Education and training services

Tender description

The Secretary of State for Education via Department for Education (the Authority) is undertaking a procurement to appoint a contractor for a single national (England) contract (the ‘Contract’), for the provision of the high potential initial teacher training and leadership development programme (‘the Programme’). The term of the Contract shall commence on or around 2.6.2020 and expire on 31.10.2023, subject to earlier termination in accordance with the provisions of the Contract. The Contract will require recruitment of and delivery of teacher training to 1 cohort of 1 750 high-quality graduates/career changers who will start their training in September 2021 and complete their training in July 2023 (the ‘2021 Cohort’). The Contractor will commence the recruitment of the 2021 Cohort on or before 31.10.2019. The Authority anticipates that Contract exit activity for the 2021 Cohort will take place during August-October 2023. The Authority is seeking to appoint a contractor to deliver a single national contract for the provision of the high potential initial teacher training and leadership development programme. The Programme is intended to attract high-quality graduates and career changers who might not otherwise have considered teaching or working in disadvantaged schools into teaching and place them in schools serving low income communities with high numbers of disadvantaged and low attaining pupils (‘Eligible Schools ’). Programme participants will be employed to fill vacancies, undertake employment-based initial teacher training (ITT) and contribute to the Eligible Schools’ overall improvement. The Programme should also prepare, support and inspire participants to consider the range of career progression pathways in education and promote the longer-term benefits of teaching. The Authority is looking for a contractor that optimises SME participation and will bring innovation and creativity to the delivery of the Programme and ultimately deliver high-quality teachers and emerging leaders who can make a positive impact on the educational outcomes of disadvantaged pupils. The Programme includes but is not limited to the following main elements: — promoting the Programme nationally, attracting applications from high-quality graduates and career changers with potential to be highly skilled teachers and influential classroom leaders, — managing the selection process to ensure those entering the Programme have the suitability to train to teach and to develop the skills, behaviours and resilience to succeed as teachers, — securing and managing sufficient training and employment placements to support a target of 1 750 participants across England and across a single cohort, starting their training in September 2021, — training participants to be highly skilled teachers and emerging leaders for primary and secondary schools and early years settings throughout England to fill teacher vacancies and to help close the attainment gap between deprived pupils and their peers, — deliver a national Programme such that participants will: —— be placed within schools that serve low-income communities with high numbers of disadvantaged and low attaining pupils, where they will contribute to closing the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers; —— work as unqualified teachers in year 1 while undertaking high-quality ITT leading to qualified teacher status (QTS) and then as newly qualified teachers; —— complete a leadership development Programme in addition to their ITT that trains and supports participants to become excellent practitioners and effective teachers and prepares them for a range of career progression pathways in education including school leadership; —— work in partnership with Eligible Schools across England to provide high-quality employment placements, initial teacher training and mentoring support to participants. As set out in Section II.1.4) the Authority expects to award the Contract in June 2020 to cover the recruitment and training of the 2021 Cohort and the relevant exit activities to have completed by October 2023. The estimated Contract value for the term is anticipated to be thirty-five million pounds (35 000 000 GBP) (excluding VAT) Interested organisations are referred to the procurement documents for further information on the description of the procurement, the Contract and the Authority’s needs and requirements.