New support for trainee teachers
Expert panel will draft guidance to support teachers in their first years on the job
New teachers will get additional advice and support during the first years of their careers thanks to a panel of experts, which met for the first time today.
The group of experts, led by Professor Sam Twiselton OBE, Director of Sheffield Institute of Education at Sheffield Hallam University, will be reviewing the content of teacher training and recommending ways to align this with the Early Career Framework – the biggest teaching reform in a generation – announced in January 2019.
The new guidance will underpin a training programme for all new teachers, beginning with updated core content for teacher training, leading into the Early Career Framework once qualified.
Minister for School Standards Nick Gibb said:
The Early Career Framework is a fundamental shift in the support available to teachers starting out in their careers, ensuring newly qualified teachers continue to be mentored to help them develop the key skills teachers need.
The advisory group that convened today will play an essential role in helping us to ensure that the training teachers receive is consistent, and of the highest quality, as the full programme is rolled out.
Prof. Twiselton has vast experience of developing curriculum content for teacher training. She will be supported by six leaders in education and teacher training, encompassing views from across the sector, including leading academics and teacher training providers. The other members of the group are:
- James Noble Rogers, Executive Director of the Universities Council for the Education of Teachers
- Emma Hollis, Executive Director of the National Association of School Based Teacher Training
- Professor Becky Francis, Director of the Institute of Education, University College London
- Marie Hamer, Executive Director of Learning Design and Teaching Programmes at Ambition Institute.
- Reuben Moore, Executive Director of programme development at Teach First
- John Blake, Director of Policy and Strategy at NowTeach.
Professor Sam Twiselton OBE said:
The highest performing countries around the world share a focus on developing teachers, which will be at the heart of what this group is looking to achieve.
Bringing initial teacher training and the Early Career Framework into close alignment provides a unique opportunity to ensure all newly qualified teachers have access to a shared understanding of how best to develop in their careers.
James Noble Rogers and Emma Hollis said:
We’re pleased to represent university and school-led teacher training providers in this essential work to underpin effective teacher education.
Throughout our work on this advisory group, we will take the core principles and values of teacher training into account, including the value of research and the development of intelligent practitioners.
Launched in the Department’s Recruitment & Retention Strategy, the Early Career Framework guarantees that new teachers will receive a two-year package of training and support at the start of their career, including a reduced timetable to allow teachers to make the most of their training.
Extra investment will also be pledged, through the £42million Teacher Development Premium, to roll-out the Early Career Framework early in the North East, Bradford, Doncaster and Greater Manchester.
The group is expected to make its final recommendations by the end of the summer 2019, with publication timed to best support the national roll-out of both the Early Career Framework and Ofsted’s new inspection framework.
For any queries about this review, contact the ITT policy team at: itt.policy@education.gov.uk.