Professional Development
At True Learning Partnership, we believe that developing people is fundamental to improving schools. High-quality professional development strengthens expertise, improves practice and develops the leadership capacity needed to secure the best possible outcomes for children and young people.
Professional learning is therefore a strategic priority across the Trust and is relevant to everyone within our organisation – teachers, leaders, support staff and colleagues across our professional and operational teams.
Our Approach to Professional Learning
We see professional development as more than attending a course or training session. It is a sustained process through which colleagues develop expertise, reflect on their practice, collaborate with others and apply their learning within their own role and context.
Our approach is underpinned by six principles. Professional learning should be:
Sustained – supporting development and improvement over time.
Evidence-informed – drawing on high-quality research, evidence and professional expertise.
Focused on professional decision-making – developing professional judgement rather than simply providing solutions.
Targeted – responding to Trust, school, team and individual priorities.
Evaluative – considering how learning translates into changes in practice and impact.
Inclusive – embedding inclusion, adaptive practice and meeting the needs of all learners.
Together, these principles help us move beyond isolated training towards professional learning that can be applied, revisited, reflected upon and refined.
A Professional Development Offer For Everyone
Our Trust-wide offer combines the expertise that exists within our schools with high-quality external opportunities.
Across the Partnership, colleagues can access professional networks, coaching and mentoring, practitioner inquiry, leadership development, shared professional learning and bespoke support. We also work with professional bodies, higher education institutions and other partners to provide specialist development, qualifications, accredited programmes, research partnerships and wider professional networks.
Colleagues undertake programmes including National Professional Qualifications (NPQs), Master’s degrees, apprenticeships and other accredited professional development.
These opportunities strengthen professional knowledge and practice while also supporting career development and progression. By enabling colleagues to gain recognised qualifications, develop specialist expertise and take on new challenges, we aim to ensure that people can build successful and fulfilling careers within True Learning Partnership and are well prepared for future leadership and promotion opportunities.
Learning Together
Collaboration is central to our approach. Professional learning takes place across the Trust, within individual schools and through teams, subjects, phases and professional networks.
Our ambition is not to create a one-size-fits-all model, but a connected professional learning community in which colleagues benefit from shared learning alongside development relevant to their role, career stage and professional interests.
From Learning to Impact
Professional development should ultimately make a difference.
Our Learning-to-Impact cycle provides a common approach across the Trust, encouraging colleagues to build knowledge, apply and practice new learning, reflect on its impact and continue to adapt and improve.
We therefore evaluate professional development not simply through participation, but through its contribution to professional practice and, ultimately, improved experiences and outcomes for children and young people.
A Culture of Continuous Professional Learning
Our ambition is to make professional learning part of how we work every day: collaborative, evidence-informed, inclusive and focused on continuous improvement.
By investing in our people and mobilising expertise across our schools, we aim to develop confident professionals, strengthen leadership at every level and continually improve the experiences and outcomes of the children and young people we serve.
