
DfE: NPQLTD for ITT Lead Mentors
Registration for national professional qualification (NPQ) in Leading Teacher Development for initial teacher training (ITT) lead mentors
To support the ambition set out in the government response to the ITT review, all lead mentors for providers accredited to deliver ITT from September 2024 are eligible for scholarships for the NPQ in Leading Teacher Development. Lead mentors working in state-funded schools and 16-19 organisations should register using the name of their school or 16-19 organisation. Other lead mentors should:
- Select ‘Other’ when asked ‘What setting do you work in?’
- When asked ‘How are you employed?’, select ‘As a lead mentor for an accredited initial teacher training (ITT) provider’
Applicants registering in this way will need to verify that they are a lead mentor for a provider accredited to deliver ITT from September 2024 onwards; and that they intend to start their National Professional Qualification for Leading Teacher Development (NPQLTD) as part of the October 2023 or the February 2024 cohort.
For more information, please go to: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-professional-qualifications-npqs-reforms/national-professional-qualifications-npqs-reforms

DfE: Early Career Framework Induction Evaluation
On 26th May, the Department published an evaluation of the Early Career Framework (ECF) induction. The research builds on the interim report published in May last year, and is informed by surveys, interviews, and case studies. The key findings include:
- A very positive picture of retention with almost all (96%) of Early Career Teachers (ECTs) intending to stay in teaching for the next academic year and four in five saying that they intend to stay in teaching in five years’ time.
- Mentoring is highly valued and working well – ECTs rated their mentors highly and felt well supported and listened to.
- ECTs’ confidence in their abilities continues to grow – they feel more confident about setting and demonstrating high expectations, planning and teaching well-structured lessons and promoting progression by reflecting and building on pupils’ capabilities and prior knowledge; and the greatest gains in confidence were in behaviour management, assessment and adaptive teaching.
- However, workload continues to be a problem for some mentors – mentors are often senior staff and are coping with many sector-wide pressures. This meant it could be difficult to prioritise mentor training and find time to observe lessons.
Ultimately, the success of the new induction approach and Early Career Framework comes down to the hard work from mentors and induction tutors who day in day out work with our early career teachers, helping them to be the best that they can for the pupils they teach. A big ‘thank you’ to all colleagues involved!
Spencer Teaching School Hub is very proud to be part of this journey supporting schools with how we continuously improve the support and training we offer to our new career starters. We are committed to working with our lead provider, the Education Development Trust, and the DfE in how we respond to the challenges raised by this research and remain committed to supporting schools.
You can read the full research here.
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DfE Press release: Boost for teacher training bursaries by up to £10,000 a year
Over £180 million now available to attract trainee teachers in high priority subjects for courses starting in 2023/24.
Graduates applying to train as teachers in high priority subjects will receive increases to tax-free cash bursaries and scholarships from next year under government plans to recruit and retain top talent.
For aspiring teachers starting their training in September 2023, bursaries worth £27,000 and scholarships worth £29,000 will draw talented trainees into the highest-priority STEM (science, technology and mathematics) subjects of mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing.
£25,000 bursaries and £27,000 scholarships will be offered to prospective languages teachers – up £10,000 on this academic year.
Bursary and scholarship eligibility is being extended to all non-UK national trainees in physics and languages.
The generous package is worth £181 million in total, up £52 million on the current academic year, and will help ensure there are excellent teachers across the country, developing the pipeline of skills that the future UK economy will need.
A new relocation premium for overseas nationals coming to England to teach or train in these subjects was confirmed earlier this year in the Schools White Paper, which will help with visa costs and other expenses.
Teachers in the first five years of their career teaching mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing in disadvantaged schools are also able to claim the Levelling Up Premium, worth up to £3,000 tax free.
Schools Minister Jonathan Gullis said:
As a former teacher, I know that investing in our teachers is investing in young people. These generous bursaries and scholarships will attract the brightest and the best into teaching.
Shoring up the talent pipeline to teach vital subject areas such as STEM and languages will, in turn, equip young people with the knowledge and skills they need to secure a bright future, and ensure that our economy remains globally competitive.
Further bursaries available include those for aspiring geography teachers, who will receive £25,000, an increase of £10,000, while £20,000 bursaries for biology and design & technology represent increases of £10,000 and £5,000 respectively on the current academic year. A £15,000 tax-free bursary for English will also be reintroduced.
The funding available is the latest step towards the Government’s intention, set out earlier this year in the Schools White Paper, for every child to be taught by an excellent teacher.
It is also part of broader work to raise the profile of teaching. Earlier this year the Government announced the highest pay awards for teachers in a generation – 8.9 percent increases for new teachers and five percent for experienced teachers and leaders – in recognition of their hard work and supporting with the cost of living, while also reflecting the need for the sound management of schools’ budgets.
Louis Barson, Director of Science, Innovation and Skills at the Institute of Physics said:
Great physics teaching opens up career opportunities in a broad and growing range of career paths: from developing new cancer treatments to tackling climate change.
We are pleased to be delivering the government’s scholarships programme for physics teachers, helping tackle the physics teacher shortage and focussing on areas with the greatest need for specialists, enhancing the life chances of local pupils.
Scholars will benefit from additional financial support, access to experienced professional coaching, high-quality resources and a mutually supportive community.

NEW DfE Golden Thread Webinar – Thursday 7th July
On Thursday 7 July, the DfE will host a webinar to share more information about how the department is supporting teachers at every stage of their career through the Golden Thread, covering Initial Teacher Training (ITT), the Early Career Framework reforms (ECF) and National Professional Qualifications (NPQs).
This webinar is suited towards headteachers, executive leaders, senior leaders, governors, finance managers and other roles which manage strategic decisions around teaching, learning, personnel, and finance.
The webinar will cover:
- An overview of what the Golden Thread is, and the high-quality, ongoing training opportunities which are included.
- The benefits of helping to train the next generation of teachers by hosting ITT trainees in your schools, and the support which is available to you.
- The advantages of the DfE-funded provider-led ECF based programmes, what we are doing to improve their implementation and delivery, and how we are supporting schools, ECTs and mentors to understand them.
- The NPQs which are available to staff across the country, the unprecedented support which is available, and how to access the qualifications.
This event is likely to be popular so please visit the link below to secure a ticket:
https://tinyurl.com/4atavj7k
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Mighty Special Conference Offer
This fantastic day event, held at The Education Exchange Conferencing Centre in Knottingley, will focus upon preparing children and young people today for tomorrow’s industries.
Our keynote speakers include Dr. Jim Al-Khalili, Theoretical Physicist, Author and Broadcaster, and Sean Culey, speaker and author of books and publications on disruptive technologies. Suitable for colleagues supporting, teaching or leading science in all phases and contexts, from early years to post-16, the morning session will centre upon developing rich scientific knowledge, with the afternoon dedicated to how schools can engage with local industry to strengthen the quality of science education in our region.
The event is heavily subsidised by the SLP at a cost of £75 per participant plus VAT.
We invite you and your colleagues working in science to participate and join us there.
There is a booking link below:
Inaugural Annual Exchange SLP Conference | STEM
Inaugural Annual Exchange SLP Conference | STEM
Date Time Location; Inaugural Annual Exchange SLP Conference: 13 July 2022: 09:30-15:00: Education House
Kind Regards,
Anna
Anna Cummings
Finance and HR Manager
Mon – Fri 8:30 – 4:00
Phone during office hours 07411 529201

DfE Consultation: Appropraite Body Reforms and Induction Assessment
Spencer Teaching School Hub have been advised of a new DfE consultation: Appropriate body reforms and induction assessment
In the ‘Opportunity for all’ white paper, published in March 2022, the department committed to reforming the role of the appropriate body (AB). In the induction guidance for ABs published in 2021 the department also committed to introducing stronger quality assurance of the AB sector.
In response, the department has, today, launched a consultation on ‘Appropriate body reform and induction assessment – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)’. The consultation document announces the decision to move to a system in which teaching school hubs (TSHs) will become the main providers of AB services and Local Authorities will no longer carry out this role. This will enable quality assurance of AB services through existing contractual relationships with TSHs.
It is consulting on a provisional transition end date of September 2023 and would like to invite ABs to feed back on the delivery implications for the current AB sector, to inform planning for capacity building and a timeframe that will enable a well-managed transition.
To inform improvements to the AB role and to help policy development, the consultation is also seeking views on how the responsibilities of ABs can be improved as well as the value of the formal assessment process.
All ABs are encouraged to engage with this consultation to enable a successful transition and to help improve the quality of AB services and the induction experience for ECTs. Please read the ‘Appropriate body reform and induction assessment: Consultation document’ and provide responses to the consultation via the following link: https://consult.education.gov.uk/induction-regulations-and-appropriate-bodies-policy/appropriate-body-reform-and-induction-assessment/
The department asks that ABs also cascade links to this consultation to the schools, trusts and teachers they work with, to encourage them to share their experiences of induction so that we can work to ensure the regulatory system serves the needs of ECTs.
The consultation will run for eight weeks until 21 July 2022, the government is expected to publish its response to the consultation in Autumn 2022.
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DfE Press Release: Schools White Paper
Schools White Paper delivers real action to level up education
Schools White Paper, Opportunity for All, sets out plans to make sure every child can reach the full height of their potential.
View the Schools White Paper Press Release Here

DfE Early Career Framework Induction Tutors – Update
The DfE have released an update regarding ECF participants moving schools.
Update from the DfE regarding participants moving schools
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DfE Early Career Framework CIP Accredited Materials – Update
NEW DfE Early Career Framework CIP Accredited Materials – Update
The DfE-accredited materials will no longer be available via the WordPress site from 30 April 2022.
Schools who want to access the DfE-accredited materials can now access them via the digital service: Support for early career teachers (education.gov.uk).
As a reminder, the Department has also put together the following webpages for induction leads containing the handbooks and training outlines for the DfE-accredited materials.
Schools who want to access the DfE–accredited materials to deliver an early career framework (ECF) based induction should continue to select only one set of materials as the basis of their programme, and register with the DfE’s online service here to access their chosen DfE-accredited materials: Support for early career teachers (education.gov.uk)
For queries about accessing or using these materials please contact continuing-professional-development@digital.education.gov.uk
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ECF and NPQ Update from Minister of State for School Standards
ECF and NPQ Update
Please CLICK HERE to view letter from Minister of State for School Standards that was sent to all schools.
Date: 11th March 2022
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