Professional Growth Model

In September 2024, we made the decision to decouple our pay and appraisal processes. This created an opportunity to rethink how we approach professional development and to design something meaningful and supportive for our colleagues.

From September 2025, we introduced our new Professional Growth Model, marking a significant shift in how we invest in the development of our people. Our model is built on a simple but powerful belief, colleagues should be supported to improve their practice, not feel pressured to prove it.

This approach is grounded in the following principles:

• Supporting meaningful and sustained professional growth
• Improving practice through high-quality development opportunities
• Ensuring the model is inclusive for both teaching and support colleagues
• Tailoring the framework to each school’s teaching and learning approach and to our varied Trust functions
• Prioritising investment in high-quality CPD

The model was designed in partnership with colleagues from across the Trust, representing a wide range of roles and functions. This collaborative work reflects the direction we are taking as a Trust, one that values shared expertise, professional dialogue, and collective improvement.

We are committed to investing in CPD resources that genuinely support the growth of our colleagues, and we believe that our focus on providing high-quality, accessible development opportunities sets us apart within the sector. 

Our classroom-based colleagues have access to a comprehensive CPD platform offering a wide range of teaching and learning content, while our support colleagues benefit from a dedicated CPD menu that highlights the resources, training programmes, and apprenticeship opportunities available to them.