Education and training services

Tender description

The National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) anticipates that during 2016, it will look to run a procurement exercise or exercises to award one or more contracts to deliver its requirements for the delivery and ongoing development of the National Teaching Service (NTS). The aim of this procurement will be to raise levels of pupil attainment in England's challenging schools. This will be achieved by supplying said schools with excellent teachers and/or middle leaders, who will become NTS teachers. As part of this high profile, prestigious national programme teachers will be offered support and development to secure success whilst part of the programme for up to 3 years as an NTS teacher. NCTL will encourage innovative and value-for-money bids for a programme that will achieve its intended outcomes. The programme will aim to recruit and place in challenging schools a substantial number (around 1 500 by 2020) of teachers and middle leaders who would not otherwise become teachers / middle leaders in said schools. It is anticipated that 100 NTS teachers will enlist on an initial pilot (whose early stages will be delivered by NCTL) from September 2016. Future expansion will see approximately 300 NTS teachers enlist in each of September 2017 and September 2018; then approximately 400 NTS teachers enlist in each of September 2019 and September 2020. The programme will operate throughout England, in schools where NTS teachers are most needed. To be eligible for the programme, it is expected that schools will need to meet a range of criteria that may include deprivation, pupil attainment and school performance; and/or have ‘hard-to-fill’ vacancies; and/or be subject to a support/intervention programme required by their Regional Schools Commissioner. The programme will set a high bar for the calibre of teachers/middle leaders that are recruited and this will need to be underpinned by a rigorous selection and assessment process. The leadership development that is to be delivered through the programme will need to be of the highest quality and be tailored to the individual needs and contexts of participants and their schools. The programme will need to help teachers / middle leaders to excel in their roles so that they can make a maximum difference to the closing attainment gaps between priority groups of pupils. It is anticipated that one or more contracts will be awarded in October 2016. The provider(s) will be expected to recruit NTS teachers who will start work in the academic years 2017/18; 2018/19; 2019/20 and 2020/21. The provider(s) will also assimilate participants on the initial pilot cohort, which NCTL is managing for the academic year 2016/17. This cohort group is expected to include 100 teachers/middle leaders in schools within the North West of England. This PIN is to initiate an early market engagement exercise to help NCTL determine the interest, capacity and capability within the market and to explore different ways in which the requirements could be delivered. See https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/d289f4db-658d-41e7-8f22-75454d3bcfc0 for further information.