Professional Development

The Trust is committed to professional development of all its staff and indeed supporting the development of other colleagues outside of the Trust. The culture of continuous professional learning is, and will continue to be, a key priority. A driving principle is that all staff in the Trust have the opportunity to develop the skills, knowledge and attributes necessary to successfully fulfil their designated role and raise standards of achievement. While some of this training will be specific to each school and phase of learning, opportunities for joint training and learning will be critical in securing continuity and equitability for all colleagues and a consistent experience for all learners.

Where possible and relevant, professional development will be linked to the individual’s professional needs and the school development plan. These needs will be identified through the appraisal system and link meetings with subject leads.

This will be supported by:

• Providing five CPD training days per year some aspects of which will be joint, involving colleagues from all three schools.
• Genius sessions that support specific aspects of teaching and learning.
• Specific curriculum workshops led by key members of staff.
• Offering and supporting Professional Learning Groups (PLGs) where teachers can take part in collaborative action research projects across the Trust and within each school/phase.
• Offering external courses where appropriate.
• Induction programme for all new staff.
• SCITT (school-centred initial teacher training) training programme through the Wildern Partnership.
• Initial Teacher Training (ITT) training programme.
• Mentor training to support ITT and Early Career Teachers (ECTs).
• A structured programme linked to the Early Career Framework
• National Professional Qualification for Headteachers (NPQH support (where applicable)).
• Support staff training.

The professional learning programme will be coordinated across the Trust to ensure continuity and alignment while also recognising the relevance and need for school specific training at times based on each school’s needs.