Local Leadership, Local Impact

Teacher development: How can we deliver high-quality training and personalised support for our region’s schools and early years settings?

A new government brings new opportunity, and in the spirit of this opportunity for the education sector, we are delighted to launch our 2024-28 mission and the platform for schools in our region to join us on the next phase of our journey.

Whilst Labour’s pledge to recruit 6,500 new teachers in key subjects as part of their first steps for change has caught the headlines nationally, their wider commitment to further raise the status of the teaching profession is warmly welcomed by Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Teaching School Hub (CPTSH) as we provide high-quality training and professional development to support teachers, educators and leaders at every stage of their career, with the objective of raising teaching standards and contributing to school improvement.

In Labour’s Manifesto, the new government set out its intention to update the Early Career Framework (ECF), maintaining its grounding in evidence, and ensuring that any new teacher entering the classroom has, or is working towards, Qualified Teacher Status. Introducing a new Teacher Training Entitlement to ensure teachers stay up-to-date on best practice with continuing professional development is another pledge.

Teaching School Hubs are a critical vehicle for teacher development. In February, we were delighted to receive Teaching School Hub reaccreditation for the next four years and be given the opportunity to continue to deliver the ‘golden thread’ for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. As the third largest Teaching School Hub in the country we now look forward to further enhancing our support for the profession under the new Labour government.

Since we opened in September 2021, CPTSH is proud to have established a position as a tried-and-tested local provider, and we will continue to be responsive to local need. Collaborating with local leaders in our region enables us to consult extensively with a wide range of stakeholders on a wide range of issues. Unlike some of the new national entrants to the market, this is an important differentiator.

In Local Leadership, Local Impact, we set out our contribution to the region’s priorities, and our commitments for the next four years across the ‘golden thread’. We share our mission and detail our impact. Relationships are key, and we will continue to build on the strong partnerships with schools that characterise our compelling local offer and offer communities high-quality training and personalised support.

In summary, this is how we will increase the breadth and depth of our support for schools and early years settings in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough by 2028.

1. Initial Teacher Training

We partner with three School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) providers across our region to deliver and promote ITT routes into teaching.

To support ITT recruitment and delivery, we will:

Deliver targeted recruitment campaigns to promote the teaching profession as an attractive choice across a range of channels.
Collaborate with all ITT partners on curriculum development and delivery, with a focus on local priorities, and promote and offer a wide range of training routes, including apprenticeship, salaried, non-salaried, part-time and assessment only.
Work with all Teaching School Hubs in the East of England to survey schools and ITT providers to inform a joint strategic approach to targeting cold spots and disadvantaged areas.

2. Early Career Framework

We transform the support and development offers for all teachers at the start of their career through implementation of the ECF.

To support ECF teacher development, we will:

Continue our well-received hybrid offer: welcome conferences, online modules and face-to-face sessions.
Deliver effective quality assurance, through regular observations and feedback by our team and our Lead Provider to ensure high-quality delivery, and develop action improvements from collective feedback.
Enhance the ECF experience with subject/phase specific content and access to specialist experts e.g. SEND.

3. Appropriate Body

We ensure that ECTs receive their statutory entitlements and that they are fairly and consistently assessed.

To support schools in our AB role, we will:

Deliver a high-quality service including a clear Service Level Agreement for two years, highlighting provision above and beyond DfE guidance, training across two years for induction tutors and drop-in clinics to provide consistent access to AB advice/support, and an annual survey to schools to inform school improvement action plans.
Ensure quality of service including through our representative AB panel and input from wider regional networks, early help and moderation checks, and formal and informal quality assurance, all to drive national consistency.
Link with all Teaching School Hub staff, local authorities and with our own ITT providers, to provide strong intelligence and support across the ‘golden thread’.

4. National Professional Qualifications

We support teachers, educators and leaders to develop the specialist skills and knowledge they need to progress in their careers and support school improvement.

To support NPQ provision, we will:

Focus on high-quality delivery through recruitment of facilitators across our region, ensuring they are credible and well trained to deliver the frameworks.
Provide quality assurance through our Lead Provider, supported by internal checks by experienced facilitators to drive continuous improvement.
Deepen our understanding through assessment by our facilitators, including to the newer NPQs which involve specialist/subject experts.

5. Wider CPD

We signpost evidence-based programmes approved by DfE, partner programmes that meet locally identified needs, and CPTSH approved programmes delivered by our local Curriculum Hubs.

To support ongoing CPD provision, we will:

Work collaboratively with Curriculum Hubs, sharing opportunities with schools.
Signpost wider CPD in our area as appropriate to support identified local needs.
Promote locally-focused SEND CPD.

To achieve our goals, we will build on our proven track record, engagement and involvement with schools, trusts, educators, settings, groups, clusters and partnerships in the region, and continue to seek feedback to deliver personalised, locally-led, professional development. We welcome further dialogue with you on how we can support your school with the ‘golden thread’, as we embark on a new dawn for the sector.

Lesley Birch, Hub Strategic Lead, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Teaching School Hub, and Deputy CEO, Meridian Trust

Lynne Birch, Hub Lead, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Teaching School Hub