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Newsletter - Issue 4: Autumn 2 (December 2022)

Welcome 

Welcome to the Autumn 2 edition of the Saffron TS Hub newsletter – our final edition for this term. This edition includes important information for school leaders about registering January starter ECTs on the Early Career Training Programme and an update on the Appropriate Body reform consultation. 

We are delighted to have received such positive feedback from the participants on our face-to-face NPQ conferences this term. Applications for our NPQ cohorts starting in February 2023 are now open, with a closing date of 6th January. We are also recruiting for facilitators on our NPQ and ECF programmes – if you think you might be interested, read our news article on ‘Becoming a facilitator – what are the benefits?’.

As well as news and updates, this edition includes our December ‘Evidence Leads in Education’ blog post and our ‘Spotlight on Evidence’ article which looks at ‘The skills imperative 2035: Essential skills for tomorrow’s workforce’. The CPD section of the newsletter lists upcoming events and courses run by Saffron TS Hub, our partners, and the Curriculum Hubs in our area.

If you have questions, you can always visit the Saffron TS Hub website or contact us - we love to hear from school leaders, teachers and staff with questions and feedback.

Wishing you a well-deserved end of term break when it comes. 

Doug Brechin, Director, Saffron Teaching School Hub

Appropriate Body reform consultation - next steps

Following the publication of the Appropriate body reform and induction assessment - government consultation response in November, the Department for Education will soon provide further information for ABs to communicate with schools, including details about how the reforms will impact schools and how they need to work with their ABs to support ECTs and ensure a smooth transition.

Saffron Appropriate Body will contact all schools registered with us once we have further guidance from the DfE.

For information about the Saffron AB service, visit our website here or contact our AB lead Verity Boreham.

Early Career Training Programme - 3 steps for registering January ECTs

To download a PDF version of the image above with accessible links, click here.

Further about the Saffron ECF programme can be found here and information about the Saffron AB service can be found here.

We are recruiting for ECF facilitators

Do you have an experienced colleague who may be interested in joining the facilitator team for our ECF programme? Please ask them to complete this short Facilitator Recruitment Form.

National Professional Qualifications

Conference feedback and applications for February 2023

We have been delighted to receive such positive feedback on our NPQ Cohort 1a face-to-face conferences which took place this term. A huge thank you to our excellent facilitation team and to the participants on all our NPQ programmes for their hard work.

Here is just some of the great feedback from our NPQ Cohort 1a participants:

  • The course facilitators are excellent and supportive. I thoroughly enjoyed our conference and found it very useful to my role. I am enjoying every aspect of the course and embedding many aspects into my practice.
  • This course has broadened my perspective on leadership, has made me reflect on my practice and has given me the confidence to pursue career progression. Excellent professional development opportunity.
  • Very helpful, particularly the assessment module. It provided excellent suggestions on how to deliver more impact through assessment without increasing our workload.
  • I enjoyed the opportunity to network with other colleagues from other schools. Lots of food for thought from the day and useful literature recommendations.
  • Research and evidence-informed, whilst allowing for consideration of context and phases, nice blend of theory and practical implementation. All in all, a really worthwhile qualification!

Applications are now open for our February 2023 NPQ Cohort

Applications are open for our NPQ February 2023 cohort – places are limited so we recommend submitting your application early.  

The closing date for applications is:

  • for Teach First NPQs - closing date Friday 6th January 2023
  • for Church of England NPQs - closing date Thursday 16th February 2023

To find out more about our NPQ programmes with Teach First and The Church of England, and to apply, visit the NPQ section of our website here.

We are recruiting for NPQ facilitators

If you are interested in becoming a facilitator on one of our NPQ programmes, visit the NPQ section of our website here or contact Lorraine Chedzoy at lchedzoy@swchs.net.

Key dates - expand the headings below

Saffron ECF programme - upcoming milestones

 

2021/2022 ECTs and Mentors: By 17th January 2023

  • September 2021 starters: 50% of Block 7 and 8, 10% of Block 9
  • September 2021 starters (on extended programme): No milestone this period
  • January 2022 starters: 50% of Block 5 and 6, 10% of Block 7
  • January 2022 starters (on extended programme): 50% of Block 3, 10% of Block 4
  • April 2022 starters: 50% of Block 3 and 4
  • April 2022 starters (on extended programme): 50% of Block 1 and 2

2022/2023 ECTs and Mentors: By 15th December 2022

  • September 2022 starters: To have started Block 1 or 2 (at least 10% of either)
  • September 2022 starters (on extended programme):  To have started Block 1 (at least 10% of Block 1)

Saffron ECF programme - Spring Term training dates

 

September 2021 Starters - ECTs Local Training (all 1:30 to 4:30pm)

  • Braintree region - 17th January 2023 - Hedingham School and Sixth Form
  • Chelmsford region (option 1) - 11th January 2023 - Venue TBC
  • Chelmsford region (option 2) - 19th January 2023 - Venue TBC
  • Epping Forest region - 13th January 2023 – Alderton Junior School (this date was originally scheduled for 10/1/23)
  • Harlow region - 12th January 2023 – Harlow Study Centre
  • Uttlesford region - 12th January 2023 - Saffron Walden County High School

Note there are no mentor sessions for this cohort this window.

September 2022 and April 2022 Starters - ECT and Mentors Regional Training

  • ECTs (option 1) - 23rd January 2023, 9:30am to 1:30pm - Helena Romanes School & Sixth Form Centre
  • ECTs (option 2) - 25th January 2023, 1:30 to 5:30pm* – *Time and Venue TBC
  • Mentors (option 1) - 30th January 2023, 1:30 to 5:30pm - Harlow Study Centre
  • Mentors (option 2) - 1st February 2023, 9:30am to 1:30pm - Harlow Study Centre

If you have any queries about the training sessions contact our ECF Admin Lead Martin Green at mgreen@efspt.org.

Saffron Appropriate Body - upcoming deadlines & Zoom sessions

 

9th December - Deadline for submission of Progress Reviews and Formal Assessments

20th January - Deadline for registering new Spring Term and school mover ECTs with Saffron AB service. This can be done directly via Saffron ECT Manager or through returning a registration form (you can find the registration form in the AB section of our website here)

16th February - Deadline for Saffron AB to register all new ECTs with the TRA

27th February - AB briefing session on Zoom 4pm 

10th March - Saffron AB Spring Term report writing window opens

15th March - Report writing Zoom drop in surgery 3.45pm - 4.45pm

24th March - Saffron AB Spring Term report submission deadline

If you have any questions, contact the Saffron AB Lead Verity Boreham at vboreham@lyonshall.org.uk

Saffron NPQ programmes - application deadlines for February cohort

 

Applications for our NPQ cohorts starting in February 2023 are now open.

The closing date for applications is:

  • For Teach First NPQs - closing date Friday 6th January 2023
  • For Church of England NPQs - closing date Thursday 16th February 2023

To find out more about our NPQ programmes with Teach First and The Church of England, and to apply, visit the NPQ section of our website here.

For any queries, please contact Lorraine Chedzoy (NPQ Administrator) at lchedzoy@swchs.net

News & updates

06 Dec 2022
Support and development for mentors
Mentoring is a must for trainee and early career teachers. Great mentoring propels new teachers forward in their careers - whereas poor mentoring can crush confidence and cause them to leave the profession.  
Read more
05 Dec 2022
Becoming a facilitator - what are the benefits?
Have you ever considered becoming a facilitator on one of our programmes? Here are some of the benefits of being a facilitator.
Read more
02 Dec 2022
NPQ in Leading Teacher Development - bespoke for Initial Teacher Training providers
Saffron Teaching School Hub is excited to announce the launch of Teach First’s NPQLTD focusing on initial teacher training.
Read more
01 Dec 2022
Support for the Essex Disadvantaged Strategy
This article gives an update on that included in a previous newsletter in which we outlined the ways in which the Saffron Teaching School Hub is engaging with and supporting the Essex Disadvantaged Strategy.
Read more

Spotlight article & ELE blog post

05 Dec 2022
The Importance of Activating Prior Knowledge
I have previously written about the role of memory in classroom pedagogy. This post draws upon both this theme and its link to Metacognition in the discussion of the topic, Activating Prior Knowledge.
Read more
05 Dec 2022
The skills imperative 2035: Essential skills for tomorrow’s workforce
In this Spotlight, we temporarily move away from the world of specific pedagogical research to a wider topic which is currently being explored by NfER in a 5-year research programme - The skills imperative 2035: Essential skills for tomorrow’s workforce.
Read more

Upcoming events & courses 

Saffron TS Hub - CPD opportunities 

Join our CPD Leads network

The Saffron TS Hub CPD Leads Network is for all primary and secondary colleagues responsible for planning and delivering school or trust wide CPD. The network meets termly (online). The Spring Term meeting will take place on Wednesday 8 March 4-5pm on Zoom. If you would like to attend this meeting and join our CPD Leads Network, visit our CPD page here.

Essex Partnership Programmes

Across the academic year 2022-23, six cohorts of training will be available to Essex teachers and leaders, co-delivered by the Research Schools Network and local Teaching School Hubs. These training programmes will explore the evidence base and review best practice within three thematic evidence strands: Language & Communication, Metacognition & Self-Regulation and Evidence-Informed Curriculum Development. For further information about these programmes and how to register, click here.

East of England Subject Forums

Our online Subject Forums give teachers at all stages of their careers the opportunity to look at the latest research in their subject area and consider how they can incorporate this into their practice. The Subject Forums are delivered in partnership with the Curriculum Hubs and the Teaching School Hubs in the Eastern region. For more details and to register your school click here.

Saffron TS Hub events - click on each title for more details

Saffron TS Hub/New Vision English Hub online briefing (primary phase)
4:00pm – 4:30pm
11
January
Saffron TS Hub/New Vision English Hub online briefing (primary phase)
8:00am – 8:30am
12
January
CPD Leads Network Meeting - Spring Term
4:00pm – 5:00pm
08
March

Advanced Instructional Coaching course - starting January 2023

Seven Teaching School Hubs across the East of England are running a pilot project in association with NASBTT to write and deliver a bespoke Advanced Instructional Coaching course, starting in January 2023.

This course will be delivered online in five twilight sessions, all focused on advanced instructional coaching theory and practical techniques. It is aimed at experienced mentors, lead mentors, CPD leads, subject curriculum leads for Trusts, or anyone who works on improving teaching and learning across a school using an instructional coaching approach.

Session dates:

Session 1: 24th January 2023, 4.00-5.45pm - Introduction - Online  

Session 2: 31st January 2023, 4.00-5.45pm - Online 

Session 3: 14th March 2023, 4.00-5.45pm - Online 

Session 4: 9th May 2023, 4.00-5.45pm - Online 

Session 5: 14th June 2023, 4.00-5.45pm - Online 

This course is not for beginners to Instructional Coaching but rather for those wishing to advance their knowledge of the theory behind Deliberate Practice. It will offer support on how to set small action steps, supported by effective modelling to improve teaching and learning.

Further information and how to book

For more information, including cost and details of how to register, download the course flyer here. 

Closing date for registration - 5pm on Thursday 15th December

CPD courses run by Saffron TS Hub partners - click on each title for more details

Raising Attainment and Engagement in History in the Primary Curriculum
9:30am – 3:30pm
09
February
Teaching Reading to Lower Attainers: How to get them back on track
9:15am – 11:45am
01
March

For more information about CPD courses run by the Saffron TS Hub and its partners, visit our Continuing Professional Development page.

Curriculum Hubs featured programmes, events & courses - click on each title for more details

Computing Hub - London, Herts & Essex

Computing Hub courses Autumn Term 2022 & Spring Term 2023 - courses starting from 8 December 2022
9:00am – 5:00pm
08
December
I Love Computing Conference 2023
9:00am – 4:00pm
25
February

National Centre for Excellence for Language Pedagogy

NCELP Curriculum Design and the new GCSE: self-study course with Teach-Meet sessions (starting January 2023)
3:45pm – 4:45pm
09
January
NCELP 4-part CPD series: Towards the new GCSE (starting January 2023)
4:00pm – 5:30pm
10
January

New Vision English Hub

Supporting Early Language Development - new CPD programme starting from January 2023
1:30pm – 4:00pm
12
January
English Hub Showcase Event
9:00am – 1:30pm
02
February

Science Learning Partnership - Herts, Essex, Beds & MK

Linking core subjects: science and mathematics (primary course)
9:30am – 3:30pm
16
January
Integrating climate change into the secondary curriculum
10:15am – 4:30pm
22
March

Science Learning Partnership - Southend, Essex & Thurrock

Developing learners' resilience and independent learning skills in post 16 science
2:30pm – 4:30pm
08
February
Linking core subjects: science and mathematics (primary course)
9:00am – 4:00pm
09
March

Venn Essex Maths Hub

Primary Teaching for Mastery - Autumn Term Zoom drop-in session
3:45pm – 4:30pm
07
December
Primary Teaching for Mastery - Spring Term Zoom drop-in session
3:45pm – 4:30pm
14
March

Matrix Maths Hub

Our local Research and Innovation Work Groups are now booking - click on the title for more information and to book:

  • Cross-curriculum (Maths & Science) PD Design Research and Innovation Work Group (RIWG)
  • Transition from KS4 to KS5 Maths Research and Innovation Work Group (RIWG)
  • Teaching Mathematics in the context of special school and alternative provision (RIWG)

We are now recruiting for the following Work Groups with new dates in the Spring term:

  • Specialist Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics (SKTM) - Primary Teachers : Spatial Reasoning Pathway
  • NCP22-30a & b SKTM Secondary Non-specialist Teachers

For more information about the Matrix Maths Hub, click here.

For further information about Curriculum Hubs and their courses/events visit:

  • New Vision English Hub
  • Matrix Maths Hub
  • Venn Essex Maths Hub
  • Computing Hub - London, Herts & Essex
  • Science Learning Partnership - Herts, Essex, Beds & MK
  • Science Learning Partnership - Southend, Essex & Thurrock
  • National Centre for Excellence for Language Pedagogy

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