Core offer (all staff) – as part of our commitment to motivating performance and our culture of continuous growth and development, all staff receive and seek feedback from leaders and colleagues.  Everyone has frequent check-ins including in the flow of work to support a coaching style of leadership and continuous understanding of performance and wellbeing.  All colleagues are encouraged to reflect on their own performance and develop personal growth plans.

‍

We also encourage other opportunities depending on personal need and role requirements such as:

• Shadowing
• Coaching/mentoring
• Team/departmental meetings including updates or skill sharing
• Networking and professional communities
• Webinars and online courses
• Secondments

Mandatory training will be shared with colleagues as required.

Apprenticeships are widely available across the Trust depending on personal and academy needs. Current and recent apprenticeships include:

‍

• Teaching assistant
• School business professional
• School admin
• HR support
• Finance assistant
• Senior leader

We are committed to supporting a career pathway for our teaching colleagues which:

• Reflect our commitment to recruit, develop and retain the very best teachers and future leaders, ensuring we have an expert teacher in every classroom
• Are designed to create a bespoke CPD pathway, reflecting individual career aspirations whilst being inclusive and equitable, celebrating the diversity of our workforce
• Complement our motivating performance process, guiding and informing discussion around continuing professional development and empowering colleagues to take ownership of their growth and development.

‍

Trainee teachers – we welcome and embrace the opportunity to support trainee teachers in our academies and work in partnership with SCITT, universities and assessment only route providers in this regard.  

‍

Early Career Teacher (ECT) – supported in line with the ECT requirements, we empower ECTs to become highly effective classroom teachers; supporting wellbeing and professional growth through induction and mentoring.  

ECTs have access to:

‍

• A designated induction tutor and trained ECT mentor
• Regular instructional coaching with clear and measurable targets to support pedagogical development
• Opportunity to observe effective teaching
• Professional development opportunities to network, with and learn from colleagues in the academy or across the Trust

‍

Teachers – we nurture a culture of continuous improvement and best practice through:

• Clear and measurable goals
• Regular instructional coaching with clear and measurable targets to support pedagogical development
• Access to bespoke CPD including evidence-based self-study
• Access to trust training and collaboration opportunities
• Access to specialist NPQs and internal leadership programmes in preparation for leadership roles
• Opportunities to mentor/coach ITT or ECT colleagues, where available

‍

Middle leaders – we nurture a culture of continuous improvement and best practice through:

• SLT support and coaching
• Identification of further development training and leadership opportunities in current role or to broaden experience in other areas of middle leadership
• Opportunities to mentor/coach ITT or ECT colleagues, where available
• Engage with, or lead, subject specific training, Trust networks and school improvement support
• Opportunities to create/facilitate CPD at an academy or Trust level

Senior leaders – are supported through:

• Principal/headteacher support and coaching to help facilitate success in all elements their role
• Identification of further development training and leadership opportunities in their current role or to broaden experience in other areas of senior leadership
• Opportunities for leadership secondments/promotions with other Trust academies
• Opportunities to create/facilitate CPD at an academy or Trust level
• Heads of School/Principals will also receive co-CEO and executive headteacher support to facilitate success, tailored support from Trust central education and corporate services team, peer network support via the Executive Leadership Group

COMING SOON

The Trust supports the development of aspiring middle and senior leaders via its internal programmes.  These are available to teaching and non-teaching colleagues depending on role and aspirations.

Coaching is an integral part of effective professional development.  One coaching model that has shown promise in recent years is instructional coaching.  In this model, an expert and novice work together to improve the novice’s practice. The novice is not a passive recipient but actively engages in reflective discussion and deliberately practises specific approaches and strategies discussed within their coaching. The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) defines instructional coaching as

‍

‍

At Abbey Multi Academy Trust instructional coaching is used as part of professional development across all academies to support improvement and practice.