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Fast Track Teaching residential training courses brochure 2008-09 (pdf, 1.56Mb, 40 pages)
Fast Track one-day conferences: Leading for the future flyer (pdf, 567kb, 2 pages)
1.Can I still apply to the Fast Track programme?
The final deadline for applications to the Fast Track programme was 30 March 2008 with a reference by Sunday 20 April 2008. If you have applied for the programme by this deadline and are successful at the application form stage, you will be invited to attend a final assessment centre stage during the period mid-May to August 2008 inclusive. Applicants who are successful at assessment centre stage will be offered a place on the programme to commence in September 2008.
2.What are the benefits of joining the Fast Track programme for the duration of the next year?
The Fast Track assessment process is highly regarded and will help you identify your current leadership development needs. During your time on the Fast Tack programme you will have opportunities to develop your leadership experience and skills. To support you, Fast Track provides expert coaching through independent tutors and you will receive support from an in-school mentor. You will be able to attend bespoke Fast Track residential courses and utilise opportunities which will help you build links with like-minded professionals in your area. Fast Track provision is therefore highly personalised and we will ensure you are given every opportunity to move forward in your career development.
There are many advantages to you joining the Fast Track programme for a year. Even in a year the programme will enable you to develop as a teacher and allow you to focus on the development of your leadership skills. Simply being successful in the selection process says a lot to your school about you as an individual, your skills and competencies and your potential for leadership. In addition, the detailed developmental feedback you receive from going through one of our assessment centres will be invaluable to you regardless of whether you are successful or not.
A large part of your first year on the programme is about forming your career development plan, which you do with the support of your personal leadership tutor (PLT). Working with your PLT gives you the support and challenge from outside of your own school environment to assess where you are in your career, your options for progression, how you might approach this and reasonable timelines for advancement. If you are considering becoming an advanced skills teacher (AST), then working with your PLT will help you prepare to become an AST and to prepare for the AST assessment.
In addition to the coaching support you receive, you will also have access to high-quality professional development events. These events will open your horizons to the future of leadership in education and enable you to develop your leadership skills. In addition, both through these events and our online community on talk2learn, Fast Track gives you access to both a regional and national network of like-minded individuals already on the programme and allows you to share experiences and learn from others.
The work you would complete on a project with a wider school focus raises your profile within school and with your senior management team. It will also give you the opportunity to work on projects that lead to genuine change within school and develop your leadership skills. These projects can also give you the opportunity to work with colleagues you wouldn't normally get to work with and can involve work outside of your own school. Having a mentor who is a member of your school's senior management team is also a huge advantage as it will give you timely access to a senior colleague that will open opportunities up for you within school.
3. What professional development options will be available from September 2009 onwards?
NCSL will be working very hard to ensure that Fast Track teachers are given every opportunity to move forward in their career development. In the next academic year, Fast Track programme will be strong and positive and will help many Fast Track teachers rapidly move into leadership roles.
In addition to NCSL's professional development provision provided (including Leadership Pathways), we are developing new accelerated leadership provision to meet the changing needs and challenges of leadership in today's schools. For information about the accelerated leadership development provision which is being developed, please refer to the accelerated leadership development provision FAQs.
1. What will Fast Track provision be like in the academic year 2008-09?
Fast Track teachers will continue to receive a range of bespoke professional development opportunities tailored to individual development needs in addition to face-to-face support, providing high quality coaching and mentoring, from the personal leadership tutor and in-school mentor.
This year, the residential training course provision has been expanded. Most Fast Track teachers will have the opportunity to attend either a two-day or three-day residential course, or two one-day residential courses. Those Fast Track teachers in their fifth year on the programme will have the opportunity to attend a specially designed one-and-a-half day course.
For more information, please refer to the Fast Track events.
2. What support is available throughout the Fast Track programme?
The programme will be based around the following development opportunities and support structures:
3. What is the overall time commitment for this programme?
Professional development events either take place during school term or during holidays. Coaching sessions take place during school hours. For further information, please see the programme structure outline. There is an expectation that Fast Track teachers will make full use of the opportunities that Fast Track provides.
4. Can I take a career break whilst on the programme?
In this final year of Fast Track provision, applications for breaks will be considered on a case-by-case basis, although provision will not be extended to take account of the period of leave.
5. Are there any assessed activities or pieces of work?
All Fast Track teachers are required to agree an objective with a Wider School Focus, which will enhance their management and leadership skills and contribute to the development needs of their school. This will need to be agreed between the Fast Track teacher, their headteacher and their in-school Fast Track mentor.
6. Can the Fast Track programme contribute any credit towards an MA?
Fast track is a personalised programme of professional development which aims to support teachers in achieving a SLT role within five years, however the experience you gain on the programme can't be transferred directly into points for an MA.
7. Will I receive any form of accreditation for completing the programme?
Whilst Fast Track is not accredited and will not directly contribute to a post graduate qualification, it does provide a range of professional development opportunities for perspective senior leaders in education.
1. Do I need to know who my leadership coach will be before joining the programme?
Personal leadership tutors are allocated once the registration of a Fast Track teacher's post has been completed. They will contact their Fast Track teachers by email or letter at the beginning of their first term on the programme.
2. Who should be my in-school mentor and who decides this?
It would be up to your school to appoint an in-school mentor for you and they would normally be a member of your school's senior management team. When applying to the programme your headteacher needs to be aware of the level of commitment and support the school will need to give you whilst on the programme and to have highlighted a suitable individual willing to take on the role as your mentor
3. What does the role of the in-school mentor involve?
The role of the in-school mentor in supporting Fast Track teachers involves:
4. What is the level of participation by my in-school mentor? Is there any training or development for my coach?
See the list above, also further details around the role of the in-school mentor is available on the Fast Track Teaching DVD-ROM and in the Fast Track handbook.
1. How do I access the online communities and materials?
On joining the programme, Fast Track teachers are sent a talk2learn introduction pack with details of their login and password. Fast Track teachers can access the Learning Gateway by logging in above. This will take them to the login page. The required username and password can be found in the introduction pack. Once Fast Track teachers have logged in, they will be able to access talk2learn and then the Fast Track community. If Fast Track teachers have difficulty logging in, they should contact the NCSL help desk on 0845 609 0009.
2. Do I have to use the online facilities?
talk2learn is NCSL's online community learning environment - a network of communities which is open to a wide range of school leaders and provides access to a confidential and extensive network on colleagues, experts and policy makers. Fast Track has a dedicated community within talk2learn and this is a central component of Fast Track's professional development provision.
With all elements of the Fast Track professional development provision, there is an expectation that Fast Track teachers will make full use of the opportunities that are offered. As part of this expectation, Fast Track teachers should regularly log on to talk2learn and actively participate in dialogue and online activities. Learning journals should be updated at least once a week.
3. Where can I get technical support for problems with online materials/access?
If Fast Track teachers have difficulty logging in, they should contact the NCSL help desk on 0845 609 0009 or by email at enquiries@ncsl.org.uk.
4. Can I use the materials afterwards in my school setting?
Fast Track teachers are welcome to pass on the knowledge they gain from residential training courses within their school setting subject to the normal restrictions of copyright.
5. What other programmes, events or resources are available to me in this area?
NCSL has a number of research papers and publications on school leadership. Below is a document containing a selected list of recommended publications and papers, many of which are available on the publications pages.
(45kb, 3 pages)1. How much does this programme cost?
The programme is fully funded by NCSL. There is no charge for any of the materials or professional development activities on the programme.
2. Can I claim for the costs of supply cover and travel when I attend the programme?
Only candidates from small schools (schools with 100 or fewer pupils of statutory school age on their last PLASC return) are entitled to claim for travel and supply costs incurred from attending residential courses. See the relevant Fast Track small schools travel and supply policy below.
(33kb, 2 pages) (39kb, 2 pages)1. Are there any other related opportunities available to me?
NCSL seeks to support the continued career progression of Fast Track teachers by providing professional development opportunities and events throughout their career.
Visit www.ncsl.org.uk/programmes for full details of all NCSL programmes.
For details on NCSL regional conferences and events please, visit www.ncsl.org.uk/region-index.
2. How can I become a facilitator on this programme?
Fast Track teachers are supported by personal leadership tutors. To become a tutor, we would expect that you have significant senior leadership experience in a school. Please contact CfBT for more details on 0845 604 5921.
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