National Roll-out of Teaching School Hubs

In the department's Recruitment and Retention strategy, published in January 2019, we committed to improving our support for teachers, ensuring that they receive high quality training and development at every stage of their career - from Initial Teacher Training (ITT) through to leadership qualifications. Central to this programme are the ITT Core Content and the national roll-out of the Early Career Framework, which set out an entitlement to new, evidence-based support and training over the first three or more years of a teacher's career, as well as support for their mentors.

At the heart of this new system will be Teaching School Hubs (TSH). The concentrated focus for TSH on teacher training and development will see a return to the original vision behind teaching schools, recognising teacher and leader development as the most important form of school improvement. The TSH programme will create a network of 87 centres of excellence for teacher training and development, replacing the current network of around 750 teaching schools.

The Department would like to invite high performing schools, rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted, to apply for up to 81 competitive grants that will be awarded in up to 81 areas of the country.

A further six areas make up the total of 87, which cover the whole country and ensure all schools have access to a TSH. These six areas already have an operational TSH, designated in the test-and-learn phase in 2019.

To be considered to become a Teaching School Hub, the lead school must be:

1. Eligible, according to the full eligibility criteria set out in the application guidance; 2. Located in the hub area for which it is applying, or within a reasonable travel distance. An interactive map showing the areas can be found in the Jaggaer e-tendering portal.

Applications that do not meet these criteria will not be assessed

Role of Teaching School Hubs

The new hubs will provide high quality professional development to teachers at all stages of their career. They will be expected to play a significant role in delivering the Early Career Framework when it is available nationally from September 2021, and to seek to be involved in the delivery of new Specialist National Professional Qualifications (NPQ) and Leadership NPQs. They will deliver school-based Initial Teacher Training (ITT). TSH will also promote and deliver other high-quality evidence-based professional development to school leaders and teachers. They will also quality assure statutory induction for early career teachers through an Appropriate Body role.

Additional information: Further Information:

Eligibility

You must be a school rated Outstanding or Good by Ofsted, and have above average performance data. Secondary schools will have a strong commitment to EBacc; primary schools will be highly effective at teaching phonics. Full eligibility criteria are set out in the application guidance.

An eligibility checker is available on Jaggaer. Please note the eligibility checker is not suitable for all types of school (e.g. special schools, alternative provision, maintained nurseries).

If your school is not eligible to apply as a lead school, you may wish to work with another school to support their application.

Application process

1. Register for the department's e-tendering system Jaggaer, which can be accessed via the Jaggaer online portal. Please note that responses can only be submitted in electronic form. 2. Special schools, alternative provision and maintained nursery schools are also required to complete a performance form to confirm their eligibility. This must also be submitted through Jaggaer. 3. Complete the application form and submit your application in Jaggaer by no later than 12pm on Friday 30 October 2020. 4. We will assess your application against the criteria set out in the application guidance. 5. Applications from schools that i) do not meet the published eligibility criteria, ii) have not completed the performance form, or iii) have submitted their application outside of the Jaggaer system, will not be assessed.

Attachments: The following documents will be available to view in Jaggaer: - Full application guidance - Application Form - Eligibility checker - Map of geographical areas - Q&A from early market engagement - Performance form and scoring criteria for Special schools, alternative provision and maintained nursery schools

Funding will run from September 2021 for three academic years, subject to confirmation at the Spending Review. We will in addition provide you with up to £80,000 of start-up funding in AY20/21.

The amount of funding will depend on the number of schools (state-funded schools that have compulsory school age pupils) in a hub area at the time of appointment.

Additional Information: The department reserves the right not to enter a formal procurement process and not to proceed with grant award. Accordingly, the department will not be liable for any bid cost, expenditure, work, or effort incurred by any school or other organisation based on this Prior Information Notice.

This grant competition will be run via the department's e-tendering portal, Jaggaer. It is recommended that to avoid missing out, applicants access this system to register as soon as possible using the link provided above.

All information included in this notice is indicative and may be subject to change. Please note that the department is not bound to enter into any grant agreement. Funding for the TSH may be subject to change at the department's absolute discretion.