Making SENse of CPD, a new resource to support professional development for special educational needs in mainstream schools, has been published by the General Teaching Council (GTC). The resource, available through the GTC website, draws on work with a number of schools that employ particularly successful CPD strategies for special educational needs.

This work forms the first strand of a GTC project to gain a better understanding of the professional development needs of teachers regarding special educational needs in mainstream schools. The project brings together practice, policy and research to help share experience and good practice in special educational needs, to better understand professional development needs in this field for teachers in mainstream schools and to support mainstream schools to build capacity for relevant CPD.

The resource includes:

• 'Light Bulb' moments' - practical examples of CPD strategies that work in the project schools, and that can be adapted to suit other schools' own situations.
• Working collaboratively with teaching assistants - how the project schools deploy, train and support TAs .
• What research tells us about the role of the specialist in professional development - collaboration with external teams and special school outreach workers.
• CPD for SEN practice examples from the schools
• Opinion pieces from practitioners with activities to support discussion of how their suggestions might apply to other schools' own situations.
• Activities to explore the meaning of an inclusive ethos; the characteristics of effective professional development; tensions in the fields of special needs provision; the Disability Discrimination Act.
• Links to further resources and information.

The GTC will also be working with teachers and key national stakeholders in special needs education to look further at the project findings, its implications for professional learning and practice and how specialist expertise in special educational needs can best be shared across the system and policy direction.

GTC Chief Executive Keith Bartley said: "It is vital that teachers working with pupils with special educational needs are properly supported to benefit from effective, sustained professional development. Our resource draws on a number of successful examples of good practice from schools across England, as well as recent policy and research, and aims to support these teachers in their day-to-day working."

CRB Renewal Reminder Don't forget, if you need to renew your CRB & you do so through Capita, you can claim back the cost after completing 20 days work.

How to generate more work; Tips for Supply Teachers • Turn up on time - all schools expect a supply teacher to arrive 30 minutes before lessons start. • Seek out any information you need for your day's work such as lesson start and finish time, discipline policy, what classes you will be teaching and health and safety policy. • Always take work appropriate for the age group you are covering, but if the teacher has provided a lesson plan please use that. • Ensure your mobile phone is turned off, or on silent during lesson time. We will sometimes call your phone during the day, expecting to be able to leave a message. • Follow the school's discipline policy - and remember to avoid any physical contact with children. • At the end of the day, please make sure you leave the classroom as you found it, mark all the work you have done during the day, and leave a handover note for the class teacher. • Wherever possible, speak to the supply contact at the end of the day to offer feedback. Schools really appreciate this kind of interaction, and are more likely to ask you back for additional work. • Bear in mind that often the only time the supply contact is able to interact with you is at the beginning and end of the day, so this is a key time for you to make a good impression. • Do not expect to leave the school before 4pm when all pupils have been seen safely off the premises and the supply contact spoken to.

Recommend a friend to Capita and you could benefit from a bonus of £100* How do I qualify? 1. You qualify for the bonus if your friend has never worked with Capita (in this case they will need to register) or if they haven't worked with us within the last three months (in this case they will need to update their details). 2. Contact us at enquiry.ers@capita.co.uk with details of your recommendation. 3. Once your friend has worked for 10 days within 7 weeks we will pay you £100*. How many friends can I recommend? There is no limit to the amount of friends you can recommend. * subject to tax and national insurance

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Continuing Professional Development    If you feel you currently have unmet professional development  needs, why not attend one of our free Saturday morning   training events. To view a list of forthcoming events please  click HERE.

Secret Santa! Secret Santa Brian Jobes, husband of Pat Jobes, a Nursery Nurse working through our Newcastle office delivers a Christmas gift to Deanne Thompson, Recruitment Consultant. Over the years, Brian has often acted as Santa in whichever school Pat is working on supply at and is frequently asked back to many of these schools.