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

apply for grant fundingThis article provides information on how to apply for grant funding for the Real Training Senior Mental Health Leadership courses.

As we are sure you are aware by now, the Department for Education has announced new quality criteria for Senior Mental Health Leadership courses, and these criteria help define this important senior role in schools across England. Additionally, the announcement contained information on grant funding to all state-funded schools and colleges in England. In the current funding tranche (up to May 2022), this is expected to cover one-third of eligible schools, with further funds to be released after this.

Applications are now open to apply for this funding, and in this article, we guide you through the steps to complete the process. 

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. Please note, it can take up to 10 days to create a DfE Sign-in account!

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.

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

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.

If you are yet to book on a course, but are eligible and intend to book a course soon, you can also apply for a grant. We encourage you to apply for a grant BEFORE you book a course.

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 2021 to 2022 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 – Access the application form

Once you have all of the necessary information required, you can access the form hereAt this point, you will need to log into your DfE account. You may be asked to specify the individual campus you would like to complete the form for if your account has more than one eligible campus. The next page will display the details of the organisation the DfE holds, related to your login. It is important to check these details, and complete this form if any of them are incorrect. You will be guided through the form, step-by-step.

Once complete, you will be asked to agree to the declarations as set out in the grant terms and conditions. You will then receive an email of confirmation, containing your claim reference.

Amendments and waiting lists

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.

Since there is a limited amount of funding available for this financial year, you will be offered the chance to join a waiting list, in the event that a successful applicant withdraws.

The DfE has committed to offering senior mental health leadership training to all state schools and colleges by 2025, and further funding is expected to be announced in the spring of 2022.

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.

Useful facts about the Real Training Senior Mental Health Leadership Advanced Award

  • Although the cost of our Advanced Award (£1,300 + VAT) is more than that of the grant being offered (£1,200), you can still apply for the funding to cover the majority of the cost of this course, with the difference being covered by the school. This course provides additional benefits beyond the goals of the course content:
    • High-quality, masters level qualification written and delivered by experienced educational psychologists
    • We aim for this course to be validated by Middlesex University as part of our SEND Programme, so will be worth 30 masters-level credits
    • Flexible delivery that suits your circumstances and fits your other responsibilities.

In a non-state-funded or international setting?

This course is just as relevant to those working in non-state or international settings. Please visit this page to learn more.

How to effectively discuss SEN with parents

with Dorthe Kronborg Allen, SEN Consultant

discuss SEN with parents

Earlier this year, Dorthe provided us with her top tips to discuss SEN with parents. Dorthe has completed a variety of courses with us at Real Training and you can read more about her time studying with us here. This article provides a really useful overview of effectively discussing SEN with parents. 

Teachers, parents and learners are a team. Together we cover all the essential contexts and bases for support that lead to a learner’s progress. We are all working toward the same goal, albeit with differences in our respective motivations and methods. Sometimes, the introduction of the ‘SEN variable’ into this team equation can be the cause of tension and stress, especially when an initial meeting is scheduled with parents to discuss observations that point toward the need for intervention. In fact, parents of children with special needs often report feeling overwhelmed by such meetings – even if it is not the first time they are attending one – and thus we need to proceed with care and professionalism.

To assist with the planning of meetings to discuss SEN with parents I created the following acronym, quite early in my career, to remind me of the five areas to be mindful of before, during and after the meeting:

Honesty 

Empathy 

Language 

Preparation

Support

Honesty. It is important to be direct and to tell parents the pertinent information about their child’s strengths and weaknesses – from both the academic and pastoral perspective – and to explain what this has meant for the child thus far in their learning journey. Sugarcoating the situation in the hope that parents will accept the information more readily only causes confusion and makes it sound as if the school doesn’t have a solid intervention plan for the child. For children who do not have a formal diagnosis, it is really important that you do not make any suggestion (or an informal diagnosis) about the particular special need category you suspect, and you should always avoid referring to a specific SEN condition even if you are certain you know what the diagnosis would be. I have often had parents offer their own ‘diagnosis’, asking me to confirm their suspicions about their child and this is the golden moment to indicate that an external assessment by a qualified professional would be useful. 

Empathy. Taking the time to explain the situation in detail to make sure parents understand the various needs of their child is vital for both cooperation and progress. It also means that you listen and give parents the opportunity to offer their own insights and reflections about their child’s behaviour at home and in other contexts. These ‘other contexts’ outside of the school environment present the part of the puzzle that we teachers don’t get to see and can provide useful insight to inform our intervention planning. Keep in mind also that the wonderful progress that we see our learners make on a daily basis is usually only communicated to parents at termly parent-teacher evenings, in hurried ten-minute slots consulting with a broad range of teachers, more often than not with a focus on the observed weaknesses in a certain subject, followed by simple instructions that “more needs to be done at home”.

Language. Avoid using language that is too technical, such as our daily SEN department jargon, as this might make parents feel alienated and even more confounded. This is not the time to showcase your own knowledge on the subject, it is not a job interview after all. Your objective is to work together with the people seated opposite you to make sure that their child is happy, motivated by their education and successful, and that everyone is on the same page about how to best achieve this outcome. Direct and honest language is the best policy, as mentioned earlier, but you also need to make sure you are not too clinical or harsh in your explanations. 

Prepare. You need to bring solid examples to show parents that demonstrate the need for the kind of support to be provided. Classroom or tutor teacher observations are really useful here as parents tend to trust their child’s main teacher. Make sure the observations are chronological so that they show the growth as well as the gaps in learning. If you have used any screeners and have the results then you need to bring those as well, making sure that you can actually interpret and explain them in clear language. Other documents such as observation questionnaires completed by TAs, and samples of work that demonstrate a gap or need should be brought along as well. You don’t need to show parents all of these examples, and indeed you shouldn’t aim to power through them all, but during the course of the meeting, you will be able to gauge which of these will be most relevant.

Support. This is the final and broadest term, and the one that is also the most thrilling, time-consuming, and tiring at the same time. Parents need your expert advice on how to work effectively with the school and they may also need some emotional support during the meeting with you. You must ensure that you explain clearly the types of intervention the school is able to offer, how that will pan out in the school environment and, should an IEP be planned, now would be a good time to introduce this document and speak with parents about the goals you would like to set for their child at school. Support at home should be discussed as well, with time spent explaining how the parents can help with everything from the right environment for study, to strategies that support their child cognitively and emotionally. You will no doubt also be asked to give advice on how to get them to clean their room and remember to bring all their books to school each day, which is a topic for another, much longer article!  

Take the time to listen well, speak candidly and advise with clarity. If you are an NQT or a less experienced teacher and are worried about the meeting then you can always call on your SENCo to attend with you for support. When parents leave an SEN meeting with the relieved feeling that the school listens and is aligned with them to ensure their child is successful then you have done an excellent job and you can confidently pat yourself on the back as you make a nice cup of tea, type up the mandatory meeting notes and send them to all those concerned.

If you have any questions for Dorthe on tips on how to effectively discuss SEN with parents please feel free to comment at the bottom of the article.

An Interview with Tina Thompson

Tina Thompson Tina Thompson – DPRW and CPT3A

Tina currently works as an Academic Support Teacher and Assessor for Access Arrangements. The role is within an Independent Senior School based in Bedford. She has a special interest in Dyslexia. Tina recently completed the Dyslexia Professional Report Writing module with us at Real Training. In previous years, Tina has also completed our Certificate in Psychometric Testing, Assessment and Access Arrangements (CPT3A). We caught up to ask Tina about her time studying with us.

What made you choose Real Training over other options?

I initially discovered Real Training through a colleague who had completed a course. I was looking for a course I could study that would fit into my work pattern. Online learning seemed the way to go and then I investigated how rigorous and professional the courses were at Real Training. I found only excellent reviews and made my decision on that basis. I noticed there was a lot of support from tutors, a library with a vast selection of relevant resources and plenty of guidance with assignments.

What was your experience of learning with Real Training?

I enjoyed studying the courses with Real Training, they were challenging academically but I saw this as a positive. If I needed additional support and guidance, it was easy to contact my tutor and the help was always constructive, clear and accessible. I found this gave me confidence in my own development. There was the opportunity for one to one contact either via Zoom or phone. I found this really valuable. Each course did meet my expectations in terms of challenge, professional development and new learning. I particularly enjoyed the library resources and reading academic articles and journals. These led to greater knowledge around subjects such as developments in Dyslexia. 

How has the course had an impact on you professionally and your school?

The impact at school is linked to two developments. I am now able to assess for Exam Access Arrangements and complete diagnostic reports for Dyslexia. Additionally, these skills assist in informing support plans for students following assessments. 

 

 

Find us at The TES SEN SHOW 2021

 

TES SEN SHOW 2021We are delighted to be attending The TES SEN Show 2021 in person next month. You can find us at Stand 135 from 8-9 October at the Business Design Centre London. 

Our team will be on hand to help, whether you would like to know more about our popular MEd SEND Programme or maybe it’s one of our brand new Senior Mental Health Lead Courses that caught your eye. You can read more about these below:

Not only will you find Real Training at the show, our sister company, Dyslexia Action Training, will also be attending. They will be located on Stand 163 accompanied by the Dyslexia Action Shop and The Dyslexia Guild. 

Dyslexia Action: A leading provider of accredited training specialising in Dyslexia and SpLD

The Dyslexia Action Shop: Online shop providing educational assessments and learning aids. Visit them at TES to receive your exclusive £10 off voucher!

The Dyslexia Guild: A network of professionals maintaining the support of those with Dyslexia and other literacy needs

Whether you’re currently studying with us, have in the past or just want to have a chat, it would be great to see you there. You can collect a free goody bag from both stands and there will be some insightful seminars taking place throughout the event, check out the TES schedule here.

 

An Interview with Karen Goulden

Karen GouldenKaren Goulden – CPT3A and DPRW

Karen Goulden currently works as a Specialist Teacher for the Dyslexia Outreach Service, her main area of interest is Dyslexia. Currently based at a secondary school, Karen’s role entails devising support plans for pupils aged 5 to 18 from across Norfolk. Karen has completed CPT3A and DPRW with us, so we caught up with her to see what she had to say about both courses.

What made you choose Real Training over other options?

I have completed a range of courses over the last five years but I find the Real Training courses the most practical and accessible. The layout of their online platform, Campus Online, is easy to navigate. Relevant support materials were available at every stage and the information was always up to date. I also found it easy to monitor my own progress throughout the course, seeing what work had been completed and what was left to finish. This kept me focused and motivated.

What was your experience of learning with Real Training? 

The courses have been very practical and completely related to my line of work. All tasks and assignments were relevant. My tutor was very responsive and I loved the access to the library and chat forums. It was also helpful to be able to refer to the work of previous delegates for guidance.

How do you think the course will impact your school?

Obtaining my APC will give schools and parents confidence in the reports that they receive. Thanks to my time on both courses I will also feel more confident about those reports. Furthermore, I have been able to share lots of information from the course with my colleagues, for example; the most relevant tests to use, the length of time we should spend on an assessment and creating our own assessment framework.

How has the course helped developed you as an educational professional and what do you hope to achieve with the new knowledge/skills in the future?

Completing the course has improved my confidence in the work I do. Secondly being able to share information with colleagues has led to greater consistency in the team’s report writing. It has certainly made me a more reflective practitioner. I look forward to obtaining my APC but irrespective of this, my overall understanding in putting together all the elements involved in diagnosing Dyslexia has been improved.

Top Tips from 4 Educational Professionals

 

 

 

 

 

 

During the summer holiday, we often like to take the time to reflect and catch up with some of our past delegates – educational professionals from a wide range of settings and locations worldwide. Throughout August, on our Real Training social media platforms, we shared some of their top tips around best practices for special educational needs (SEN) and inclusion in schools.  

We think their tips provide other educators with invaluable advice and insight into how best to support all children and young people in educational settings. In case you missed those posts, you can find all of the top tips together below and on our Twitter and Facebook pages. If you have any tips you would add, please add some comments on the posts.

Working with children with SEN – Beverley Williams 

  1. Don’t stereotype people on the autistic spectrum
  2. Avoid sensory overload but always tailor strategies to the individual’s needs
  3. Look out for those who don’t feel they fit into any specific group
  4. Understand, they may find it difficult to learn about things that are not of interest to them
  5. Provide opportunities for individuals to restore and refresh using whatever strategies work for them – and never assume what these may be

Ensuring inclusivity within your school – Taneisha Pascoe-Matthews

  1. Create strong communication and collaboration between families, schools and other stakeholders
  2. Implement up-to-date policies and leadership adhering to both the Children and Families Act (2014) as well as the SEN Code of Practice (2015)
  3. Ensure staff have the necessary training and attitude toward inclusivity
  4. Encourage peer support and a sense of belonging this will improve well-being and ensure a sense of inclusion
  5. Implement a pupil-centred approach focusing on individual needs

Discussing SEN with parents – Dorthe Allen

  1. Be open and honest when you explain your observations and how the school can provide support
  2. Show parents that you are there to support their child both academically and pastorally
  3. Communicate clearly and meaningfully, avoiding jargon and technical terminology
  4. Be well prepared and show parents any reports, screener results and teacher observation documents that help to demonstrate the student’s need(s)
  5. Discuss strategies for school and home that will support and nourish the student

Working with children with EAL – Nicholas Wilding

  1. Develop relationships by meeting students and parents at the point of admissions and begin to build a student profile from a wide range of data
  2. Adopt the ‘All Teachers are English Teachers’ approach, providing staff with training and skills to develop the resources needed to support language needs
  3. Implement ongoing assessment and effective use of data to track progress
  4. Upon graduation, clear assessment and graduation expectations should be shared with all stakeholders
  5. Post-graduation, students and staff are supported through resources and in-class support with families informed of their child’s successes and targets

If you have any questions relating to any of the top tips in this article, please get in touch via social media, our website or email us.

DfE grant funded Senior Mental Health Leadership courses by Real Training

DfE grant for senior mental health lead coursesThe DfE created new quality criteria for Senior Mental Health Leadership courses and these criteria help define this important senior role in schools.

With Real Training your school has a choice of an introductory Certificate course and an Advanced Award in Senior Mental Health Leadership which have both been successfully quality assured through a robust DfE process.  These courses can be fully or partially funded for schools and colleagues in England by a DfE grant.

The past 18 months have been particularly taxing on some children and young people and it has never been more essential to develop a school culture that promotes well being and a mental health provision that supports a healthy transition back to what is approaching ‘normal’ school life. While many schools and colleges already have a mental health lead, the knowledge and skills they have vary, and with mental health and wellbeing being a top priority for all educational settings, the goal is to provide senior leads with the latest thinking and access to a network of peers and experts they need to lead change and develop or introduce a whole-school approach to wellbeing and mental health.

At Real Training, our Educational Psychologists have a long history of providing training (in-person and online) for education staff development. With extensive experience in the field of mental health and wellbeing, you will be guided by HCPC registered and qualified Educational Psychologists. Our courses are also supported by an executive headteacher with a specialism in wellbeing, as well as mental health professionals such as an Art Therapist.

The courses

We will be offering two 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.

Who are the courses aimed at?

Your setting can decide who it is that gets the training as individual circumstances may vary. Delegates must be empowered to develop and oversee your setting’s whole school or college approach. This might include:

  • Headteachers
  • Deputy/assistant headteachers
  • Member of the senior leadership team
  • Existing mental health leads with authority, capacity and support to influence and lead strategic change within the setting

Our first Advanced Award cohort begins on 15 January 2022. You can book via our website. Further cohorts will be in MayJuly and September. The Certificate course will also begin in January and we are planning for courses to run throughout the year and across England. Book a place for the January course via our website or contact us to register your interest for later events or a course near you.

The Certificate course is a comprehensive introductory course and the Advanced Award is for more experienced Senior Mental Health leads.

How your setting will benefit from the DfE grant-funded Senior Mental Health Lead Training

The benefits to your educational setting include:

  • A positive values-based approach, including staff looking after their wellbeing.
  • Development of a range of tools and strategies, collated for staff to be able to use to meet their mental health and wellbeing.
  • Improved wellbeing for all students, including those with identified needs.
  • Understanding and application of leadership skills to enact change in the whole school ethos
  • Improved stakeholder engagement, including with parents, and external services
  • Development of a coherent working package of effective policies
  • Constant monitoring of change and use data effectively and confidently

Funding opportunities from the DfE grant

The Certificate course costs £995 plus VAT and the Advanced Award £1,300 plus VAT. Schools can reclaim the VAT paid. The DfE Grant funded Senior Mental Health Lead Training funding may be available if you work in a school or college in England. At the time of writing, the total grant funding amount available has not been confirmed by the DfE. The latest DfE information will be available on the DfE SMHL webpage. We understand that the DfE wishes schools to book directly with the training provider to secure their place and then reclaim the funding.

If you require further information on any of our Senior Mental Health Lead courses, please don’t hesitate to get in touch via email or by phone at +44 (0)1273 35 80 80. Alternatively, you can book an appointment to chat with one of our expert course advisers by clicking here.

An Interview with Samantha Blackwood

SamanthSamantha Blackwooda Blackwood – NASENCO

Samantha works at a primary school in South Shields as the SENCO. Her special interest area of SEND is Autism. This is due to a noticeable increase in the number of students being diagnosed. Samantha is also interested in Dyslexia and Social, Emotional and Mental Health. Having completed the National Award for SEN Coordination with us earlier this year, you can see what Sarah had to say below. 

What made you choose the Real Training course over other options?

I chose this course because I was really keen on being able to do work in my own time. I needed something flexible that could fit in with my busy work and home life. Real Training really appealed to me as it offered exactly this. I had also seen lots of recommendations on Facebook SEND groups, explaining how easy it was to follow and that support was great.

What was your experience of learning with Real Training?

The course fully met my expectations. I felt supported throughout and really loved the flexibility element. I found the way the course was structured very good. The layout of the module page was also easy to follow and use. I was supported throughout by the tutor and found the messaging tool very useful. The support from other students was great and I really liked the tasks where we were encouraged to comment on each other’s discussions. I really loved the bar at the top of the page, a great visual tool to allow me to ‘see’ how I was progressing. 

How has the course helped make an impact at school?

The course has helped me to better understand SEND and the role of the SENCO. The modules have allowed me to identify the strengths of SEND in my setting and the areas of development. Creating an action plan was the best activity for me as it allowed me to prioritise areas to work on over the next year in the most effective way. I have already delivered some training to all staff on the Graduated Approach. I had a much better understanding of this after working through the modules. Meaning I felt very confident to deliver the training. Prior to the course, I would not have felt so confident with the topic. Clearly, I have learned a lot through the reading and research tasks that were set.

How has the course helped develop you as an educational professional and what do you hope to achieve with the new knowledge/skills in the future?

It has helped me enormously. The leadership module strengthened my leadership skills. I feel the course has also led me to be successful in gaining the Deputy Head Role – which I will be starting this September. 

 

An Interview with Sadie Wilkinson

Sadie Wilkinson

Sadie Wilkinson – CCET Intensive

Sadie Wilkinson currently works as a Science Teacher and is on secondment in the SENCo role. Earlier this year, she completed our CCET qualification and is now completing AAC. Working in a selective secondary school in Lincolnshire, Sadie has always had an interest in SEND. Her sister attended a special needs school and Sadie has worked in one since completing her Human Biology Degree.

Looking to the future, Sadie hopes to undertake the SENCo course, expanding her knowledge of SEN. Below, Sadie tells us a little bit about her time studying with Real Training, so far.

What made you choose Real Training over other options?

I had been looking at completing the CCET and AAC courses for a while and did my research into the costs and how to go about completing these courses. Real Training was a provider that came up a number of times during my research and I was intrigued as to what they had to offer. After reading up on how Real Training delivers the courses, what was included and the costs, I knew it would be the right choice for me.

Furthermore, recommendations from people on a forum I am part of also helped me decided to choose Real Training. It was important for me to know I could complete the work whilst in full-time employment – another factor in my decision.

In terms of course content, the ability to identify different tests and know which ones to use and when was vital. Everything I needed was available through Real Training.

What was your experience of learning with Real Training?

The course exceeded my expectations. I really enjoyed the 3-day intensive online option where I had a chance to meet other people who were just as new to this as me. We were split into smaller groups at times and asked to complete smaller tasks together and then re-joined the whole group to give feedback. It wasn’t 3 days of just listening to the presenters. We could ask questions at any point and the presenters were really helpful in providing us with the information.

Campus Online is so easy to use. The tasks are all laid out clearly and you can see what you need to do and how you need to do it. All work is uploaded onto here and you can contact your tutor at any time to ask for help. Feedback from your work is clearly given and you can see what you need to do to improve if needed.

My tutor was extremely supportive. My work was marked promptly, giving me time to make any amendments where necessary. I really enjoyed the course and feel I learned a lot from it. I will be looking to complete further courses with Real Training in the future and I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone else.

How has the course helped make an impact at school?

This course, and my completion of AAC, will make a huge impact on our school. Being the only member of staff holding this qualification at present I will be able to promptly assess any students who require it without having to wait for the specialist assessor.

We currently pay for an external specialist assessor to come in and assess our students, having me in school able to do this will greatly reduce the wait time and cost, and give the SENCo relevant information on these students as quickly as needed.

How has the course helped develop you as an educational professional and what do you hope to achieve with the new knowledge/skills in the future?

The course has given me a great deal of knowledge in educational testing. I feel confident in knowing which assessments to carry out and how to interpret the findings from these tests.

With my new knowledge and skills, I hope to be able to work alongside our SENCo department and support the school. Identifying students for assessment, assessing them, and then establishing how best to support these students through their years at our school is something I feel strongly about.

An Interview with Lisa Pongpiriyaporn

Lisa Pongpiriyaporn – SEND Programme

Lisa works as the K-12 ELL Coordinator at The KAUST IB School in Saudi Arabia. Explaining her special interests in SEND, Lisa said;

“Within a RtI framework, I’m interested in how schools create a robust tier 1 approach to differentiate and scaffold language and learning, reducing the need for tier 2 intervention. Current research around the science of reading and the impact of instruction on how children learn to read also interests me. Alongside, culturally responsive design for English Language Learners and developing intercultural competence within school faculty. Our school is currently using Universal Design for Learning as an approach and planning for learner variability is interesting to me”.

Having completed CPT3A, Cognition & Learning and Psychology for Education at Real Training, we wanted to catch up with Lisa to see how she found her time.

What made you choose Real Training courses over other options?

Real Training offers a range of courses that suited both my professional goals and my preference for flexible study. I like to determine my own study pathway, as I balance many professional and personal interests. Studying with Real Training has enabled me to do this, which means the study can be enjoyable rather than stressful.

What was your experience of learning with Real Training?

The study platform is accessible and well-structured with excellent support and guidance from tutors. As courses are contextualised in my current professional setting, I am able to explore relevant areas in-depth. This has benefitted my study but also my understanding and knowledge of the current research connected with my role.

How have the courses helped make an impact at school?

The course has definitely supported my professional growth and enabled me to be a more informed instructional coach and leader of teams. As an ELL Coordinator, part of a multidisciplinary student support team, I have a deeper understanding of my context and feel up-to-date with current research and evidence-based practices, meaning I feel better skilled to impact others.

How has the course helped develop you as an educational professional and what do you hope to achieve with the new knowledge/skills in the future?

The course has increased and updated my knowledge and practice. I feel I can make better contributions and decisions at work. In the future, I aspire to lead a student support team.

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