Medway School Information ebulletin Issue 253 – 17 January 2017 Please note that the SIB will be distributed fortnightly on Wednesday. Please send items for SIB to [email protected]. Deadline for inclusion of SIB items is 12pm on the Tuesday before. Examples of your practice to support early career teachers All schools and academies - headteachers, SMT and experienced teachers – for action The 2016 Teacher Workload Survey by the Department for Education states that workload is highest for teachers in the first five years. Coupled with this, the recent report by the National Audit Office identified workload as one of the main barriers for teacher retention. As part of the Department’s action to remove unnecessary workload for teachers, we are developing a workload reduction toolkit, developed with the profession and containing advice, tools and effective practice. The aim of this toolkit is to provide practical support to help governors, leaders, teachers and ITE providers remove unnecessary workload throughout their schools and provision. You may have seen recent communications from the Department calling for contributions and examples of effective practice from the profession to support the development of this toolkit. We have received a positive response already but are now looking for specific examples relating to how schools support early career teachers. In particular, we’d welcome contributions focussing on: advice and good practice examples with accompanying case studies about how workload burdens, over and above day to day teaching and unique to an early career teacher, are being addressed within schools; examples of ways in which schools support the transition from trainee to newly qualified teacher and how they support the professional development needs of newly qualified teachers and early career teachers; good practice examples about what effective support looks like which helps early career teachers to develop strategies to manage their workload to have a sustainable work life balance; examples of signposting to effective support networks for mentors which are used to help manage workload concerns and share effective and efficient practice; other strategies and good practice that schools are adopting to respond to the specific needs of early career teachers to support teacher retention. To help inform this toolkit, we would be very grateful if you could share your examples of effective practice, by sending them to [email protected] by Monday, 5 February 2018. We want to make sure this process is not time consuming so please send this in whatever format you use. Please also include your name, organisation and contact details in the email so we can get in touch with you if necessary. All organisations or individuals contributing to the toolkit will receive recognition in the final publication. Thank you very much for your help – we look forward to hearing from you and on behalf of the Department would like to wish you a Happy New Year. Michael Green, Teacher Workload Unit Medway School Information ebulletin Page 1 of 14 Spring School Census 2018 All schools and academies – office staff – for action by Thursday, 18 January 2018 All schools in England are required to complete a Spring Census 2018 Return. This return will take place in your school on Thursday, 18 January 2018. Please see link below and click for guidance on how to complete and return this census. http://www.medway.gov.uk/schoolsandeducation/resourcesforschoolstaff/schoolinformationreturns. aspx The Spring School Census data is used by the Department for Education, therefore it is vitally important that schools are happy with the accuracy of their returns before uploading them, and that they are uploaded within the prescribed timescales. Problems relating to SIMS should be directed to EIS on telephone: 0300 065 8888 or email: [email protected] Please note there have been new data items added, changes to existing data items and removal of data items within the Autumn School Census 2016 as well as new data items for the Autumn School Census 2017. Further details outlining these changes can be found on our website. http://www.medway.gov.uk/schoolsandeducation/resourcesforschoolstaff/schoolinformationreturns. aspx Please be aware that some of these changes affect school funding; therefore please implement these changes as soon as possible for an effective Spring School Census return. Please also ensure that you check your attendance and exclusion data. FAQ Collection times are based on the last digit of a school’s DfE establishment; Code Descriptor 4, 7, 8 or 9 The selected time is one hour after the start of afternoon school 0, 1 or 5 The selected time is one hour after the start of morning school 2, 3 or 6 The selected time is one hour before the end of morning school For further information please see guidance. If you have any other queries, please contact the Performance and Intelligence Team by emailing [email protected] or by telephoning 01634 332613 or 01634 334266. To contact CAPITA helpdesk please call 01234 832020 Medway School Information ebulletin Page 2 of 14 School business manager networking event All schools and academies – business managers – for information This is an opportunity for school business managers in Medway, Kent and further afield to meet and discuss ideas/issues and share good practice ideas. Representatives from Ocelot Education Solutions, Towergate Insurance, Teachers2Parents, HR, KPS (Educational Suppliers) and payroll will be providing information on services they provide to schools. We are also hoping to include other service providers. Date: Tuesday, 30 January 2018 Time: 9.30am – 12.30pm Venue: Wainscott Primary School, Wainscott Road, Rochester ME2 4JY Cost: £30 per person (refreshments are included) Booking form can be located via the link below: http://www.educationservicesmedway.org.uk/Article/53772 Secure Access All schools and academies – all staff – for information There are a number of files on the secure access transfer site which have not been collected. Please can you check https://sa.education.gov.uk/ui/home If you require any further information please email [email protected] Strengthening Qualified Teacher Status consultation All schools and academies – all staff – for information In December the DfE launched a consultation on ‘Strengthening Qualified Teacher Status and improving career progression for teachers’ https://consult.education.gov.uk/teaching-profession-unit/strengthening-qts-and-improving-career- progression/ The consultation is proposing options to strengthen both teacher induction and career progression for all teachers throughout their careers. Please send responses for the consultation by 9 March 2018 using the link above. Thank you. Medway School Information ebulletin Page 3 of 14 In-year (casual) admission processes with effect from 1 January 2018 Medway own admission authority schools and academies (academies, voluntary aided, foundation and free schools) – headteachers – for information and action Further to the SIB article dated 8 November 2017 regarding the change of casual admissions processes for own admission authority schools and academies, please find via link below the various forms you will need to ensure are completed to advise School Services of applications and outcomes. You will also find a copy of the Medway Council application form (which you must accept if used by a parent) and another copy of the protocol. If you have any questions regarding these changes, please contact School Services whose contact details are in the protocol document. Link: http://www.educationservicesmedway.org.uk/Article/53559 From Simon Harrington, Programme Lead-School Services Free professional development opportunities for teachers in Medway All schools and academies -teaching staff – for information KMTSN and KSENT have been working with the National Institute of Education to provide professional learning journeys to school staff teams, which will be funded by the school’s apprenticeship levy. These professional development courses are completely free to you as an employee of the school. In April 2018 we will be offering two courses: The Master Teacher Programme – MA in Education Click here to find out more. Senior Leadership Programme - MA in Educational Leadership Click here to find out more. On 28 January 2018 the NIE are holding an open day so staff can find out more about the apprenticeships on offer and to ask any questions they may have about how to apply. To register your interest in the course and click the link and complete the simple form. We will then send the full details of our regional open day event. If you have any questions about the NIE or your professional learning journey, please email [email protected] Medway School Information ebulletin Page 4 of 14 Senior Leadership Programme and Master Teacher Programme – open evening on 24 January 2018 All schools and academies – all staff –for information The NCE is delighted to invite you to a Rochester open evening to introduce you to a Senior Leadership Programme and Master Teacher Programme. With an overview of the programmes, a chance to have your questions answered, networking opportunities and a personalised advice service, the evening promises to be a fantastic start to your professional learning journey. The Master Teacher Programme is a one year, part-time and fully funded MA in Education that will equip teachers at all stages of their career with the deep subject knowledge