News

  
We are delighted to announce the launch of a new module designed to help SEND leaders drive more successful improvement initiatives.

The 60-credit Auditing and Leading Improvement (ALI) module equips delegates with the knowledge to conduct a data-driven audit of their SEND provision and lead whole-school improvement projects.

Delegates will create and roll out a structured improvement plan for their setting, with support from a highly qualified tutor, helping prepare them for either internally-driven evaluation or external inspections, such as OFSTED. 
 
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We are delighted to partner with nasen to deliver the Universal SEND Services Programme.

In an ideal world, every learner’s journey through education would be marked by inclusivity, ambition, and unwavering support. Unfortunately, the reality is that many children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) continue to face obstacles in their pursuit of educational attainment and high outcomes. The Universal SEND Services programme’s ambition is poised to reshape the landscape of education, ensuring that all learners with SEND are given every opportunity to thrive both within education settings and beyond.
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Today is Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) Awareness Day!

Did you know that 2 children in a class of 30 have a DLD? This is just one of the many surprising facts about DLD.

Our Speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) module builds understanding of the theories, research and practical skills that can be used to make a positive difference and improve the outcomes for people with DLD and other SLCN. Discover more

Also, please join us in celebrating the collaboration between RCSLT, Afasic, NAPLIC and Speech and Language UK’s who have worked alongside people with DLD and their families to create a new vision for the future. See ‘A vision for Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) for the UK‘ for more information.

We are delighted to be exhibiting once again at the Tes SEND Show next month!

Taking place on 13 & 14 October, we will be at Stand 135 alongside our sister companies Dyslexia Action, Educational and Sporting Futures and the Dyslexia Action Shop.

The Tes SEND Show is the UK’s leading SEND show and an annual must-see. In addition to an exhibition, there are free talks, seminars and workshops on all aspects of SEND. We are looking forward to returning and meeting attendees.

Come and chat to us in-person about training courses, apprenticeships and educational resources!

If you’d like to attend, you can register HERE for this free event.

This week, Middlesex University will be hosting their 2023 Graduations. From everyone here at Real Training, we would like to congratulate all our delegates on their achievements.

We would love to share in your celebrations! Share photos of your special day with us on social media by tagging us in your posts and using our hashtag #RTGRAD2023

We look forward to seeing your photos and sharing the celebrations with you!

We are delighted to partner with our ‘Ofsted Outstanding’ sister company, Sporting Futures Training (UK) Ltd on the launch of the Learning and Skills Assessor Apprenticeship. This is a brand new opportunity for primary schools to bring educational testing and assessment in-house. 

Apprentices will learn how to use psychometric tests to effectively assess the progress of students and identify appropriate support strategies. Being able to better interpret test results will improve understanding and communication about individual learning needs, both internally and with external agencies, allowing the apprentice, and their colleagues, to respond to these needs more efficiently.

The apprenticeship offers free training as it can be funded through the Apprenticeship Levy at no additional cost to schools. (The government contributes 95% of training costs for a Non-Levy organisation).

Registration is open with the first cohort due to start in September 2023. 

A brief overview of the apprenticeship:

• A 13 month online programme inclusive of the End Point Assessment
• The apprenticeship comprises live teaching sessions, seminars and tutoring leading to the achievement of the Learning and Skills Assessor Apprenticeship
• ‘Off the job’ training packages that work for schools
• Requires a commitment of 6 hours release time per week
• Open to all members of staff in a primary school that are interested in gaining additional skills in assessment. For example, schools may choose to upskill one or more teachers, HLTAs, TAs or LSAs to provide valuable support for the SENCO. Or you could opt to develop new expertise for the SENCO themselves.
• Costs £0 as it is fully funded using the Apprenticeship Levy. An optional value-added extra is available for £75 + VAT, which enables apprentices to ‘top-up’ and gain the gold standard, Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing (CCET) qualification, set by the British Psychological Society

Interested in learning more about this opportunity to develop valuable skills in educational testing and assessment? Read additional information about the Learning and Skills Assessor Apprenticeship.

We will be attending 41st COBIS Annual Conference, 6-8 May 2023 in London!

Catch us on Stand 35 for a chat about our courses, new routes to take with your previous qualifications and some freebies! 

The theme for this conference is Leading Learning for a New Paradigm, we are excited to be at this exhibition to learn more about evolving pedagogy and educational structures. 

We will be giving out our brochures which detail our courses, pathways, apprenticeships opportunities, as well as some pens and notepads! 

Feedback from our delegates is very important to us. This is why we ask every delegate to fill out a feedback form upon completion of their course. This provides us with extremely valuable data on what we’re doing right, and where we can improve. We’ve been carefully analysing the data from 2022, and below are highlights from the results.

• 93% of delegates rated our course as good or very good.
• 94% of delegates rated the extent to which their course met their developmental priorities as good or very good.
• 94% of delegates rated the course tutors as good or very good.

Comments from our delegates!

“Real training is able to provide high quality blended learning CPD experiences for SENCos which are genuinely invaluable in their daily practice”

• Mark Norwood, CPT3A delegate, 2022

“It really makes you consider your setting and what needs addressing in terms of mental wellbeing”

• Fiona Day, SMHLC Delegate, 2022

“The course I studied was very relevant, well structured and very well supported by staff. The online portal was easy to navigate and use. Progress bars and days left on course helped to keep me on task”

• Joanne Shallow, NASENCO, 2022

We witnessed our dedicated delegates receive their Postgraduate Certificates, Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters at Middlesex University in July 2022. To see their months and years of hard work come to fruition on their day of graduation means a great deal to all of us at Real Training. This is an amazing opportunity for us to all come together and celebrate, especially for the delegates who opt to study with us completely online!

If you are thinking of enrolling on a course with us, either for the first time or are a returning delegate, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us on +44 (0)1273 35 80 80 or contact us here.

Senior Mental Health Lead Training – how to apply for grant funding                                                        

The Department for Education (DfE) has just provided an update on the grant funding for senior mental health leads, for all state-funded schools and colleges in England. This article provides information on how to apply for grant funding for the Real Training Senior Mental Health Leadership courses.

Eligible schools and colleges must apply for a senior mental health lead training grant by 31 March 2023, and commence training by 31 July 2023. So make sure to take advantage of the funding while you still can!

Step 1 – Read the guidance for grant funding to ensure eligibility

The DfE has published a comprehensive guide to applying for grant funding. Initially, we recommend you visit this page, which offers a useful overview of topics such as what the grant must be used for, eligibility criteria when to complete the submission and so on. It will also provide information regarding creating a ‘DfE Sign-in account’ which is necessary in order to access the form. 

You can also visit this page which will offer more information on the conditions of the grant and application guidance. We highly recommend you read all of this information to avoid submission errors that could delay or invalidate your application unnecessarily.

Note: if you are not eligible for funding, don’t worry as we have non-funded places available too. Our courses are just as relevant to those working in non-state or international settings as well.

Step 2 – Decide on the course you wish to apply for grant funding

In order to receive the grant payment, you will need to confirm to the DfE which training course you have chosen.

At Real Training, we offer two DfE quality-assured Senior Mental Health Leadership courses. Click the links below to visit our course pages and learn more:

Senior Mental Health Leadership Certificate (SMHLC) – aimed at those who are new to a Senior Mental Health Leadership role or are aspiring to become a leader in this area.

Senior Mental Health Leadership – Advanced Award (SMHLAA) – aimed at those who have some experience in the role, and have some existing training in mental health leadership.

If you are unsure which of these is best for you, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with one of our experienced course advisors who will be happy to help, either by email info@realgroup.co.uk or by phone on +44 (0)1273 35 80 80.

We encourage you to apply for a grant BEFORE you book a course if your place is reliant on this funding.

Step 3 – Collate information for your setting in preparation for application

It is important to ensure you have the relevant information to hand in and that certain conditions are met before commencing the application process. This includes, but is in no way limited to:

• Having a commitment from your setting’s senior leadership team to develop a whole school, college or centre approach to mental health and wellbeing
• Details of your senior mental health lead, who will receive the training in 2022 to 2023 financial year, to oversee your setting’s whole school, college or centre approach
• Authority to submit a claim for this training grant on behalf of your educational setting

Having this information readily available will enormously reduce the time it takes to apply and helps ensure correct information is provided first time.

Step 4 – Complete the application form

Once you have all of the necessary information required, you can access the form here. At this point, you will need to log into your DfE account. It is important to check all the details that the DfE holds for your account –  you can complete this form if any of them are incorrect. You will then be guided through the application form, step-by-step.

Once complete, you will be asked to agree to the declarations set out in the grant terms and conditions. You will then receive an email of confirmation, containing your claim reference. It isn’t possible to make amendments to the application form once submitted. However, if errors have been made or circumstances change, you can submit another application, the details of which will be used, and previous applications disregarded.

Step 5 – Book your course

Once you have received confirmation of your grant, you can visit our booking form to book your place on one of our Senior Mental Health Leadership courses. 

Step 6 – Confirm your chosen course with the DfE

The DfE will ask you to complete a further form to confirm that you have booked your chosen course. This form should appear right after completing the first form. This will enable them to authorise payment of your grant.

Real Training – Year in Review

We’ve had a great year here at Real Training, all thanks to our wonderful delegates, as well as the staff and directors who make it all happen. We are led by three educational psychologists who are committed to education and its ability to change lives. Through empowering you, we can make a real difference in students’ lives. As we are nearing the end of 2022, let’s look at some of our biggest accomplishments this year.

January 2022 – The launch of our first Senior Mental Health Leadership courses

The Department for Education (DfE) created a new quality criteria for Senior Mental Health Lead training courses, which help to define this important senior role in schools. While many schools and colleges already have a mental health lead, the knowledge and skills they have may vary. With mental health being a top priority for all educational settings, the goal is for a senior member of staff within the school or college to gain confidence and competence in leading the mental health provision across the whole school.

At Real Training, we offer an introductory Senior Mental Health Lead Certificate and a Senior Mental Health Leadership Advanced Award – both have been quality assured through a robust DfE process. 

February 2022 – Sporting and Educational Futures joined Real Group 

Earlier this year we partnered with Sporting and Educational Futures, who are an Ofsted Outstanding Provider offering a variety of apprenticeships. They have a team of specialist experienced teachers, senior staff, assessors and IQAs who support and mentor learners on their apprenticeship programmes. This year they won the Education & Childcare Apprenticeship Provider of the Year at the Apprenticeship Awards 2022, as part of the Annual Apprenticeship Conference and Exhibition.

July 2022 – Real Training Graduation Reception

We had a great couple of days witnessing our dedicated delegates receive their PGCerts, PGDips and MEds at Middlesex University. To see their months and years of hard work come to fruition on their day of graduation means a great deal to all of us at Real Training. We celebrated with a number of our delegates from 2022, as well as a second day on which we met our 2021 and 2020 graduates!

We plan to host a similar event next year for our graduates in 2023, so current delegates, please – keep an eye out for an invitation, as we are always delighted to help celebrate your achievements…

October 2022 – Tes SEND Show

We exhibited at the Tes SEND Show in October, this is the UK’s leading SEND show, and an annual must-see! Dr. Siobhan Mellor and Sarah Norris, both integral members of the team at Real Group spoke at the SEND Solution Theatre about Inclusive Frameworks: Supporting Pupil Mental Health and Achievement. 

We also exhibited at a number of events including: ECIS Leadership Conference, CST Annual Conference, COBIS 40th Annual Conference, FOBISIA Annual Leadership Conference, BSME Annual Conference, Inspiration SEND Network Conference and Independent Schools SEND Conference. Keep an eye on our socials next year to see where we will be exhibiting in 2023!

November 2022 – We won at the EducationInvestor Awards! 

We were delighted to win the Exporting Excellence award at this year’s EducationInvestor ceremony. This accolade recognises their focus on making a difference and enhancing the lives and education of all children, including those with SEND, all over the world. Directors Mark Turner and Siobhan Mellor accepted the award. 

October 2022 – One of our former delegates won the Teacher of the Year award

Jemini Patel, a recent delegate on our National Award for SEN Coordination course won the Teacher of the Year Award at Nasen’s sixth annual awards ceremony. She decided to study our NASENCO course as she felt she needed to develop her knowledge to support the children in her class with SEN. She believed the children needed more support and wanted to be able to improve this. Speaking of her win, Jemini said: “It is a great honour to receive this award. This award has inspired and motivated me to continue and develop our inclusive practice even further.”

We cannot wait to see what 2023 has to bring! From all of us here at Real Training we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!