“I have received fantastic development as a leader and teacher since joining the trust in September 2018. My mindset as a leader has changed fundamentally having had amazing support from an experienced Headteacher. My teaching has improved significantly, as a result of being part of the Champion Teachers Trust Improvement Group”
KS2 leader, Shaldon Primary School.
A Learning Organisation
In the Academies for Character and Excellence, we are actively promoting a culture of learning.
It is our belief that we are all learners at every level in our organisation. Our mission of Excellence through Cultivating Character, Sharing Talents and Pursuing Innovation has inspired us to create a professional learning strategy, which encourages our stakeholders to take responsibility for driving their own learning, and incorporates a range of approaches to build the learning culture.
We are an agile, non-hierarchical organisation that values every contribution, and develops and empowers members of staff through our value of collaboration, resulting in powerful learning opportunities. We achieve this by asking colleagues at different stages in their careers, and from different roles and teams across the Trust, to collaborate and learn together in project teams, to drive improvement in trust wide priorities.
We have abandoned traditional appraisal approaches and have instead created a policy of employees driving their own learning with the support of regular coaching. In addition, we seek out ‘curated learning experiences’ to provide colleagues with opportunities and experience beyond their norm. This may include, for example, membership or leadership of one of our project teams, shadowing a colleague, or temporary residency within the school leadership team.
Professional development is at the heart of our professional learning strategy and is a priority in each of our schools and across the Trust. In addition to the activities, we provide opportunities for ongoing learning in school through professional development meetings (PDMS), and centrally in Trust Improvement Groups comprising of people from similar roles coming together from across the trust, to share best practice
and pursue innovation.
We have a professional development centre ‘The ACE Space’ situated at Totnes St. John’s C of E Primary School and use this resource to offer centralised training and meetings. We invest heavily in professional development, especially in curriculum development and implementation. Within the Trust we have our own lead, for innovation, research and talent management.