CPD Event Calendar

This course explores the skills required to fulfill the role of a cover supervisor. It is an ideal progression for Teaching Assistants looking for more responsibility, sports coaches and undergraduates aspiring to a career in teaching.

We look at how a typical day would run, expectations and responsibilities of this role in a classroom. There is also much group participation within this session with the aim of building confidence in preparation for leading a class.

 With Safeguarding and Positive Behaviour Management being a vital aspect to any role of responsibility in the classroom, this is covered also within the two and a half hours.

Over the years Teaching Assistants (TA) have become more and more prominent in the classroom with the main role being to support the teacher in providing the best educational experience for their pupils. This could involve anything from covering a class, to teaching small groups or individuals with specific needs. No school or classroom is the same, therefore, it is really important to have a good understanding of the role and understand what might be expected of you.

This training session will look at a typical day and secure your understanding of roles and responsibilities required to fulfill this position.  We are committed to ensuring that you feel confident in the classroom enabling you to support and empower children with their learning.

This 2 hour session is fun and interactive with an emphasis on group interaction, in preparation for the classroom.

This course, based on Government materials for teaching assistants, offers practical advice on how best to support pupils and teachers in English and Maths lessons. It provides awareness of the main changes in English and Maths with the introduction of the 2014 new Primary Curriculum. This is a highly recommended course for Teaching Assistants and PPA cover working from Foundation to Year 6.

In response to requests from our candidates we have developed a 2 hour session addressing the key elements required to deliver maths for  mastery confidently in the classroom. Teaching Maths For Mastery is a transformational approach to maths teaching which stems from high performing Asian nations such as Singapore. When taught to master maths, children develop their mathematical fluency without resorting to rote learning and are able to solve non-routine maths problems without having to memorise procedures.

Key aspects include:

• Students are given time to think deeply about their maths.
• Learners build self confidence.
• Differentiation is through depth rather than acceleration.

Developing children's resilience is now being seen as important as academic learning in the classroom.

With the increase of challenges that children now have to meet on a daily basis it is vital we provide them with the ability to meet and overcome challenges in ways that maintain or promote their well-being. Through resilience our pupils are more likely to learn how to achieve academic and personal goals. Resilient young people feel a greater sense of control over their own destinies and therefore more prepared for life. We can play a major role in encouraging this.

Through referencing ‘Bloom’s Taxonomy,’ ‘Metacognitive’ learning strategies and skilled questioning we will provide you with the skills and confidence required to develop resilience in our young people, therefore having a much greater impact in the classroom.

Our exam invigilation training will take place in the Spring half term and Easter Holidays in preparation for the busiest exam period in the year.

We have a developed a course to support any new Exam Invigilators or those in need of a refresher. By the end of the session, we will ensure that you are fully aware of the correct systems and procedures necessary for setting up and supporting school examinations.

As behaviour management still remains high on the list of priorities for teachers and support staff this is one of our most highly attended sessions.

There is no doubt that poor behaviour can at times cause significant disruption to the learning processes of students and also result in stress and anxiety for the those who have to deal with it. This 2 hour training session will firstly focus on the importance of adopting a consistent approach to behaviour management through following the schools behaviour policy. We shall look at a range of effective strategies (both verbal and non-verbal) aimed at developing your skills and confidence when tackling behavioural issues back in your classrooms.

With interactive activities and analysis through short video footage from Dr Bill Rogers (Australian educational consultant) this course will benefit anyone at any stage of their educational career, looking to develop their own skills in this area.

The SMARTBoard Notebook  software delivers a range of brilliant, easy to use features invaluable for those last-minute lesson situations as well as enhancing your long term planning. If you are in need a refresher (or new to SMARTboard Notebook) on how to access these features Kate can guide you through the program, at one of our 1 hour sessions held here at our offices. 

Slots are available during term time Wednesday to Friday.
Please call the office to arrange your session.

This training is ideal for teachers and support staff working within the Early Years and Key Stage 1. It will also benefit teachers who have been out of the profession for some time as well as Overseas staff who are new to phonics teaching in the UK.

We look at the fundamental ideas behind phonics teaching, necessary to develop strong reading and writing skills further into Key Stage 2, as outlined in the DfE letters and sounds documents. We aim to develop your knowledge and confidence in delivering a phonics session to your pupils. This training involves much group participation.

Safeguarding is the process of working to protect individuals from harm such as abuse, neglect and exploitation. It ensures children grow up with safe and effective care and are given the best life chances.

Closely related, child protection is the process of working to help children who have already experienced harm in the form of violence, abuse, neglect or exploitation.

The aim of this interactive training is to offer a more ‘hands-on’ approach to developing an understanding of these processes in schools, with clear reference to how this relates to your role and responsibilities within your setting. The opportunity and time for discussion is an invaluable aspect to these sessions.

This course is for Secondary trained teachers who are interested in working on a daily supply basis in Primary schools. The demand for Primary supply teachers is currently very high and, with good training, many secondary teachers have found great success in the Primary classroom.

Autism is a lifelong, developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with and relates to other people, and how they experience the world around them. Sometimes it can be challenging working with pupils on the Autism Spectrum. Our training will provide key information along with practical guidance on how to best support our pupils.

The way autism impacts on each individual is unique and no two people are exactly the same. We will consider a variety of communication strategies that can be used effectively including TEACCH approach and the Attention Autism Program which offers visually based and highly motivating activities.

The Second of our training sessions that focuses on providing our non-verbal pupils with a method of communication.

An introduction to the Pictorial Exchange System uses pictures to develop that important communication & enhance social skills. It can be used with children and adults with a wide range of learning, speech and communication difficulties. As with Makaton, this will be beneficial mostly, to teachers and support staff working within a SEND setting but also those working with non-verbal pupils in mainstream school.

This course aims to give teachers and teaching assistants an overview of the most common types of Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) seen in classrooms. The course will provide practical advice on how to best support identified children independently, within groups and during whole class situations.

An introduction to signing communication, based on the idea that children who can't talk or write can be taught to communicate using a series of signs. Using signs can help people who have no speech or whose speech is unclear. This will be beneficial for TAs working mostly in SEND schools or with non-verbal pupils in mainstream schools.

Team Teach is an award-winning 'positive handling' training program which helps staff support pupils with challenging behaviour. It is a 2 day accredited course based on risk reduction involving de-escalation strategies and positive behaviour management, diversion and distraction & as a last resort, physical intervention.

Where possible the expectation is that course members will exhaust all positive behavioural management strategies before resorting to physical intervention. If this intervention is required Team Teach promotes a ‘caring’ ‘holistic’ approach with an emphasis on listening and learning, recovery and repair. Pupils will feel safe and protected.

As well as building your confidence in the classroom, on completion of this 2 day course, members will be suitably equipped to deal with challenging situations that may arise in their setting. There will be a small fee for this training.