Archive: November 2018

As we move into December and get ready for the festive season ahead, it is also a good time to reflect on the school year so far and plan for 2019.

At Real Training we are doing exactly that – our elves are busy preparing for our January cohorts and we are looking forward to working with hundreds of SENCOs and other education professionals all over the world who have already booked a course with us for January. If you have plans to improve your SEN support and leadership skills during 2019, then we have a number of training course options available to you, all of which are ideal for SENCOs and aspiring SENCOs.

All our courses are available to complete online, offering the following benefits:

•  You can study with the ultimate flexibility – with no internal deadlines for assignments, you can complete the work at a pace and time that suits you.
•  You do not have to take time away from school – with school life becoming increasingly busy, not having to attend regular face-to-face sessions can be a huge advantage for you and your employer.
•  You have a great support network – as well as your highly-qualified online tutor who will work with you on a one-to-one basis, you can also network and share best practice with other like-minded SENCOs from all over the world.

If you are interested in the NPQSL course, don’t forget that there are DfE-funded NPQ places available for schools in Opportunity Areas and Category 5 and 6 areas, but only if you book a place in our January cohort before 13 December. Contact us for more details.

If you are looking to complete CCET or CPT3A and wish to fast-track your learning journey, you may also be interested in our intensive face-to-face courses we are offering next year. We have two CCET courses in January with limited places left:

•  23-25 January, Manchester (Cottons Hotel)
• 23-25 January, London (Real Group Greenwich HQ)

 
Following our article published on 15 November in which we were letting you know about the DfE funding for NPQ programmes in Opportunity and Priority Areas being open once again, we want to update you with further details.

The DfE have told us that all submissions for funded places must be with them by the close of business on 13 December and must be for programmes starting in January 2019. We have been told that there may be further rounds of funding, though this is far from certain.

At Real Training, we offer NPQ courses at Headship, Senior Leadership and Middle Leadership levels – and have cohorts for all three starting in January which you can book now.

Please note that whilst registering your place takes no more than a couple of minutes, to access the DfE funding, we will need some additional details by lunchtime on the 13 December at the latest, so to avoid missing out I strongly advise booking today if you wish to benefit from this funding. Please note that the funding is unlimited for teachers coming from categories 5&6 settings.  

To remind you, all Real Training courses are delivered fully online and have no internal deadlines. So if you are worried about getting work done in January, please be reassured that you are under no obligation to start your course then. You have 12 months to complete the course at your own pace, so can start when suits you. The only deadline initially is that, to access the funding, you need to join our Janaury intake. 

 
If you are planning on getting one of your team trained as a SENCO – or training yourself – we are now taking registrations for our January intake for our acclaimed National Award in SEN Coordination programme.

As with all National Award courses, ours meets all of the necessary criteria for you or a team member to be a fully-qualified SENCO. However, Real Training’s course stands out – one of the reasons we are one of the largest providers in the UK. Our course is:

• Delivered fully online. This gives our delegates the flexibility to work at a time, place and pace which works around their professional life. It also saves their school money and stress of arranging classroom cover.
• Tutored by experts. All delegates receive one-to-one tutoring from highly experienced, expert tutors. We ensure that delegates get the best of both worlds – online flexibility coupled with personal tutoring.
• Designed by educators, for educators. Our company is owned and run by former teachers and practicing Educational Psychologists. This means our programme is based on both the latest psychological insight and practical, real-world educational experience.
•  Fully validated. All of our graduates exit with a 60-credit, postgraduate certificate, issued by Middlesex University. These credits can then form part of our Masters in SEND programme or our MA Leading Inclusive Education.

If you would like to register a place now, simply go to the booking form. Initial registration takes no more than a couple of minutes, and no payment is taken at this stage.

 
 
Following a meeting with the Department for Education (DfE), we wanted to make it public that the DfE funding for NPQ courses is once again available.

This funding is offered for all NPQ courses for schools in Opportunity Areas and Category 5 & 6 areas.

Real Training offers the full range of school-based NPQs, from Headship and Senior Leader level to the Middle Leader programme suited to less experienced aspiring leaders.

As a DfE-accredited NPQ provider, our programmes contain the core learning outcomes set down by the Department. However, Real Training NPQ courses are different in a number of ways. Our NPQ courses are:

• Delivered fully online. This gives our participants the flexibility to work at a time, place and pace which suits their professional and personal lives.
• Flexible and contain no internal deadlines. As a company owned by former educators, we’ve created flexibility to allow teachers to work when suits them, to avoid adding stress.
• Tutored on a one-to-one basis by highly-experienced, expert tutors.
• Founded on an inclusive ethos, and informed by the latest psychological insight.

If you want to register yourself or members of your team for our January intake, you simply need to complete a registration form.

Please note that schools in funded areas are not limited in the number of participants they can enrol. For as long as the funding is in place, you can sign-up as many eligible team members as you wish.

If you are looking to take advantage of this funding, though, we would strongly recommend registering soon as we are not clear how long the window will be open for.

Flexible learning from the UK’s biggest Professional Assessment training organisation

The challenges educators face in gaining assessments and support for children presenting with SEN are not new – or unique to Scotland. But, based on recent years, the pressures are growing with Scotland facing perhaps the greatest challenges within the UK.

As far back as 2016, The Herald was reporting on the crisis over Educational Psychologists in Scotland. The twin effects of an ever-growing increase in diagnosis, coupled with a drop in the number of qualified EPs has seen a burgeoning scramble to access qualified support for students.

Whilst the Scottish Government’s recent announcement of a £4M bursary to help train up to 90 EPs is certainly welcome, the training process is a long one – and students and schools do not have the luxury of time.

Whilst EPs do offer more than assessment and access arrangements services, at Real Training, we can offer schools a solution to these two challenges. As part of our University-accredited Professional Assessment Programme, we offer two courses for educators, both for assessing students and for carrying out exam access arrangements.

Which course can help your school?

We offer two courses that can carry out some of the functions offered by Educational Psychologists, depending on your intended aims and type of setting:

• Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing (CCET). This course will help you to understand how assessments using psychometric tests are developed, how to use them effectively, and how to interpret the results. Additionally, the Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing will enable you to apply for the BPS Test User Educational qualification and to join the BPS’s Register of Qualifications in Test Use – a publicly searchable database of competence that will bolster your professional reputation.
•  Certificate in Psychometric Testing, Assessment and Access Arrangements (CPT3A). This course will teach you how to use psychometric testing instruments effectively (CCET) and give you the right to apply them in exam access arrangements (AAC) confidently and competently. As this course is partly formed by CCET, you will also be able to join the BPS’s register

As the UK’s largest professional assessment training provider, we’ve trained thousands of people to become qualified test users and access arrangements assessors, so you can be confident studying with Real Training.

Flexible learning, designed by and for educators

As an organisation owned and run by EPs and former educators, we know the pressures on teachers – and have built our courses around educators’ real lives. Real Training Professional Assessment Programme courses are:

•  Delivered fully online. This means our courses are flexible, allowing you to study at times and places which suit you best, and cost-effective as there is no need to pay for classroom cover.
•  Practise-led and informed by positive psychology. We know, from decades’ of experience, that people change their working practises best by embedding learning in their day-to-day working life.
• Recognised. Not only are our courses recognised by the BPS and JCQ, they are also accredited by Middlesex University. Graduates from either course can join our Masters in SEND programme as if they have 30 credits.

What are the next steps?

If you have read enough, and want to register, you can sign up here. Registering takes just a couple of minutes, and no payment is taken at this stage.