TO BE PUBLISHED March 2021
***Full-scale policy conference taking place online***
This conference is examining the implementation of key changes to initial teacher training (ITT) system in England.
The discussion is bringing together stakeholders with a range of key policy officials who are due to attend from the DfE, as well as representatives from the House of Commons and the Government Legal Department.
The discussion at a glance:
- the ITT core content framework - stakeholder views, and the impact on providers so far
- the Early Career Framework and the teacher pay increases - their likely impact on teacher retention moving forward
- the Initial Teacher Education inspection framework - how providers have prepared to adapt to the new framework, with:
- the conference looking forward to the first inspections expected to be introduced by Ofsted in April 2021
- a survey to be carried out into how COVID-19 has affected the provision of ITE
- COVID-19 - possible alternative arrangements by providers for ITT needed due to the pandemic - and options for developments in remote delivery of training
The agenda:
- Implementing the ITT Core Content Framework and the Early Career Framework
- ‘The changing teacher education landscape’
- Adapting to the revised Core Content Framework - developing the curriculum, provision of placements following the pandemic, and support for providers
- Teacher recruitment and retention post-pandemic - supporting NQTs into employment, transition to full-time teaching, the outlook for shortage subjects, and the likely impact of the Early Career Framework
- Implementing the new ITE inspection framework
- Adapting to the new ITE inspection framework - preparing teachers for a well-sequenced curriculum, the new quality of education and training judgement, and assessing behaviour management and high quality mentoring
- ITE in remote settings
- Ensuring ITE reflects current needs in educational settings - and the challenges of moving on from the pandemic
- Completing teacher training remotely - challenges and opportunities
- Incorporating training on EdTech and remote learning practices into teacher training
Areas for discussion:
- the revised ITT core content framework (CCF) and Early career framework (ECF):
- implementation - looking at the CCF, which sets out core essentials for training providers across: behaviour management, pedagogy, curriculum, assessment, and professional behaviour
- alignment - how to ensure the revised CCF dovetails with the ECF to establish three or more years of structured support for teacher trainees
- impact - the ECF and retention rates for NQTs - initial impressions and experiences of the increased level of support, and options for improvement ahead of the full roll-out in 2021
- COVID-19 - the provision of placements in the wake of the pandemic and priorities for supporting providers at this time
- teacher recruitment and retention:
- teacher training applications - the reported surge coinciding with the pandemic
- potential impact and underlying factors - including the rise of youth unemployment and the recent pay increase for new teachers
- long-term implications - previous trends suggesting that the teachers recruited during economic uncertainty can be less likely to stay in the profession once the economy recovers
- employability - ensuring it continues for new teachers
- the teacher labour market - possible strategies for achieving a better balance of supply and demand in the future - and what can be learned from the experience of the pandemic
- challenges - a reported drop in teaching vacancies, NQTs struggling to find employment, and some schools having concerns over recruiting new staff remotely
- calls for more support for NQTs and for schools to continue recruiting staff remotely
- the teacher recruitment and retention strategy - assessing progress in the priority areas of:
- support - for early career teachers through the introduction of the ECF and in developing school cultures
- working life - reducing teacher workload, and improving opportunities for flexible working patterns and career journeys in the teaching profession
- applications - simplifying the process for ITT, and increasing opportunities for those interested in the profession to gain insights and some experience of teaching as a career
- recruitment shortfalls - in key subject areas and geographic areas with greatest need - looking at how the issues can be addressed by providers and schools
- retention:
- keeping NQTs within the profession - including the role of providers with concerns regarding the mental health support available to trainee teachers
- prior experience - its removal of within a school as an entry requirement for trainee teachers
- the new ITE inspection framework
- implementation - full, graded inspections now expected to take place from April 2021, in the face of significant interruptions to the cycle of Ofsted inspections due to the pandemic, and:
- plans to carry out a survey into how Covid-19 has affected the provision of ITE, for a report to be published before the start of inspections
- calls from the Universities’ Council for the Education of Teachers for the inspection framework to be delayed for a full year
- Remote delivery of ITE
- ensuring ITE reflects current needs in educational settings - possible ways forward and policy priorities:
- it follows recent NQTs having completed their teacher training partially remotely and have entered the labour market during a time of remote learning and increased use of EdTech
- options for remote teaching to be incorporated in teacher training moving forward
A scan of developments:
- Initial teacher training (ITT): core content framework - which sets out the core skills that teachers should have a grounding in at the start of their career - which was introduced from September 2020
- national lockdown:
- school closures - affecting all primaries and secondaries and expected to continue until February half term, apart from in the case of vulnerable children and children of critical workers
- ITT exempted from new lockdown - students to resume face-to-face learning at universities, with testing or isolating upon arrival
- New Institute of Teaching set to be established - in September 2022 for ITT trainees, Early Career Teachers, mentors, and NPQ participants, and providing CPD for teachers and school leaders
- Initial teacher training market review - being resumed by DfE focusing on how best to consistently deliver high-quality training in line with the core content framework
- Early career framework reforms - aiming to ensure that all teachers can access high quality professional development, which started in selected schools in September with 2021 national roll out
- Initial teacher education (ITE) inspection framework and handbook - being introduced by Ofsted, which:
- aims to bring ITT inspection in line with the recently introduced Education Inspection Framework
- introduces a new quality of education and training judgement, with a focus on the ITT curriculum
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): initial teacher training (ITT) - the impact of COVID-19 on ITT provision and recent DfE guidance for providers
- MillionPlus leads cross-sector call for a national recovery plan in Initial Teacher Education - stakeholders calling for a formal cross-sector government advisory group to formulate a plan
- Analysis: the teacher recruitment gap could close for the first time since 2012 - increased applications for teacher training programmes reported by the Education Policy Institute and coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic
Policy officials attending:
Our forums are known for attracting strong interest from policymakers and stakeholders. Places have been reserved by parliamentary pass-holders from the House of Commons Library, and officials from the Department of Education; the Government Legal Department; and the National Audit Office.
This is a full-scale conference taking place online***
- full, four-hour programme including comfort breaks - you’ll also get a full recording to refer back to
- information-rich discussion involving key policymakers and stakeholders
- conference materials provided in advance, including speaker biographies
- speakers presenting via webcam, accompanied by slides if they wish, using the Cisco WebEx professional online conference platform (easy for delegates - we’ll provide full details)
- opportunities for live delegate questions and comments with all speakers
- a recording of the addresses, all slides cleared by speakers, and further materials, is made available to all delegates afterwards as a permanent record of the proceedings
- delegates are able to add their own written comments and articles following the conference, to be distributed to all attendees and more widely
- networking too - there will be opportunities for delegates to e-meet and interact - we’ll tell you how!
Full information and guidance on how to take part will be sent to delegates before the conference
Price: £95 PLUS VAT
Format: DOWNLOADABLE PDF
