Letter from the Secretary of State on Step 4 of the roadmap Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has written to education leaders to thank you for your effort and work over the course of the pandemic and to break down some of the ways the move to Step 4 of the Government's roadmap out of the pandemic will reduce restrictions on the sector. What Step 4 changes mean for education and childcare settings System of controls Watch our pre-recorded webinar to answer your questions on key changes to COVID-19 measures such as 'bubbles', contact tracing, face masks, self-isolation and testing. Contact tracing From Monday 19 July, schools, colleges and nurseries will no longer carry out routine contact tracing. From this point onwards, close contacts will be identified and contacted by NHS Test and Trace. A template letter for settings to send to parents, pupils and students on changes is available on the document sharing platforms for primary and early years, secondary schools, further education and higher education and children's social care. Keep up regular testing over the summer Secondary school and college students and staff attending a summer school or any education setting over the holidays should continue testing twice weekly at home and they will continue to be supplied with test kits via education settings. To help students maintain the habit of twice-weekly testing over the summer and ahead of the autumn term, new resources are available for schools and local authorities on the Coronavirus Resources Centre. Please include the latest resources in your end of term communications, or share on your social channels over the summer holidays. Preparing for the next academic year: school-led tutoring We have listened to feedback and further developed the breadth of the programme for 2021/22. In addition to working with tuition partners and academic mentors through NTP, schools will also have the option of school-led tutoring next year. - School-led tutoring: schools will receive a grant payment based on the number of pupil premium students. This payment is ring fenced to fund tutoring provision that can be locally sourced by schools.
- Tuition Partners: state-funded schools are able to access subsidised, high-quality tuition from an approved list of Tuition Partners spanning a wide-range of topics.
- Academic Mentors: schools can use tutors as an 'in class' resource to work alongside the pupil's teacher to address a range of interventions, focusing on one-to-one and small group sessions with pupils.
Further opportunities, resources and updates Here are a few things you may have missed that we hope you'll find helpful: - Full scholarship funding available for National Professional Qualifications –many teachers and school leaders will now be eligible for a fully funded NPQ, including 3 new specialist NPQs. Find out more about these qualifications, the eligibility criteria, and how to sign up on GOV.UK.
- Additional support for current NQTs – this September, all new teachers will have access to high quality professional development support through the Early Career Framework reforms. In recognition of the challenges current NQTs due to complete induction this summer have faced as a result of the pandemic, all state schools can access funding to provide additional support for these teachers.
- Have your say on Initial Teacher Training – we have launched a consultation with the sector on the ITT market, alongside a report outlining recommendations as to how we can ensure all trainees receive high-quality training. We want to hear your views on what improvements could be made to teacher training - let us know what you think by 22 August 2021.
- Teaching a broad and balanced curriculum for education recovery – we have published optional guidance with case studies and suggestions to help schools decide how to prioritise elements within their curriculum for education recovery.
-
Maths Hubs are offering new, free support for recovery – schools can receive training and materials to support maths teaching in Reception, Year 1, and Year 2 in primary schools and in Year 7 in secondary schools. You can find out more about the programmes by visiting the NCETM website, and contact your local Maths Hub to join. - Reading framework to support teaching the foundations of literacy – we have published a non-statutory guidance document to support schools to evaluate their teaching of early reading, especially in Reception and Year 1.
-
Get Help with Technology: 4G routers and data - to allow users to continue to access the internet during the summer holidays, we are extending data on the SIM cards in 4G routers provided by the Get Help with Technology programme until 31 August 2021. To continue using your router after this date, you must reset it and replace the SIM card. Schools should consider the connectivity needs of any pupils without internet access before the end of term. Schools can order more routers, if required, until the end of July. |
No comments:
Post a Comment