Planning for Improvement - Session 3-Drafting and Sharing, using the Updated SDP Guidance.

Session 3- Drafting and Sharing

Aims

To understand the regulations for drafting a School Development Plan (based on updated guidance from DE, May 2026).  Understand that a concise and easy to read plan is best. Understand how drafting can be shared across the school. Understand the power of sharing and celebrating success.

Structure / Content

School principals will explore the SDP schedule (based on updated guidance from DE, May 2026) and be given guidance on how to draft a concise, but meaningful document. The importance of sharing the SDP will also be stressed. The benefits of ongoing review and celebration of the SDP will be highlighted.

Teacher Tutor Development

Aims

The service offers a range of in person and online professional learning opportunities for Teacher Tutors. These are communciated directly with teachers who register with the EA.

Futher Information

https://www.eani.org.uk/services/training-and-development/teacher-professional-learning/learning-and-teaching-tpl/early-5

 

Transforming Classroom Practice – Using Evidence to Lead the Development of Learning and Teaching

Aims

The aim of this programme is to support the development of learning and teaching through a shared process of structured inquiry and professional reflection. 

The programme will provide a facilitated opportunity to collaborate, learn and network with colleagues across the system. This approach is guided by Learning Leaders, the DE Strategy for Teacher Professional Learning (2016), putting teachers at the heart of their own professional learning journey. In this programme, all participants will be supported to identify their own inquiry question for professional development. 

The programme will consist of four half-day workshops: 

Sessions 1 and 2

What does effective learning and teaching look like? What does the research tell us are “best bets”?

Session 3

 Exploring the potential of inquiry to develop classroom practice.

This session will be followed up with one-to-one support for participants as required to enable them to begin a cycle of inquiry. uiry.

Session 4

Evaluating the impact of inquiry on classroom practice and pupil learning. 

Participants will attend all sessions and will be supported to engage in inquiry-based practice between sessions. Each session will be supported by featured modules or inputs from practitioners. These sessions are intended as a starting point for participants to consider exploring and developing one or more of the above themes in more detail, which they may wish to pursue with their designated Education Partner. 

Please note: This programme is available to ALCs or individual schools and can be accessed through the school's Education Partner or ALC Link Officer.

The Engine Room - Building the Capacity of Middle Leadership

Aims

The aim of this programme is to build capacity of middle leaders to lead school improvement, in order to develop high quality learning experiences and improve outcomes for pupils. It supports middle leaders to make a positive difference to learners by enhancing their leadership capacity. 

This programme consists of three half-day face-to-face sessions, facilitated by Education Partners from the EA School Development Service.  

Sessions provide opportunities for participants to engage in high quality professional dialogue with peers and to apply what they learn to their leadership practice. Sessions will focus on the following key questions: 

Session 1

What is my role and responsibility as a middle leader? How do I develop a compelling vision that motivates others? What does my leadership feel like to those I lead? How do I know how good we are as a team?

Session 2

How do I create a culture which fosters improvement within my team? How do I know what works? How do I plan effectively for improvement?

Session 3

How do I build an effective team? How do I manage resistance to change? How do I secure accountability?

These sessions are intended as a starting point for participants to consider exploring and developing one or more of the above themes in more detail, which they may wish to pursue with their designated Education Partner. Participants will attend all sessions and will be supported to engage in inquiry-based practice between sessions. 

Please note: This programme is available to ALCs or individual schools and can be accessed through the school's Education Partner or ALC Link Officer.

Whole-school self-evaluation and development planning - making it meaningful, manageable and impactful

The aim of this programme is to deepen your understanding of school development planning as a process, underpinned by the school’s strong guiding vision and purpose, informed by rigorous self-evaluation and educational research, devised in consultation with stakeholders and in compliance with DE policy. 

Participants will attend two half-day face-to-face workshops, facilitated by Education Partners, in which they will be invited to explore themes relevant to self-evaluation and planning for improvement, considering how they can be applied in the context of their school. 

The core themes covered in the workshops are designed around a series of questions as follows: 

Rationale – Why do we need a school development plan and what needs to be in one?  Self-evaluation – How do we develop a robust evidence-base of all aspects of school life, upon which to build a manageable, meaningful school development plan which positively impacts on our pupils and their outcomes?  Prioritisation – What are the challenges and opportunities we face and what are our emerging priorities over the next three years?  Planning for Improvement – What are the characteristics of effective planning for improvement? 

Each workshop will provide opportunities for professional dialogue and the sharing of practice, approaches and resources that can be used by schools to enhance their existing self-evaluation and improvement planning processes and structures. These sessions are intended as a starting point for participants to consider exploring and developing one or more of the above themes in more detail, which they may wish to pursue with their designated Education Partner. Participants will attend both sessions and take their thinking back to share with colleagues in their schools. .

Please note: This programme is available to ALCs or individual schools and can be accessed through the school's Education Partner or ALC Link Officer.