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Newsletter

February Newsletter:

Progress Review and Assessment feedback:

Throughout the last term and into the new spring term, our focus at the AB has revolved around Progress Reviews and Assessments, with an effort to provide valuable feedback to those who have actively participated in these processes. Recently, several emails outlining findings regarding strengths, areas for improvement, and feedback on the execution of these reviews have been circulated by both me and our administrative team.

If you have not already done so, I kindly request that you take the time to reflect on these emails. They are intended to facilitate a smoother overall process in preparation for the next reporting period. My gratitude goes out to those of you who have completed these assessments in a timely manner.

It is crucial that these essential documents are finalised promptly, as they undergo reviews by the AB. This timely completion enables us to make necessary follow-ups with the relevant ECTs/Schools in a timely manner. If you are aware of any outstanding progress reviews or assessments at your school, we kindly ask that you complete them at your earliest convenience. Should you have any concerns or queries, please don't hesitate to reach out for assistance. We are here to support you where needed.

Clinics and Meeting spots:

As some of you may recall, my previous newsletter mainly centered on the theme of support/wellbeing. As part of our service offerings for the new term, we have decided to offer out meeting clinics to ECTs & Induction Leads/Tutors to address any issues you may have before they become a concern. These clinics are also available for those who might just have questions or thoughts they would like to discuss. The below clinics are currently being offered & will be carried out via Microsoft Teams.

For more urgent matters which may require our attention sooner, appointments can be scheduled here - https://meetings-eu1.hubspot.com/helen-thatcher

We hope also later into the term to look at providing a termly twilight drop in for all involved in the induction process so if this is something of interest, please do feel free to let us know.

Quality Assurance Visits:

The AB team is presently immersed in Quality Assurance visits across various schools. During our visits so far, we have observed commendable practices. Please be vigilant for Quality Assurance Visit requests from the AB. As part of our commitment, we strive to visit a minimum of 10% of the schools in our area, equivalent to at least 23 schools. The selection process is comprehensive, taking into account factors such as Ofsted rating, new leadership, or a significant number of ECTs. These visits are conducted with the aim of providing support, highlighting good practices, and offering any necessary advice. As mentioned, we select against a series of factors above and other criteria but if you would like us to visit your school for a select reason then do just get it touch.

We thank you kindly for your continued collaboration!

Helen Thatcher

Appropriate Body Lead

December Newsletter: 

We have been very busy this term ensuring that all the ECTs have been correctly onboarded and that the admin side is all up to date and accurate. If you notice that dates or information does not look right, please contact us, and let us know so that we can get this sorted. Quality Assurance visits have also begun; it has been good visiting schools and I look forward to visiting more throughout the new year and seeing some of the good practice in your schools in supporting the ECTs.

Induction Tutors will currently be busy observing ECTs and writing their Progress Reports, and in some cases End of Year or Final Assessments. Hopefully, Heads and Induction Tutors received an email recently with a Progress Review Walkthrough attached to help support in writing these. We are mindful of workload and do want to support, so if there are any concerns, please contact us. Over the next few weeks (with the exception of the Christmas break of course) I will be reading and reviewing these reports and following up any concerns.

ECTs will have received a newsletter this week with the focus on mental health and wellbeing. In the new year there will be online pop-in ‘wellbeing clinics’ to support ECTs, so look out for these.

I wish you a very happy and restful break and hope that you can take some much-needed time to recharge your batteries ready for the new year.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Helen Thatcher

Appropriate Body Lead

October Newsletter:

I am delighted to have been appointed as the Appropriate Body Lead for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Teaching School Hub (CPTSH). It comes at an exciting juncture as we transition the AB to the Teaching School Hub. There has been significant work to ensure everyone is correctly enrolled, ensuring that our ECTs have all the necessary support to begin their journey successfully. Thank you to all those who have helped ensure it has been as smooth a transition as possible.

The ECT induction is designed to support those new to the profession; giving them time, a mentor, and a personal development structure to enable them to feel confident in their new role and to progress in their career. 

The role in this induction programme for the AB Service is:

  1. Monitoring of support

The Appropriate Body is responsible for checking that ECTs are receiving their statutory entitlements. This includes providing Early Career Framework (ECF) fidelity checks, ensuring schools are supported to provide ECTs with an ECF-based induction and monitoring the support by Quality Assuring the provisions made by schools.

  1. Monitoring of assessment

The Appropriate Body will make the final decisions as to whether the ECT has satisfactorily met the Teachers’ Standards based on headteacher recommendations.

The AB provides guidance, training and resources for Heads, Induction Leads and Induction Tutors. Through access to ECT manager, reports will be submitted, and the AB will check and monitor these reports. All ECTs and Induction Tutors need to be registered on the ECT manager website.

Alongside the AB service within the Teaching School hub for ECT induction, is the Early Career Framework (ECF) Provision. This is the training programme for ECTs and mentors based on the ECF, which needs to be embedded as a central aspect of induction to support the ECTs development. All ECTs and mentors need to be registered on the DfE portal to register their ECF provision. CPTSH are here to support you in this process and can discuss which route is best for your school..

The purpose of ECT Induction (Induction for early career teachers (England) (publishing.service.gov.uk)):

“Statutory induction is the bridge between initial teacher training and a career in teaching. It combines a structured programme of development, support and professional dialogue, underpinned by the Early Career Framework, with monitoring and an assessment of performance against the Teachers’ Standards (see para 1.9). The programme should support the early career teacher and provide them with the necessary training to ensure that they can demonstrate that their performance against the Teachers’ Standards is satisfactory by the end of the period. Induction should provide a foundation for ECTs and equip them with the tools to be an effective and successful teacher.”

Teacher retention is vital. The aim of the induction process is to try to support Early Career Teachers to encourage them to stay in the profession. We all have an important part to play in this in terms of confidence building, professional development and being considerate of workload. ECTs and mentors need to see the induction process as a supportive and integral part of training and professional development. As Dylan William said, “Every teacher needs to improve, not because they are not good enough, but because they can be even better.” We should embrace learning and see this as an excellent growth opportunity.

Helen Thatcher

Appropriate Body Lead

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