Ministers have today finally revealed the new National Institute of Teaching (NIoT) will be led by the School-Led Development Trust (SLDT) – and open as planned in September.
The NIoT said it will be “run by schools for schools”, with Melanie Renowden the founding chief executive.
Renowden is currently an executive director at Star Academies, one of the four founding trusts behind the SLDT. The other three are Harris Federation, Outwood Grange Academies Trust and Oasis Community Learning.
The NIoT has announced today it will link data on teacher and leader development with data sets on pupil achievement to see “what truly makes an impact on children’s outcomes”, something it claimed was currently only done in North America.
Renowden said the school-led consortium is “perfectly equipped to translate evidence on best practice into action that can be implemented in schools up and down the country”.
However it was unable to provide further information on how the plans would work.
The institute has also pledged to make its research free to all teacher training providers.
It will deliver initial teacher training (ITT), the early career framework (ECF) for new teachers and national professional qualifications (NPQs) for more experienced staff, as well as National Leader of Education training.
The government has been able to announce the winners – first revealed by Schools Week in March – after agreeing a pay-off to settle a contract dispute with rival bidders Ambition Institute.
However the protracted dispute has meant some of its programmes have been delayed. It will run training for the early career framework from September 2023, a year later than originally planned.
Supporting the full suite of national professional qualifications will launch in February next year, six months later than planned.
Initial teacher training will start from September 2023 and national leaders of education training will start this September – both as planned.
The NIoT said training will be delivered through four regional campuses, each supported by one of the trusts. Its headquarters will be based in Blackburn, Lancashire.
Once degree awarding powers are granted, SLDT said it will become the only UK university “solely focused” on the development of teachers and school leaders.
Twelve regional ‘associate colleges’ (see below) will also be established, made up of “strong” school groups which have the “capacity and expertise required to deepen and extend” the NIoT’s impact.
Separately 13 ‘specialist partners’ have been appointed, to “extend the reach” of the NIoT.
Sir Dan Moynihan, SLDT chair and Harris chief executive, said “assembling specialist expertise and collaborating with the sector will be key to the success of the NIoT”.
He added: “The world-class teacher development that results from this new organisation will enable and inspire the nation’s school workforce to give all children the high-quality education they need and deserve.”
DfE said the NIoT would create more than half of its new jobs in the North West and North East. It would also recruit 20 per cent of staff from the least socially mobile areas in the country.
DfE said the institute “aims to positively impact every teacher in England by 2028, either directly via its training courses or through the best practice guidance that it will distribute”.
But Geoff Barton, general secretary of school leaders’ union ASCL, was ”concerned about exactly how the institute will work alongside established teacher training providers where there are regional campuses competing for the same pool of graduate trainees.
“It is going to be important that the institute complements the existing system rather than leading to a muddle of teacher training routes.”
Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi said it would “revolutionise” the way teachers and school leaders receive training, “with cutting edge research alongside training delivered by national experts”.
The four campuses:
- The North West Campus supported by Star Academies
- The North East Campus supported by Outwood Grange Academies Trust
- The London & South East Campus supported by the Harris Federation
- The Midlands & South West Campus supported by Oasis Community Learning
Associate Colleges and delivery partners are:
- Bright Futures Educational trust
- David Ross Education Trust
- East Midlands Education Trust
- Education South West
- Flying High Trust (Inspiring Leaders)
- Future Academies
- Inspiration Trust
- North East Learning Trust
- Sea View Trust
- South Farnham Educational Trust
- Trinity MAT
- Unity Schools Partnership
The specialist partners include:
- ANS
- Eden Academy Trust
- Hable
- Evidence Based Education
- Microsoft
- National Teacher Accreditation
- Place2Be
- Research Ed
- Teacher Tapp
- Teach First
- The Difference
- Tom Bennett
- Newcastle University
- University of Birmingham
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