New teachers are set to receive a boost to their training and development amid a surge in applications to join the classroom since the outbreak of coronavirus.

The new induction programme, based on the Early Career Framework, will be launched in the North East, Bradford, Doncaster and Greater Manchester as planned from autumn 2020, ahead of a national rollout the following year. Up to 2,000 new teachers in these areas will benefit from additional training and one-to-one mentor sessions in the first two years after qualifying.

Participating schools will receive £2,200 for every teacher on the second year of the induction, helping to support time out of the classroom with extra development opportunities.

In response to the disruption to teacher training courses this academic year, a one-year funded offer of support will also be available to up to 3,000 early career teachers working in schools outside of the early rollout areas from this autumn, with a focus on those serving disadvantaged communities.

Minister for School Standards Nick Gibb said:

It is encouraging to see a major increase in the number of applications to join the teaching profession over the last few months.

The Early Career Framework is at the heart of this Government’s drive to raise school standards, which is why we are making a commitment to continue with our reforms to teacher training this autumn.

All those entering the classroom for the first time this September can be reassured they will receive high-quality training based on the best available evidence and research, helping to increase retention and ensure newly qualified teachers are better prepared for the challenges and rewards of teaching.

High-quality training materials –developed for the Early Career Framework reforms – will also be made freely available to all early career teachers and their mentors from this September.

Evidence shows that teacher quality is the most important factor within school in improving outcomes for children and young people, and reforms to teacher training and early career support are key to the Government’s plans to improve school standards for all.

This early career support package comes following a surge in the number of applications to teacher training since the coronavirus outbreak. Teachers across the country have been celebrated for their role in continuing to support children throughout the pandemic, and there has been a twelve per cent increase in applications for those looking to enter the classroom compared to the equivalent period last year.

Geoff Barton, Association of School and College Leaders General Secretary said:

We welcome the decision to press ahead with the rollout of the Early Career Framework at a time of uncertainty caused by the coronavirus emergency and the subsequent disruption to teacher training programmes.

The Early Career Framework is an important step in giving more support to new teachers and thereby improving the retention rate: it is one of the keys to solving teacher shortages.

Paul Whiteman, National Association of Head Teachers General Secretary said:

Today’s announcement that Government intends to move forward with the Early Career Framework is good news for the profession – this is an essential first step towards securing necessary career-long professional development to help retain teachers and leaders.

The impact of Covid-19 continues to create extraordinary challenges for new and experienced staff alike; we therefore welcome today’s extension of support for new teachers beyond the rollout areas, and the announcement that Early Career Framework materials will be made freely available to all schools supporting NQTs in the autumn.

Richard Gill, Chair of the Teaching Schools Council said:

It is vital that we keep our newest career entrants in the profession to set them on a path of continuous improvement and to improve outcomes for all.

The Early Career Framework provides an exciting opportunity for new entrants to the profession to access and apply the best available evidence at the very start of their careers. This is one of the most significant reforms in a generation and its potential is unquestionable.

Schools should feel confident in recruiting newly qualified teachers and are encouraged to consider how they could play a role in helping to train teachers and bring them into the profession at a crucial time for education.

Trainee teachers for the upcoming academic year will be the first cohort to benefit from the new Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Core Content Framework, which sets out mandatory content for all ITT Providers, from September 2020.

This framework is based on the best available evidence of the skills required for new teachers to excel in the classroom.

The UK Atomic Energy Authority’s Chitra Srinivasan has been named in the UK’s Top 50 Women in Engineering for 2020.

Chitra, who is a Control & Software Engineer at UKAEA’s fusion research lab at Culham Science Centre near Abingdon, says she is ‘honoured’ to be featured in the list, published today by the Women’s Engineering Society.

The Top 50 Women in Engineering awards, judged by a panel of industry experts, are now in their fifth year. They seek to recognise the wealth of female talent within engineering; an annual celebration aligned with International Women in Engineering Day, which takes place on 23 June and is also co-ordinated by the Women’s Engineering Society.

The theme for 2020 is ‘Sustainability’ – celebrating female engineers who are making a significant contribution to achieving net zero carbon. At the UK Atomic Energy Authority, Chitra is part of a team developing fusion energy as a carbon-free source of electricity that could be used around the world.

Chitra Srinivasan said: “I am an upcoming engineer in fusion research and this achievement is highly encouraging for me. This would not have been possible without the support of my colleagues. At UKAEA, I have the opportunity to research sustainable energy by developing computer codes to control the fuel inside fusion machines. We are copying the process that powers the Sun for greener electricity.”

Despite the unusual set of circumstances the country finds itself in this year during the COVID-19 pandemic, the awards will still be celebrated in a virtual International Women in Engineering Day event on 23 June and across social media and press throughout the world.

Elizabeth Donnelly, Chief Executive Officer of the Women’s Engineering Society, explained why they had chosen the theme of sustainability for 2020: “The 2019 Climate Emergency Declarations followed unprecedented weather conditions across the planet. It will be engineers who will provide many of the solutions needed to address the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. We felt that it was the right time to showcase the amazing women who are already working on these issues.”

Sally Sudworth, the Women’s Engineering Society’s Honorary Secretary and head judge for the awards, said: “The panel of judges was thrilled by with the outstanding achievements demonstrated by all of the winners and by the difference being made by the candidates.”

Tell us about yourself and your path to becoming a Code Compliance Officer (CCO).

My path to becoming a CCO has been a very varied mix of different aspects of grocery retail. I have worked in sales and logistics operations, audit, property and financial accounting, as well as led the set-up of compliance systems when this became a business and industry priority. I was the appointed CCO for a different retailer before I joined Asda in 2017 as Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer. After having had time to learn the Asda way of working, the opportunity arose last year to take this position again, which I gladly accepted. I’m originally from the Netherlands, and have an almost three year old and a two month old (both boys) to keep me busy outside of work!

What are the most challenging aspects of the CCO role?

A critical element of this position is to build and maintain good, open and direct relationships with the various business stakeholders in the wider organisation who all have a part to play. As CCO, you have to keep yourself informed not only of developments in the buying team and commercial initiatives, but it is crucial to have regular contacts to the supply chain, legal, audit, and finance functions as well. My dedicated GSCOP team in Compliance is also constantly in touch with internal stakeholders and doing a great job of keeping me up to speed. Successful Code compliance really is a cross-functional team effort, not just dependent on one position, but as CCO you have to get to know the details of what these stakeholders are working on.

What achievement as CCO are you most proud of?

As I mentioned, effective Code compliance is not a one-person accomplishment. I am proud to see how the various teams within Asda and IPL understand the importance of GSCOP, and how these teams as well as the Board continually drive the right culture and work together. At Asda we have made significant steps over the last few years to improve our ways of working with our supplier partners in a collaborative and transparent way, and we are encouraged to see this reflected in the latest annual GCA survey, but also know there is always more to do.

If you could change one thing about the groceries market, what would it be?

The way in which grocery retailers and their supply chain are continuing to meet the unprecedented challenges of Covid-19 has shown the industry at its best in its ability to make changes happen very quickly. I believe that the changes that are required for the future will be less driven by the groceries market itself, but much more by the permanent changes in consumer behaviours and demands, and new technologies will play a central role. It would be great to fast-forward the market in its entirety to become omni-channel with great consumer choice in a sustainable way.

What three things do you want to achieve in the next 12 months?

1. After Covid, I would like to be able to meet our supplier partners in person at one of our Asda conferences again
2. Implement opportunities to further simplify and automate our compliance processes
3. Build up a strong and productive relationship with the new Adjudicator

Is there anything else you would like to share with readers of News from the Adjudicator?

I am always happiest when I am able to help resolve issues that our supplier partners to Asda or IPL may have experienced, by way of listening to their concern, getting the right stakeholders around the table and finding a mutual way forward. On those occasions, I really feel that the CCO position contributes to building trust within the supplier-retailer relationship. I encourage suppliers to contact me so that we can address the issue together and quickly! You can contact me at gscopqueries@asda.co.uk.

A competitive groceries sector with stronger and more effective communication between retailers and their direct suppliers is the legacy of seven years of successful regulation, the outgoing Groceries Code Adjudicator says today.

In her end-of-term report Christine Tacon, the UK’s first GCA highlights the impact of her work and how the sector has changed since the Groceries Supply Code of Practice was introduced 10 years ago.

We have seen an increase, not a decrease, in competition in the sector as three more retailers have exceeded £1 billion turnover of groceries and been designated by the Competition and Markets Authority,” she says in the foreword to the 2019/2020 Annual Report and Accounts.

Furthermore, fresh produce suppliers have been growing in size and are confident under the protection of the Code to work closely and on longer contracts with retailers.

And there is stronger and more effective communication between retailers and suppliers; this is a significant change, the value of which has been apparent in the current Coronavirus crisis and the resultant need to maintain very efficient supply chains.

Suppliers feel more able to challenge the retailers to get the best joint solutions – no longer is the response “how high?” when the retailers ask them to jump.

Ms Tacon added:

I came into this role because I wanted to make a difference and I believe the evidence shows I have.

I will leave the GCA in the knowledge that by working with the sector, I have shifted the regulated retailers from practice-based compliance to enduring culture change, driving effective compliance risk management at all levels in every regulated business. This should ensure that breaches don’t happen and that if they do, they are quickly picked up and put right.

The Annual Report and Accounts for 2019/20 is Ms Tacon’s final report as GCA as she announced a year ago she would step down after her second term in office ends in June. However she is staying on for a short period to provide continuity and consistency in dealing with issues that may arise from changes to supply arrangements during the early stages of the COVID-19 emergency.

In the report the GCA points to other significant positives.

The original 10 regulated retailers are now exemplars among businesses for paying on time. The Duty to Report on Payment Practices and Performance results submitted to the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy cover all invoices, not just groceries, so are only a guide.

These 10 retailers notably paid between 93%-100% of all their invoices on time, whereas only 13% of all the suppliers to those retailers achieved the same level of prompt payment.

Working between retailers and suppliers has become more efficient. For example the business practices implemented in response to inconsistencies arising as a result of drop and drive have eliminated masses of paperwork as well as reducing time wasted on challenges.

Consumers have benefitted from an increase in innovative products on the supermarket shelves, created by a growing number of speciality suppliers which the retailers are welcoming to increase differentiation.

“I believe my success has come from the unique way I established of working with the retailers.  I have taken a collaborative approach which should also be at the heart of healthy supplier-retailer relationships.

Over the past seven years I have had more than 300 meetings with retailers’ Code Compliance Officers to take up issues I was hearing from suppliers and ensure retailers were making progress in putting things right.

In her foreword to the Annual Report the GCA stresses that her collaborative approach is “not a soft touch” but one that enables tough, honest conversations and prompt remedial action and one which can be escalated to closer engagement to resolve issues or even to a formal investigation.

As well as her approach to regulation Ms Tacon identifies the GCA’s annual survey as another vital tool to secure progress, with the 2020 results telling a very positive story. She concludes:

I strongly believe that the Code, combined with the changes in culture and behaviour I have encouraged over the past seven years, provided the foundations for the excellent reaction of the groceries supply chain to the Coronavirus emergency.

The regulated groceries retailers and their suppliers overwhelmingly responded with the best interests of the consumer at the heart of everything they did and there has been a high level of communication between them throughout.

Notes to editors