Professional learning and development

Action Research Communities (ARC) are groups of teachers coming together to develop their understanding and research a particular aspect of classroom practice. They conduct research as a team throughout an academic year.

The action research topics are linked with the school development plan but may also inform the following year’s priorities. There are a series of meetings during the year where the groups gather to review progress and formulate next steps. There are also be opportunities to feedback to other staff in school.

​​​​​​​Further Professional Learning sessions take place at points throughout the academic year. The primary focus of these meetings is to enable interested staff to stay up to date and discuss current classroom practice. A few sessions will cover some of the wider work that takes place within school.

In many Laurus schools these sessions take place in the morning. They are an opportunity to discuss current best practice.  Each session can be seen as a ‘think pieces’ – an introduction to a particular area of work or strategy. Action Research Communities (ARC) and FPL provide the core of the Professional Learning offer. In addition, subject development takes place within each faculty through the departmental meeting structure. We also offer leadership development opportunities as well as additional voluntary Professional Development opportunities.​​​​​​​

The aim of Presence in the Workplace is to enable participants to develop the tools and techniques to communicate clearly and confidently with people at all levels and in all aspects of their role. Our voice is an essential tool to effective communication and yet we can often let nerves dominate our thoughts, our preparation and our delivery. A combination of wanting to perform at our best and a lack of technique and skills can often feel overwhelming. 

The aim of this session is to increase the awareness of employee emotional health and how to prevent stress in the workplace, as well as help colleagues to feel more confident about recognising the signs of poor emotional wellbeing in yourself and in others​​​​​​​.

This high impact training session is aimed at all staff and can be used inside and outside of work. It provides information, support and practical guidance on what to do in the following situations: 

• asthma attacks
• anaphylaxis
• bleeding
• choking
• CPR (including using a Defibrillator).

We are delighted to offer an opportunity to attend a series of workshops to develop staff’s knowledge and understanding of social, emotional and/or mental health (SEMH) needs. The workshops will be of particular interest to Learning Support Assistants looking to learn more about SEMH, how it relates to their current role and also enhance their professional learning in this area.

With the growing demands of social media, we provide staff with expert advice and support to manage social media accounts and communicate effectively with relevant stakeholders. 

This session provides an introduction to effective communication skills, building resilience, developing personal effectiveness and motivation.

Across the Trust we have specialist coaches, who can work with you to establish your goals, help you to identify where you are now in relation to those goals and then find ways to take the appropriate action to progress towards and achieve them.

Staff across the Laurus Trust have access to a wide-range of online learning platforms, enabling them to improve their skills and knowledge at a time convenient for them during the working day. 

Employees can access IT skills training tailored to meet specific development needs covering anything from Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Teams or SharePoint to Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and Premiere pro!

Further Professional Learning sessions are delivered weekly across all Laurus Trust schools, as bitesize sessions, usually lasting 20-30 minutes for both teaching and non-teaching staff. The sessions cover a range of topics, relevant to helping staff develop in their roles. 

This CPD training session delivered by the Laurus Trust Finance Director, and is aimed at anyone who is responsible for managing a departmental budget.

Thie session covers cover:

• how schools are funded
• budget setting
• finance controls and procedures
• process overview
• useful resources.

This course provides managers and aspiring managers with practical support to build their confidence to manage and lead teams. The course aims to provide participants with a range of tools and techniques to communicate clearly confidently with people at all levels. 

As a manager, we understand the challenges and pressures that come with undertaking an operational role and managing a team. We appreciate that there are many aspects associated with your role that you need to be familiar with and develop a good level of understanding. In recognition of this, we have a development programme for our managers called TRUST.

Our recruitment essentials training provides managers with the knowledge on how to make safe and effective recruitment decisions.

A successful team is characterised by its ability to grow, as individuals and as a team in facing up to challenges, tackling problems, finding solutions and delivering results’.

The CPD session includes:

• definition of a team

• foundations of effective teamwork

• characteristics of effective teams

• 5 dysfunctions of a team

• stages of team development

• team roles using Belbin

• the ideal team player.

This session is designed to equip managers and aspiring managers with the skills and knowledge to increase their awareness of employee emotional health. The session provides participants with a range of tools and techniques to support colleagues with mental health and spot early signs of workplace stress.  

The manager’s journey session is designed to help managers and aspiring manager to develop their understanding of the employee lifecycle, and what is required at each stage to support the teams you lead. 

Change and uncertainty are very much a constant in our working lives and are often perceived as negative, but the opportunities can be far more beneficial than we might initially think. This CPD session will help you to understand why change is necessary and important, develop an understanding of the human impact of change (and how to prepare for it), understand how to successfully manage and implement change (in practice) and be clear on your role as a manager in change.