Correspondence

Teacher Recruitment Bulletin: October 2019

Updated 11 October 2019

Applies to England

Welcome to the October 2019 edition of the Teacher Recruitment Bulletin, which contains vital information to support your recruitment of Initial Teacher Training (ITT) trainees and teachers. Your colleagues can subscribe to this bulletin by emailing: teacher.recruitmentbulletin@education.gov.uk.

Launch of ITT2020

1. Financial incentives for Initial Teacher Training (ITT) 2020

Information on financial incentives for ITT courses starting in 2020 to 2021 is now available.

We are continuing to offer £26,000 tax-free bursaries, which for 2020 to 2021 are available in physics, mathematics, languages, chemistry, biology, computing and classics. The scholarship scheme continues in partnership with professional bodies.

We are expanding phased bursaries, which are now offered for mathematics, chemistry, languages and physics. Payments totalling £6,000 (£9,000 in high need areas) will be available in these subjects, at the start of years 2, 3 and 4 of teaching.

We are increasing the bursary for design and technology and offering new bursaries for art and design and business studies.

The Teachers’ Student Loan Reimbursement scheme is continuing. Trainees starting ITT in 2020/21 will be eligible.

2. UCAS Teacher Training application cycle opens Tuesday 8 October

The 2020 UCAS Teacher Training application cycle opens on Tuesday 8 October; applicants will be able to register and apply for ITT2020 from this date. The DfE Find service opened on Tuesday 1 October.

For queries, please email UCAS HEP Team at hep_team@ucas.ac.uk or call 01242 544881.

3. What you need to know about the DfE’s new Apply for postgraduate teacher training service

We have recently produced a questions and answers document about the new Apply for postgraduate teacher training service. You can request a copy by emailing teacher.recruitmentbulletin@education.gov.uk.

The questions and answers cover an overview of our work on the new service, timelines for rolling it out and contact details for providers who would like to engage with us or who have questions.

4. Fundamental English and mathematics skills update

On 12 September, we sent guidance to all ITT training providers about the new provider-led assurance of fundamental English and mathematics that replaces literacy and numeracy skills tests from the ITT2020 recruitment cycle. Criteria and supporting advice have been amended accordingly.

Ofsted will inspect and take into consideration the processes ITT providers have in place to ensure the high standards of the profession are maintained. This will include how fundamental English and mathematics are assured across the cohort but will not be related to individual trainees.

Please note that trainees starting courses before 1 April 2020 (including those doing assessment only courses and apprenticeships) will still need to take the skills tests.

For further information, please email skills.test@education.gov.uk.

Inspire, support and attract teachers - marketing and events

5. Marketing workshops and webinars to support recruitment to ITT2020

Following the information in the September edition of this bulletin, we’d like to remind providers about our upcoming marketing workshops and webinars; these events are an opportunity for ITT providers to access advice on how to improve the impact of the marketing activity they undertake to support recruitment to their ITT courses.

Industry professionals will attend these workshops to share their expertise and provide hints and tips.

Register at Eventbrite via the following links:

• Social media webinar Wednesday 9 October 2019 at 3.30pm

• Newcastle workshop Wednesday 16 October 2019 at 1.30pm

• Reading workshop Thursday 7 November 2019 at 1.30pm

• Birmingham workshop Monday 11 November 2019 at 1.30pm

• Audiences and messaging webinar Wednesday 13 November 2019 at 3.30pm

• Toolkit webinar Thursday 21 November 2019 at 3pm

Essential information and requirements for ITT providers

6. ITT Census and performance profiles (outcomes) collection

The Database of Trainees, Teachers and Providers (DTTP) team wrote to all providers on 19 September 2019, advising the collections below are now open:

• Census for 2019 to 2020: A key piece of statistical information, published annually providing provisional figures of new entrants who have started their ITT course in England in this academic year.

• Performance Profiles (outcomes) 2018 to 2019: Contributes to published official statistics about trainees in their final year of ITT in England. Providing information including characteristics, outcomes, trends of trainee teachers and provides numbers of trainees awarded Qualified Teacher Status.

All ITT providers are required to complete these data collections. Note for SCITTs: This year it is possible to do both collections simultaneously as we no longer collect employment data.

Sign-off for both collections by the responsible officer is required on or before 31 October 2019.

For queries, please email the DTTP team at itt.datamanagement@education.gov.uk

Specialist recruitment programmes and developing and supporting teachers

7. Re-registration on the register of apprenticeship training providers

A reminder for providers delivering the Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship (PGTA) that the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) requires you to re-register on the register of apprenticeship training providers by 11.59pm on 31 October 2019.

You should have received an invite to register via the Bravo system; please view the guidance published by ESFA at the register of apprenticeship training providers.

If you are concerned that you may not meet the deadline, or have questions about your application, please email the ESFA team at roatp.mailbox@education.gov.uk.

ESFA works to a 12-week service level agreement to assess applications to the register.

If you are still experiencing difficulties completing your application, please email the DfE team at teaching.apprenticeships@education.gov.uk.

8. Maths and physics chairs programme for school-led ITT providers

As part of the drive to increase the number of maths, physics and wider EBacc subject expert-teachers, The Brilliant Club recruits postdoctoral researchers to train and teach across the country through the Researchers in Schools (RIS) programme.

The programme recruits trainees to the School Direct fee and salaried routes and is keen to hear from ITT providers who are interested in training and placing RIS participants in their partnerships for the academic year 2020 to 2021.

To view details, please visit The Brilliant Club and Researchers in Schools.

For further information, email hello@researchersinschools.org or call 020 7939 1947.

9. Free courses to upskill non-specialist teachers

Teacher subject specialism courses in secondary mathematics, core maths, physics and modern foreign languages are now available in 105 schools across England for the academic year 2019 to 2020. These courses are designed to:

• increase subject knowledge, pedagogy skills and confidence in the classroom
• be available at no cost to the participant or their school
• be flexible, with online, twilight and weekend sessions available
• help with workforce management and timetable planning
• reduce the need to recruit externally, saving valuable resources and cost to the school

Courses are available to non-specialist teachers who could potentially teach mathematics, physics or MFL, teachers who are looking to return to the profession and primary teachers who have firm plans to convert from primary to a secondary teaching post.

For further details and eligibility criteria, please visit teacher subject specialism training (TSST) courses.

10. Subscribe to the DfE teaching blog and teacher bulletin

The DfE teaching blog is a resource for teachers, by teachers. Through it, we aim to offer a view of what other schools are doing to respond to common challenges and opportunities and provide a platform for celebrating successes big and small.

To receive new blog posts into your inbox, subscribe today.

If you have a story to share, email blog.bulletin@education.gov.uk.

The teacher bulletin is the DfE’s email newsletter for schools. It provides news, guidance and advice, as well as useful resources and key information teachers need to know about.

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Migration Advisory Committee call for evidence

11. Migration Advisory Committee call for evidence

In June 2019, the government commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to carry out an in depth analysis of potential future salary thresholds and the range at which they could be set.

The salary threshold refers to a key component of the skilled worker route in the UK’s future immigration system and forms part of the process when recruiting teachers from overseas.

In addition to the salary thresholds, the MAC has now also been asked to look into an ‘Australian-style’ points-based system and how this might work in the UK. Specifically, the MAC has been asked to consider how points could be awarded to prospective migrants for different attributes, such as educational qualifications, language proficiency, work experience and willingness to work in areas or sectors with a shortage of workers, and to assess how salary thresholds could work within the context of this system.

For further information on the revised commission, please see the Commissioning letter to the MAC on a points-based system for migration.

Please follow the instructions via Salary threshold and points-based system (PBS) commission: call for evidence.

To submit evidence, visit MAC online form sign up. Once you have entered your email address to sign up, you will receive an email with a link and password to access the online form.

Please submit your evidence online by 9am on Tuesday 5 November 2019.