Term 4 - Induction Tutor / Mentor Newsletter

Welcome to Term 4

This newsletter has been written to support ECT Induction tutors/mentors and includes the activities/information that we consider to be most useful in term 4.

If you haven't already done so, please complete and digitally sign any outstanding assessments. This is now a matter of urgency.

Check your email for reminders of any assessments still awaiting completion.

What is in this Newsletter:

- Assessment date deadlines

- How to submit the E1 Grading document

- ECT Conference – for Primary and Secondary ECTs

- Training for tutors and mentors

- What should you expect to see from your ECT?

- Is your ECT struggling?

- Extending an induction period

- Is there a charge for additional support?

-

What to do if your ECT resigns

- Has your ECT completed part of their induction in another authority?

- Guide to Successful Induction

- Additional information for tutors whose ECTs started their induction period at the beginning of this term

- Early Career Framework (ECF)

- Best Practice Network - ECF

- How to contact us

Reminders for Term 4

You should have completed your ECT's assessment and so if you haven't already, please make this a priority. As a reminder the assessment grades are as follows:

A: This ECT is currently making excellent progress towards meeting the induction standards.

B: This ECT is currently making good progress towards meeting the induction standards.

C: This ECT is making satisfactory progress towards meeting the induction standards.

D: This ECT is making limited progress towards the induction standards.

E: This ECT is not making any progress towards the induction standards.

The term 4 assessment is due by 27th March. For the majority of ECT’s who started in September this will be an interim assessment (the same as the assessment in Term 3).

Interim Assessments

For all our ECTs, we do expect to see the E1 Grading document against the Teachers’ Standards. This should be submitted on ECT manager and can be done by the ECT or the mentor. We ask for this as it forms the evidence for the grade awarded that term. If there isn’t any evidence and the ECT begins to struggle during their induction period, it will be harder to argue that they are making sufficient progress. It is therefore important for ECTs to be proactive and ensure this document is uploaded at each interim assessment point. Instructions for uploading the E1 document are on page 4 .

Assessment date deadlines

Term 4: 27/03/2023

Term 5: 22/05/2023

ECT Absence Reporting

Please keep a note of how many days absence your ECT has throughout the year because you will be asked to submit the number of days absence in the full assessments at the end of Year 1 and Year 2. Those that have more than 30 days absence per year, may require an extension to their induction period. We will be in touch directly with mentors if this is likely to affect your ECTs.

Term 6: 17/07/2023

Please note: ECT’s can only start their induction period once they have QTS and it is the school’s responsibility to check their ECT’s QTS certificate to verify this.

How to submit the ‘E1—Grading Using the Teachers’ Standards’ document on ECT Manager

Under each of the Teachers’ Standards within the E1 document, there are comments relating to the different grades. We would like you to highlight the comments that best fit the progress your ECT is making at this point in time. This will help you determine the overall grade your ECT is working to. Once you have highlighted the relevant comments, save a copy of the revised document so that it is ready to be uploaded to ECT Manager. Please note: we are not expecting anyone to be graded as an ‘A’ grade at the end of their fourth term. There may be elements of ‘A - excellent’ under some of the Teachers’ Standards but we would expect the majority of ECTs to be working to a ‘C - Satisfactory’ level.

After you have submitted the Interim Assessment on ECT Manager, when on your ECT’s overview page, select:

• ECT documents (on the left-hand side of the page)

• Add a new document (in green)

• Complete the document name and description

• Select ‘Choose file’ to upload the E1 document

• Select ‘Save ECT Document’ (in green)

• If the document is saved successfully the following will appear at the top of your screen:

• The document will then be ready for the ECT Induction Team to review. Please note: we will be expecting it to be submitted with the next interim assessment. Any problems meeting this deadline, please get in touch.

Welcome‘Live Well,

to Teach Well

- A wellbeing toolkit for early career teachers’ - Kelly Hannaghan (Mental Health and Wellbeing Consultant, The Education People)

44% of teachers plan to quit by 2027, according to the latest NEU (National Education Union) poll. Half of those (22%) intend to leave within two years. There has never been a more important time to consider how to keep you well in your roles as Early Career Teachers. This keynote has been designed with you in mind and will explore the current factors contributing to work related stress and challenge. Take-away strategies and tools to help overcome the barriers for a flourishing career in education.

Aims of the session are to help ECTs recognise their energy levels, develop self-awareness to reduce the symptoms of burnout, reflect on how to harness a resilient approach to working in education, understand how we think, feel and behave and how this impacts outcomes and to explore practical solutions to boost wellbeing.

Workshop 1‘The Inclusive classroom’ - Kristian Lasslett (Assistant Headteacher, Head of Lower Site and SENCO, The Royal Harbour Academy)

The session will cover the mainstream teacher as a teacher of SEND; Providing context for the inclusion by design agenda and how to meet your anticipatory duty in the classroom; The importance of ordinarily available resources and the impact on children & young people; How Quality first Teaching is part of the SEND continuum of support.

Workshop 2‘Behaviour for classroom management’ - Peter Stewart (Principal Lead Special, Pru & SRP, The Education People)

The session will cover how you manage behaviour in the classroom - building relationships; How you communicate with pupils in the classroom – tone cadence and volume; Body language- what are your movements and gestures saying; Routines for good classroom management.

Workshop 3‘Working smarter not harder: Making the most of your time to promote pupil learning’Louise Agley (Specialist Lead Adviser English, Curriculum, T&L, The Education People)

Teaching is one of the most rewarding of careers but it is also one in which workload and expectations can seem overwhelming, especially as you begin your journey in the profession. This session will explore evidence-informed strategies to make your workload manageable without sacrificing your impact in the classroom. We will cover areas including developing efficient routines, making feedback manageable, and practical planning and resourcing.

Workshop 4 - ‘4 Principles for Assessment: Design, Comparison, Reliability and Inference’ - Andrew Woods (Specialist Lead Adviser Mathematics, The Education People)

Assessment is challenging for many reasons. One of the challenges is that we don’t always have a shared vocabulary and agreed meanings for assessment. For example, what do we mean by flight paths, progress, age related expectations, norm referencing, criteria referencing to name but a few. Each school and training provider will have their own vocabulary and meaning to describe assessment. But how often do we clarify their meaning? In this session Andrew will support you to navigate the vocabulary and consider the principles of assessment that underpin it. Firstly, he will consider the purpose of assessment and then proceed to review four vital principles for assessment: Design, Comparison, Reliability and Inference.

Conference close - Lee Parkinson (ICT with Mr. P)

Mr P has been a classroom teacher for over 12 years and still works part-time in school. He also now works internationally with schools looking to embed technology to transform learning. He puts pedagogy at the heart of everything he does and is the most followed teacher on social media in the UK. Mr P will close the conference with his addictive enthusiasm, leaving you feeling inspired as well as offering tips on how to succeed in the best career in the world! He loves sharing ideas and is sure to include the humorous side of life as a teacher!

Follow this link to book a place!

If your answer to the above questions is no, we highly recommend you attend our online tutor / mentor training session which is scheduled to take place on 9th March.

This course is ideal for those who are new to mentoring ECTs or haven’t attended a session in the last 5 years. The interactive course will ensure you understand what your role entails including the recently revised statutory roles and responsibilities, what best practice looks like and where to go for help and advice.

To book on to the training, please follow the relevant link below: 9 March 2023 Early Career Teacher Induction Tutor / Mentor Training

What should you expect to see from your ECT at this point?

For ECTs who are almost a third of their way through their 2 year induction period, we would now expect to see them making sustained improvements. They should be beginning to show consistency in meeting all the standards to at least a satisfactory level by the end of term 4.

Is your ECT struggling?

If you have any doubts about your ECT’s progress, it is important to raise them with your ECT asap as they may be a cause for concern. Please contact ect@kent.gov.uk if your ECT is struggling, or if you would like some help and guidance on the cause for concern procedure.

I graded my ECT as D or E in the last assessment. What happens next?

The Induction Team will contact you by email in the first instance to find out whether you require additional

Extending an NQT or ECT’s induction period

If you wish to extend your NQT / ECT’s induction period, you must make this recommendation to the Induction Team before the end of your NQT / ECT’s induction. We will then liaise with you to ensure your NQT / ECT meets the statutory extension criteria and if so, talk to your NQT / ECT about their right to appeal against this decision. Our advice is that you alert us to the possibility that an extension may be needed as early as possible.

Please bear in mind that a school cannot extend an NQT / ECT’s induction period without prior agreement from their Appropriate Body.

Is there a charge for any additional support?

There isn’t a charge for a member of the Induction Team to visit your school to discuss initial concerns regarding an ECT and set up an action plan, as long as we are alerted to the issues before the last 4 terms of their induction.

If the support becomes ongoing then there will be a charge for this. However, this is rare and you would always be consulted prior to us raising any charge.

What to do if your ECT resigns

The Induction Team should be informed by phone or email as soon as you know that the ECT is resigning. This is because it is necessary for the team to ensure that paperwork is correct and the TRA informed promptly.

Mentors whose ECTs leave part way through induction may be required to complete a ‘half term assessment’. The team needs to know in good time to ensure that the correct assessment is available for completion.

Please contact the team if you think this will apply to one of your ECTs and we can confirm what will need to be completed before the ECT leaves your school.

In terms of the Early Career Framework you will need to access the DfE online service portal (the same portal used to add the ECT and Mentor) and select the ECT and Mentor and remove. You must also inform your lead provider (Ambition Institute; Best Practice Network; Capita; Education Development Trust; Teach First or UCL Institute of Education).

Has your ECT completed part of their induction in another authority?

If your ECT has completed part of their induction in another authority, it is important to ensure this is recorded on ECT Manager as this time must count towards their induction. If the time isn’t declared when the ECT starts at your school, it may cause problems later on. If you have any queries about this, please email the induction team.

Guide to Successful Induction Webinar

For those ECTs who have not yet attended a Guide to Successful Induction Webinar, please ensure they are added to our waiting list. We will then inform your ECT when a date becomes available for the next session. The FREE webinar will ensure your ECT understands their role and responsibilities throughout their induction (note, induction is separate to the Early Career Framework). It covers everything ECTs need to know about induction including termly assessments. Please click the date to book a place:

Click here to add your ECT to the Guide to Successful Induction waiting list

Additional information for tutors whose ECTs started their induction period at the beginning of this term

Is your ECT familiar with the standards they will be expected to meet throughout their induction period?

For a copy of the standards, log in to ECT Manager, select ‘Resources’ from the left hand side menu and select ‘Teachers’ Standards’ to download the document.

We recommend that all ECTs use our ‘Evidencing the Standards’ document to help them keep a record of evidence that shows how they are meeting the Teachers’ Standards. This document can also be found in the ‘Resources’ section on ECT Manager

Do you know where to access key documents to support Induction?

To access the ECT Induction Handbook, when logged in to ECT Manager, select ‘Resources’ from the horizontal green menu bar.

Recommended documents for those at the start of their induction are:

A1. ECT Term and Assessment Dates

B5. Induction Tutor and ECT Checklist

B6. Overview of the Induction Process (in a timeline)

C1. Summary of Meetings

E1. Grading Using the Teachers’ Standards

E3. Effective Use of ECT release time

E4. Evidencing the Teachers’ Standards

H1. ECT Impact File - Checklist

Has a date been set to observe the ECT?

Statutory regulations stipulate that an ECT should be formally observed in the first 4 weeks and thereafter at least once in any 6-8 week period (i.e. one per Kent term). Informal observations may be on-going as and when necessary.

Have you set up regular meetings with your ECT?

You should be meeting with them regularly (ideally once a week) during this first assessment period to agree targets and to discuss their progress. Most meetings will be informal but you should have a formal meeting with your ECT at the end of each Kent term.

Are your ECTs registered for Induction as well as the Early Career Development Programme? – they are 2 separate registrations!

If you are appointing ECTs, don’t forget to:

1. Register them with us as the Appropriate Body on ECT Manager for Induction.

2. Register your ECT on our Best Practice Network Early Career Development Programme (FIP) –by following the steps below:

The School Induction Tutor responsible for the ECF in school must register their ECTs and Mentors on the DfE Online Service (whichever Lead Provider you choose will then collect additional details directly from the ECTs and ECMs to enable allocation to their local training group).

If you choose Best Practice Network registering with them consists of three parts:

1. if your school has not yet had an ECT, or is changing Lead Provider to Best Practice Network, you will be prompted with instructions for next steps within the DfE Online Service

2. if your school has not yet had an ECT or is changing Lead Provider, the school will also need to register with Best Practice Network via the BPN website School’s registration form

**When you get to the question “If you were directed here by a local Teaching School Hub, Multi-School Organisation or training partner, please select from the dropdown below” select The Education People**

Once the above has been completed,

3. BPN will share a ‘BPN registration link’ for ECTs and ECMs (mentors) to set up their accounts (note, BPN will only share these links once the application has been completed on the ‘DFE Online Service’ portal). This link will arrive via email so please keep an eye on your inbox and also junk emails in case it lands there.

***If you have chosen an alternative provider for the delivery of the ECF, please liaise with your chosen provider on how to ensure you are appropriately registered for the delivery of the ECF.***

Are you following the ECF Full Induction Programme (FIP) with Best Practice Network and The Education People?

Did you know? Attendance at the ECF face to face and online events is essential for the required engagement with the ECF programme. Failure to attend events and engage sufficiently with the online modules on Canvas could impact on the funding your school receives from the Department for Education, for you to be registered on the ECF programme with Best Practice Network (partnered with The Education People ECT Induction Team).

What is classed as engagement?

Engagement is defined as attending face to face and online events, watching a recording of an event (if attendance is impossible) and interacting with the modules on Canvas, the virtual learning environment.

How do the DFE know who is engaging with the ECF Programme?

BPN are expected to provide evidence of engagement to the DfE in order to secure each schools funding. Canvas records which participants have engaged and ECF facilitators also mark registers of attendance at each event and this forms the evidence to show which ECTs and ECMs are participating appropriately with the programme and are therefore eligible for the funding.

How do I access Canvas?

It is best to access Canvas via the participant dashboard. The participant dashboard is your go-to portal for everything to do with your ECM Journey. This can be used to:

• View your schedule of events for the year (‘Events’ tab)

• Access the links to your online events (‘Events’ tab)

On the right hand side, of your dashboard you will see a link to Canvas which is the Virtual Learning Environment – where you will undertake the online modules.