ITE Secondary Forum

Morning symposium topic:

Due to requests from colleagues and issues raised by the recent government White paper (2026) we have decided to shine a light and focus on how as a sector we are supporting our Initial Teacher Education (ITE) students who are living and studying in poverty and financially challenging circumstances. We are also interested to hear from providers who have looked at including poverty aware teaching into their programmes.

Presenters include:

Laura Jude (Wolverhampton)

Andy Howes (Manchester)

Mieka Harris (Bedfordshire)

The flash talks will showcase:

• Ways we are supporting ITE students experiencing financial hardship and poverty
• How our programmes have been adapted to build awareness of the socio-economic contexts and communities our students will work in during training
• How this work continues to support graduates as they move into their roles as Early Career Teachers (ECTs)
• A case study or dilemma to provoke discussion

If you don't wish to present, you could also share in advance challenges and dilemmas you would like to see discussed. We warmly welcome contributions from colleagues across programmes and partnerships.

The day will be structured as follows:

Symposium (flash talks) – taking place first (10:30 - 12:00)

Business meeting – following the symposium (1:00 - 3:00)

Please register if you plan to attend so we know numbers and institutional representation.

Registration is now closed. Please contact us if you wish to attend.