Term 4 - ECT Induction Newsletter

Welcome to Term 4

We have developed this newsletter to let you know about the activities and 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

- Professional development time

- Assessment meetings

- What do we expect to see from you?

- Have you completed part of your induction in another authority?

- Are you struggling?

- Additional information for ECTs who started their induction period on at the beginning of this term

- Early Career Framework with Best Practice Network

- Guide to Successful Induction Webinar

- How to contact us

Reminders for Term 4

If you haven't already signed off your Term 3 assessment, 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 you begin to struggle during your induction period, it will be harder to argue that you 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 Meetings

The assessment meeting gives an opportunity for you and your tutor to discuss your progress and the grade that best represents your progress for the term. The meeting should take place towards the end of the term before the assessment is submitted. The E1. Grading Document can be accessed via ECT Manager – select ‘Resources’ from the menu.

Term 4: 27/03/2023

Term 5: 22/05/2023

Term 6: 17/07/2023

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 your tutor to highlight the comments that best fit the progress you are making at this point in time. This will help your tutor determine the overall grade you are working to. Once your tutor has highlighted the relevant comments, they can 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 your tutor has submitted the Interim Assessment on ECT Manager, when on the 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!

Are you making good use of your professional development time?

You only get this additional professional development time during your induction period so it is really important that you are using it effectively to aid your development. For a list of suggested activities, visit the ECT Handbook in the Resources section on ECT Manager – document E3, Suggestions for ECT release time.

Have you arranged a date for the pre assessment meeting?

What is it?

The pre assessment meeting gives an opportunity for you and your tutor to discuss the formal assessment and prepare comments for the assessment form as well as SMART targets.

When should it happen?

It should take place towards the end of term 4 before the assessment is submitted online. For more information on this, see guidance document C8 from the ECT handbook which can be accessed via ECT Manager – select ‘Resources’ from the menu.

What to do if you resign from your teaching post

The Induction Team should be informed by phone or email as soon as you have handed in your resignation. This is because it is necessary for the team to ensure that paperwork is correct and the TRA informed promptly.

If you leave part way through induction, your mentor 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 you and we can confirm what will need to be completed before you leaves your school.

In terms of the Early Career Framework your mentor 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. Your mentor must also inform your lead provider (Ambition Institute; Best Practice Network; Capita; Education Development Trust; Teach First or UCL Institute of Education).

What do we expect to see from you at this point in terms of progress?

Most of you are nearly a third of the way through your induction period and so we would now expect to see you making sustained improvements. You should be beginning to show consistency in meeting all the standards to at least a satisfactory level by the end of term 4.

Have you completed part of your induction in another authority?

If you have completed part of your induction in another authority, it is important to ensure you have informed your school and also the induction team as this time must count towards your induction. If you have any queries about this, please email the induction team.

Are you struggling?

Are you struggling or concerned about your progress? Always talk to your school-based mentor in the first instance and feel free to contact us at ect@kent.gov.uk for confidential support and guidance.

I was graded a D or an E in my last assessment. What happens next?

The Induction Team will contact your induction tutor/mentor by email in the first instance to find out whether you require additional support and therefore a meeting with the Induction Team. We are here to support you, so don't panic if we book a meeting to see you - we want to help you pass your induction!

Do you follow us on Social Media?

We send regular updates, reminders and links to resources on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram to keep you updated with what is expected of you during your induction period. It also offers the opportunity to seek support from colleagues, share best practice and discuss key topics.

Additional information for ECTs who started their induction period on at the beginning of this term

Observations and Meetings

Has your tutor/mentor agreed a date to observe you?

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 tutor/mentor?

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

Teachers’ Standards

Are you familiar with the Teachers’ Standards you will be expected to meet throughout your induction period?

For more information about the standards, log in to ECT Manager, select ‘Resources’ from the left hand side menu and click on ‘Teachers’ Standards’ to download the document.

We recommend that all ECTs use our ‘Evidencing the Standards’ document to help you keep a record of evidence that shows how you are meeting the Teachers’ Standards. This document helps you to record where your evidence is kept and is useful for discussions with your mentor about your progress. This document can also be found in the ‘Resources’ section on ECT Manager.

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

We have developed an ECT Induction Handbook which holds a wealth of information that you should find useful in your Induction period.

To access this, when logged in to ECT Manager, select ‘Resources’ from the left hand side menu. Recommended documents for ECTs 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

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 BPN (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 ECT 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.

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