Central course programme for teachers and school leaders

Why not join other schools on one of our central CPD courses for teachers and leaders? Enjoy inspiring presentations in comfortable, high quality venues. Engage in well designed and thought provoking activities. Take away electronic materials and resources for use in school. Participate in professional dialogue and debate. Have the opportunity to reflect on your own practice and action plan. All of our training courses focus on practical solutions, recognise the needs of busy teachers and leaders, and represent value for money.

DEVELOPING A MASTERY APPROACH IN ENGLISH, Thursday 15th June 2017

The word ‘understanding’ occurs 48 times in the national curriculum for KS1 and KS2 English, the word ‘secure’ 5 times and ‘accurately’ 22 times.  Integral to mastery is the development of deep rather than superficial conceptual understanding and in secure learning which persists. Mastery learning is centred on the belief that all, or almost all, children can achieve the standards. 

What does a mastery approach look like in English? What are the features of lessons? What constitutes depth and breadth? How do pupils move from a shaky understanding of concepts to efficient and effective application in a range of contexts?  How do we ensure our approach enables children to meet the increased cognitive demands of Key Stage assessments and enable all our learners achieve the standards?  How do we assess the security and depth of understanding to ensure progress is maximised? How do we ensure pupils are challenged?

“An excellent day.  Very useful and a super insight into depth and mastery curriculum.  Lots of practical ideas and knowledge to apply back in the classroom,” Assistant Headteacher.
"I now have a secure understanding of mastery learning. Thank you Vicky for all your support and resources."


9.30am - 3.45pm, this is a full day course with lunch provided. Thursday 15th June 2017. Book now by returning the form below via email or post. £190 for the first delegate, £170 for second and subsequent delegates from the same school. Course code: MLE02. This course is held at The Village, Tingley, south Leeds, LS27 0TS.

Download flyer and booking form

 
Strategic leadership: Preparing for a new academic year

This popular course is a great chance for senior leadership teams to work on planning for the year ahead away from the distractions of day-to-day school life.

This course is designed for two or more senior leaders working together, using strategic tools to consider the way ahead.  This is a facilitated thinking and planning day, providing an opportunity to apply theories in a practical way to school issues. The course provides a great ‘away day’ for senior leaders to consider school improvement for the coming year and gives leaders a toolkit to use back in school to support whole school planning. Participants leave the course feeling more confident in their ability to think and work strategically, including having the tools and strategies to support other leaders in school to have greater impact. 

“The training was brilliantly constructed. One of the best courses I have attended in years. I wanted to be challenged and provoked, but also given some new ideas to work with and the day achieved all of this." Headteacher
"A very thought provoking and useful day. Opportunities to reflect on practice and consider action steps to move forward." Headteacher.


9.30am - 3.45pm, this is a full day course with lunch provided. Thursday 22nd June 2017. Book now by returning the form below via email or post. £330 per school for two senior leaders attending together. Additional delegates £120. Course code: SLT2017. This course is held at The Village, Tingley, south Leeds, LS27 0TS.



Download flyer and booking form

 
Deputy Headteacher Programme - throughout the year

Come and be challenged every half term!  Re-energise and re-focus your efforts, tackle complex problems and deepen your knowledge and understanding of key educational and leadership issues.  Leave each session with valuable resources and a clear route forward. 

 

6 face to face training days – one each half term – covering:

  • Setting out a school wide vision and action plan.  Identifying strengths and weaknesses through critical analysis and school self-evaluation activities.  Learn how to navigate the data and use it to your advantage. 
  • Strategies for influencing and developing the quality of teaching across the school, including inspiring others, promoting good practice and tackling underperformance.
  • Leading and managing others – how to grow middle leadership in the school.
  • Developing knowledge and understanding of what makes good practice across a range of issues in order to lead confidently, advise others and manage problems.  For example: closing the gap for disadvantaged pupils, learning in EYFS, key issues in the delivery of English and Mathematics, common areas for development identified by Ofsted.
  • Writing evaluative reports, presenting to governors, and evidencing impact.
  • Increasing personal effectiveness and improving day-to-day efficiency. Work through complex problems with other leaders and re-focus on half termly goals.
  • The course culminates with a celebration to which headteachers and governors are invited.

“This has been one of the most informative, interesting and useful courses I have been on.”; “Excellent ideas and suggestions, especially when dealing with tricky issues. I would recommend this training to others.” ; “Vicky created a safe environment to discuss some challenging issues openly and in a reflective manner.”

This is six half days across the year. Day one is 9.15am - 3.30pm Monday 2nd October 2017, followed by a Wednesday 6th Dec, Friday 26th January, Friday 2nd March, Thursday 3rd May, Friday 22nd June. Lunch is provided on each of the days. Book now by returning the form below via email, fax or post. £1100 for the first delegate covering all six sessions, 10% discount for second delegates from the same school. Course code: DHT1. This course is held at Weetwood Hall, Headingley, Leeds.

Download flyer and booking form

 
Phase Leadership - 4 days across the academic year

This course focuses on leaders having impact beyond their own classroom and influencing the teaching of others.  It supports colleagues to grow and develop their leadership, increase their effectiveness and efficiency, and have the means to evaluate both the quality of their phase and their own leadership. The course provides leaders with a deeper understanding of the issues for their particular key stage and practical solutions to challenging problems.  It builds knowledge of teaching and learning so that participants feel confident in leading developments.


Covered across the course are a number of themes:

  • Understanding phase leadership, including the demands of the role, whole school perspectives and Ofsted.
  • Influencing and developing the quality of teaching within a phase.
  • Undertaking school self-evaluation: book reviews, learning walks, lesson observations, developing stakeholder voice and unpicking data. 
  • Creating and maintaining a vision and fully utilising an action plan.
  • Using emotional intelligence, and as part of this: Inspiring and motivating others; leading by example; holding others to account and having difficult conversations.
  • Personal efficiency and effectiveness – getting the day to day basics right.
  • Writing evaluative reports and presenting evidence of impact to others.
  • Understanding key national issues, e.g. most common cited issues by Ofsted; changes and development in assessment; policy changes.
  • The course culminates with a celebration to which headteachers / governors are invited.

“Vicky’s whole course was outstanding.” ;" Excellent guidance.  Very interesting and informative.  As always I’m leaving buzzing with ideas and a plan of action.” ; “The chance to plan a focused line of enquiry for monitoring and improving the phase was excellent.” ; “The gap task discussions were great.  I really enjoyed working through complex problems with the support of others.”

9.15am-3.45pm, this is a four day course. The first date is Monday 16th October 2017 followed by Thursday 18th January, Friday 16th March and Tuesday 8th May. Lunch is provided on each of the days. Book now by returning the form below via email or post. £650 for the first delegate, or schools may wish to send all four phase leaders for £2400. Please get in touch for other combinations. Course code: PL1. This course is held at Weetwood Hall, Headingley, Leeds.

Download flyer and booking form

 
Years 5 and 6: teaching writing

This is a unique opportunity to study in-depth the most effective ways of teaching writing.  Working together throughout the year provides teachers with a different experience to a single day course.  Participants can track the impact of their practice and develop their expertise through a rich blend of coaching, individual support, face-to-face training and an online learning platform. 

Teaching writing is demanding; a pursuit worthy of continual professional development. Weaving together complex concepts, technical aspects and creative thought in a way that enables pupils to make progress requires teachers to dig deep into how pupils learn to write.  How do we turn evidence based approaches into practical classroom actions?  How do we create a writing community?  How do we ensure pupils become discerning in their use of techniques?  How do we ensure writing fits within a mastery approach to teaching English?

Course coverage:

  • Making it real – real pupils, real lessons, real progress.
  • Understanding the writing demands of Year 5 and Year 6. 
    Unpicking the standards and addressing the challenges.
  • Sequencing lessons and planning for progress. 
  • Teaching writing within a mastery approach to English.
  • Grammar – improving own knowledge and exploring how to
    teach grammar effectively.  How can we ensure pupils use techniques independently, and discerningly, in their writing? 
  • Addressing common barriers and difficulties pupils experience when writing. What stops pupils from achieving the expected standard?  How do we bridge the gap between the expected standard and greater depth? 
  • What is high quality writing instruction?  What does the research say are effective strategies for helping pupils to make progress?  What does it look like on a day-to-day basis?
  • How to use book reviews and lesson observations to strengthen practice.
  • With support from the course leader and other Year 5/6 teachers, participants will be able to examine the progress of their class and the impact of their teaching throughout the year.  The course culminates with setting new goals, preparing for transition and celebrating children’s writing.

“Fantastic trainer – very inspirational and knowledgeable” ; “Excellent variety of resources and ideas that I can’t wait to try out in school.” ; “Lots of practical ideas.  Great illustrations of how to really embed learning.”;  “Fabulous resources, good themes for group discussions, lots of opportunities to share ideas and a variety of leaning tools.”

The course is four full days across the academic year. The first date is Thursday 5th October 2017 followed by Wednesday 10th Jan, Monday 12th March, Wednesday 6th June. 9.15pm-3.45pm. Lunch is provided on each of the days. Book now by returning the form below via email or post. £650 for the first delegate, £500 for second and subsequent delegates from the same school. Course code: Y56W. This course is held at Weetwood Hall, Headingley, Leeds.

Download flyer and booking form
Sink your teeth into reading comprehension - one full day and 2 half days

See a clear path forward for pupils in your school by taking a fresh, in-depth look at reading.  Advance your knowledge and understanding of how pupils make progress in developing comprehension and consider how the curriculum and your lessons meet the challenges of Key Stage 1 and 2.

 

Covered within course are a number of themes:

  • Selecting texts and considering different ways of developing comprehension skills;
  • Exploring fiction and non-fiction, including how to use several texts to explore a theme;
  • The ‘big 10’ reading comprehension strategies that teachers need to develop;
  • Use of whole class texts, independent reading and collaborative reading;
  • Questioning and improving the quality of book talk;
  • Ways of interacting with different types of texts;
  • Exploring the issues of progression – what difficulties do pupils experience with comprehension and how can we address these problems;
  • Reading and disadvantaged pupils;
  • Considering ways to improve pupils’ ability to read aloud with confidence, fluency and intonation that shows understanding;
  • Assessing reading comprehension and unpicking end of key stage assessments.

“Extremely useful.  The course is already having an impact on reading.”
“I feel totally inspired and determined to improve reading.”
“Wow! Superb – brilliant ideas that I can use straight away in class.  So many new resources which I know will engage the children.”
“Everything!  It has given me a real boost to think more about how reading is taught and what the children need.  Thank you for all the brilliant resources.”

 

This course is one full day and two half days. The first date is Thursday 12th October 9.15am - 3.45pm, followed by Thursday 1st Feb 9.15am-12.00pm and Thurs 26th April 1.30pm-4.30pm. Lunch is provided on the full day. Book now by returning the form below via email or post. £390 for the first delegate, £300 for second and subsequent delegates from the same school. Course code: SR1. This course is held at Weetwood Hall, Headingley, North Leeds.

Download flyer and booking form

Utilising a whole class text - Thursday 16th November 2018, 9.15am-3.45pm

With the surge towards whole class reading, how do we make sure that we go beyond ‘just reading’ a text?  What does a high quality whole class reading session look like?  How can we use text strategically to support us in delivering different aspects of the curriculum?

Whole class texts provide a platform for developing many skills, from careful observation to developing empathy, from considering how the author’s use of grammar has aided the telling of the story to turning words on a page into a vivid vision, and from reading to build understanding of a topic to providing a jumping off point for fantasy story writing.  High quality texts (and wordless books) are versatile; offering us many opportunities to create wonderful learning.

Covered within the day are a number of themes:

  • Selecting texts to inspire and putting together combinations that will give breadth and depth to the curriculum.
  • Fiction, non-fiction and wordless books.
  • How to get the most from a text – what to focus on.
  • Practical activities and strategies that can be used with any book.
  • Using texts to support the development of writing.
  • Developing questioning and improving the quality of book talk.
  • Collaborative tasks and ways of recording outcomes.

“Excellent ideas for stimulating reading.  Superb tips and techniques for teaching inference / asking questions / inspiring reading for enjoyment.” ; “Really super practical ideas to develop reading.  Lots to think about and bring back to class.”
“So many fantastic and useful resources to take away.” ; “Lovely atmosphere created by Vicky.” ; “Excellent trainer – very inspirational and knowledgeable.  I was engaged and enthused throughout.” ; “I feel confident to deliver effective whole class sessions.”

9.15am-3.45pm Thursday 16th November 2017. Lunch is provided. Book now by returning the form below via email or post. £195 for the first delegate, £175 for second and subsequent delegates from the same school. Course code: R2. The course is held at Weetwood Hall, Headingley, Leeds.

Download flyer and booking form

Growth Mindsets: A practical approach Thur 2nd Nov 2017, 9.15am-3.45pm

Leave the day with an implementation plan in your hand, resources to kick start the process and feeling confident to harness growth mindset research in your school. With input from schools who have successfully implemented growth mindsets, you’ll be ready to lead whole school developments.

We need learners to be independent, love challenge, respond to feedback, be resilient and take greater ownership of their learning. “I have been amazed by how our children can now talk confidently about their learning.”

  • Introducing mindset theory and supporting colleagues to adhere to the key principles of the research.
  • Identifying ‘growth’ and ‘fixed’ mindset characteristics in yourself and others.
  • Utilising mindset theory in the classroom and developing a growth mindset ethos throughout the school.
  • Exploring the links between aspirations, mindsets and metacognition.
  • Create a unique blue print for your school to support implementation and return to school with all you need for a January launch.

    “Superb resources.  Action plan to go away with.  Thank you for a brilliant day!”
    “Great to hear from schools who have implemented growth mindsets.  Very informative.  Lots of food for thought and ideas for impact.”
    “Inspirational.  Thought provoking.  Really made me think about my own mindset.”

    9.15am-3.45pm, this is a full day course with lunch provided. Thursday 2nd November 2017. Book now by returning the form below via email or post. £195 for the first delegate, £175 for second and subsequent delegates from the same school. Course code: GM2017. The course is held at Weetwoood Hall, Headingley, Leeds.

    Download flyer and booking form

Marking Feedback and post-production activities, Thur 23rd Nov 2017

Covering both mathematics and English, teachers will leave with a wealth of ideas and practical strategies for harnessing the power of feedback.  Work produced in books is often a hinge point in learning – grasp the opportunities this presents and help pupils to move forward.

 

Effective marking and feedback is proven to have impact on pupil attainment and progress. Despite developments over the last 10 years, it remains one of the most cited areas for improvement in Ofsted reports and continues to raise questions about how to strike a balance between teacher time and quantity/quality of feedback. In addition, post-production activities are underutilised and pupils often struggle to make meaningful revisions.  Teachers need to be more strategic in using post-production activities to address misconceptions.  Teachers are working very hard, but impact often remains elusive.  Come along and find real solutions to the challenges marking and feedback present.

Session outcomes

  • High impact marking strategies. Developing feedback in all its forms.
  • Improving pupils’ ability to respond to feedback and running effective feedback sessions.
  • Developing peer and self-assessment and using strategies for encouraging pupil ownership.
  • Supporting the less able / more able to use feedback in a meaningful way.
  • Introduction to a range of ‘post-production’ activities that are guaranteed to improve rates of progress.

"Fantastic mix of activities in order to understand how they would work in school.  Fantastic trainer who has excellent subject knowledge and made training purposeful.”
“Excellent resources to take away.  I’m looking forward to sharing all the ideas with the rest of the school.”
“Lovely atmosphere created by Vicky – I felt confident to share.  A fantastic day, I feel really inspired.”
“It was brilliant – best course I’ve been on in a long time.”

Thursday 23rd November, 9.15am-3.45pm. Lunch is provided. Book now by returning the form below via email or post. £195 for the first delegate, £175 for second and subsequent delegates from the same school. Course code: MF1. This course is held at Weetwood Hall, Headingley, Leeds.

Download flyer and booking form

Successful Pupils are highly metacognitive - one full day and two half days across the academic year

A project to raise attainment: one full day and two half days across the academic year.

“We all want to create highly effective learners.  When we analyse why some pupils are more successful than others and consider what gets in the way of progress we can clearly see that metacognition plays a vital part.  This training increases participants’ understanding of what metacognition is and provides practical ways of threading it into daily teaching.”

Highly metacognitive pupils:

  • Understand what it is to be a good learner and recognise how they can become a more effective and efficient learner.
  • Have an abundance of strategies, tools and routines for different types of learning that they select from, apply, evaluate and continually adapt.
  • Articulate their learning, formulate their own questions and learn from errors and mistakes.
  • Ask themselves critical questions as they learn such as ‘what am I trying to achieve?’, ‘where should I start?’ and ‘what has worked well today?’
  • Make judgements as to whether they truly understand new concepts and take action when stuck.
  • Are highly reflective, self-monitoring and self-correcting. 
  • Are increasingly independent in tackling questions, tasks and problems.

Highly successful learners are highly metacognitive.
Metacognition is a high impact, closing the gap strategy.

The course is supported by a range of electronic and print based materials that will enable leaders to drive forward developments in school.  In addition, participants will be able to access an online learning platform to aid further study of this fascinating topic.

“A fantastic day, really inspiring about a topic that seemed difficult to approach. I feel much more confident now."
"Excellent quality training - exactly what we needed. It make me think differently about approaching planning and editing."
"Lovely atmosphere created by Vicky."
"I now feel confident to share with staff and implement."

This is a course spread across three dates. The first day is a full day (9.15am-3.45pm) Thursday 9th November 2017 followed by Thursday 1st Feb 9.15am-12.00pm and Thur 26th April 1.30pm-4.30pm. Lunch is provided on the full day. Book now by returning the form below via email or post. £390 for the first delegate, £300 for second and subsequent delegates from the same school. Course code: MET01. This course is held at Weetwood Hall, Headingley, Leeds.

Download flyer and booking form

 
 
If I would like ONE OF THE CENTRAL course delivered in my school...

The above courses can also be delivered in your school.
Prices do vary, please email sales@ictwand.com for a quote.

can you arrange a venue and catering for us?

If in Leeds, the answer to this usually 'yes'. I can source a local venue for approximately £45 per person. Refreshments and lunch can be provided. An off site venue can often be advantageous, particularly when working as senior leadership team or training with colleagues from more than one school. Please allow at least 6 weeks notice if you wish to book training with an external venue. Payment for external venues is non refundable and payable in advance of the event.

CAN'T FIND THE COURSE YOU ARE LOOKING FOR?

Have a bespoke programme designed to meet your needs.