1. education
2. school

School Direct:
Working together for
successful recruitment
Online seminar – 4 February
Welcome to our School Direct online seminar
While we’re waiting to start, why not let us know who you
are and where you are based by typing in the chat box
on the right-hand side of the screen.
This session
The purpose of this online seminar is to help you:
 find out more about how other schools are working
together and setting-up School Direct initial teacher
training (ITT) networks
 have the opportunity to consider current networks and
how you might get involved and benefit from these
 hear best practice, advice and the benefits of using
networks, including:
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capitalising on marketing
maximising recruitment opportunities
building capacity locally
What are School Direct (SD)
networks?
Through the Teaching and Leadership Advisors (TLAs) we
have encouraged the establishment of SD networks
 The aim of the SD networks is to bring interested parties
together to increase Initial Teacher Training (ITT)
recruitment, with a particular focus on recruitment to SD
 Networks are managed and coordinated by schools
themselves
 SD networks can include members from SD schools,
SCITTs and HEIs
What is happening in your area –
an overview
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North West – 5 networks (3 phases and 2 by patch)
North East – 1 established network
Yorkshire and Humber – 2 new networks created, which rotates around the
region
East Midlands – 3 established networks
East of England – 3 new networks
London – 4 network established
South West – 4 established networks
South East – 5 networks established
Contact your local Teaching Leadership Advisor (TLA) who will be able to
identify a network close to you
Or, be able to advise how best you could start a network of your own
How SD networks can support your
recruitment: shared resources
 Enhanced knowledge of the local ITT market
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What does the local ITT market need?
Develop local plan for recruitment
What subjects are available locally?
What are other schools offering candidates?
 Shared costs and resources to maximise impact
– Host joint local recruitment events for candidates
– Shared marketing opportunities
How SD networks can support your
recruitment: your SD network
Consider moving applicants between routes and providers on UCAS Teacher
Training
You may use UCAS Teacher Training to move applicants across programme routes and
fill vacancies where you have a joint selection process with your partner schools. This
may help you move applicants between accrediting providers and lead schools, and vice
versa - where the applicant and provider or school agrees.
If you’re keen to explore this option within your partnership, please ensure that:
 No pressure is placed on an applicant as they might still be waiting to hear from other
choices they have made in Apply 1
 The new place offered is guaranteed, regardless of whether it is a conditional or
unconditional offer, and you are clear what subject/route the applicant needs to use to
add their choice
 The decision is applicant driven; only the applicant can place their application in Apply
2 by withdrawing from Apply 1
How SD networks can support
your recruitment: your reach
 Collaborative recruitment where allocations are small
– Ensure your area has the best candidates and teachers by not
losing anyone across the network
– Hold shared interviews for shortage subjects
– Signpost candidates to other schools in the network
 Examples of good practice can be shared and repeated across
the area
– Don’t lose out on a good idea, it may work for everyone else
 Increase your voice in the local area
Maximise the impact of SEP and
SKE
 Development of School Experience programme (SEP) offer
– Why not work together to offer an enhanced SEP offer
– Make sure you don’t lose anyone, have a shared career offer
across a locality
 Share Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) costs
– Offer/deliver SKE across the network and spread the learning
and the costs
 You could also
– Share SKE course places amongst your network, one school
can offer D&T and another offer Physics
– Share costs of SKE courses by accessing courses as a network
SKE in SD networks
Current networks have been asked to identify a school or SCITT in
the local area who can work as a SKE Champion.
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Someone who has already used SKE in your area
A school who is already offering/delivering SKE
Keep SKE on the networks agenda
To ensure SKE information and updates are shared among the
network
 Look at ways of expanding the offer locally
Challenges you may face and possible solutions
 Challenge – getting enough schools to attend so you have a viable
network
 Solution - Don’t be afraid to start small, capture good practice as you go
and make sure you have contact details for all SD lead schools in the
network area. Networks take time to establish and membership will grow
if benefits are realised.
 Challenge – resourcing the network including admin and
coordination; people’s time; funding for joint projects; contacts and
communication; lead roles (chair, host school)
 Solution – once your network membership becomes viable (approx 20
schools), formalise it including terms of reference, agreed roles and
responsibilities and a small amount of funding (eg £250) per school. This
may seem over the top but it will help to establish a clear focus and
ownership and allow those schools willing to provide resources to believe
schools who can’t recognise the value properly.
What else can you do to work
together for successful recruitment?
 Links with existing Teaching School
networks
– Is there another network locally that you can
tap into, what help could that network
provide?
 Links with ITT provider networks
 Where possible work with your Local
Authority
Key contacts and dates
There are currently at least 2 networks in operation in every
region, and in some regions there are as many as 5 (dependent on
size and geographical spread). Through their Teaching and
Leadership Adviser teams, NCTL are currently supporting this
development and can help to join an existing network or help you
to set up your own. For more information contact:
 [email protected] who will put you in touch
with your local TLA
 You can also see more information about system leaders on gov.uk:
www.gov.uk/system-leaders-who-they-are-and-what-they-do
Today’s speakers
We have two school speakers who can offer practical advice from their
own experience.
Victoria Gavin
St James’s Teaching School and Teach North West Coordinator
St James’s CE High School
Georgina Masters
Director of Teaching School & Business Management
The Southern Collaborative Learning Partnership (SCLP) Alliance
Working together for
successful recruitment
Victoria Gavin
St James’s Teaching School & Teach North West Coordinator
What are the benefits of
being in a network?
• Share best practice and ideas
• Joint ventures on recruitment
drives/advertising
• Financial savings
• Sharing potential applicants
• Supporting placements
• Sharing CPD opportunities
Who is Teach North West?
Teach North West was originally the secondary network group in the NW. It has
now evolved into a constituted group covering primary, secondary and special
sectors across ITT.
Includes
Primary,
Secondary
& Special
Chairs for each sector & Coordinator
Website:
www.teachnorthwest.com
Links with HCUK
Support from NCTL
Twitter
@teachnorthwest
Teach North West
Membership
• Constituted group/own
bank account
• Annual membership fee
• 4/5 Network Meetings
through the year
• Centralised organisation via
the coordinator
• Listing on the Teach North
West website
• Joint branding materials
• Promotion via Twitter
• Promotion at recruitment
events
• Opportunities to take part
in pilot schemes
Website
•
Central place
for candidates
to search for
ITT places
across the
North West
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Due to have a
calendar of
events and
twitter feed
Social Media Twitter
Teach North West uses
twitter to advertise
School Led ITT places,
events, training courses
and general information.
Branching Out
Currently running a
pilot in association
with HCUK to provide
blended SKE
programmes to ITT
candidates.
Useful links contacts
www.teachnorthwest.com
Victoria Gavin [email protected]
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Have a focused and effective marketing plan
Clear and measureable communication
objectives
Be clear about what your unique selling point
is
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Attend HEI open evening
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Attended National Train to Teach events
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Networked with other local Alliances &
SCITTs
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Organised a mini Train to Teach event
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Schools’ electronic mailing list
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Local Businesses and HEIs
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Local & social media
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Website banner on UCAS
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Rapid Feedback
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Open Day Events
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School Experience Programme
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Keep in Contact
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Don’t be afraid to network with others
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Know your unique selling point
Georgina Masters [email protected]
Today’s speakers
We have two school speakers who can offer practical advice from their
own experience.
Victoria Gavin
St James’s Teaching School and Teach North West Coordinator
St James’s CE High School
Georgina Masters
Director of Teaching School & Business Management
The Southern Collaborative Learning Partnership (SCLP) Alliance
Support from us
 The marketing resource bank has a full suite of the marketing resources
being used for the new Your Future | Their Future national campaign,
guidance documents including top tips on specific areas of marketing such
as social media, as well as templates for you to adapt e.g. press release,
parents letter
 You can adapt these with your school’s name, selling points and then use
these locally to recruit: www.education.gov.uk/sdmarketing
 Our events team runs events in areas which may be finding it difficult to
recruit, inviting potential applicants interested in teaching to come and meet
with providers and schools such as Train to Teach events. Whilst there are
limited places at the remaining events – please email
[email protected] if you are interested in attending
to see if there are any places
 You can also advertise your own recruitment events for free on our “Get into
Teaching” website which attracts c.3m visits per annum - email
[email protected]
Support from us cont.
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Our GOV.UK information for schools web pages are regularly updated with
advice and guidance and will signpost quick start guides, top tips and the
School Direct bulletin
Make sure your schools main and also partnership contact on the Allocation
Resource Managements system is up-to-date and the lead school will receive
and forward on regular email bulletins with reminders about next steps
throughout the process
Join our new School Direct Hub - a new online networking group for you on
the Knowledge Hub. Join other new members and start asking your questions
and sharing ideas today. Simply register as a member of Knowledge hub:
https://knowledgehub.local.gov.uk/ and then request to join the School Direct
Hub
Continue this discussion
Continue this dialogue and share best practice in the School Direct Hub:
https://knowledgehub.local.gov.uk/group/school-direct-hub
A recording of today’s seminar will be available and emailed to you
together with links to a feedback survey and to other information.
Thank you for taking part!
For queries about the online seminar or online
community email: [email protected]
For general queries about School Direct email:
[email protected]