Fenland and East Cambridgeshire Opportunity Area

Schools Newsletter 31 January 2019

Message from our Chair

Happy New Year! Whilst we are already one twelfth of the way into 2019, I hope you enjoyed a restful Christmas break and have had a positive start to the new term.

We were delighted to meet with representatives from schools and other organisations at our recent Stakeholder Meeting. We particularly focused upon the Early Years and on supporting pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) at this meeting and were pleased to be joined by our Early Years Lead, Paula Durrant, and by our SEND and Inclusion Regional Lead, Tiffany Middleton. At the start of this meeting I challenged the group to consider the question ‘how can we deliver effective place-based change?’ as we focus on the challenges related to overcoming barriers to learning at all ages and in different contexts. I would like to encourage you all to consider this as you read about the Opportunity Area’s new and ongoing initiatives in this newsletter.

Engagement with schools and Early Years providers across the Opportunity Area is important to us. We want to ensure that all schools are kept informed of the support available and are able to share their feedback to help us shape the programme. We have recently started our Breakfast Meeting series, as well as attending local cluster meetings, and have been pleased to hear positive reports of how Opportunity Area projects have benefited those schools involved. These meetings also serve as forums for schools to offer suggestions on ways that the programme could be improved in order to achieve maximum impact on overcoming barriers to learning. We encourage you to get in touch if you are interested in attending one of our upcoming meetings to find out more.

If you would like to speak to the Opportunity Area team about any aspects of the programme please do not hesitate to contact them on OpportunityAreas.EAST@education.gov.uk. They are always keen to hear new suggestions and to hear from schools looking to benefit from the programme so would be delighted to arrange a phone call or visit to your school.

Tricia Pritchard

Early Years Improvement Fund

We are pleased to announce that the first round of applications for the Early Years Improvement Fund (EYIF) is now open. The EYIF has been launched to support Early Years providers working together in clusters to run a workforce development plan, or implement a communication, language and literacy improvement project. Early Years clusters are invited to bid for up to £10,000 to support their project.

There has already been lots of interest in the EYIF from providers across the Opportunity Area, so we are excited to hear your ideas for projects that can make a real difference to young children’s development. To find out more, and for an application form, please visit our website. If you have any queries or would like support with the bid-writing process, please contact the Opportunity Area Early Years Specialist, Paula Durrant, Paula.Durrant@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

Opportunity Area SEND and Inclusion Regional Lead

The Opportunity Area team has grown! We have recently welcomed Tiffany Middleton to the team as our new SEND and Inclusion Regional Lead. Tiffany has over 10 years of experience working across Academy Trusts and schools to improve inclusive practice and outcomes for children with SEND. In this new role, she will be working directly with schools and services to continue to improve outcomes for pupils with SEND, in line with the Opportunity Area’s Priority 2.

If you would like to speak to Tiffany about how the Opportunity Area might be able to support your school to improve outcomes for pupils with SEND please email Tiffany.Middleton@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

Breakfast Meeting Series

We are running a series of Breakfast Meetings across the Opportunity Area to update local schools and Early Years providers on the progress of the programme. We would like to invite you to join us to hear more about how your school can benefit from our offer as well as share your thoughts and ideas on the programme.

In order to make these meetings as accessible as possible the one-hour sessions are running at 8:00 am on multiple dates at locations across the Opportunity Area. Details about the remaining meeting sessions can be found below:

Tuesday 5 February – Alderman Jacobs School, Whittlesey
Tuesday 12 February – Isle of Ely Primary School, Ely
Tuesday 26 February – Burwell Village College Primary School, Burwell

If you would like to attend one of these meetings, please email Briony.Davies@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

MITA Training

The East Cambridgeshire and Fenland Research School is running 'Making Best Use of Teaching Assistants' training in the spring and summer terms. Opportunity Area schools can access this training fully funded. The 3 day programme, which has received extremely positive feedback from its first round, supports school leaders in identifying and implementing sustainable change using the evidence base to make the best decisions for their own context. The core of the programme focuses on what works best with teaching assistant support. As a result it can provide impact positively across the school and the curriculum.

This programme is for middle or senior leaders or those responsible for teaching assistant management within the school. It unpicks the evidence around effective practice within the classroom and for interventions. It supports schools in re-clarifying their vision and focus for this invaluable team of staff. There are gap tasks that lead schools to review their provision. Ultimately, the programme’s aim is to work with staff to effect positive change in how we use teaching assistants to support all learners towards independent practice following teacher direction.

The Research School can also offer follow-up in school sessions for teaching assistants and teachers that help implement change through the ‘least support’ first scaffolded model of support, sharing the evidence for this approach. This programme has been developed through the Research Schools Networks and our work with University College London, the EEF guidance report gives delegates a useful reference point that we unpick as part of the training.

For more details, visit the Research School's website where you can also find information about further training, sign up to the Research School newsletter and read about evidence based practice in a range of settings.

Researchers in Schools

Researchers in Schools is an opportunity for schools to recruit PhD graduates to train and teach in all EBacc subjects. Participants on the programme commit to working in your school for three years during which time they receive training and support from award-winning education charity The Brilliant Club to lead activities that champion university access, disseminate subject expertise and promote education research within your school’s context.

One school in the Opportunity Area has already benefited from the programme and we were pleased to hear the positive feedback from the school’s head, Richard Spencer:

“Ely College are delighted to be participating in the ‘Researchers in Schools’ programme. Our participant brings a deep subject expertise in Physics to the college and is making good progress towards becoming an effective teacher. We see the programme as an excellent way of bridging the world of academic research and education, with a flexibility that can be of great benefit to both participants and schools. We are very grateful for the support that we have been able to access from the Opportunity Area which has helped facilitate our participation.”

More details about the programme can be found here and if you would like to discuss it further, please contact amy.emery@researchersinschools.org.

Recruitment Incentives Grant

We know that recruiting teachers can be a challenge, and that recruiting the right people to vacant posts is of huge importance to your schools. Our recruitment incentives grant is available to schools in the Opportunity Area who are struggling to recruit to vacant posts.

The grant is for up to £10,000 to be spent on a range of incentives for new teachers. These incentives include CPD (including Masters courses), learning visits to other schools (including in other parts of Europe), driving lessons, childcare vouchers and cover for personal days. You can mention the incentives in your job adverts. Schools who have already benefited from this grant have reported that these incentives have helped to attract applicants who otherwise would not have applied to the school.

If you would like more information or to request this grant, please contact Briony.Davies@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

Foundation Teacher Training Programme

We know that there are brilliant teaching assistants in your schools, who would make ideal teachers but face barriers in accessing teacher training programmes. We have partnered with Cambridgeshire County Council's Teach in Cambridgeshire to offer a funded two-year schools-based route into Qualified Teacher Status. This is open to both primary and secondary schools in Fenland and East Cambridgeshire. For more information, please see the attached flyer here.

Teaching and Leadership Innovation Fund (TLIF)

The Department for Education is funding five programmes in Fenland and East Cambridgeshire through the Teaching and Leadership Innovation Fund. These are free for all Fenland and East Cambridgeshire schools. The programmes are:

Institute of Physics – The Future Physics Leaders Programme provides professional development and support for specialist physics teachers, newly qualified teachers (NQTs) and non-specialist physics teachers. Now recruiting for 2019. Contact Claire.Aspinall@iop.org
Ruth Miskin Training – Literacy CPD in the teaching and leadership of phonics and early reading. Fully subscribed but places may become available. Contact NinaCoglin@ruthmiskin.com
Tom Bennett Training – Two courses offered: one for teachers (Running a Room) and one for leaders of all levels (Running a School). These courses raise knowledge and skills for all staff, enabling them to design, build and maintain an optimal culture of positive behaviour. Now recruiting for 2019 and 2020. Contact n.tishauser@tombennetttraining.co.uk
The Geographical Association in Partnership with the Association for Science Education – Development programme Geography Science Teaching, specifically aiming to develop pedagogy that enables teachers to acquire knowledge in science and geography through critical use of evidence and argument that leads to improved engagement and attainment. Further details are available at www.geography.org.uk/projects or by contacting jbeattie@geography.org
Education Development Trust in partnership with the Chartered College of Teaching – Development programme for early career teachers. A sustained professional development programme which provides expert support for newly qualified and early career teachers (in the first five years of their career), accelerating their progress to become an excellent classroom teacher. The programme also includes input for school leaders and existing in-school mentors in the participants' school with the aim to increase in-school capacity for development and support. Further details TBC.

Visit https://tlif.education.gov.uk/ to find out more, or contact OpportunityAreas.EAST@education.gov.uk to discuss any of these programmes further.

National Professional Qualifications (NPQs)

The Department for Education has recently developed a reformed suite of National Professional Qualifications (NPQs). Teachers in Opportunity Areas have exclusive, fully-funded access to these qualifications.

See here for the full list of providers: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-professional-qualifications-npqs-list-of-providers/list-of-national-professional-qualification-npq-providers The following NPQs are available:

National Professional Qualification for Middle Leadership (NPQML)
National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership (NPQSL)
National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH)
National Professional Qualification for Executive Leadership (NPQEL)

Each provider will have a slightly different approach and curriculum, so please contact your preferred provider for details about their course.If you have any queries about this, please contact OpportunityAreas.EAST@education.gov.uk.

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