LEO Professional Learning Newsletter 

Train to teach with LEO Academy Trust!

LEO Academy Trust is incredibly proud to work in partnership with the National Institute of Teaching as an Associate College to deliver Initial Teacher Training (ITT), Early Career Framework (ECF) and National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) from September 2025. 

Associate Colleges are successful school trusts, selected because of their wealth of in-house expertise in professional development and their deep relationships in their local areas. This collaboration allows us to be at the forefront of educational excellence, providing local teachers with unparalleled opportunities for professional growth, learning and development. Together, we are shaping the future of teaching and learning, ensuring that every child receives the highest quality education.

Applications for our primary ITT courses are now open for September 2025! Our initial teacher training is a fully immersive school-centred programme - aspiring teachers will be in the classroom from the very start. But full immersion does not mean that you will be thrown in the deep end: our trainees are mentored and have central training once a week.

To apply for a place on our ITT programme, please click here. 

To register your interest to find out more information, please click here.

To explore our ITT site, please click here.

LEO Professional Learning Opportunities 2024-2025

There are lots of professional learning opportunities on offer for 2024-2025.

Take a look at our new LEO Professional Learning Brochure here which contains the dates and times of upcoming training sessions.

• Network Learning Community Sessions

• Early Career Teacher Professional Learning

• Subject Specific Professional Learning

• Writing Networks

• Google Professional Learning

• Leadership Professional Learning

• Coaching opportunities

LEO & SET Early Career Teacher Subject Specific Sessions 

There are lots of subject specific professional learning opportunities for our ECTs on offer for 2024-2025.

Take a look at our new ECT Subject Specific Professional Learning Programme here which contains the dates and times of upcoming training sessions.

Olevi Professional Learning 

There are lots of Olevi professional learning sessions taking place this term. Take a look at our Olevi Professional Learning Programme here which contains the dates and times of upcoming training sessions. An overview of teach of the sessions on offer can be found below.

Outstanding Teacher Programme

Classroom practitioners will gain a deeper understanding of the latest innovative pedagogy and develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours to make a significant impact on their pupils and inspire others to become outstanding practitioners within a coaching culture.

The dates for this programme are as follows:

Tuesday 23rd April, 2025 - 9:30am-11:30am (WA)

Thursday 8th May, 2025 - 3.00pm - 5.00pm (Online)

Tuesday 20th May, 2025 -  9:30am-11:30am (WA)

Tuesday 3rd June, 2025 - 9:30am-11:30am (WA)

Thursday 5th June, 2025 - 3.00pm - 5.00pm (Online)

Tuesday 24th June, 2025 - 9.30am- 11.30am (WA)

Click here to book.

Power of Coaching  Programme

Practitioners will gain a deeper understanding about the power of coaching and the impact that great coaching has on learning - being able to confidently apply several strategies to deepen the thinking of pupils; inspire colleagues to develop and grow; and become a more reflective and energised professional. As a credible coach, professionals will be able to coach informally, formally and in a structured way using the OLEVI Analytical Coaching programme.

The dates for this programme are as follows:

Thursday 8th May, 2025 - 3.00pm - 5.00pm

Thursday 5th June 2025 - 3.00pm - 5.00pm

Click here to book.

Outstanding Leadership in Education Programme

The programme recognises that all people are leaders, and that developing leadership ensures that well balanced challenge and support creates impact. You will engage with evidence-informed leadership pedagogy to discover how to lead and manage individuals, classes, teams, and projects more effectively for greater impact.

The dates for this programme are as follows:

Wednesday 12th March 2025, 2pm - 4.30pm (WA)

Wednesday 19th March 2025, 2pm - 4.30pm (WA)

Wednesday 2nd April, 2pm - 4.30pm (WA)

Wednesday 23rd April 2025, 2pm - 4.30pm (WA)

Wednesday 7th May 2025, 2pm - 4.30pm (WA

Wednesday 14th May 2025, 2pm - 4.30pm (WA)

Click here to book.

Outstanding Teaching Assistant Programme

Classroom support staff will become more reflective, confident, and creative through gaining a deeper understanding of high-quality classroom pedagogy. You will develop the attributes to make a significant impact on the outcomes of, and relationships with, both pupils and colleagues.

The dates for this programme are as follows:

Wednesday 26th February, 2025 - 9am-12pm

Wednesday 19th March 2025 - 9am- 12pm

Venue: Hurst Park Primary Academy

Click here to book.

The Power of Mentorship in Teaching 

By Safia Ellmelles from Brookfield Primary Academy

How does mentoring shape ECTs? Safia Elmellas shares her experience on the NIoT ECF programme, highlighting support & professional growth. 

 Read more here.

It’s called the Foundation Stage for a reason: the crucial importance of the early years

By Julian Grenier

Senior Content and Engagement Manager (Early Years)

By the end of the Reception year, children who are eligible for the Pupil Premium are on average 4.6 months behind other children in their learning, according to analysis by the Education Policy Institute. The gap roughly doubles by the end of primary school, and doubles again by the end of secondary. In more concrete terms, analysis by the National Audit Office shows that only 25% of young people eligible for free school meals achieve GCSE English and Maths at grade 5 or above, compared to 52% of their peers.

Click here to find out more.

Healthy habits for the classroom 

 NEW blog by @KateJones_teach

Effective habits, routines and strategies should always help learning/learners. In this article, we’ll take a look at some examples of unhealthy habits that can occur in the classroom, with an alternative healthier habit provided.

Read it here.

Top School Trips

Don’t miss the new issue of Top School Trips, featuring a host of ideas for where to take your class next, plus advice on getting the most from museum visits and tips on taking learning out of the classroom.

Download your free copy here. 

Counting on Stories: How Picture Books Can Boost Maths Skills

In this latest blog, Katrina Di Girolami explores how picture books can transform early maths learning, making counting and problem-solving engaging for young children.

Explore the blog in more detail here.

NEW blog on responsive teaching

What are the benefits of choosing an open-ended hinge question?

Katie Waring, Director of Professional and Career Development at Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust, shares her thoughts.

Click here to find out more.

Embracing adaptive teaching for success in English lessons

By HFL Education

Adaptive teaching requires us to be flexible in our teaching to meet pupils’ individual needs within the lesson. 

There are some steps we can take to set ourselves and our children up for success in English lessons. This useful blog written by Jon Eaton, Director of Kingsbridge Research School, explores a simple framework for developing thinking about adaptive teaching. Firstly, at the planning stages, we should consider what barriers or challenges might arise for children within the lesson. Then, we can plan for relevant adaptations to address those barriers. During the lesson, we need to make use of appropriate assessment and checking strategies to identify any barriers, then respond to those with adaptations, where possible, in the moment. The EEF’s 5-a-day recommendations can act as a helpful guide to different ways we can adapt teaching to meet the needs of different learners. 

Click here to find out more.

Reading like a historian

By Dom Bell

History is special.

It’s what all historians like to think about the subject, and it’s true. It is different to Maths, English, Geography and the Social Sciences. As a result, historians think differently to those who study other disciplines. As a result, historians read differently to those who study other disciplines.

Click here to find out more.

Knowledge Organisers – When To Share With Students?

By Kate Jones  

Implementing knowledge organisers isn’t always a straightforward process. Thought must be given to how and when they are shared with students, as Kate Jones explains.

Knowledge Organisers (KO) have become widely used as a popular classroom resource to support learning. The idea of a KO is credited to former Michaela Community School Senior Leader and English teacher Joe Kirby writing in 2015.

Click here to find out more.

Reading for Pleasure Newsletter

Get your monthly fix of all things #RfP: Author in the Spotlight Penny Byrne, Top Texts, RfP research, news, events & more! 

Click here to sign up. 

Adaptive Teaching with Jade Pearce

Date: 3rd March 2025

Time: 4pm-5pm

Cost: Free

Adaptive Teaching is the key to meeting every student’s needs, but how do you actually do it? 

Join @PearceMrs on Monday 3rd March at 4pm GMT for a FREE webinar exploring:

 What Adaptive Teaching is

 Why it matters

 How to make it work in your classroom

 Book your ticket here.

NEW Canva Teacher Certification: AI In The Classroom  

In this 60 minute interactive course, you'll explore how AI can enhance teaching with Canva’s Magic Studio—all while earning your official certification. 

• Welcome to AI in the classroom

• What is the difference between AI and Generative AI

• How is AI used in the classroom

• What you will learn in this certification

Click here to find out more.

SAfE Leadership Conference 2025

Date: Tuesday 4th March 2025

Time: 9am-2.15pm

Venue: Hilltop Garden Room, RHS Garden Wisley

SAfE’s annual leadership conference returns to the beautiful setting of RHS Wisley in 2025. We welcome all headteachers, heads of school, executive headteachers, principals and CEOs to attend.

Join colleagues to network, enjoy lunch and hear from our speakers on:

• Changes to curriculum and assessment

• Sustainable leadership

• Flexible working

• AI and inclusion

Click here to find out more.

How TAs can support learning and improve attainment

Date: Monday 3rd March

Time: 3.45pm-4.45pm

Venue: Online

Cost: Free

We delve into the EEF’s new guidance report Making Best Use of Teaching Assistants and consider the positive impact TAs can have on pupil achievement through the right support, setting and tools.

Click here to find out more.

Implementing an Oral Language Strategy

By Bradford Research School

Date: 4 March, 2025

Time: 16:00 - 17:15

Cost: Free

Online

Oral language interventions (also known as oracy or speaking and listening interventions) refer to approaches that emphasise the importance of spoken language and verbal interaction in the classroom. 

On average, oral language approaches have a high impact on pupil outcomes of 6 months’ additional progress.

However, this is an area where the evidence is particularly complicated, and school leaders need to navigate this evidence base to implement effective approaches.

Join us for this webinar, where Rosie Booth from Ilkley Grammar School shares how she has used evidence to design and implement a whole-school oral language approach.

Click here to book.

KS2/3 Maths Twilights

By Staffordshire Research School

Free and Online

Session 2 – Thursday 6th March
Problem solving and metacognition
Focusing on: Building the learner tool kit by developing domain specific strategies for problem solving

Session 3 – Thursday 3rd April
Fluency and automaticity
Focusing on: Identifying the difference between the two concepts and how we build these into a coherent curriculum

Click here to book.

Free webinar: Breaking down barriers to pupil engagement with school

Sign up to receive your free invite link for our webinar on Wednesday 12 March at 4:30pm.

Are you looking to improve pupil motivation? You’re not alone.  Join our free webinar to hear our expert panel discuss the latest theory and offer practical insights you can implement in your school. 

Click here to book.

Principles of Powerful Learning - 10 key concepts in the classroom

Date: 5 sessions from Monday 17th March to Monday 12th May

Time: 3.30pm-5.00pm

Venue: Online

Cost: Free

The Principles of Powerful Learning are 10 principles drawn from Cognitive Science that help teachers understand how students think, learn and remember.

Understanding these principles can help teachers optimise the way they explain concepts, design tasks, and sequence learning. The course will break down each of the principles, and provide practical examples and non-examples from the classroom to illustrate each one.

Click here to find out more.

Sustainable School Improvement

Date: 11th June 2025

Time: 4:00pm-5:00pm

Venue: Online

Cost: Free

Join us for an insightful webinar focused on sustainable school improvement strategies, designed to empower educators and school leaders with practical approaches to fostering continuous growth and success.

Click here to find out more.

Sustainable School Improvement

Bitesize Explanations Video Series  

Subscribe to this brilliant video series where Jade Pearce,  Evidence Leaders, will explain an evidence informed strategy and how it can be applied within the classroom.  

You will receive one video per half term, directly to your inbox.  

The videos will include:

Autumn 1- Retrieval Practice 

Autumn 2- Interleaving

Spring 1- Cognitive Load Theory 

Spring 2- Responsive Teaching

Summer 1- Feedback 

Summer 2- Effective 'We do' modelling 

Click here to find out more.

LTA Youth Schools

Do you remember that the LTA Youth Schools teacher training courses are free and online? Take a look today and get inspired by the courses which have been developed by teachers for teachers.

You can complete the training on your phone, tablet or computer at any time of the day. Save your progress and continue later, if you don't have time to finish the course in one go.

Once completed, your school will receive a £250 reward voucher*, thanks to the Tennis Foundation. The voucher can be redeemed against 10 hours of curriculum support from a local LTA Accredited coach or on tennis equipment.

Log in to the LTA Youth Schools website and explore the teacher training pages.

Explorify Hosts Podcasts

In each podcast episode, an Explorify Engagement Leader hosts a conversation about an aspect of primary science with a guest expert. In their chat they share stories, tips and tricks and they signpost to other support and great resources. 

Click here to find out more.

Introduction to Generative AI Learning Path with Google

This learning path provides an overview of generative AI concepts, from the fundamentals of large language models to responsible AI principles.

Find out more here.

Mind the Gap with Tom & Emma

In the show, Mind the Gap: Making Education Work Across the Globe, Tom and Emma interview experts from the US, UK and beyond, and share timely insights on K-12 trends; research-based approaches in need of greater reach; and innovative strategies to close global gaps. 

Click here to find out more.

The Open University - Open Learn

Design your own CPD with these free resources from The Open University, created for teachers and teaching assistants working across the UK.

All the content in this hub has been selected by academics across The Open University, specifically for teachers, teaching assistants and support staff working across the secondary, primary and early years sectors, including those involved in home education, special schools and pupil referral units.

Click here to access a range of online professional learning sessions from a range of areas.

Geographical Assiocation

FREE CPD VIDEO SUPPORT from @The_GA committee EY and Primary.

Click here to find out more.

LGFL School Staff Training 

LGfL in school support, training and conference events are integral parts of the LGfL Energise curriculum service provided at no extra charge for schools.

Click here to see the training opportunities that are on offer.

Free short online course: Learning for a Sustainable Future

Join a personal and professional global learning journey towards a sustainable future. What on Earth could be more important?

Click here to find out more.

Becoming a Google Certified Coach

A Google Certified Coach is someone who is :

→ Eager to support educators

→ Wanting to drive impactful technology into classrooms

→ Looking to learn research-proven strategies & skills

Does this sound like you? 

Click here to find out more.

On-demand training at your fingertips

View the Google on-demand series of webinars designed to help schools and educators in the UK and Ireland get the most out of Google Workspace for Education and Chromebooks.

Whether you are an educator, Senior Leadership or IT Administrator you can find a session to suit you. 

Click here to find out more.

Adobe Professional Development Courses

Find out all about the free professional learning opportunities on offer from Adobe.

Creativity for all

Adobe Creative Cloud Express in the Classroom

Engaging Video Projects in the Classroom

and many more...

Click here to find out more.

Free online professional development webinars for educators

Oxford University Press has a range of digital webinars to help you continue your professional development online. You can find links to recordings of previously-held webinars, as well as register your interest for upcoming sessions. The recorded webinars are available to watch on demand via Brainshark and you will receive a CPD certificate after watching each one.

Click here to find out more.

Financial Education - Free Online Teacher Training

Complete a free online course, in your own time and at your own speed…

The engaging eLearning courses are self-paced and take between 1.5-2.5 hours to complete.  Along the way you will:

• Learn how financial education can be made real and relevant to the young people you work with

• See where financial education most effectively fits within your curriculum

• Discover key tools to assist in the development of financial education

• Find out how to access further support and resources to aid financial education delivery

• Develop a financial education Action Plan for your own

Click here to find out more.

Developing Reading for Pleasure

Join the Open Learn FREE Developing Reading for Pleasure  badged online course.

Developing the skill to read and the will to read are interrelated, however, this course focuses on the latter; it is an exploration of Reading for Pleasure and its significance for children’s lives and development. You will consider current research, debates and challenges that impact on children’s reading and gain knowledge and strategies to help you promote reader engagement across schools, homes and communities.

Click here to find out more.

Online PE CPD for Teachers

England Football's Online PE CPD for Teachers course is designed to increase confidence in the delivery of engaging, inclusive, high-quality Physical Education lessons through the invasion game of football.

Click here to find out more.

Free Anti-Bullying CPD online training

The following online training courses are available: 

• What is bullying? 

• Bullying and the Law 

• Bullying and SEN/disability 

• 10 principles to reduce bullying

• Preventing bullying

• Responding to bullying

• Cyberbullying (Online bullying)

• Young Carers and Bullying 

• Looked After Children and Bullying

• Mental Health and Bullying

• Sexual Bullying

• Bullying and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller young people 

Click here to find out more.

Are you following @LEOtraining5 on Twitter yet?

If you would like to stay up to date on all things training at LEO Academy Trust and beyond then make sure you follow @LEOtraining5 on Twitter.

• Get notified when new PL videos are added to the LEO YouTube page.

• Receive reminders of upcoming courses and events.

• Keep up to date with what is happening at LEO training events as and when they are taking place.

• Explore other PL opportunities on offer outside of the Trust.

Click here to to visit the page now.