Welcome

Hello! And welcome to our first newsletter of 2025. It feels rather late to wish you a happy new year, so we shall simply express the hope that January isn't treating you too harshly.

It's been all go here at the Julian Teaching School Hub as we welcomed ECTs (and mentors) beginning their induction this term to their introductory conference. We've also delivered various NPQ face to face sessions, and training for new induction tutors. Amongst all of that, we still found time to convene members of our steering group to help us choose our new NPQ provider AND join ITT providers from across the region at the Forum in Norwich for a Get into Teaching event. All of this while navigating the start of a new school term. Phew!

Read on for news from Norfolk Research School, some wellbeing tips to help you get through the darkest months of the year, and everything we know so far about spring NPQs.

BREAKING NEWS!

In case you (somehow!) missed it: the Julian TSH has agreed a partnership with Ambition Institute to deliver NPQs from spring 2025. You can read more about this in the news item below.

And finally...

Norfolk Research School is running a two-part webinar series, Maximising Maths: Metacognition and Manipulatives, in March. Join NRS Deputy Director (and year 6 teacher) Rachael Wilson as she talks through some of the trickier-to-nail evidence-based practices in Maths. Find out more and book your free place here.

Plus, if maths is really your thing, you can read a blog from Rachael on the subject here: Mathematical Manipulatives – Why and how?

Keep in touch

You can follow us on X, Bluesky, and LinkedIn, sign up to receive this newsletter - or just drop us an email.

Spotlight on... ECT induction programme updates

• StepLab training for ECTs and Mentors: Each term Ambition Institute runs StepLab training sessions for participants on the ECT programme to either learn or revisit StepLab in relation to their role - this term's dates are in the news item below.
• Ambition Institute are expecting a full Ofsted inspection into our ECF Programme between January and June 2025. Find out what this might mean for you in the news item below.

Focus on... NPQs

We're excited to be working with Ambition Institute to deliver NPQs from spring 2025. Read on to find out what we do and don't know right now:

Funding

Funding will work the same way as for the autumn 2024 cohort, with the NPQLPM, NPQH, and NPQ SENCO funded for colleagues in all state-funded settings. For the remainder of the NPQs, funding is available for colleagues in state-funded settings with the highest proportion of students attracting pupil premium funding. It is expected that the list of schools eligible will be very similar to the list released in autumn 2024.

The total number of funded places, including for the H, LPM, and SENCO, is once again capped. Eligibility for funding does not guarantee a place on a funded NPQ course.

Applications

In order to be accepted onto an NPQ, you must complete both the provider's application form, and registration on the DfE site. If possible, you should do both at the same time to avoid a delay in us processing your application.

Applications are open now via Ambition Institute's website; however, the DfE site does not open for registrations until February 10. Therefore, the Julian TSH will not be processing applications until the DfE registration opens.

Currently, we are accepting applications for the NPQ SENCO only. Applicants from autumn 2024 who chose to defer their place to a future cohort have been automatically added to the spring 2025 applications list. These applicants still need to complete the DfE registration in order to be considered for the course.

Qualifications on offer

We are still in the process of finalising our plans as to which qualifications we will be able to offer for spring. As a delivery partner previously working with TDT, we have been subject to DfE decisions regarding the number of places made available to us. We are interested in hearing from you as to which qualifications you would like us to offer: please complete our expression of interest form to let us know.

As soon as we have more information we will add it to our website, so please keep an eye on it.

Focus on... You!

The first couple of months of the year are generally a bit rubbish: not enough daylight, cold and wet, not a huge amount to look forward to. So we've collated some useful wellbeing content, should you find you need a pick me up.

• It may be a bit late for same of you, but we enjoyed this blog about setting healthy goals for the year ahead and why some resolutions can do more harm than good.
• An evergreen topic, particularly in the education sector: How to manage and reduce stress.
• Not all winter gloom is just something to be expected - it can be a sign of seasonal affective disorder. Read more about this condition and how to manage it here.
• A lesson for us all: Is it better to fail half the time than do nothing at all? Of course! Author and poet Leena Norms explains the fine art of being slapdash and happy.