For action
Action for all settings: Applications open for Ofqual Chief Regulator position
This article will be of interest to senior leaders
Ofqual is seeking a new Chief Regulator, commencing January 2025.
The Chief Regulator is responsible for delivering on Ofqual’s statutory objectives - including to maintain standards and promote confidence in qualifications and assessments. Ofqual is keen in particular to attract candidates with a proven record in a senior leadership role in the education system.
Find out more about the position and make an application by 12 February 2024.
Action for early years settings: Support the ‘Do something BIG, work with small children’ recruitment campaign
The ‘Do something BIG, work with small children’ early years early years campaign is now live. It aims to raise the profile of the sector and showcase the important contribution early years and childcare professionals make in preparing young children for learning in school and beyond.
Alongside this, we have launched an early years careers website. This includes information on all areas of early years work, routes into the sector and real-life stories.
It also directs people to Department for Work and Pensions’ Find a Job platform to search for early years roles in their area. Watch the video tutorials to help you list any vacancies in your setting on Find a Job. Please use the term ‘early years’ in the title of your job adverts and select ‘Education jobs’ for the job category.
We will also share a campaign toolkit shortly with assets you can use for your promotional and recruitment needs.
Action for schools: Take part in research for a new DfE digital service
This article will be of interest to school leaders, IT leads and school business professionals
DfE are developing a digital service known as ‘Plan Technology for your school’ which aims to support and help schools to plan for, introduce and use new digital technology.
We would like to speak to headteachers, school leadership team members, IT leads and school business professionals who:
- are responsible for or are involved in the planning process, implementation and decision-making around technology in schools
- have overall strategic responsibility for their school/college/trust
You can now register your interest to take part in a research session.
We will get in touch to arrange a virtual, 1-hour research session, where we will guide you through the ‘Plan technology for your school’ prototype and ask for feedback about your experience.
In return, to say thank you for participating, we’ll give your school £40 cash.
Please contact Katie.spencer@education.gov.uk with any questions.
Action for schools: Use the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) grant to support pupils preparing for assessments and exams
Schools can spend this year’s National Tutoring Programme (NTP) grant to subsidise 50% of tutoring costs until 31 August 2024.
The principal objective of the NTP is to improve the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. You should consider offering tutoring to all pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium. When considering those who are not eligible for pupil premium, you should focus on pupils who are working below the expected standard or grade boundary in an applicable subject.
A pupil from Hall Mead school shares how small group tutoring helped improve their GCSE grades:
‘I received tutoring in English and maths and this definitely helped me close the gap in my knowledge. I was predicted a 3 in both subjects but left with a 4. This helped me secure my apprenticeship when I left school.’
Read the full blog and the NTP guidance for schools.
Action for schools: Complete Language Trends 2024 survey
Your school is invited to take part in this year’s Language Trends 2024 survey. This research provides an independent picture of the teaching of languages in English primary, secondary and independent schools.
Your responses will help to build an accurate, up to date picture of the views of teaching professionals and to assess the impact on your school of those policy developments which affect languages education in schools.
The Language Trends survey is run annually by the British Council. Completing the survey should take no more than 10-15 minutes of your time.
To complete the survey, please click the appropriate link below:
The deadline for completing the survey is 9 February 2024. The report will be available in June 2024.
News and developments
Information for all settings: Take part in the Day of Reflection 2024
On 3 March 2024 Marie Curie is holding the fourth Day of Reflection, a special moment to remember everyone who died during the pandemic.
There are many ways for schools and education settings to get involved:
- Tell us who you're remembering using our downloadable petal pack
To find out more visit the Day of Reflection site or contact Marie Curie at dayofreflection@mariecurie.org.uk.
Information for all settings: Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF)
We have published the new Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF). This combines and updates the Initial Teacher Training Core Content Framework (CCF) and the Early Career Framework (ECF), ensuring that all new teachers receive three or more years of training underpinned by the best available evidence.
Read the updated framework and see what’s changed in the latest guidance.
Information for schools and further education settings: Take part in Children’s Mental Health Week from 5 to 11 February 2024
The theme of Children’s Mental Health Week is ‘My Voice Matters’. View the Education Hub for further information, including a teaching blog on this theme.
You can also access our new mental health resource hub and toolkit which can help staff support the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people.
Claim your training grant - or a second grant if your trained mental health lead has left - for DfE’s senior mental health lead training, which helps schools and colleges to develop an effective approach to mental health and wellbeing.
Information for schools and further education settings: Launch of Ofqual’s vocational and technical qualification (VTQ) Information Hub
Ofqual’s VTQ Information Hub for 2023 to 2024 brings together awarding organisations’ key dates and deadlines for Level 1/2, 2 and 3 VTQs where these results are needed for progression to further study.
Using this will help exams officers and staff involved in VTQ assessment administration/delivery to plan their workloads to ensure students expecting a result on results day can progress to further or higher education.
Information for schools and local authorities: Updated guidance on Home-to-school Travel
The department has published updated statutory guidance for local authorities about home-to-school travel. It includes updates about schools that arrange home-to-school travel for their pupils, children with education, health and care plans, and how local authorities should determine a child’s nearest school.
Parts of the guidance are likely to be relevant to schools and trusts that arrange home-to school travel for their pupils. The guidance can be accessed at Home-to-school travel - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Information for schools: Support for teachers returning to the classroom
DfE is offering free support to former teachers considering returning to teaching. This is now open to former primary teachers as well as secondary.
Our expert teaching advisers can help with:
- information and resources
- finding teaching vacancies that are right for you
- on-going support in the first few months in your new role
Sign up for a return to teaching adviser, or read the latest guidance and advice on the return to teaching website.
Information for schools: New wraparound childcare guidance for schools to be published shortly
As announced in the 2023 Spring Budget, the government is investing £289 million to support the expansion of wraparound childcare. In October 2023 we published the wraparound childcare handbook for local authorities.
We will be publishing guidance on GOV.UK for schools and trusts on their role in providing wraparound childcare to children of primary school age shortly. This guidance will also offer a practical guide for setting up wraparound provision on a school site.
You can email us at wraparound.programme@education.gov.uk with any enquiries about wraparound childcare.
Information for schools: Find out how procurement will change for some schools and trusts
In the latest Buying for Schools blog post, Kevin Draisey, Head of Procurement Operations for Get help buying for schools, explains what Transforming Public Procurement (TPP) means for people who buy for schools and trusts and how they can get ready for the changes ahead.
To find out more, read the blog post on GOV.UK.
Information for schools: German language and pedagogy upskilling course
As part of DfE’s Language Hubs programme, the Goethe-Institut is delivering a German language and pedagogy upskilling course in Berlin for non-specialist primary teachers and senior leaders from 21 to 27 April 2024.
This opportunity is fully funded and is intended for those interested in introducing or strengthening the provision of German in their schools. To apply, please submit a motivational letter by 4 March 2024.
For more information, see: Let's Get Started with German in Primary School.
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