TDT spoke with Tom Manthorpe, School Leader: Teaching at the Henry Box School about his experiences of working with the Teacher Development Trust.
Hi Tom, the Henry Box School has been a TDT Network member for many years. Could you tell us about some of your experiences of TDT membership?
I am the TDT’s biggest fan in terms of the support I’ve received as someone who was very new to my post. The support I’ve had from the TDT over the last three years has been fantastic. However, our journey with the TDT began 8 to 10 years ago when my line manager signed up to become a TDT Network Member.
The support from the Teacher Development Trust throughout this time has been invaluable to signpost us to resources, tell us about what the research says and helps us to benchmark what we are doing.
During the pandemic, one of the most brilliant things about being a TDT member was being able to access resources about leadership, teaching and learning that I can share not only with my leadership colleagues, but also with our wider staff as well. This has been so vital in helping us to keep remembering why we do the job we do, no matter how hard things have been.
That’s so great to hear! Were there any other elements of your TDT Membership that have really benefited both yourself and the Henry Box School?
One of the other things that I really, really appreciate have been regular coaching calls with Maria. It’s meant that I’m able to test ideas and have fantastic support. If I don’t understand something, feeling confident to ask a critical friend or a supporter has been so useful. To give an example, the Apprenticeship Levy has been a revelation to me and I didn’t know what I could do with my funding. I sent one email to Bethan and Maria and within hours I received a response telling me various different options and the advice was really supportive and rational, not making me run before I could walk, but also realistic as well. It’s been invaluable to have the support of TDT and have a fresh pair of eyes on what we do.
Thanks Tom and finally what’s been the best part of working with the Teacher Development Trust?
The staff at TDT that are truly experts, but also willing to admit when they don’t know something and they’ll go and find it. Ultimately it’s the access to a wealth of resources around CPD and the quality of delivery. I cannot thank the TDT enough for the support they give our school and the impact they’ve had on what our staff receive. It’s brilliant!
To find out more about TDT Membership, please see our School Improvement through People Development brochure