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If you are looking to enhance your knowledge of SEND and expand your skill set, you may wish to look through the modules available on our flexible masters-level online SEND Programme – see the full list. You can build your own study programme from the available modules and target areas of knowledge and practice that are most relevant to you, your setting and the children in your care. With our online practice-led learning model you can study on your own terms and bring positive changes into your setting from the outset.

“Real Training gives you the opportunity to gain the essential skills and knowledge necessary to master and progress on your chosen career path.” – Kathryn Clark, Real Training delegate 2018

Bring existing credits into the programme

Combine credits you already have from existing level 7 SEND qualifications with further modules on our online SEND programme to gain your desired postgraduate award:

• A Postgraduate Certificate (60 credits)
•  A Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits) or
• The Master of Education in SEND (180 credits)

If the credits were achieved with another provider, simply email us now to request a copy of our Accreditation for Prior Learning (APL) forms.

Start your journey with us

If you don’t already have credits to bring into the programme, don’t worry – you can register for the online SEND Programme and start your learning journey with us straight away. Here’s some advice from Sarah Johnson-Motyl who is currently completing her Masters with us: “Real Training is your gateway to an alternative career – believe in yourself and your ability to influence our next generation of learners.”Only two days left – don’t miss out

Take the next step in your career and start your chosen module(s) this month – complete our online booking form by the end of tomorrow (Tuesday 15 January) to be included in our January cohort. We don’t take a payment at the time of booking but in order to start this month, you will need to complete the required application forms and make an initial payment by the end of the month.

 
If you are looking to complete the National Award for SEN Coordination (NASENCO) qualification this year as either a new SENCO, an experienced SENCO or an aspiring SENCO, then our approved online course offers you a flexible way to deepen your knowledge in SEND and rapidly grow your confidence and experience, empowering you to implement change within your setting. There is still time to join our January cohort if you book online on or before 15 January.

Real Training’s online National Award for SEN Coordination qualification – offering you the most flexible practice-led learning

We can’t explain what it is like to undertake our course any better than one of our delegates, Clare Matson, who completed the National Award for SEN Coordination qualification with Real Training this month:

“This course has enabled me to become more confident within my role as SENCO, deepening my knowledge and understanding of what the role involves. It has helped me to critically reflect upon the practices used within my school enabling me to make improvements and alterations that will benefit all. The support I have gained from my headteacher and other members of staff has been amazing, especially when making changes and implementing new strategies, which can often be daunting when you are already very busy and over worked. It has at times been very challenging juggling work, a young family and running a home with completing all the tasks required but I have managed it. Looking back now I am glad I undertook the course and it is one that I would recommend to any SENCO as the knowledge you gain is invaluable.”

What is involved?

Our National Award for SEN Coordination course comprises four strands which you can work through at your own pace during the year using our fantastic virtual learning portal, Campus Online. You will also have a dedicated tutor who will support at every step of your learning journey. The first strand provides you with the theory and background knowledge required for you to excel in the other three strands where you will learn via more practice-led activities. We believe that this is the best way to learn and it also means that you will be making a difference in your setting straight away. For more details on what is covered, please visit our dedicated NASENCO page on our website.

Already completed NASENCO?

If you have already completed the qualification with another provider, please contact us to let us know and we will update our records. As long as you completed the course within the last five years, you can bring the credits into our SEND Programme and study towards a Postgraduate Diploma or a Master of Education (MEd) in SEND.

Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing – Manchester

We hope your 2019 is off to a good start. If your school is looking for money-saving projects this year, it would be worthwhile looking at our Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing (CCET) qualification. By completing this course, you will be able to fulfil the majority of your setting’s educational testing requirements, saving money on external providers.

Flexible learning

The CCET course can be completed online or via a 3-day intensive course. Our next face-to-face intensive CCET course will be taking place on 23-25 January at the Cottons Hotel in Knutsford, near Manchester. It is an open access course and is therefore completed by a wide range of education professionals from a variety of settings, including teachers, SENCOs, teaching assistants, tutors and education officers. The intensive option offers a speedy route to completion, with the majority of work undertaken during the 3-day course. The final assignments will then be completed back in your setting and uploaded for review by your dedicated tutor via our flexible online learning platform.

Gain a postgraduate qualification

Once completed you can join Real Training’s SEND programme as if you have 30 credits at level 7. In this way, completing CCET could be the first step towards gaining a Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert), Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) or a Master of Education (MEd) in SEND. If educational testing becomes something that you are passionate about, you could complete a PGCert in Educational Testing with only one further module after CCET. The CCET qualification also covers all of the British Psychological Society‘s (BPS) competences and standards so at the end of the course, if you wish, you can become a registered Test User with the BPS.

Be ready for September

By completing the course early in the year, you will save your school money for the rest of the academic year and you will also be well prepared for the busy assessment period in the Autumn term. For those schools required to undertake access arrangements assessments, a follow-on module can be completed after CCET so that you can become an official access arrangements assessor in line with JCQ requirements – to be eligible you simply need to have a qualification to teach or work as a teacher/tutor in an independent setting or in higher or further education.

How to book

If you would like to attend this intensive CCET course this month, please complete the online booking form and ensure you select the Manchester course option on the drop-down list. We will not take payment at the time of booking but we will require a £500 deposit for the intensive course within seven days of booking, just to secure your place.

There are other dates and venues available if Manchester does not suit you this time – you can see our dedicated CCET webpage for full details of these. If you prefer, there is also the option to complete the CCET fully online or via a bespoke course in your own setting.

 
In a recent report published by BESA (British Educational Suppliers Association), the top three priorities for schools were discovered to be:

• Educational outcomes
• Budget/cost savings
• Recruitment and retention

Although this survey was completed among Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) in the UK, our recent discussions with educators on the phone, at conferences and during our EP school visits suggest that this trend is mirrored across all schools in the UK and internationally.

Despite CPD coming low on the list of priorities in the report, we strongly believe that our courses in educational testing and assessments will help schools achieve improvements in all three top priority areas.

Priority 1 – Educational outcomes

By investing in the skills and knowledge of your teachers, SENCOs and support staff, the school will be better equipped to support all students and help them to reach their potential. You will also be able to work more effectively with your setting’s educational psychologist, using their time to find ways to better support the most vulnerable students in your school, rather than them simply carrying out educational testing for you, thus improving educational outcomes for all students.

Priority 2 – Budget/cost savings

With one or more of your colleagues trained to be able to undertake assessments in-house, you will be able to reduce the need to outsource this service with an external educational psychologist or other professional consultant. Although we recognise that there is an initial outlay for the training, bringing assessments in-house will reduce overall costs for the school relatively quickly – your colleague can be trained for less than the cost of two professional assessments with an external provider.

Priority 3 – Recruitment and retention

The internationally renowned thought leader Doug Conant once said: “It’s unrealistic to expect extraordinary effort and performance without creating an environment where people feel extraordinarily valued.” By providing development opportunities for your staff, you will be creating a culture and atmosphere where everyone feels valued and appreciated, making them more likely to want to join the team and be a part of your great school for a long time. As well as our professional assessment qualifications CCET and CPT3A, we also have a range of other training opportunities for other professionals at your school.

What’s next?

Study options for CCET and CPT3A include fully online delivery, blended learning or intensive face-to-face training. Bespoke solutions are available for schools or trusts with 6 or more colleagues to train. When you have chosen the preferred course and study route, you simply need to complete the online booking form – it takes just 2 minutes and no payment is taken at this stage.

If you’re looking to train a colleague in CCET or CPT3A soon, we have some intensive course dates in January which have a limited number of spaces left. For example, there are two CCET courses on 23-25 January – one in Manchester and one at our Real Training offices in Greenwich.

Already have someone trained? 

If you already have someone trained with CCET or CPT3A and think they could benefit from additional support, instead of paying for the full CCET or CPT3A course, it is also possible to train one or more of your support staff to become Assistant Test Users.

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.

 
School leaders have been telling us about their frustrations in being unable to have their teachers without UK QTS access the new skills, confidence and abilities the UK’s National Award in SEN Coordination provides. As things stand, the absence of UK QTS or QTLS is an insurmountable barrier to joining this course. Additionally, even for those who have QTS, the foundation of the course is UK regulations, structures and societal make-up.

Based on that, we have taken the best of the UK award, augmented it and then changed the rest to make the course agnostic to location or geography, and also have a greater focus on issues that matter to leaders in international schools, like third culture kids, and the intersection of local and scholastic language in students with EAL. This isn’t simply a re-hash of the UK award – it’s a bespoke course, designed for – and in partnership with – international schools.

Our iSenco course is:

• Delivered fully online, and without internal deadlines, so delegates can study at a time and pace which suits their real lives. This is also more cost-effective as it means teachers do not need to be away from their learning centre
• Tutored one-to-one by highly experienced experts
• Created bespoke for the international schools market
• Based on the latest psychological insight and expertise
• Founded on experience – Real Training is one of the UK’s largest SENCO trainers
• Practice-led, as we believe we learn best by doing, in a real-world environment
• Delivered on our bespoke virtual learning environment, Campus Online
• University-validated. Graduates will exit with a 60-credit Postgraduate Certificate from Middlesex University. By completing the course you can continue on your masters journey, whether it is with us or another provider
• Based on the highest standards. We are members of the National Award Provider Group in the UK, our courses are all assessed and monitored by Middlesex University and we are members of the British Accrediation Council
• Created in partnership with international partners including school leaders based in international schools and informed by insights gained from our membership of groups including COBIS, BESA and ISCR.

If you are interested in reserving a place, all you need to do is register on our booking form. Registration takes two or three minutes, and no payment is taken at this stage. Additionally, if you want to change your start date further down the line, all you need to do is let us know and we can arrange this – and with no additional cost.

The deadline to register and enrol for the next cohort is January 15, and there are further cohorts in May and September.

Alongside our iSenco course, we also deliver NPQs, the UK National Award, our MEd SEND programme, our world-leading Professional Assessment Programme and more. All our courses are delivered online and suited to delegates based all over the world. In fact, we have current participants in 53 countries across the globe.