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We have been told that staff training often gets overlooked as this is something that can be seen as an avoidable expense. But what if staff training actually saves you money, meaning that you have extra budget to spend on other important areas?

CCET Training – what is it?

Every school needs to undertake student assessments during the year – tests to assess for progress as well as for special needs. Many schools invest in Educational Psychologists (EP) or Specialist Teachers to carry out these tests on the school’s behalf. However, did you know that our Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing (CCET) qualification trains educators on how to carry out these services in-house? This can, therefore, lead to reductions in spending on outsourced services or perhaps simply means you are able to afford more meaningful services from your EP or Specialist Teacher, rather than just the standard assessments.

Who and how?

The CCET training is an open-access course so we welcome applications from any of your staff members. However, it is worth noting that the qualifications they hold in addition to CCET will determine which tests they will be able to purchase from the test providers. Please contact us on 01273 358080 for further advice on this.

Our qualification can be completed flexibly online with full tutor support. Alternatively, we offer several 3-day intensive courses for those wishing to fast-track their learning. There are still a few places remaining for our upcoming courses in London and Birmingham this month:

• 13-15 March, London (Novotel London City)
•  20-22 March, Birmingham (IBIS Birmingham New Street)

If you are interested in either of these courses, you can book now via our simple online booking form. For further information regarding the course content, please visit our dedicated CCET page online. You can also visit our Certificate in Psychometric Testing, Assessment and Access Arrangements (CPT3A) page if you are interested in your colleague also becoming a qualified Access Arrangements Assessor.

Since we launched CCET in 2006, we have trained over 2500 teachers, SENCOs and other professionals and they are now carrying out educational testing for their schools in the UK and all over the world. If you are interested in investing in in-house expertise in this area and have unanswered questions, please contact us.

 
We wanted to write this article to let you know some wonderful news we’ve received from Dubai last night.

As a company long committed to developing SEN expertise across the globe, it was with great pride that, at last night’s GESS Education Awards ceremony in Dubai, we were chosen as the global SEN Resource Supplier of the Year.  

Our view of inclusion has always been that, just as there should be no barriers in education when it comes to special educational needs or disabilities, for us to do all we can to improve outcomes for all we needed to support the global education sector. Thanks to our practice-led learning model and next-generation online platform, allied to hugely experienced tutors, we now have course participants in 70 countries.

Award-winning SEN training for education professionals worldwide

As part of our support for British International Schools, we have two face to face events coming up soon for our renowned CCET course. CCET (Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing) is the gold standard in teacher training for testing in attainment and ability. Additionally, those taking the full CPT3A course are authorised by the JCQ to carry out access arrangements – and can join our MEd SEND programme as if they have 30 credits.

In the coming months, we will be delivering two 3-day CCET intensive courses in Dubai and Qatar:

• 16-18 April, Dubai (GEMS Wellington Academy)
• 19-21 May, Qatar (Qatar International School, Doha)

Spaces on both courses are limited so if you are interested, please submit your registration soon. Registering takes two minutes, and no payment is taken at this stage.

We’ve had very positive feedback last year from this inaugural Access Arrangements Update course which attracted nearly 1,000 participants. Based on that, we are very pleased to confirm that we will be running another Access Arrangements Update at the start of the next academic year – and once again it will be completely free of charge.

One of the areas of feedback we’re looking at is the sign-up process, so in the run-up to the next course, we are working on a more user-friendly registration mechanism for participants. As soon as registrations are open, we will make an announcement.

 
We are excited to announce that we come to Qatar this May to deliver one of our face-to-face intensive courses – our established Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing (CCET) qualification. Fancy joining us?

What is CCET?

Our highly-regarded CCET course is a fantastic qualification, suitable for both primary and secondary schools. It provides you with an understanding of the underlying principles of all psychometric tests and how to apply this knowledge in your setting – you’ll be able to identify the correct test, use it effectively and interpret the results. This includes testing for academic progress as well as some special needs. By investing in in-house educational testing expertise, your setting will reduce the need to bring in external providers and will run more effectively as a fully inclusive school. Take a look at our dedicated CCET page online for more information.

Who is delivering the course?

The CCET course in Qatar will be held on 19-21 May at the Qatar International School in Doha. It will be facilitated by our co-founder and Managing Director Dr Mark Turner. Mark is an experienced educational psychologist who recently became the Life President of Nurtureuk – a charity that promotes access to education for all children. He will be on-hand throughout the 3-day intensive course to facilitate your learning and answer any questions you may have.

Access Arrangements

If you are also looking to become qualified as an access arrangements assessor this academic year, the CCET course can contribute towards completion of our Certificate in Psychometric Testing, Assessment and Access Arrangements (CPT3A). After CCET, the Access Arrangements Course (AAC) can be easily completed online, building on the knowledge you have acquired from CCET and focusing on the exam access arrangements process so that you can complete the necessary documentation in your setting with confidence. Book the CPT3A classic route option online to make a saving.  

Don’t miss out

There are limited places available on our CCET course in Qatar. To guarantee your place, enrol now by completing our online booking form – it only takes a few minutes and you do not need to pay anything straight away. If you are unable to make the course in Qatar, don’t worry – CCET can also be completed as a fully-online qualification, available to start whenever you are ready.

 
Are you looking to become qualified as an access arrangements assessor this academic year? If so, our Certificate in Psychometric Testing, Assessment and Access Arrangements (CPT3A) will provide you will all the skills and knowledge required to successfully carry out this role and meet the JCQ requirements.

What’s covered?

Our highly-regarded CPT3A qualification comprises two modules. The first is the Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing (CCET) which will provide you with an understanding of the underlying principles of all psychometric tests and how to apply this knowledge in your setting – you’ll be able to identify the correct test, use it effectively and interpret the results. The Access Arrangements Course (AAC) will then build on this knowledge and focus on the exam access arrangements process so that you can complete the necessary access arrangements documentation in your setting with confidence.

Study options

If you wish to learn at your own pace, you can complete the CPT3A fully online, supported by an experienced and qualified tutor. Alternatively, to fast-track your learning, you can attend one of our 3-day intensive CCET courses followed by the AAC module online or via a 1-day intensive session. The dates of the intensive course are below – we have two CCET intensive courses next month, one in London on 13-15 March and the other in Birmingham on 20-22 March. 

CCET

London: Novotel London City. 13-15 March | 22-24 May | 3-5 July

Birmingham: IBIS Birmingham New Street. 20-22 March

Bristol: Aztec Hotel. 8-10 May

Leeds: Thorpe Park Hotel & Spa. 24-26 July

AAC

London: Novotel London South. 24 May | 28 June

Learn more and book your place today

Eligibility

To complete the full CPT3A, you will need to hold ‘an appropriate qualification to teach’ in order to meet the criteria set by the JCQ for all access arrangement assessors. Once you have completed the qualification with us, not only will you be a qualified access arrangements assessor but you will also gain 30 credits at level 7 which you can bring into our SEND Programme to achieve a postgraduate qualification.

 
Following the success of two intensive Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing (CCET) courses held in Dubai last year, we have already planned another face-to-face course to take place this April. Attend our CCET Dubai course on 16-18 April at GEMS Wellington Academy Silicon Oasis to take the next step in ensuring that inclusion is at the heart of your school so that you can effectively support all your students, no matter what their abilities.

What’s it all about?

CCET is an open access course, meaning that no prior qualifications are requirements before starting the course. However, it is particularly suited to SENCOs, Inclusion Managers and other support roles as it’s designed to help you understand everything you need to know about psychometric tests, including how to use them and how to interpret the results effectively. After this course, you will be able to evaluate your students’ progress as well as assess for some special educational needs. It’s a great way to start your journey towards enhanced and inclusive support for all the students in your setting, without the need to rely on external professionals. You can find out more about what is included in the course on our dedicated CCET web page.

Attending our CCET course in Dubai is also a great opportunity to share best practice for inclusion with your colleagues in the region as well as discuss specific challenges with our experienced Educational Psychologists who will be delivering the training.  

Local opinion

Melissa Skiles, Head of Inclusion at the Dubai British School Jumeriah Park attended our CCET course in Dubai last year and found the course very beneficial:

“The course has exceeded my expectations – both in person and the online modules. Throughout the duration of the course, the instructors have consistently proven themselves as consummate professionals but warm in their approach. They have also consistently demonstrated expertise and extensive knowledge of the content and its importance in the realm of education. They organised varied content with real-world application and taught us the intricacies of such ethical work and practices and how to maintain those high standards. I would enthusiastically recommend and participate in any course offerings hosted by Real Group in the future.”  

Other relevant courses

If our face-to-face CCET course in Dubai does not suit you this time, please be aware that all our courses, including CCET, are available to complete online from anywhere in the world – as long as you have a good internet connection. As well as courses in professional assessments, such as CCET, we offer masters-level qualifications in inclusive leadership and in supporting students with special educational needs and disabilities. We even have an exclusive Postgraduate Certificate dedicated to SENCOs working in an international setting – our International Award in SEN Coordination.

To book, please complete our simple booking form online. Or for more information, please contact us.

 
Following our article last month informing you of the new March cohort for our three National Professional Qualifications (NPQs), we wanted to write a new article to let you know that the Department for Education (DfE) has now confirmed that funding is definitely available for March for schools based in the category 5 and 6 areas. If you would like to know if your school is based in an opportunity area, you can check this link or you can contact us.  

Book by 13 February to secure a funded NPQ place

To guarantee your fully-funded place for our March cohort, we ask for you to complete the following three steps by the end of Wednesday 13 February:

1. Complete our simple booking form online.
2. Complete the online registration forms, which you will receive access to after you have made your booking with us.
3.  Your headteacher needs to confirm support of your application via email – you simply need to provide their contact details in your registration forms.

With limited places available on our programmes and further funding not guaranteed beyond March, we recommend that you make your booking as soon as possible to start this process – we don’t want you to miss out!

As a reminder, these are our three online NPQs approved by the DfE:

• NPQML for current and aspiring middle leaders with responsibility for a team.
• NPQSL for current and aspiring senior leaders with responsibilities across an education setting.
• NPQH for those who are looking to move into a headteacher role within 12-18 months.

All programmes offer a flexible and practice-led learning model to help you achieve your leadership goals and make a difference in your setting from the outset. If you have any questions regarding the DfE funding or the NPQ programmes in general, please do not hesitate to contact us.

 
Children with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) difficulties are a large and growing proportion of students in mainstream and specialist schools across the UK. With this in mind, the government is taking positive steps to tackle this challenge and has provided guidance for education professionals in the recent ‘Mental health and behaviour in schools’ report, published in November 2018.

The report highlights the responsibilities and the role that each school plays in preventing, identifying and supporting children with mental health difficulties. It also outlines additional support it plans to put in place over the coming years – for example new “Mental Health Support Teams will be established in 20-25% of England by 2023”. This is great news but of course it will not provide instant support for those who are currently experiencing mental health difficulties at your school – so how can you enhance your support for SEMH children today?

This week is Children’s Mental Health Week in the UK. So, to help raise awareness of mental health in schools and support schools in facing this challenge today, we are offering a special discount on our Postgraduate Certificate SEND in Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs, which is part of our highly-regarded masters-level SEND Programme. With all our courses following our practice-led learning model, you will be working with and improving support for SEMH children in your setting straight away.

What is the special offer?

Book the two modules mentioned below with us this week (4-10 February) and save over 10% on the already discounted price*. You will be invoiced for only £2,019 + VAT for the two modules – please quote SEMH2019 on the booking form to receive this offer. The offer is valid for the following cohorts: May 2019, September 2019 and January 2020 so you don’t need to start straight away if you are busy this academic year.

*Individual modules cost £1,300 + VAT. Booking two modules to be completed in one year usually costs £2,300 + VAT.

What is included?

Our Postgraduate Certificate includes two 30 credit modules:

• Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs (Skills and Knowledge)
•  Evidence and Pedagogy for Inclusion (with a focus on SEMH)

The first module provides you with an understanding of SEMH and allows you to gain confidence in supporting children with SEMH needs as well as reviewing current school policies and procedures around the topic. In the second module, you will apply these new skills and knowledge in your setting to further improve your ongoing practice and deepen your understanding on SEMH.

If you would like to know more about our SEMH modules or our SEND Programme in general, please call us on 01273 358080 or email us your queries. Terms and conditions apply for the special offer – please contact us for details.

 
We have recently heard from the Department for Education (DfE) that there may potentially be further funding available for places on our National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) in March. The funding would be accessible for schools based in the category 5 and 6 areas. To allow you and your colleagues to take advantage of this funding opportunity we have added a new cohort for March. The cohort will start on 31 March but to be included with a fully-funded place, you will need to complete our online booking form by 8 February at the latest.

We, unfortunately, cannot guarantee DfE funding at this stage but should the funding not be available, don’t worry – we will be in touch to discuss whether you wish to continue your booking on a paid basis or cancel the booking with absolutely no costs incurred.

We offer three DfE-approved NPQs for all school-based leaders and aspiring leaders:

• NPQML for current and aspiring middle leaders with responsibility for a team
• NPQSL for current and aspiring senior leaders with responsibilities across an education setting
• NPQH for those who are looking to move into a headteacher role within 12-18 months

These qualifications are designed to develop your leadership skills, knowledge and confidence so that you can become highly effective leaders in your setting. With our flexible, online and practice-led learning model you will be able to set your own study schedule and work at your own pace, implementing improvement plans into your setting from the outset.

Register now for a funded place on our NPQ courses

As well as being fully-funded, starting in March rather than waiting until May will mean that you can benefit from additional time to help you complete important elements of your projects before the summer break.

In addition, with both the NPQSL and NPQH you will achieve 60 credits at level 7, which you can bring into our SEND Programme or MA in Leading Inclusive Education (MALIE) programme to gain a postgraduate qualification accredited by Middlesex University.

To register yourself or your colleagues for our March intake, please complete our simple online booking form by 8 February. If you have any questions regarding our NPQ courses, please get in touch with us.

“Real Training is transcending inclusion barriers.”

– Elaine Patrick, Real Training delegate 2018

With inclusion currently a hot topic in many international schools, it is more important than ever that the leaders of the schools understand how best to support their colleagues, as well as the students themselves, in the journey to becoming a high-performing inclusive school. We are not saying that your school may not be inclusive already, but there are always ways to improve and enhance the support you can offer to all your students. Let us help you achieve your goals in inclusion with our highly-regarded and accredited NPQ and iSENCO qualifications.

National Professional Qualifications (NPQs)

We offer online qualifications for leaders at all levels and inclusion is a key focus which flows through our NPQs for middle leadership (NPQML), for senior leadership (NPQSL) and for headship (NPQH).

The courses will enhance your skills, knowledge and confidence to help you lead successfully in your setting. All our NPQs start with a leadership behavioural assessment to help you establish your strengths and identify behaviours to work on to improve your effectiveness as a leader. The courses then cover content and assignments in six key areas:

• Leading with impact
• Strategy and improvement
• Teaching and curriculum excellence
• Working in partnership
• Managing resources and risks
• Increasing capability

International Award for SEN Coordination (iSENCO)

Since launching the programme only last year, we have seen SENCOs, Inclusion Managers and other educators interested in supporting SEN children in their setting book the iSENCO course from over 20 different countries. Whilst on the course, you will be able to share best practice with these delegates in our online discussion forums.

Our iSENCO programme offers you a unique SENCO qualification focused on how to support SEN children in an international setting. It covers important topics facing international schools today when looking at SEN provision and can be tailored to the country where you are based. 

The best support, wherever you are

With one-to-one support from experienced tutors based all over the world and the course completed via our flexible online learning platform, you will be able to study at a time and place that suits you. As an educator yourself, you will know that the best way to learn is by doing – our courses, therefore, do not only teach you the theory, but your assignments will also include practical work, meaning that you will be making an impact in your setting straight away.

Accredited qualifications

All our qualifications are validated by Middlesex University and our NPQ programmes are also approved by the UK Department for Education (DfE). By completing the NPQSL, NPQH or the iSENCO qualification you will be awarded 60 credits at level 7, which you can use to gain a postgraduate qualification on our SEND Programme or on the MA in Leading Inclusive Education (MALIE).

Don’t miss out – join our January cohorts today!

There is still time to join our January cohort for the iSENCO qualification if you enrol by the end of tomorrow (Tuesday 15 January) via our online booking form. As with all our courses, you will not need to pay anything at the time of booking but we will ask you to complete our registration forms and make an initial payment by the end of the month if you wish to join this cohort.

If you are considering joining the January cohort for one of our NPQs, you have a little more time – simply complete the online booking form on or before 31 January.