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Millais School

Depot Road

Horsham

West Sussex

RH13 5HR

Phone: 01403 267890

Fax: 01403 211729

E-mail: caroline.carroll@millais.org.uk

Alliance Website Visit our website for further details

of our work http://www.millaisalliance.org.uk/

Follow us on our Twitter feed on the Alliance home page @Millais Alliance

July 2018 update Dear Colleagues As another busy year draws to a close I would like to draw your attention to the detail of the newsletter. Current Teaching School initiatives have been included and up to date links to support materials and in-formation from the Teaching Schools Council and the DfE are highlighted. There is a continuing focus on Governance as this has become an area which schools may benefit from supporting materials. The Millais Alliance would like to wish you all a very restful and enjoyable summer holiday and we look forward to working in collaboration with you next year. Shirley Springer Teaching School Director

See news in this issue about the following………

Pages 2,3 TSC update

Pages 4,5,6 DfE update

Page 7 Recruitment and Scholarship Programmes

Page 8 Retention (Physics teachers)

Page 9 TSST (Physics)

Page 10 Middle Leadership Course? STEM

Page 11 ITT update (School Direct/ Paid Internship

Page 12 SLP update

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An update from the Teaching Schools Council

Think piece: Where next for the self-improving school system?

In partnership with FASNA, supported by Browne Jacobson we have published a think piece that aims to give an in-terpretation of where we are now, using this as a spring-board to look ahead with optimism and some clarity to where we could be. We offer it as an honest contribution to the direction of travel for the school-led system, a sys-tem and idea to which we are passionately committed. To download a copy click here.

Agency Supply Teacher Commercial Framework The DfE and Crown Commercial Service (CCS) have just launched procurement of a new national deal to support schools get value for money when hiring agency supply teachers and other temporary staff. This new deal will give schools access to a list of preferred suppliers and managed service providers that agree: to be transparent about the margins they charge;

not charge temp-to-perm fees for workers in post for 12 weeks (with 4 weeks notice);

to consistent, rigorous background screening checks in line with statutory guidance such as Keeping Children Safe in Education; and

to be audited by an accredited industry body. We expect this list to be available for schools to use from September 2018. By expressing your interest now, we will keep you informed so you can start reducing costs for your school as soon as possible. Further information is availa-ble on the CCS website.

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Are you looking to recruit a Modern Foreign Languages (MFL), Physics or Maths teacher?

Spain’s Visiting Teachers programme is an easy way for schools to recruit MFL teachers for the next academic year at no cost to schools, apart from the teacher’s salary. We have a pool of pre-screened teachers who are highly profi-cient in English and have been interviewed by English senior school leaders. Recruitment provider Randstad Public Services Ltd is working in partnership with the DfE to support schools in finding the right teacher.

The International STEM programme now has a school-led network within all regions of England. These networks work in partnership with international recruitment providers to source high-quality maths and physics teachers with qualified teacher status from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and USA. The DfE funds the recruitment costs.

Teachers recruited through both programmes have a minimum of two-years teaching experience. Both programmes are open to state-funded secondary schools and academies, and offer a free acclimatisation and CPD package. To register, please use the links below: MFL – Spain’s Visiting Teachers Programme

STEM – International STEM Programme

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DfE update.. A Focus on Governance

Inspiring Governance: highly skilled school governors interested in supporting your school Inspiring Governance is a free DfE funded programme of support for schools to help them fill their governor vacan-cies with volunteers from the local area. It is run by the trusted charities - Education and Employers and the National Governance Association and is an online platform where volunteers from the world of HR, finance, law, marketing, procurement and education register their interest in becoming a governor. Schools and MATs need to register their current governor vacancies on the site and then use Inspiring Governance’s mapping technology to see and engage volunteers in their local area. Once schools make a match through the sys-tem, appointed governors receive a year’s free support and accredited CPD from the NGA. Please do distribute the availability of this free service to your Chairs of Governors and through your alliance and wider networks. https://www.inspiringgovernance.org/

Two interesting reads for Governors… Managing staff workload – a governor’s perspective Judith is Chair of Governors Judith at Hiltingbury Junior School and her Blog gives some useful tips on ways to re-duce workload. See the full Blog here.

Why HR professionals should consider

school governor roles 12 Jul 2018 By Maggie Baska

See the full article here.

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DfE update..

SEND governance review guide and launch invitation

Every board is responsible for holding leaders to account for the education of learners with SEND. Commissioned by Whole School SEND and co-funded by the DfE and Driver Youth Trust (DYT) in partnership with governance leaders, the SEND Governance Review Guide has been released, drawing upon the six features of effective governance to set out a framework for how to ensure that learners with SEND access high-quality provision. Visit sendgov.co.uk to download your free copy of this guide.

School Business Professionals case studies

The Department for Education (DfE) has published 3 case studies that highlight the impact of school business profes-

sionals on the effective use of resources in order to improve pupil outcomes. You can read more about these using

the following links:

School business professional saves school cash and strengthens ties with local community

School business professional supporting the delivery of a new and exciting environmental building

School business professional helps school expand places by 25%

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DfE update... Useful documentation for Governors

Recruiting Governors Inspiring Governance is a free, online service that connects schools and trusts in England with skilled volun-teers in your area who are interested in becoming a school governor or trustee. They work with employers, professional networks, FE providers and universities to find individuals interest-ed in becoming school governors. Volunteers come from a wide range of professions and sectors, with skills and expertise in areas such as finance, human resources, law, marketing and education. Online technology enables quick searches for volunteers based on skills, experience and location. https://www.inspiringgovernance.org/recruiting-governors/

Key questions every governing board should ask itself Strong governance is essential for good schools. In too many schools, governing boards are not effective or confident enough. One of a governing board’s three key functions is to support and challenge headteach-ers; holding them to account so that pupils get the best possible education. But governing boards also need support and challenge. https://www.nga.org.uk/Guidance/Workings-Of-The-Governing-Body/Governance-Tools/Twenty-Questions.aspx

Being Strategic: A guide for governing boards Following extensive feedback and consultation with governors, trustees and senior leaders and drawing on practical experience and real life examples, Being Strategic offers a robust annual cycle for creating, moni-toring and reviewing strategy. It provides advice, poses questions for governing boards on each stage of the cycle, and supports school leaders in taking a broad and long-term perspective.

The guidance urges governing boards to look beyond narrow academic performance measures when moni-toring the strategy stating ‘in the interest of pupils [the measures] must consider the whole education offer. Not all improvement priorities are quantitative and some of the most important outcomes will not lend themselves to simple quantitative measurement.’ https://www.nga.org.uk/BeingStrategic

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Recruitment Recruit maths or physics teachers—funded by the DfE Secondary schools in England can access the STEM international teacher recruitment programme to recruit qualified mathematics or physics teachers from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and USA. We will fund re-cruitment costs (small contribution may be required) and the acclimatisation package, whilst the recruiting school will be responsible for paying the teacher’s sala-ry. Appointed teaching schools are working alongside a DfE approved international recruitment provider to source suitable candidates with QTS. They are also working with mathematics and physics subject specific associations to design and provide a full acclimatisation and continuing professional development package to all recruited teachers. Schools will receive the following service from the DfE approved international recruitment provider: Source maths and physics teachers from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and USA

Match teachers to school requirements

Arrange interviews Support visa processes Please register now.

Scholarship programme for future maths and physics teachers currently re-

cruiting for 2018

The Future Teaching Scholars programme is for maths and physics A level students with predicted grades

of B or above; planning to study a maths- or physics-related degree, who want to teach. The programme is

also open to international students, mature applicants, and career changers.

Participants benefit from a £15,000 grant and classroom experience whilst at university, followed by be-

spoke employment-based teacher training, earning while they learn, and receive additional support for

two years.

Recruitment is open for those starting university in autumn 2018. If you are interested in this programme

please contact Caroline Carroll (Teaching School Manager)

For further information visit Future Teaching Scholars or to receive a promotional pack contact in-fo@futureteachingscholars.com.

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Retention Support for Newly-Qualified Teachers Information from the Institute of Physics (IOP) As well as working with teachers in areas designated as social mobility cold spots, we are supporting schools to attract and retain more physics NQTs into these areas through offering matched timetables, where teachers have a high amount of physics and/or repetition of year groups and subject specific men-toring. Matched Timetabling There is strong evidence to suggest that teachers who teach within their specialism are more likely to stay in the profession. Six out of ten newly-qualified teachers (NQTs) leave the profession within the first five years with physics and engineering NQTs more likely to leave their profession compared to other teachers. Workload has been highlighted as one of the key reasons for attrition with higher workloads particularly for NQTs A study carried out by Metropolitan Life (2006) studied the reasons behind teachers in America leaving. The findings showed that the most significant factor affecting the likelihood of teachers leaving the profes-sion was found to be being assigned to classes which they did not feel qualified to teach. A teacher was reported to be 1.9 times more likely to leave their profession when assigned to classes they didn't feel qualified in teaching. The IOP recommends giving science NQTs a matched timetable as part of their package of support. Our local Development Coaches will work with Future Physics Leaders school leadership teams to create a 'matched timetable' that streamlines a teacher's courses to include mainly physics and reduces the varia-tion of year groups covered. Mentoring Newly-qualified physics teachers in Future Physics Leaders schools will also receive mentoring support from the local Development Coach. Mentoring support will: provide personalised support to NQTs to help them transition; offer guidance on planning lessons and addressing specific content areas; and

serve as a sounding board for new ideas, without fear of repercussions. This will enable NQTs to more easily settle into their new role as well as have a valuable link with the phys-ics community in their area, thereby improving the quality of leaders at all levels and improving retention of high-quality teachers. Next steps Are you an NQT looking for work in these areas? Are you a school looking to recruit a physics NQT and would like to know more? Please get in touch paul.mcdonald@iop.org

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Teacher subject specialism training (TSST) courses

TSST—Physics update (2017-18)

This year, we have run TSST in conjunction with our colleagues at the In-spire and Thrive TSAs. Physics took place at Millais and the tried and test-ed course and it's leader (Rik Clay) again ran successfully with some very positive feedback received from participants on the boost in confidence the course supplied. ‘The TSST course has greatly improved my subject knowledge and peda-gogy in Physics. I feel more confident in the content I am delivering but also how to deliver it to suit the learners, something I felt unequipped to do outside of my specialism prior to the course. Moreover, the opportunity to reflect on my teaching practice has allowed me to effectively imple-ment the strategies from the TSST course to improve my teaching practice in Physics’. Critical Reflection—Mark Sapwell This July, Rik is retiring from teaching and we would like to take the op-portunity to thank him for all his hard work in the development and de-livery of this Training Course. He has successfully supported the development of over 15 colleagues to im-prove their understanding of how to deliver physics in the classroom. The feedback has been tremendous so he has clearly made a big difference to all participants over the last three years. We wish him well in his retirement.

TSST—Physics (2018-19) We have heard very recently that we have been successful in our bid to run Physics again next year and will be sending out dates at the beginning of next term. The course will again run on Saturdays, this time led by Edy Mguni and running at For-est School in Horsham.

If your school would benefit from TSST next year, please con-tact Caroline Carroll for information about TSST courses being offered in 2018/19.

TSST—MFL 2017/18 MFL was harder to recruit to, perhaps because the eligibility criteria were more stringent. The three lan-guages ran as separate courses this year and the quality of the learner experience was superb. Those on the courses benefited from small groups and also gave excellent feedback.

CPD

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STEM Professional Development Opportunities There are places available on two programmes to support teachers and leaders including: Aspire to STEM programmes run by STEM Learning who provide teacher and lead-ership support in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) sub-jects. STEM Learning also offer intensive subject-specific continuous professional development (CPD) including: leadership, CPD delivery, computing, engineering, design and technology, mathematics, science, newly qualified teacher (NQT) support, online CPD. Email STEM Learning to find out more. Future Physics Leaders Programme run by the Institute of Physics which provides support for specialist physics teachers, NQTs and non-specialist physics teachers. Don’t miss out on this opportunity, see if you are eligible by visiting our provider website. How to access funding The programme runs between September 2017 and July 2020. It is aimed at schools and colleges who have an Ofsted rating of 3 and 4 and who are in Local Authority Districts with a category of 5 and 6. Chosen schools and colleges will work with a dedicated STEM Learning mentor to create a bespoke, flexible and focused selection of free CPD and inspiration support for the teachers and leaders in their school or college. This will be based on the results of an initial needs analysis to ensure the CPD offered addresses the unique challenges and needs of those individual teachers and leaders.

Middle Leadership Course Our successful middle leadership course ran again this year with a strong cross phase cohort. The course has been de-signed and lead by Laura Brooks, Director of Learning for MFL, and supported by Matt Cordwell, Director of Learning for Science. Participants of the course attended five sessions and produced an in-school project on an area of their choosing that developed their own leadership skills. The fourteen participants started the course with a 360 degree review to assess strengths and areas for development. They completed the course after presenting their own project to the rest of the group and completing a final evaluation. ‘The course allowed me to reflect on my own leadership style and explore new ways to lead a team towards a common goal. The vari-ous models explored were all relevant to our roles as teachers’. Da-vid Newell (Millais School) ‘The course gave me food for thought and since then I have been more hands on in the department, taking on extra work which I be-lieve will benefit my colleagues and I.’ ‘ I feel confident that I understand the difference between leader-ship and management and have had to consider this as part of my project. ‘ If you are interested in developing Leadership Skills please contact Caroline Carroll for further information.

CPD

Positive feedback from the participants

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School Direct—update

Caroline Carroll (Teaching School Manager).

School Direct/ITT

Another year of School Direct recruitment comes to a close with a sound number of applicants, despite a year of very low recruitment levels generally. There has been a late flurry, including applicants who con-tacted me at the beginning of the year and who have taken a while to apply, indicating that for many it isn’t a straightforward decision. Take-up on apprenticeships has been predictably low whilst there was is so much uncertainty about what it would “look” like, and exactly how the four term model would run. To date, one Primary and one Second-ary apprenticeship are due to run in West Sussex next academic year, and they will very much be the guin-ea pigs for the future. The QTS consulation has published a review of feedback, but no decisions have actually been made as yet, so this too remains an area of uncertainty that requires resolution so that applicants to ITT know exactly what their NQT year will look like.

Paid Internship into Teaching (PIT) For the third year running we have participated in this excellent project which places penultimate year STEM undergraduates in schools for four weeks to participate in Physics teaching. We have placed 12 in-terns in schools nationwide from Tarporley, Cheshire to Leamington Spa to Camberley and Southampton. The feedback from interns on their intensive experience in school is always interesting, if nothing else for their insight into what teaching really involves. “It was an extremely useful indicator of what teaching is like. I already thought being a teacher would be difficult but I didn't quite realise how difficult it was. I was also surprised about the amount of work that goes on in the background between teachers in the same department.” “Biggest surprise is how different a teacher can be inside the classroom to their actual personalities.” “I was in charge of explaining demos for quite a few lessons. It felt very good and a lot easier than I had an-ticipated. The students were very quiet and well behaved for me and asked relevant and sensible ques-tions.” Schools have been delighted with the integrity and willingness of their visitors and as before it has been a successful and positive experience for all. “It was a delight to have her with us for 4 weeks. She was very useful to have around, and based on what we saw, we think she will make an excellent teacher! “'He has observed a variety of teachers in years 7-12. He has done small group teaching with yr8 and yr9 and also a few whole class activities. Next week he will be leading 2 sessions with year 12 (one about feed-back on the recent PPEs -modelling correct answers using the examiners report and one on dark matter) and one with year 10 (also about dark matter). He has also contributed to our KS3 schemes by writing some maths DNAs for us. He also went to Warwick castle on the immersion day and acted as an additional TA for an individual student. He has worked well with all of the staff in the department and has also got on well with the students. He has not been afraid to get involved and has been very helpful in all of the lessons he has observed/helped out in. His punctuality and reliability have both been fantastic. If he ever wants to con-sider teacher training he will be most welcome!' Great feedback from students who we hope will consider teaching as a profession in the future.

ITT

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SLP News from the Summer Term

News from Sussex Science Learning Partnership

The SLP is continuing to provide a programme of CPD to support primary and secondary teachers in the delivery of science and we held a successful STEM meeting in early June to give teachers and STEM am-bassadors an opportunity to network. In addition we ran a STEM Teachers’ Conference in collaboration with Sussex University at which Wayne Jarvis, the senior Education Consultant at STEM learning, gave a very informative and interactive keynote. The SLP is delighted that Su Reed, senior technician at Millais, is running 2 workshops at the annual Technicians’ conference at Worthing College on 10 July and we plan to offer networking meetings for technicians from September. We have also run several other courses this term across Sussex.

Coming up (so far!) for next year: Essential skills for new and aspiring secondary science leaders on 29/9/18 and 13/11/18 at Down-

lands School in Hassocks Primary science networking meetings on Working Scientifically run by former WSCC presenters

who are now credited as STEM presenters, on 15 November 2018 and 21 March 2019 at North Heath Primary School Horsham 14.00 – 16.00 and on 22 November 2018 and 28 March 2019 at Lyminster Primary School Littlehampton, 14.00 – 16.00.

Primary Teacher Science Conference on 19 or 25 October venue tbc

Courses on Triple Science Biology, Chemistry and Physics at Downlands School in Hassocks Primary courses at Manor Primary School in Uckfield.

If your school would like to host a course then please let us know. All courses can be found on the STEM website https://www.stem.org.uk/ Contact Pauline Henshall on pauline.henshall@millais.org.uk Pauline Henshall Lead teacher Sussex Science Learning Partnership