West Sussex Teaching School Hub

GLF Schools

GLF Schools was founded in 2012 in order to enable the federation of Glyn School (an academy in 2011) and Danetree Junior School. Together, we began our journey to become a MAT of more than 1000 talented staff working with over 10,000 children in 40 schools across 5 regions in southern England.

Our Schools

GLF Schools

West Sussex Schools

DFE Excellence in Reception Teaching Programme

Date: June 2026

The Department for Education have announced the new 'Excellence in Reception Teaching Programme' to start in Autumn 2026.

Headteachers are advised to encourage suitable reception teachers to register now to avoid missing out on the limited number of DFE-funded places.

  • 550 places nationally 26-27 – Autumn and Spring cohort
  • 1000 places nationally 27-28
  • One place per school per cohort

GLF Teaching will be supporting the delivery of this new programme through Best Practice Network.

Designed by early years experts, the DFE’s Excellence in Reception Teaching Programme will strengthen classroom practice through practical, evidence-based approaches, with a focus on:

  • Child development
  • Classroom practice and teaching
  • Inclusive practice
  • Effective partnerships

This course is aimed at current reception teachers or experienced teachers moving into reception who want to deepen their phase-specific expertise.

Courses will run over approximately two terms, combining flexible self-study and TSH- or expert-facilitated sessions. 20 hours of study, including 4 hours of live online training.

Formative assessment structure, with no final summative assessment.

Registrations open: July 26
Start: Autumn 2026

Find out more and register your interest with the DFE to get a notification when applications open HERE

More detailed information can be found on Best Practice Network’s website HERE

Contact us to find out more: arodda1@glfschools.org or tsh@glfschools.org