Newsletter: One Cumbria Update 10

By 10 May 2021November 16th, 2021No Comments

Welcome to the latest update from One Cumbria teaching School Hub.

 

Launch of the DfE’s Online Service (‘Portal’)

The DfE have started writing to schools to ask them to register for the ECF on their online service. The email invites schools to set up an online account, after which you will be asked to select your chosen ECF route (either Full or Core Induction Programme) and to record details of their Induction Tutor. Emails will be going to all schools in batches over the coming days. In the email there is a referenceto a date by which the link will expire. This is not a deadline for you to set up your account – just follow the link and save it by the date specified.

The delay in getting this email out to schools is because of a delay in awarding the call off contracts for ECF Lead Providers. We are expecting this to happen shortly, and as soon as these are announced, the linked pages on gov.uk will be updated to give you details of your teaching school hub, which is the easiest way to access ECF.

 

Launch Events for ECF and NPQs

The One Cumbria team is currently making arrangements for a number of launch events for the ECF and NPQs in June. These are likely to be virtual, and we will make sure the events are recorded so everyone can access them. There will be presentations from One Cumbria and Teach First around the ‘golden thread’ of professional development from ITT to NPQEL, the Teach First programmes, ECF structure, the vital role of mentors, AB services and next steps, with plenty of time for Q&A.

At the NPQ event we will also be including looking for experienced practitioners to take on the facilitator role for other courses and to support ECTs across the county.

We are also planning a conference for senior leaders and mentors in the second half of the summer term to expand on this hugely important role in schools, again with input from Teach First, to make sure you and your staff are confident about the expectations and support available to mentors.

We very much hope to be able to have an event in September where we can meet colleagues face to face– Covid dependant of course. More details on this will follow after June 21st.

 

ECF information

We are aware that many of you are very eager to start planning for the ECF and ECTs in your schools. Information will be forthcoming soon from Teach First – as above, we are waiting for the DfE to announce contracts. Please be assured we will forward everything to you as soon as we can. In the meantime, please do contact me if you have specific questions and I will do my best to help. Some of you have already done so, and a common question has been around the number of mentors and subsequent funding. Each ECT should be allocated an individual mentor; this is a 1:1 entitlement, and funding depends on this being in place. We recognise this might be an issue for small schools, and we are looking at ways to provide an equivalent number of mentors to ECTs, perhaps via clusters. Please do keep the questions coming.

In the meantime, please also find attached a brochure detailing One Cumbria and Teach First’s offer for the ECF Full Induction Programme and Appropriate Body services which I hope will help answer some queries.

 

And finally – breaking news….

The DfE has announced that the new suite of NPQs will be available from November (a delay from September). Details of the new qualifications are available on the One Cumbria website, which is going live tomorrow. The website is being added to every day – please let me know if there is anything you would like to see that we haven’t yet built!

There has been somewhat of a lull in the frenetic activity around the Teaching School Hub agenda this week, as we wait for contracts to be announced. That has given me time to think about the challenges One Cumbria can take on to make sure the Teaching School Hub becomes a powerful force for good in the county – all very exciting!

As ever, please don’t hesitate to contact me if I can help with questions and concerns.

Judith Schafer

Director, One Cumbria Teaching School Hub