Guidance

Implementing flexible working: training for school leaders

Find out how to apply to become a provider of training to school leaders in the effective implementation of flexible working.

• From: Department for Education
• Published: 1 December 2020

Applies to England

Apply

1. Read the guidance on this webpage before you apply.

2. Fill in the application forms on Contracts Finder by Friday 8 January 2021, 5pm.

All applicants will be informed about the outcome of their application in February 2021.

Overview

The Department for Education (DfE) is procuring training on implementing effective flexible working practices for school leaders and other key decision makers. The contract will run from spring 2021 until the end of February 2022. The available budget for this contract is £57,000. The training will be delivered through webinars.

The successful tenderer will:

• design the content
• recruit participants
• run the webinars
• evaluate the course’s success

This training is part of our plans to address the lack of flexible working in teaching and increase retention of high-quality teachers. The aims for the programme are to:

• offer free training that is open to all school leaders nationally
• provide content tailored to various groups of decision makers in schools, including
  • school leaders
  • multi-academy trust (MAT) leaders
  • school business professionals
  • governors or trustees
• deliver practical content that reflects schools’ human resources (HR) needs

Role and responsibilities of the flexible working training provider

The successful tenderer will be expected to provide:

• flexible working content for the training sessions tailored to 3 separate audiences
  • headteachers
  • school business professionals or HR business partners
  • governors or trustees
• training targeting 500 schools and a minimum of 1000 participants
• a plan for delivering a minimum of 20 flexible working webinars, including scheduling
• training targeted to participants from the schools that may need the most support (upon appointment, the successful tenderer will be provided with further information on these schools and areas)
• methods to raise awareness of the course and the ability to sign up participants
• an evaluation plan for the course

The full eligibility criteria are on Contracts Finder.

We will provide a thorough induction and support the provider to develop the training programme.

Who can apply

The successful bidder will be required to meet the following criteria:

• the ability to design high-quality, specialised content which tailors effective flexible working practice and HR advice to a school context
• experience of delivering engaging training via webinars and working with schools and MATs
• an existing network of individuals and organisations which spreads across the sector (or willingness to work in partnership with another organisation who does) to ensure sufficient participant numbers and a national reach

To achieve the correct balance of expertise and experience, we would encourage partnerships or joint bids from 2 or more organisations.

Dates

30 November 2020: application opens.

8 January 2021: application closes.

February 2021: we will email you about the outcome of your application.

March 2021: we will invite you to a virtual DfE-led orientation meeting if your application is successful.

March 2021: programme start date.

February 2022: programme end date.

Contact

For more information about the application process, email us through Contracts Finder.

Published 1 December 2020