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Message We know that the end of thesummer term is incredibly busy inschools, and we hope that thenext few weeks go smoothly, andthat everyone in our schoolcommunities has a relaxingsummer break when we get there.We have continued to update ourwebsite with information aboutvarious aspects of our remit,including support materials forschools, so please do have a lookhere.WELCOME tshberkshire@lgs.slough.sch.uk 01753 598300www.tshberkshire.orgNewsletter Summer Edition 2025Janet Roberts Director janetroberts@lgs.slough.sch.uk Headteacher BriefingWe ran a briefing session for headteachers inJune and really appreciated the fact that somany heads and senior leaders gave up theirtime to attend. If you weren’t able to join thesession, but would like to watch therecording click here.What an eventful first year of our seconddesignation period! Nothing in educationever stays still, and this year has seenchanges to ITT following the marketreview, and also the announcement ofupdates for September 2025 to inductionand the ECF training programmes. Wecontinue to value the relationships wehave built with colleagues from schoolswithin and outside our hub area and it is apleasure and privilege to work with schoolsand colleagues across a range of settings. School Leader Satisfaction SurveyAs part of our reporting back to the DfE, we have to conduct a “school leadersatisfaction” survey each year. This has already been circulated this to schools, and itonly requires one response per school. If no one in your school has filled it in yet, wewould be very grateful if a member of the senior leadership team could complete thesurvey, which should only take about 5-10 minutes. The link to the form is here.

ITTWe have thoroughly enjoyed promoting teaching as a viable andenjoyable career at careers fairs and higher education fairs within theregion. It has been so interesting to speak to young people about theirperceptions of teaching and give them all the accurate information theyneed to make an informed decision as to whether teaching might be aprofession for them. Hundreds of them took away our business cardswith QR codes taking them to our website's "Top 10 Reasons to Teach"and "Routes into teaching"; our website analytics show many of themlooked and are hopefully now seriously considering teaching as a careerin the future whereas beforehand they may have dismissed the idea.Another issue we have been trying to tackle this year has been thedifficulty ITT providers often face trying to find schools that can providementors and placements for ITTs as they train. It is undoubtedly hardwork training a teacher but doing so can be hugely rewarding for thementor, the ITT and the school as a whole; training up a new teacher isalso a great way of ensuring a stream of 'home grown' staff for schools torecruit for their staff team. We have put together some information andideas to help ITTCos and senior leaders have discussions with potentialmentors and ideas for mitigating pressures potentially faced by mentors.This will be appearing on our website very shortly.Helen JonasITT Relationships Managerhelenjonas@tshberkshire.orgWe have spent a good amount of time this year making sure all schools within our region know about TSHBerkshire and its services (including ITT advice and guidance). We have now had direct contact with around 95% ofthe 365 schools in our region; we sent our information pack to the few that we didn't have the opportunity tospeak with so they can contact us at any stage should they so wish.At time of writing we are waiting for the DfE to confirm exactly what our role will be in 2025-26, in regard to ITT. Weknow that the wider strategic involvement in promoting ITT across the region will no longer be funded, but we willcontinue to support ITT and do what we can to promote teaching as a profession. At a more local level, we areexcited to welcome our first cohort of Slough ITE Partnership trainees in September and will continue to recruit toour own local delivery, as many of you also do across the region.

ITT Continued...Post Graduate TeacherApprenticeshipThe IoE University of Reading haslaunched their new PostGraduate TeacherApprenticeships! click here tofind out more...MA in EducationAre you looking for an opportunity toinvest in yourself and your practice? clickhere to find out more about The IoEUniversity of Reading’s MA in Education.Click here forfurtherinformation!

ECFI have learnt about theimportance of feedback andhow it can help with planning. Itis important that a teacher isusing effective forms offeedback and communicationto ensure that students areable to reflect on their progress.(ECT)The training sessions were very engaging and interactive with valuable opportunities to learn from experiencedfacilitators and peers with encouragement to reflect, discuss, and share best practices. The self-directed materialswere very comprehensive and accurate and the support of UCL Extend was exceptional with clear and timelycommunication.(ECT)As another cohort of ECTs reach the end of their induction period, itwas lovely to see so many of them at our celebration events last week.I am fully satisfied with all aspects of theprogramme provided by UCL. The overallstructure was well thought out, with a clearprogression that supported both professionaldevelopment and practical application in theclassroom. The training sessions wereengaging and informative, offering valuableinsights grounded in current research and bestpractice. The self-directed study materialswere accessible and thoughtfully curated,allowing for flexible yet meaningful learning.(ECT)

ECF Continued... I have really developed my confidence andindividuality as a teacher. I have started tolook at situations differently and apply myassessments into a whole class setting. (ECT) I feel as though the training sessions are reallyinsightful and informative too. The self-directedstudy materials are very engaging and include avariety of different tips, scenarios etc which are reallyhelpful. The support is fantastic, and it has been greatto network with other ECTs during the trainingsessions.(ECT)DfE - changesto the inductionprogramme forECTsInduction and the Early Career Teacher EntitlementThe DfE have introduced some changes to the induction programme for ECTs starting induction inSeptember 2025. These include:introduction of new early career teacher entitlement (ECTE) terminology implementation of the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF) for ECTsstarting induction in September 2025 changes to the training options available to schools (including provider-led and school-led options) clarification of the roles and responsibilities for headteachers, induction tutors and mentorsinvolved in the delivery of the ECTE The statutory induction guidance has also been updated to reflect these changes.

ECF Continued...I feel a lot moreconfident in mypedagogy andclassroom practise. Ihave grown into amore confidentclassroompractitioner.(ECT)If you have an ECT forthe first time inSeptember, andwould like to use us asyour ECF provider,then please contactus or sign up via theform here.The vast majority of schools use a provider-led programme, for example working with TSH Berkshire and UCL,or Forest Learning Alliance and EDT, among others. There will be some changes to these programmes, butyour provider should tell you about those. In general these changes are:•Training for new mentors has been reduced from 2 years to 1 year.• Programmes include diagnostic tools to allow ECTs to focus on areas they most need to develop. • Programmes include more contextualisation to subject and phase with enhanced subject-specific materials and resources. This will include materials and resources to support teaching pupils with SEND. • Programmes are pitched in recognition that most ECTs will begin their training with a greater understanding of the framework from their ITT.There is a lot more information, including fundingdetails, on the gov.uk website here: Early career teacher entitlement (ECTE) support -GOV.UK At the hub, we are nowin the process ofsetting up theprogramme for nextacademic year. LocalArea Coordinators willbe asking for details ofECTs and mentors toorganise the clustergroups. The DfERegistration Service isnow open for inductiontutors to register newmentors and ECTs.

Appropriate BodyIf your school has not used our Appropriate BodyService this academic year, but you will beregistering ECTs with us in September, please lookat our website here for information, or sign up via our SLA here.

NPQWe are now well into delivery mode for cohort 8 of the NPQs and continue todeliver NPQH, NPQSL, NPQSENCO, NPQLPM and the combined specialistprogramme (NPQLTD, NPQLBC, NPQLT). Our facilitation team are committedto delivering the best sessions that they can and regularly receive verypositive feedback about the ways in which they go above and beyond tosupport participants.The cohort 7 specialistconsolidation conferencetakes place on 10 July and willbe an opportunity to celebratethe successes of participantsahead of their assessment inOctober. Cohort 6 leadershipparticipants have also recentlycompleted the programme andproceed to assessment inSeptember.thJenny EvansDeputy Director jevans@willink.w-berks.sch.ukUCL continues to be an excellent partner, responding to feedback and supporting our delivery of the leadershipinduction conference and our facilitator development conference. We enjoy and value this partnership.I just wanted to say thank you for your organisation of an insightful session. Itis always invaluable to have time to talk and learn with colleagues and to havethat guided by two very knowledgeable, warm and supportive practitioners.I loved the clarification of the key elements of the course. I had anopportunity to discuss with other colleagues and magpie good practices.

NPQ Continued...Fantastic, empoweringapproach – blends courseknowledge and networkedknowledge well.Finally, we were very excited to be hosting our first ever alumni event in June with DrRachel Roberts from the University of Reading. We hope this will become a valuableway for our NPQ graduates to go on extending their leadership development and tomaintain their links with one other as we look to deepen our local networks.Good opportunities fordiscussion and clearguidance throughout thecourse.There may well be funding challenges ahead, but we hope schoolswill continue to prioritise the investment in leadershipdevelopment given the notable impact these programmes canhave where school culture is supportive of participants, asoutlined in the recent report into the impact of NPQs which Iwould encourage you to browse here.If you have any questions aboutthe programmes or eligibilitycriteria as you begin to thinkahead for next term then pleasedon't hesitate to get in touch.Register yourexpression ofinterest forAutumn 2025here.

The Teaching School Hub is a core component in creating the structural web which both supports and encourages not teacher'training' but rather on-going professional development.The Golden ThreadPete Rowe, executive headteacher of Ryvers primary school in SloughWhen I first qualified 'teacher training' could mean as little as a firstdegree and then a PGCE and then teachers were left to their own devices.The situation is now very different, and we now look at 'developing' ourworkforce just as we plan a carefully sequenced and ambitious curriculumfor our youngsters.'Initial' teacher training is the beginning of a professional journey and onewhich schools in Slough often take with the Teaching School Hub withwhom there are close links. These include, in my case, one of my staffbeing on the interview panel for ITT and last year I had the privilege ofpresenting at the end of year celebration event for ECTs.Interactions with the Teaching School Hub continue with support for theearly career framework. We have several ECTs in the school, including twovery experienced but previously 'unqualified' teachers who we were keento help continue in their professional journey. One of our staff has alsotaken up the opportunity to facilitate on these sessions, which offers anextra layer of professional development for colleagues.SPOTLIGHT ONThis continuous and incremental growth is vital for professionaldevelopment. It is also a pragmatic example of life-long learning that alleducational institutions should promote. Working with the TeachingSchool Hub we encourage experienced teachers to undertake NPQs whichallow middle and senior leaders to take on wider responsibilities andprojects which benefit both themselves and the school, both for theduration of the programme and the legacy learning it leaves withparticipants.I do believe that senior leaders have a moralresponsibility to leave the profession in a betterplace and one way of doing this is to encouragecolleagues to undertake relevant professionallearning, encouraging the leaders of tomorrownot just to learn a hugely useful set of skills butalso to begin to build the personal networkswhich will sustain them during the hard times andcelebrate with them their on-going successes.This term’s spotlight on comes from Pete Rowe

TSH BERKSHIRE CONFERENCEIt was great to welcome so many of our facilitators and induction tutors to our annual conference inJune. This year our keynote speaker was Maggie Farrar, a former school leader who has also beenDirector of Leadership Development at the National College for School Leadership and now works with arange of schools and organisations on leadership development. Maggie’s session looked at the processof “being” a leader, as opposed to “doing” the role in what was an extremely though provoking and wellreceived session. The rest of the day was delivered by two of the programme leads from UCL focussingon developing facilitation skills, with a particular focus on working with adult learners.It was great to take the time to reflect on my role and I willdefinitely be sharing this with the senior leadership team.Very inspiring and loads of practical ideas!Great to have conversations todeepen our reflection on facilitating.Excellent delivery. Really good to unpickfacilitation in more detail. Appreciatedopportunities to discuss and debate withother delegates.First session was such an eye opener.

Wider Professional DevelopmentClick here for everything on offerfrom Whiteknights English Hub.Click here for the latestinformation from WhiteknightsEnglish Hub.Click here for everything on offerfrom the BBO Maths Hub. Click hereto find out about the latestinformation from BBO Maths Hub.Find out about everything thatMobius Maths Hub has to offerhere. Click here to find outabout the latest informationfrom Mobius Maths Hub.Find out about everything thatWhole School Send has to offerhere. Click here to find out aboutthe latest information from WholeSchool Send.As part of a regional Teaching School Hub partnership in the East of England, TSH Berkshire are proud to be supporting The MTPT Project mtpt.org.uk - the UK’s charity forparent-teachers (both maternity and paternity teachers). A full range of support from The MTPT Project is available, click here to find out more about theMTPT Project. Click here to find out the about the latest information from The MTPT Project.

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