Teaching School Hub

We are delighted that Balcarras has been designated as one of the 87 Teaching School Hubs by the Department for Education to be one of the centres of excellence for teacher training and development. As a Hub we will be responsible for helping to improve Teacher Development for teachers at all stages of their career in all schools in Cheltenham, Stroud and the Cotswolds. Balcarras has a long history of working collaboratively with local and national providers to ensure high-quality teacher and leadership training and we will continue this by working will be working in close collaboration with the Odyssey Teaching School Hub who cover the rest of Gloucestershire. 

Visit the Balcarras Teaching School Hub Website    www.balcarrasteachingschoolhub.co.uk

We intend to work closely with each and every school and aim to enhance the links between Curriculum Hubs and all educational providers across the region.  

We are commited to delivering and supporting the DfE's Golden Thread strategy. 

Our Key Areas of focus are: 

  • The Early Career Framework (ECF). We are a delivery partner for the Full Induction Program (FIP) via UCL as the National Provider. This offer is delivered in conjunction with Odyssey Teaching School Hub to create the Gloucestershire ECF programme. 
  • To facilitate the new specialist National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) in conjuction with Odyssey TS Hub. 
  • To offer Appropriate Body services for Early Career Teachers.
  • To offer high-quality, evidence based professional development to school leaders and teachers. (CPD and training)
  • Initial Teacher Training (ITT) we offer School Direct and work with all providers in the county to ensure that trainee teachers have the best possible provision. 

Our Hub consists of 171 schools from Cheltenham, Stroud and the Cotswolds.

ECF Information

The Early Career Framework (ECF) sets out what early career teachers (ECTs) are entitled to learn about and learn how to do when they start their careers. It underpins a new entitlement for 2 years of professional development designed to help early career teachers develop their practice, knowledge and working habits.

Balcarras Teaching School Hub, have partnered with UCL (Institute of Education) as our main delivery partner for the ECF and have designed a programme for ECT's.  The Local Authority, Adfecto, Odyssey and Balcarras are working together to ensure that ECT's (Early Career Teachers) across Gloucestershire are provided with full training to meet all of the requirements of the ECF framework. This will be the FIP (Full Induction Programme). 

The ECF entitles Early Career Teachers to two years of support including:

  • 2 years of new, funded, high-quality training for all ECTs
  • Funding for 5% time away from the classroom for teachers in their second year
  • A dedicated mentor and support for these mentors including access to funded high-quality training and resources

Schools receive:

  • Funding to cover mentors’ time with the mentee in the second year of teaching
  • Further funding for schools opting for the Full Induction Programme (FIP) to backfill for Mentors to take part in training (36 hours over 2 years)

Schools will be able to choose from three options of the ECF programme:

  • Full Induction Programme (FIP) - A funded provider led programme using UCL as the delivery partner
  • Core Induction Programme (CIP) - Schools delivering their own training using DfE accredited resources
  • School-based Programme - Schools designing and delivering their own ECF induction programme

Appropriate Body

All schools that offer a statutory induction are required to have an Appropriate Body (AB) for their Early Career Teachers (ECTs). Appropriate Bodies play a key role in statutory teacher induction. 

The Appropriate Body is separate and independent of the Early Career Framework. The monitoring and assessment carried out by the Appropriate Body will be carefully sequenced to reflect the modules covered in the Early Career Framework (ECF), while ensuring that all the relevant teacher standards are met.

State funded schools can choose who they use as their Appropriate Body.  Balcarras Teaching School Hub provides Appropriate Body services to meet the needs of Primary and Secondary ECT's across Cheltenham, Stroud and the Cotswolds. 

Please visit www.balcarrasteachingschoolhub.co.uk for further information on what we offer as an appropriate body.
 

If you have or are planning on appointing an Early Career Teacher and not yet registered with us, please contact us at;   ts-hub@balcarras.gloucs.sch.uk