Welcome

Hello! And welcome to this Early Career Teachers Programme newsletter.  We are delighted to welcome our January 2024 starters - a small but select group - to the programme. We look forward to working with you.

Please read this email carefully: it contains important information.

Mentor swaps
If you are changing an ECT's mentor (for any reason), please make sure that you:

• Let us know
• Update the DfE online service, Manage Training for Early Career Teachers.

Following these simple steps will allow the new mentor to access both StepLab and any relevant training in good time.

Speaking of StepLab: 

StepLab Training sessions
Ambition Institute is running StepLab training sessions for ECTs, mentors, and induction tutors, to familiarise or reacquaint themselves with some key aspects of Steplab relevant to their role. Each session will be 30-45 minutes long. You can find the dates and links to join here.

Please note that these sessions are not being run by the Julian Teaching School Hub - please direct any queries to Ambition Institute.

PLEASE READ THE SECTION OF THIS EMAIL THAT CORRESPONDS TO WHEN YOU/YOUR ECT BEGAN THE PROGRAMME.

Please also check out the news items below!

Spotlight on... NPQs

This is the final year of guaranteed funding for NPQs - don’t miss out on gaining a nationally recognised qualification at no cost to you or your school! The application deadline for spring 2024 cohorts is 5 February.

The NPQ in Leading Teacher Development is ideal for current or aspiring ITT and ECT mentors who wish to enhance and formalise their experience in supporting the development of colleagues. It is also valuable for current and aspiring senior leaders in charge of Teaching and Learning.

A former NPQLTD participant had this to say: "This was the perfect balance of teaching, supporting others, and developing my leadership skills and knowing that I was going about things in research supported way."

Julian TSH Deputy Director Kate Atkins says, "Partly as a result of successfully completing the NPQLTD I have secured a new position within my MAT, as Professional Development Lead and have started an exciting exploration into how MAT-wide CPD can be used more effectively."

Want to find out more?  Join the Julian Teaching School Hub, Inspiration Teaching School Hub, and Norfolk County Council for an online twilight event, NPQs - what you need to know, on Thursday 25 January, 4-4.30pm.

Register to attend here.

Focus on... The Julian TSH blog

You may have noticed that we've added a section to our newsletters highlighting recent posts on our blog. After leaving the page dormant for several years, we've reinvigorated it with the series How I Use... and several longer-form case studies that we've conducted with individuals and schools.

How I Use... is ideal for trainee and early career teachers: a series of short articles explaining the evidence base around a particular approach, with an example of exactly what it looks like in a classroom..

We're grateful to Norfolk Research School for their permission to repost these articles - head over to the blog and look out for the co-branded posts.

January 2024 starters

Mentors:

• Mentor induction conference: 31 January all day, face to face.

Mentors should all have been booked onto this conference by their school.

ECTs:

• ECT induction conference: 8 February all day, face to face.

ECTs should all have been booked onto this conference by their school.

• ECT conference 2: 29 April all day, face to face.

ECTs will be contacted about this conference nearer the time.

• ECT clinic 2: 4, 5, 6, 7 March 3.30-5pm online.

ECTs will be allocated a clinic date and sent joining instructions; if they are unable to attend the date allocated, they should contact us to be reallocated. January starters will slot into the existing clinic schedule and attend clinic one at the end of their programme.

September 2023 starters

Mentors:

• Mentor clinic 1: 29, 30, 31 January, 1 February 3.30-5pm, online.

Mentors have already been contacted about this clinic.

ECTs:

• ECT conference 2: 31 January, 1,6 February all day, face to face.

ECTs have been invited to book their place on this conference; please ensure they are able to attend.

• ECT clinic 2: 4, 5, 6, 7 March 3.30-5pm online.

ECTs will be allocated a clinic date and sent joining instructions; if they are unable to attend the date allocated, they should contact us to be reallocated. 

September 2022/January 2023 starters

ECTs:

• ECT clinic 5: 11, 12, 13, 14 March 4-5pm, online.

ECTs will be allocated a clinic date and sent joining instructions; if they are unable to attend the date allocated, they should contact us to be reallocated. 

September 2021/January 2022 starters (part time)

Please join September 2022 cohort sessions where you/your ECT has not previously attended.

Keep in touch

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