other. This at a point in time when we need teachers most to support with the recovery of ‘lost learning’.”

Professor McKenna highlighted the disruption that had been caused to providers of ITT due to the implementation of new DfE requirements.

She added: “ITT providers have endured four major disruptions which have been distracting to their own operation and to recruitment.

“There has been the unnecessary and inexplicable market review of ITT, the creation of the Institute of Teaching, the requirement for ITT providers go through a nonsensical accreditation process in order to deliver ITT from 2024, and changes to the Ofsted inspection framework, which has resulted in more than half of providers inspected under the new framework being artificially downgraded.

“Added to this, there has been the introduction of the ‘golden thread of teacher development’ which includes the introduction of the Core Content Framework (CCF) for ITT ), the introduction of the Early Career Framework (ECF) which is a structured two-year induction into the profession, and a suite of National Professional Qualifications (NPQs).

“The ECF requires schools to provide a mentor for early career teachers. While I wholeheartedly agree with and support the Early Career Framework, schools are experiencing difficulty in providing mentor support.

“The capacity to release teaching staff to mentor new teachers entering the profession, and trainee teachers on school experience, placements is severely constrained due to pressures on staffing within schools. Schools are therefore prioritising mentor support for ECTs rather than those undertaking initial teacher training. This is all contributing to a crisis in initial teacher training.

“Consequently, the future of the teaching profession, and thus the education of our nation’s children, is in serious jeopardy and will have far-reaching effects for years to come.

“We look forward to further embedding the CCF with our school and college partners, supporting schools and colleges with the early career framework and working with our partner teaching school hubs to promote the new NPQs. “Of course, there are opportunities ahead. For us at the University of Sunderland, we have much to look forward to. We have the introduction of a new BA (Hons) Primary Education with SEND which has been developed with our school partners. Most importantly, we are delighted that we are one of the pilot providers of International Teacher Qualified Status (iQTS).

“This is an opportunity to demonstrate that in the UK, and particularly in Sunderland, we truly are a world-leading provider of initial teacher training. We have much to be proud of and to look forward to in the future.”

Led by Sam Moinet – former teacher and founder of Student Breakthrough and the new Educators Coaching Academy – the workshop comes at a crucial time in the academic calendar, with many teachers feeling the strain of mock exams and supporting their students to transition into higher year groups and new schools.

Sam said: “I’ve been a teacher and worked in education since 2013, so I understand the pressures and frustrations they face and the lack of support available. Through my own experiences and listening to the teachers I work with now, a lack of time, knowledge and relevant training makes it extremely difficult to help young people manage their emotions. There are also common barriers that stop students reaching their full potential such as anxiety, low motivation and self-esteem and this is why effective mental health coaching can have such a profound impact.

“My mission is to make lasting change in the education system by supporting, empowering and inspiring educators and teaching them valuable skills and techniques to become confident mental health coaches. I therefore hope this free workshop provides some valuable advice and support at a critical time in their teaching careers.”

The mental health and wellbeing of staff working in education has never been more important following the intense pressure and strain of the last two years. The latest 2021 report by Education Support into Teacher wellbeing found that 77% experienced symptoms of poor mental health due to their work, 72% are stressed and 42% think their working environment has a negative impact on their mental health.

In a more recent survey by the NEU, 44% of teachers in England said they had plans to quit within five years, siting workloads and pay as key significant factors and for those who had thought about stress at work, two-thirds reported they were stressed at least 60% of the time.

Sam added: “This workshop is just the beginning. We need to radically transform mental health support in schools – not just for children but for teachers too. I feel very passionately that this is something that’s been missing in the industry, and I aim to change that.

“We are planning to officially launch the new Educators Coaching Academy in June which will be aimed entirely at school leaders, teachers and educators themselves. There really is nothing else like it.”

To find out more about the workshop and to book your free place visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/education-evolution-life-changing-coach-training-for-teachers-tickets-337055952427

The flagship transformations include the likes of new modular furniture, book shelving and each library has benefitted from 400 new books, e-readers and audio books.

Beyond the reading space transformations, teachers at the schools will receive bespoke training to further their ability to create a culture of reading for pleasure and support that will enable them to maximise the reading spaces as hubs for imagination and creativity.

Families and carers of children at the schools will receive guidance and advice on how to support their children with reading outside the classroom, as well as invitations to special community and school literacy events including author readings.

Mel Bowman, Deputy Headteacher at Hazelbury Primary School, commented: “We’re thrilled to have the support of Chase to not only encourage a love of reading among the children at Hazelbury, but also equip parents and guardians with how they can support their children at home. Our new library provides a special space for the children to let their imaginations run wild and leave a lasting legacy that will have a real impact on their lives for years to come.”

Deborah Keay, Chief Marketing Officer of Chase in the UK, continued: “It’s fantastic to see our school library transformations taking shape and for children in the Enfield schools to now be actively using them. These three schools are part of our wider mission to transform 150 libraries across the UK to support children’s literacy across the nation. Developing early stage reading skills and discovering a passion for reading can shape a child’s life, unlocking their potential, and helping improve their future prospects.”

Director of School Programmes at the National Literacy Trust, Fiona Evans, added: “When children are able to enjoy reading for pleasure and access books they want to read, this has a positive impact on their wellbeing, their academic performance and their chances of doing well in life. This is why we are delighted to be working with Chase to deliver exciting reading spaces, resources and training to primary schools across the UK, and helping to inspire a life-long love of reading.”

The Chase Rewarding Futures school library programme, which launched in December 2021, is transforming 150 primary school libraries across the UK, 22 of which are in Enfield. Chase’s initial £1m commitment to children’s literacy will improve access to books and reading materials, reaching around 35,000 children in underserved communities across seven key areas: Dundee, Doncaster, Newport, Suffolk, London, Nottingham, and Birmingham.

Roughly three quarters of recruits are over 25 years old – as the National Institute’s any time, any place model attracts second-career recruits.

And against worrying warnings from NAHT and others of a possible exodus of school and college leaders following the pandemic, courses to enhance the expertise and skill of experienced staff are showing a rise in interest and applications.

Core to these achievements are the National Institute’s flexible programmes, which blend online learning with local school-based practice, giving aspiring teachers access to nationwide sector-leading training. Meanwhile, multiple start points, part time routes and modular courses are attracting older and second-career recruits, further expanding the pool of skilled teachers.

All National Institute courses are apprenticeship-approved, meaning schools can use their apprenticeship levy to fund training at no additional cost. This is providing a convenient and financially-effective route for experienced teachers to enhance their skills – with a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership and Senior Leader Apprenticeship, alongside coaching and CPD courses, providing cradle to grave development for teachers at every stage in their career.

• The West Midlands saw the most applications to the National Institute, followed by London
• 31 is the average age of its initial teacher training student
• While the more traditional ‘tuition fee’ route is the most common route into teaching here, salaried and apprenticeship routes are growing in popularity, indicating an increasing trend towards training on the job
• 96 professionals enrolled on the National Institute’s Masters course in its first year, and around a third of trainees on its leadership courses are below 35

Professor Geraint Jones, Executive Director and Pro-Vice-Chancellor, National Institute of Teaching and Education, said: “Recruitment and retention issues in teaching have been getting worse over the past two decades. The new National Institute of Teaching and Education is aiming to help address these issues and is demonstrating that high quality courses, combined with more flexible training models, can attract more teachers into the profession, and also upskill and inspire those further into their careers. We need to make it easier for teachers and school leaders to access the best training that can be completed at a time and location suitable for them. Continuous professional development for teachers is the one way to develop a truly world class education system in this country.”

www.nationalteachinginstitute.org