GovWire

Thousands of teachers across the country will benefit from additional training thanks to multi-million pound professional development fund, the Education Secretary announced (14 September).

Six leading organisations, including the Teacher Development Trust, Teach First and the Institute of Physics, will share a fund worth almost 17million as part of the governments drive to support and spread great teaching.

The successful organisations the first to benefit from the new 75million Teaching and Leadership Innovation Fund - aim to increase existing teachers skills, confidence and knowledge in a range of areas including leadership and phonics and early reading.

There will also be a focus on sharing best practice in the teaching of science, technology, engineering and maths and the creation of five professional development excellence hubs across the country. These hubs, due to be set up in Blackpool, Birmingham, Northumberland, Sheffield, Stoke-on-Trent and West Sussex, will support individual schools in developing and retaining the high-quality staff they need.

Education Secretary Justine Greening said:

We want to ensure every young person can reach their potential, regardless of their background or where they are growing up, and great teachers are at the heart of this.

This new fund proves our commitment to creating a culture of high-quality ongoing professional development throughout a teachers career.

I hope that thousands of teachers across the country will benefit and Im particularly pleased that we are targeting the schools where it is needed most.

Many of the programmes announced today will also have a focus in the 12 Opportunity Areas announced by the Education Secretary last year. This will be a further boost for families living in those areas, identified as social mobility coldspots.

The investment in the profession is part of the governments wider drive to build an education system that creates clear and rewarding career pathways for the people entering and progressing in teaching. It aims to provide support not just in those areas that are already set up to succeed, but - more importantly - in the areas where it is needed most.

Ndidi Okezie. Executive Director of Teach First said:

We are delighted to have been chosen by the Department of Education as one of the providers for the Teaching and Leadership Innovation Fund. Using a research informed approach and drawing on our strong network of partners, we will work collaboratively with schools in the areas of greatest need to support the development of their leadership teams. This work will be focused on making a real and sustained difference to the lives of young people who need it the most.

Matt Hood, Director of the Institute for Teaching said:

Funding from the Teaching and Learning Innovation Fund will enable us to deliver our Transforming Teaching Programme in parts of the UK where it is needed most. The programme is part of a suite of courses offered by the IfT all of which have a sole purpose; to ensure teachers keep getting better.

We believe the best way to close the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their wealthier peers is by improving teaching through better teacher training. Thats why we are doing things differently - re-thinking teacher education and providing a progression pathway to expertise that is taught by a faculty of expert teacher educators. We welcome this opportunity and look forward to having a positive impact on the professional lives of teachers, and on the outcomes of pupils in some of the countrys most disadvantaged areas.

Ruth Miskin from Ruth Miskin Training said:

This funding will help us to ensure that many more teachers can become confident in how they teach phonics and reading. We will work closely with schools in difficult areas to ensure were reaching those children that need it most.

Wayne Jarvis, Aspire to STEM lead at STEM Learning, said:

Were delighted to have received this funding from the Department for Education to offer this programme. It gives schools and colleges in some of the most at need areas in the country an opportunity to improve their leadership and teaching of STEM subjects to improve progress and attainment for their students.

Charles Tracy, Head of Education at the Institute of Physics said:

The IOP is working to give every student access to a high quality physics education and the opportunity to make well-informed choices about their future career. Many students including those in priority areas miss out on the opportunities that a good physics education provides because they are unable to recruit and retain specialist physics teachers.

The Teaching and Leadership Innovation Fund represents a much-needed opportunity to develop great teaching and leadership in schools that need stability and support. The Future Physics Leaders project will improve the recruitment and retention of physics teachers in these schools. It will also provide expert training and development for both specialist and non-specialist physics teachers. As well as addressing the national need for physicists and engineers, the project provides an exciting opportunity to improve the educational and physics experience of many thousands of young people.

David Weston, Chief Executive at the Teacher Development Trust said:

Were delighted to have this opportunity to work with schools in the most economically challenged areas. Every teacher deserves to be nurtured and developed so that they can thrive in their roles and help children succeed at school. Through this DfE-funded project we will be giving intensive support via expert, regional hubs, to share and embed the best possible CPD practices.

All of the bids were subject to a competitive and open bidding process.

The first six successful projects include:

• Ruth Miskin Training continuing professional development to support the teaching of phonics and early reading based on Read Write Inc. Phonics. It is aimed at headteachers, middle leaders, leadership teams, teachers and teaching assistants in primary schools and is focused in the Opportunity Areas and priority areas.

• Teacher Development Trust - will create five continuing professional development excellence hubs across the country to support schools to transform the way they design, commission and implement training. These will be aimed at headteachers and created in Blackpool, Northumberland, Sheffield, Stoke and West Sussex.

• STEM Learning Ltd - package to support STEM teachers subject knowledge enhancement, STEM subject leadership and to support STEM careers advice across Opportunity Areas.

• The Institute for Teaching - a programme to raise the quality of teaching through support to leaders to improve the culture and quality of teacher development and expertise in developing other teachers.

• Institute of Physics - support programme for physics teachers subject knowledge enhancement for non-specialists, subject leadership/enhanced knowledge for specialists; and mentoring/recruitment for NQTs.

• Teach First - Leading Together will strengthen the leadership teams in the schools and areas that need it the most. The programme will develop resilient school leaders who work together as part of strong leadership teams, focused on training, developing and supporting high-quality teachers across the school.

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