From our humble beginnings in a school office in Watford to working directly with thousands of schools in the UK and beyond, we’ve been on a mission for over a decade to improve CPD for professionals working in schools. The Teacher Development Trust works closely with school and system leaders to plan, implement and evaluate CPD approaches, to produce and share research and to influence policy on a national level.
In 2012, science teacher David Monis-Weston began to dig into the data and research behind professional development for teachers. He was astonished to find how much evidence there was for what made staff development truly effective and how little of it was being implemented in schools.
Alongside a group of school leaders and experts in the field, he set out to create an organisation which would raise awareness of the importance of CPD in schools and inform others about how it could be carried out effectively. Since then, the Teacher Development Trust (TDT for short) has worked in a wide variety of ways to carry out its purpose. From delivering outstanding NPQs to collaborating on new research to creating tools and resources to support improved leadership of CPD.
Evidence tells us that the most effective approach leaders can take to improving outcomes for children and young people is to focus on the professional development of school staff.
Awareness of CPD as a mechanism for change and improvement has grown since 2012 but there is still a lack of understanding in the sector about what needs to be in place for professional development to succeed and how to make it a reality.
Across our programmes, modules, and resources, we use the 7 Domains of People-Powered School Improvement as a core framework to sensemake and understand what makes an effective CPD provision. This reflects what we continue to believe: that improvement accelerates when you empower your team and support them to thrive with agency and professional growth.
We provide a variety of offers including online learning, coaching, diagnostic review, and qualifications to suit your needs and context.
Access curated resources and use our free CPD Leadership Reflection Tool to consider what CPD looks like in your school.
We collaborate on research and use our unique position to advise on the direction CPD should take on a national level.
Our values inform everything we do. Every TDT meeting, event, blog post, and piece of learning content aims to embody them fully. In this way, we hope we can have a positive impact on those we work with and earn the trust and openness that’s necessary to enact change.
Our programmes are deeply rooted in evidence. We want to know what works and seek out the best minds to shape everything we produce.
Teaching and learning is about people and connection, and it must tie back to the expert, empowered teacher at the front of the classroom.
We are always learning. We are led by the evidence, but we also have the humility to keep testing our understanding and adapt.