The Education People Summer Newsletter 2023

Boosting the Effectiveness of Secondary Teaching Assistants

Schools in England spend approximately 34.4 billion on teaching assistants annually – that’s 13% of the entire national school budget. But how can leaders ensure that this is money well spent? From a relatively small base of approximately 79,000 teaching assistants in 2000, the number of TAs working in our schools has rocketed over the last two decades to something close to 250,000 today – an estimated 14% of the secondary school workforce.

Our expert advisers in the Secondary School Improvement Team see a huge range of wonderful practice in schools which are making highly effective use of teaching assistants to support their pupils. However, we are also acutely aware of some of the challenges that come from finding appropriate training and support that is suitable for these staff members and their very specific roles.

The Education Endowment Foundation’s recent report Making Best Use of Teaching Assistants highlights the need for high-quality training for teaching assistants. It is vital that these members of staff, who often spend more time with our most vulnerable young people, are well-equipped to support them in the most effective ways possible.

We have recently launched the Secondary Teaching Assistant Training Package, an extensive new E-learning package designed to support secondary schools to make the most of their TA workforce. The package is based on our extensive knowledge of current practice within the schools we support, and research-informed strategies about how to maximise the impact of these staff members in schools.

What’s Included?

The package comprises eight high quality modules:

• Supporting Children with SEMH Needs

• Restorative Conversations

• Inclusion: A Universal Approach

• Promoting Pupil Independence

• Working Effectively with Class Teachers

• Supporting Struggling Readers

• Maths Mindsets

• Maths: Asking the Right Questions.

For an introductory price of only £100 (+VAT) per TA all modules will be immediately accessible to be used in the order and times that suit your school calendar. Each module is accompanied by a downloadable resource that can be used to support classroom practice and prompt further development and discussion within school.

We also offer face-to-face consultancy for TAs working with SEND pupils. Our expert adviser will visit your school to offer bespoke support by listening to your individual needs and that of your students. Once they have been established, our adviser will give advice about particular students and offer effective strategies. This support can be delivered as one full day, or several shorter sessions throughout the academic year. The total cost for the SEND Supervision Day is £680.

For further details and to purchase this package please visit our website.

Designing and Developing Curriculum in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

Our Primary School Improvement Team are delighted to bring you this step by step guide to writing your own EYFS curriculum.

Written by Jan Dubiel, a nationally and internationally recognised specialist in early childhood education, together with Polly Sharman, Senior Improvement Adviser with The Education People, Designing and Developing Curriculum in the EYFS has been produced in response to an increasing need to clarify expectations and the understanding of how to design, develop and then implement the curriculum within EYFS provision.

Produced in collaboration with a group of primary schools.

• Aimed at all EYFS educators.

• Enables and supports educators in how to view and consider approaches to curriculum design and development.

• Helps with gaining a deep understanding of how curriculum design and development supports effective outcomes for children.

To purchase this guide at the competitive price of £150 (+VAT) please visit our website

Primary Leadership Grab Files

Effective Mathematics and Effective English

These handy ‘must have’ resources are concise, comprehensive and clear lists of everything that needs to be included in both a primary maths and a primary English subject leader’s folder. Once collated they can be ‘grabbed’ at a moment’s notice and will hold everything needed for meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders, governors and external visitors (such as Ofsted) and will evidence impact as a middle leader.

Both Grab Files are divided into five sections:

• Whole School Development

• Curriculum and Policies

• Monitoring

• Pupils Causing Concern

• Stakeholders (pupils, parents and governors).

Each section includes a wealth of templates which are included as downloadable, editable documents.

Priced at just £60 (+VAT) when purchasing individually. Or £100 (+VAT) when you purchase both Grab File resources at the same time.

When purchasing both resources please enter the discount code GRAB22 at the checkout when requested.

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Primary Leadership Grab Files

Ofsted

Strategic, operational and practical support all in one place so you are ready and prepared for when Ofsted announce their visit to your primary school.

The Primary Ofsted Leadership Grab File provides strategic, operational and practical support. It is a working document that supports school leaders preparation, including the process and actions for all staff following the initial call from Ofsted. This grab file will help everyone be aware of their role, and in addition systems to be in place, actions to be effective and communication streams to be seamless. It streamlines the actions that leaders need to take in their Ofsted preparation, helping to reduce workload and anxiety.

This is a brand new resource written in line with the Schools Inspection Handbook September 2022. It will support professional development of leaders who have not been through the Ofsted process in a leadership role.

The Grab File is divided into five comprehensive and detailed sections:

• Inspection Overview

• The Day Before the Inspectors Arrive in School

• Preparing for Ofsted

• The Equality Act 2010

• School Improvement.

User friendly templates and examples are easily accessible to reduce workload.

To purchase at the competitive price of just £75 (+VAT) please visit our website

The Education People Show 2023

We are delighted that our free-to-attend annual show will be returning this year on Wednesday 8 November.

We are very excited to be welcoming our keynote speakers Sir Ian Bauckham CBE and Rav Wilding

Sir Ian has worked in education since graduating from Cambridge University. He has led MFL departments and run a sixth form. He was headteacher of a large 11-18 Church of England comprehensive in Kent, rated as outstanding by Ofsted in 2012. He is currently CEO of Tenax Schools Trust which runs two Teaching School Hubs and trains teachers as a SCITT.

Sir Ian has a vantage point in the education system which gives insight into accountability, exams, professional development and inspection, amongst others. In his opening talk entitled Looking Down the Line: Challenges and Opportunities Ahead for Schools he will share those insights with us as we turn our eyes to the future and help us prioritise our plans for the near future.

Rav Wilding, a TV presenter and former soldier and detective, will be sharing with us his strategies for overcoming everyday hurdles. In his session An Uphill Climb, Rav will explain that his success hasn’t been without challenges. Recently diagnosed with autism and growing up with dyslexia and dyspraxia, Rav will talk about his struggles and how each day is an uphill climb, sharing strategies he has learnt in life to overcome everyday hurdles.

Alongside our keynote speakers our full and inspiring programme of workshops will run throughout the day, and the floor exhibition will be full of education suppliers to support your establishment. In addition there will be plenty of networking opportunities.

Join us at the Kent Event Centre, Detling, Kent for The Education People Show 2023.

Amazing Water Sports Activities for All This Summer!

We have put together an amazing line up of fun and exhilarating water sports activities for you to try this summer. Our centre at Bewl Water Outdoor Centre is fully equipped with everything you need to enjoy your chosen water activity. Whether it be something you have never tried before, or something you are experienced at and want to challenge yourself further, Bewl Water Outdoor Centre is the place to be for some fantastic water activities!

Our activities are available to children, adults, families, schools and community groups. Our latest blog ‘Amazing Water Activities for All This Summer!’ has all the information and inspiration you need to dip your toe in the water and try an amazing activity.

For queries or further information please contact the team at Bewl Water Outdoor Centre.

Your Children Don’t Need to be Bored This Summer…

Looking for something for your children to do during the summer holidays?

We have Mini Adventurers and Mega Adventurers Multi-activity Holiday Camps.

Both ‘Mini’ and ‘Mega’ groups will have a fantastic time of adventure packed activities at Bewl Water Outdoor Centre

Your children will experience different activities every day from canoeing to climbing, archery to bushcraft and stand up paddleboarding to axe throwing. Our highly experienced and qualified instructors will guide them throughout the day ensuring an amazing, fun and safe experience.

All you need to bring is your child. They will need to bring a sturdy pair of shoes, warm clothes if it’s cold, a change of clothes if they are going to get wet, a water bottle and their own lunch and snacks… we will do the rest!

Find out more:

• Mini Adventurers – for children aged 8 to 10 years of age - £35 per child.

• Mega Adventurers – for children aged 11 to 14 years of age - £35 per child.

For queries or further information please contact the team at Bewl Water Outdoor Centre.

Connected Communication: A Key Ingredient in Early Years Language Skills

The vast range of play opportunities at early years provisions gives children the chance to use and develop their emerging communication skills. Observing young children happily engaged in shared play is one of the greatest pleasures for practitioners as they watch early communication skills grow and develop.

But are the play interactions being observed resulting in ‘connected communication’? It is easy to assume that children playing together are in tune with each other’s play, but this may not always be the case.

Imagine the scenario of two children playing together with farmyard toys:

Child 1: “Oh no, the pigs are out of the pen!”

Child 2: “I’m washing the horse.”

Child 1: “I need to get them back in!”

Child 2: “He’s lovely and soft now.”

Now, imagine again, the same scenario:

In this interaction, each statement relates to the one prior, making a connected conversation and enabling the children to build upon their play ideas, as this would likely include non-verbal communication.

Child 1: “Oh no, the pigs are out of the pen!”

Child 2: “Oh no, quick, let me get the fence!”

Child 1: “Yes, get the fence, I’ll stop them here.”

Child 2: “Yes, we’ll get them straight back in.”

Although sharing the same toys, in this example their interaction is not connected in that their responses do not relate to the information shared, so their communication is disconnected.

Connected communication involves all participants in the learning journey and is a key factor in developing communication and language skills. Highly effective communication relies on being able understand and respond to a talk partner, so it is essential that young children get plenty of opportunities and support to practice this.

Adults can support connected communication better by understanding the difference between communication and connection:

- to communicate is to share information

- to connect is to have an experience whereby we tap into someone else’s feelings, thoughts and emotions to illicit a response that relates directly to our communication.

Adults can also model connected communication by responding to children with positive non-verbal communication, directly related comments or relevant questions. Some children find it difficult to engage with this because it is linked to how they understand others’ thoughts and feelings (theory of mind), but they will benefit immensely from adults’ modelling, which will give them lots of varied opportunities for play to practice their connected communication skills.

For more information on how we can support your team to better understand ‘connected communication’ and other key aspects of development in early years and childcare, please contact the Early Years & Childcare Service at threadsofsuccess@theeducationpeople.org to arrange an informal chat.

Take a look at our summer primary CPD Leaders Training Update. It give you details about our conferences, TEP Talks, E-learning, webinars, training packages and our Event Catalogue which lists our many training courses. For more information on our extensive offer please visit our website.

News In Brief

We offer CLEAPSS (Consortium of Local Education Authorities for the Provision of Science Services) school science membership to schools across the country at a discounted price! Save up to 11p per pupil! Take a look at what is included in the CLEAPSS membership: https://www.theeducationpeople.org/ products/safeguarding/cleapss-schoolscience-membership/

Refugee Week 2023 falls on 19-25 June, and this year celebrates it’s 25th anniversary. This year themed compassion, it is a festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and young people seeking sanctuary.

Our Equality Diversity Inclusion Team (EDIT) have been busy working with schools who are supporting refugee pupils. They will be hosting a session entitled Settling and Supporting Refugee Pupils in Your School at the Education People Show on 8 November 2023 – for further details and to register your place please click here. If you need help, support or advice regarding refugees and new arrivals please click here.

Please contact our dedicated team at cleapss@theeducationpeople.org for a tailored quote.

We also offer Radiation Protection Audits for Kent schools: https://www.theeducationpeople.org/ products/safeguarding/radiationprotection-audit/

Are you looking for a flexible, part time role to supplement an income or pension?

Or an opportunity that will support you returning to the workforce after a career break?

We are looking for dynamic, flexible individuals with great organisational and interpersonal skills and proven administrative experience. If that’s you, come and join The Clerking Service family!