End of term note from SCHOOLS NorthEast
When I reflect on the spring term, I’m reminded of how many people you can fit in a Mini. I’m not sure how we have crammed so much into such a short space of time and I’m sure you all feel the same.
At the start of the year we launched Jobs in Schools | North East, the region’s newest and most cost-effective recruitment portal. This is a project driven by you and your desire to see dedicated support to raise awareness of available roles in schools while cutting advertising costs.
Schools in the region have signed up in droves, candidates have actively engaged and the number of vacancies has grown. Here’s a breakdown of the latest statistics is available to read here. Our ultimate aim is to reinvest revenue from the portal to market the North East as a teaching destination to support all schools to attract the right talent to fill your vacancies. To that end, please encourage all schools in your network to sign up to www.jobsinschoolsnortheast.com.
One of the founding purposes of SCHOOLS NorthEast is to promote and support school-business engagement. We held our second annual FutureReady Careers Conference, as part of our long-standing commitment to ensure young people in the region have access to the best possible opportunities. If you did not attend, we summarised the day here. We also continued our representation on the North East Local Enterprise Partnership Skills Board, provided further support for the Good Career Benchmarks Pilot, and advised the Skills Chairs Group organised by the Business, Innovation and Skills Department. SCHOOLS NorthEast is also working closely with the Community Foundation in , which focuses on engineering in schools.
We are also in discussion with enterprise partners on a fresh approach to supporting schools with their governance needs.
Behind the scenes, the wheels are turning for the development of the schools-led commission into the mental health of pupils in the North East, and we are hoping to have an announcement to share with you shortly.
SCHOOLS NorthEast has provided several opportunities for schools to hear directly from Ofsted at briefing sessions on the new Common Inspection Framework which has attraced over 350 delegates this term. The first series of our termly briefings also included a focus on governance. Recaps of the Spring Term briefings are available here and here, and we will be announcing the next set of sessions shortly.
The Budget and subsequent publication of the education white paper Educational Excellence Everywhere will bring fundamental changes to the school system. We will be engaging with DfE on the detail of the White Paper and we will also support schools in the region to work through the implications of the announcements at our Academies Conference in May.
SCHOOLS NorthEast is also currently working on a North East response to the National Funding Formula consultation which ends on the 17 April. We have also provided a robust response to Ofqual’s consultation on exam reviews and appeals, and are awaiting the outcome.
On behalf of the whole SCHOOLS NorthEast team, have an enjoyable Easter break and we look forward to working with you in the summer term.
Mike Parker
Director, SCHOOLS NorthEast