Partnership News February 2014 Dear Colleagues, Welcome to the February newsletter. I hope you have managed to keep dry despite the rain and flooding. These are changing times for initial teacher training, and the future for partnerships like ours is somewhat unpredictable. Increasingly, potential new teachers are being encouraged to take up school based training routes. There are many positive and exciting aspects to a school-led system and it opens up the possibilities of new ways for us to work in partnership together. If you’ve not yet considered working with the University on the School Direct routes into teaching then I would certainly encourage you to do so. Working with us on School Direct allows you much greater say on the recruitment process - you can select trainees that you really feel fulfil the needs of your school. There is further information on School Direct in this Newsletter, but I would like to particularly draw your attention to the self-funded route. I’m aware that there are already problems with teacher supply and recruitment in some subjects and in some geographical areas. The selffunded route may be one way to address this. As a Partnership we have a long and successful history of collaboration and creativity. Professional collaboration brings benefits to trainees, teachers and pupils. Our newsletters will provide you with a flavour of some of the exciting projects and events taking place across the Partnership. Your news of staff and student achievements and other good news stories are always welcome. If you are considering appointing a well qualified graduate who does not have QTS then we’d be happy to discuss how we could work together to achieve qualified status, with the option of the PGCE award available. I’d also like to take this opportunity to let you know that there will be a ‘mock’ Ofsted inspection of the ITT provision at the university this term, something that we hope will support our ambition to reach ‘outstanding’ status. This will involve a small number of partner schools; I hope I can count on your support should you be asked to participate, and many thanks in advance for your help. Simon Gibbons, Head of Department of Teacher Education Items for the next edition of Partnership News should be sent to [email protected] Janine Cox, Head of School Partnerships Our Education Services Team (EST) is a central point of contact for our partners and a communication hub for schools. If you have a query about trainee placements or other school related issues please contact the Education Services Team [email protected] 01234 793065 Out and about UoB Primary maths tutor Maria McArdle worked with a group of enthusiastic students at the University of Cambridge last month. These are students identified by their schools and invited to a series of Royal Institute Master classes. Maria was invited to be the keynote speaker at one of Maria their six sessions andwith worked in the auspicious surroundings UoB Primary maths tutor McArdle worked a group of students at the University of Queens College: hence the picture on the 'mathematical bridge.' of Cambridge last month. These are students identified by their schools and invited to a series of Royal Institute Master classes. Maria was invited to be the keynote speaker at one of their six sessions and worked in the auspicious surroundings of Queens College : hence the picture on the 'mathematical bridge.' The Mathematical Bridge was built in 1749 by James Essex the Younger (1722-1784) to the design of William Etheridge (1709-1776). It has subsequently been rebuilt to the same design in 1866 and 1905. For those who have fallen prey to the baseless stories told by unscrupulous guides to gullible tourists, it is necessary to point out that Isaac Newton died in 1727, and therefore cannot possibly have had anything to do with this bridge. Anyone who believes that students or Fellows could have disassembled the bridge (and then failed to re-assemble it, as the myth runs) cannot have a serious grasp on reality, given the size and weight of the wooden members of the bridge. The joints of the present bridge are fastened by nuts and bolts. Earlier versions of the bridge used iron pins or screws at the joints, driven in from the The Mathematical Bridge wascould built claim in 1749 James the Younger (1722-1784) outer elevation. Only a pedant thatbythe bridgeEssex was originally built without nails. to the design of William Etheridge (1709-1776). It has subsequently been rebuilt to the same in 1866 attend and 1905. Manydesign of the students our local partnership primary schools in Cambridgeshire and it For those who have fallen prey toenthused the baseless stories told by unscrupulous guides to was delightful to work with and be by them. gullible tourists, it is necessary to point out that Isaac Newton died in 1727, and therefore cannot possibly have had anything to do with this bridge. Anyone who believes that students or Fellows could have disassembled the bridge (and then failed to re-assemble it, as the myth runs) cannot have a serious grasp on reality, given the size and weight of the wooden members of the bridge. The joints of the present bridge are fastened by nuts and bolts. Earlier versions of the bridge used iron pins or screws at the joints, driven in from the outer elevation. Only a pedant could claim that the bridge was originally built without nails. Students from the MA Education Studies (International) course were invited to take part in Goldington Academy's training day on the 6th January. Fahmida Mazid (Bangladesh), Yangfan Ruan (China), Sister Eucharia Uwakwe and Martina Onyinyechi (Nigeria), and Farida Sadaf (Pakistan) spoke about classrooms and their facilities in their respective countries. This was followed by a lively question and answer session with staff, raising awareness of the similarities and differences in teaching and learning worldwide. Dr Andrea Raiker Partnerships with a purpose Do you have a view on mentor training? Would you be willing to share your ideas? If you have recently trained, or are an experienced mentor we would value your input. Please come to the mentor training review on Monday 25th February at 4pm. Please contact [email protected] if you are able to attend. School Partnership Development Group The School Partnership Development Group would like to hear from any schools willing to represent their type of school or educational organisation at three meetings per year. This group is a consultative and advisory group and we expect to bring all new developments here at an early stage, so that they can be shaped in a fundamental way through school input. We wish the majority of members to be from our school partners, so that you are in the driving seat and schools will also be able to bring topics for discussion. Current members of the PDG are, of course, welcome to stay on. Next meeting 17th June 4pm If you would like to have your say please contact [email protected] The University of Bedfordshire offers 3 types of School Direct training School Direct is an Initial Teacher Training (ITT) route that provides the opportunity for schools or partnerships of schools to apply for ITT places working together in conjunction with an ITT provider. School Direct is part of the government's ITT strategy paper "Training Our Next Generation of Outstanding Teachers". Later this year you will have the opportunity to bid for School Direct places for training to start in September 2015. To support you through this progress we intend to hold workshops on how to apply for places and to give you the opportunity to meet partner schools already working with us on this programme. School Direct Training Programme (tuition fee) is open to all graduates and is funded by tuition fees paid by the trainee, who may receive a bursary from the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL). School Direct Training Programme (salaried) is an employment based route into teaching for high quality graduates with three or more years' career experience. The trainee is employed as an unqualified teacher by a school. The NCTL provides funding, which the school can use to subsidise the trainee's salary and/or training. School Direct Training Programme (self funded) is partnership course between the school and the University. The School Direct Training Programme (self funded) enables schools to employ people who are not yet qualified to teach and to work in partnership with the University to train them leading to Qualified Teacher Status. The school will pay the salary of the trainee. This is your opportunity to shape the future of teacher training in your school. As a partnership school we would like thank you for your continued support and we look forward to working with you in training the next generation of teachers Further details from [email protected] Assessment Only The Assessment Only (AO) route provides a pathway for those who have considerable experience working in schools and /or educational settings, but do not possess Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). The AO route allows trainees to demonstrate that they already meet all of the standards for QTS, without the need for any further training. The AO route also allows Overseas Trained Teachers to gain QTS qualified as a teacher in a country outside of the European Economic Switzerland, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA having completed a course of initial teacher training which is recognised by authorities in their home country. Assessment will take place within 12 weeks of interview Further details from [email protected] if they have Area (EEA), successfully the relevant Places are still available at the University of Bedfordshire to enrol for … Strategic Leadership and Management Ideal for leaders and aspiring leaders and managers, this unit introduces you to key concepts and issues concerned with effective strategic leadership within educational settings. It enables you to evaluate institutional strategic planning and identify strategies for effective change management. You will enjoy interacting with fellow students and tackling real work issues for assessment. Contact person: Dr Pontso Moorosi: [email protected] Tel: 01234 793 432 Origins and Theories of Autism Are you interested in developing more knowledge to support pupils with Autism? The University of Bedfordshire is offering a 30 credit Masters level unit which will challenge your existing assumptions and provide you with an in depth overview of autism spectrum conditions (ASC). You will develop current knowledge by tracing the history of autism and examining current trends. You will be provided with opportunities to scrutinize a range of research surrounding the current biological, environmental and cognitive theories of autism. In addition, you will also explore autism within the wider disability and inclusion debates. By the end of this unit you will be able to demonstrate critical insight into the connection between the research and autistic behaviour. The unit begins on 25th February 2014 Contact Person: Christina Kuegel: [email protected] Tel: 01234 793 425 Managing Learning and Teaching In this unit you will develop reflective, analytic and evaluative skills in relation to educating the 21st Century learner. You will be introduced to the key concepts of learning, teaching and their management, and relate these to factors that influence the nature, structure and implementation of the curriculum in various contexts. You will evaluate the impact of your pedagogy on current provision within your own context of teaching and beyond. Contact: Dr Neil Hopkins: [email protected] Tel: 01234 793 045 Convenient evening classes. Each unit is as a stand-alone certificate with M-Level credits. All these units are due to start in the last week of February 2014 at Bedford Campus. See you there!! Continued Professional Development for Support Staff BA (Hons) Applied Education Studies Part-time 4 Year Degree Course Starts September 2014 Study at: Putteridge Bury, Luton; Polhill, Bedford; Arthur Mellows Village College, Peterborough; or University Campus Milton Keynes This well established part-time degree programme has been running at the Putteridge Bury Campus near Luton since 1993 and has expanded to Bedford, Peterborough and Milton Keynes. It is particularly suitable for people currently working in education in support roles such as Nursery Nurses, Teaching Assistants and those working in Extended School provision. Topics covered include English, mathematics, science, the curriculum, personalised learning, assessment and professional issues in education. The majority of students progress from the degree course to a one year teacher training programme to gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). Attendance is one evening per week, term time only and there is a day option at Putteridge Bury on Fridays. Further details can be obtained by contacting the Course Administrator Deborah Bachini on [email protected] Calling all NQT Induction Tutors/Mentors… NQT News! All NQTs now have access to BREO and have been sent log-in details (check your in-box for details) with useful resources, particularly around recent developments with the New National Curriculum.  Thanks to those NQTs who came to the NQT reunion on 11 February 2014 at Polhill.  Reminder - contact [email protected] for any questions or queries during your NQT year OR to share success stories! Induction Tutors/NQT mentors   Date for your diary - the inaugural session for the Induction Tutors/NQT mentors will take place on 18 March at Polhill, starting at 4pm. It will take the form of a Professional Study Group in style and will be sharing good practice for supporting NQTs. More details to follow soon! Reminder - contact [email protected] for any questions or queries about your NQT(s) OR to share success stories! Forthcoming events… All NQTs are invited to attend our Primary Research Conference 2014 Behaviour for Learning Keynote Speaker: Sue Cowley Thursday 15th May 2014 1- 3pm Polhill Campus - P1.01 If you would like to join us for the afternoon session please contact the Education Services Team at: [email protected] Closing date for booking: Friday 9th May 2014 Priorities for 2013 -14 Partnership development is driven by improvement planning. The 2013 14 Secondary ITT priorities are:  Further develop recruitment practices alongside school partners (including School Direct)  Continue to refine individual development planning by trainees  Monitor the new PGCE provision to ensure that it meets the challenges of a changing market  Continue to raise trainee attainment through an improvement in trainee reflection, quality of mentoring and more effective tracking of trainee progress  Continue to improve student and NQT confidence and competence with behaviour management; pupils with SEN, pupils for whom EAL; pupils from ME backgrounds  Continue to develop recruitment strategies to increase the number of students applying to the BA Physical Education course from Minority Ethnic backgrounds  Integrate BA PE QTS School Experience placements into University geographical clusters with the support of a Cluster Coordinator Primary ITT priorities are:  Involve all schools in checking the quality of training.  Ensure existing strengths are made more widely known across the different clusters within the partnership.  Improve trainees’ confidence in their ability to accurately assess pupils’ progress.  Ensure all trainees achieve good to outstanding grades by conclusion of final school placement.  Establish Primary School Direct places. Please share this newsletter with colleagues. Thank you Janine