Surrey South Farnham SCITT is an innovative, leading, outstanding, well established and highly respected provider of primary Initial Teacher Training (ITT) working across Surrey and beyond. It has been rated as a top 10 UK provider.
The SCITT has accessed NASBTT Learn, which offers CPD modules to support and enhance providers’ training offer for trainees and NQTs through a comprehensive digital library of courses, since it launched in November 2019. “We signed up to NASBTT Learn to enable trainees to maintain learning and development whether they are in school or not, to ensure that trainees remained engaged with the programme, and to provide rapid access to resources whilst we developed suitable in-house materials,” explained Director of ITT, Ann-Marie Bahaire. “These supplement our online professional studies programme in key areas, particularly those that missed a face-to-face input.”
NASBTT Learn has proved particularly valuable during the Covid-19 pandemic and led to a “re-examination of what can be adapted to a blended learning approach”. Ann-Marie said: “NASBTT Learn enabled a focus on what we needed to develop first to ensure comprehensive, relevant and thorough resources were available to trainees. This included an audit of current professional studies and NASBTT Learn modules that can support and enhance key sessions both in lockdown and beyond. Overall, it has given us quick access to a range of modules, reports that enable us to monitor engagement and completion, and supplementary materials to add depth to our current remote learning offer.”
Ann-Marie pinpointed the opportunities that NASBTT Learn has afforded trainees to “support and continue their learning”. “It has offered them flexibility – both time and capacity – and the ability to further learning in areas of personal interest or areas covered less,” she revealed. “NASBTT Learn would also be very useful for NQTs (especially looking at next year) to be able to dip into key modules to support their initial classroom practice. Appropriate bodies could direct NQTs to certain modules at key points.”
Whilst there is ongoing uncertainty about what the ‘new normal’ will look like for schools, and ITT providers, Ann-Marie highlighted the potential benefits that NASBTT Learn offers Surrey South Farnham SCITT going forward. “It enables flexibility to use blended learning and, crucially, enables providers to be prepared should another lockdown occur,” she said. “It also means we can re-evaluate the best way for trainees to learn – that balance, independent challenge, and developing areas of personal interest. Through auditing the modules available, we can identify ‘essential’ modules that build upon existing provision or enable provision to be altered slightly, and ‘recommended’ modules to supplement studies or areas of personal interest.”
For every course trainees complete in NASBTT Learn they receive a verified Certificate of Completion and digital badge, which is fast becoming the norm for recognising and communicating professional development. For providers, this helps to prove their commitment to the development and professional portfolio of their trainees. The interactive resources complement training and encourage sustained independent study and development, with content available both online and offline.
