Continuous Professional Development (CPD)
At Tring we place great value on developin
g our staff. We believe that effective CPD secures high standards of teaching by ensuring that our practice is fresh, up to date, and inspiring.
Our CPD model is focused around developing the following:
- Subject content knowledge: knowledge of the subject being taught,
- Subject content pedagogical knowledge - knowledge of how to teach a specific aspect of the subject content,
- General pedagogical knowledge - knowledge of how to teach effectively.
All CPD at Tring follows these principles:
- Will be relevant to the everyday work of teachers,
- Will be informed by evidence and supported by experts,
- Will teach new knowledge and skills,
- Will actively involve teachers in collaborative reflection and learning,
- Will have follow up, practice and support,
- Will improve the quality of teaching,
- Will have an impact on student outcomes.
All CPD will be supported by the Teaching & Learning area on the Staff intranet where all resources will be stored, and the CPD area in the Learning Resource Centre.
Click here to view Tring School's CPD Programme 2023-24
CPD Opportunities for Teaching Staff at Tring School
All staff undertake regular Safeguarding training, IT Safety Training and Diversity, Equality & Inclusion training.
CPD Action Research Groups
All members of teaching staff join an Action Research Group led by an expert teacher. Staff can choose from the following:
- Reading
- Independent Learning
- Belonging
- Behaviour
- Assessment & Feedback
- A Level Teaching
- Challenge
- IT for Learning
- Adaptations for SEND learners
- STEM
- Awe & Wonder
For the first term teachers will decide on an area they want to investigate within their chosen CPD area. This stage of the project is all about researching the relevant area of pedagogy and putting a plan into place to test and trial it with a group of students.
In the second term, teachers will work on trialling the strategies with a group of students and collect any relevant data on any changes resulting from the action.
And in the third term teachers will work on evaluating the impact of the action and sharing the outcomes as part of our Open Door Week and the Tring School Teaching and Learning INSET in June. Teachers will then reflect on how effectively they have embedded this new practice into their classrooms.
Pedagogy Postcards
All staff have access to a set of Pedagogy Postcards, designed to support a variety of teaching approaches and methods from Assessment as Learning to Awe & Wonder.
Teaching and Learning Conferences
We have 3 Teaching and Learning Conferences across the year. These are based around embedding and implementing our Curriculum Intent and led by our Teaching & Learning Team. They are used to develop general pedagogy and subject specific pedagogy. They include key-note speakers, break out groups and department time.
Primary/Secondary Liaison work
These are opportunities for peer work across the Trust e.g Subject Leaders at Tring to work with Subject Leads in Primaries, Project work e.g. Reading, Diversity, Personal Development and/or visit other schools to observe best practice.
Open Door Fortnight/Teach Meets
These are sharing best practice opportunities that take place in the Summer Term.
NPQ Qualifications
Colleagues are encouraged to apply to study the new NPQ Qualifications and will be supported by our trained, in house Coaches. NPQ qualifications are open to staff who have been teaching for more than 2 years. They are fully funded and can be flexibly delivered around your timetable. Please check Outstanding Leaders for information.
Teaching and Learning Logs
All CPD Learning is logged on a teachers' individual Teaching & Learning log which is used as part of appraisal.
ECTs and New Staff Training
ECTs and new staff follow a bespoke programme. ECTs will follow the UCL ECF programme, and staff new to Tring will follow the Tring School New Staff CPD programme. This is in addition to the whole school programme.
Early Career Teacher (ECT) Support
Tring School prides itself on the CPD available to all staff but we have a bespoke training programme for ECTs and new staff to the school. This programme is led by senior staff, who ensure that ECTs are fully informed about the procedures of the school and that good practice is embedded at an early stage.
An ECTs experience at Tring School begins with a 3 week induction programme in the last 3 weeks of the summer before they officially start in September. This enables new staff to familiarise themselves with the school and their new colleagues, observe some of the classes they will be teaching and ensure that they are able to confidently hit the ground running in September.
The primary aim of the ECT programme at Tring School is to provide a seamless transition from Teacher Training to ensure that new staff “hit the ground running” and have everything they need to settle in, enjoy their first year and make an immediate impact as a teacher.
ECT Mentoring
We work with the Herts for Learning ECT programme to ensure that all ECTs receive the support and guidance they need to successfully complete their ECT years. All ECTs at Tring are allocated an experienced mentor who is responsible for observing lessons, conducting mentor meetings, completing paperwork as well as being a sounding board, critical friend and coach. The mentor will use their experience to provide feedback and guidance and ensure that the ECT settles quickly into their new environment and ultimately successfully completes their first 2 years.
Support Staff
We offer all support staff a comprehensive induction programme to help you into our community. As with teachers, we want you to identify areas and opportunities for development so that you can acquire and improve the skills necessary for you to excel at your job. If your aspiration is to become a teacher then we will do everything we can to help you on the journey. We also encourage staff to join an apprenticeship scheme and in recent times we have seen people gain qualifications in accounting, ICT, HR, customer services and leadership and management.
Training to Teach at Tring School
Tring School is the lead School for the University of Hertfordshire within the Dacorum Schools Alliance. We offer the opportunity to train to become a teacher through School Direct and offer the tuition fee route across a range of subjects.
We are able to offer a fantastic training experience with supportive mentors and excellent departments that will happily share both their time and resources to ensure that trainees develop and become outstanding teachers. Our trainees will have access to a wide range of CPD opportunities and will have the unique opportunity to work within a progressive school that will provide an incredibly supportive training environment.