Continued Professional Development

Professional development opportunities for schools.

CPD opportunities available through the John Taylor Teaching School Hub and Staffordshire Research School, bringing together evidence-informed training, practical classroom strategies, and expert support for schools.

Through a range of programmes and partnerships, it aims to help teachers and leaders improve practice and outcomes for all pupils.

Our Curriculum Hubs

We are delighted to work closely with and to signpost CPD offers from several specialist hubs and CPD providers from across Staffordshire, Warwickshire, and the West Midlands.

Funded Excellence in Reception Teaching (EiRT) Programme

As an expansion of the Department for Education’s “golden thread of CPD”, this course is for current or aspiring reception teachers who want to strengthen their reception practice.

Participants will deepen their understanding of the key areas of child development through practical, evidence based approaches, supporting more children to achieve a good level of development.

Best Start in Life CPD

There are several other DfE funded and free CPD opportunities aimed at early years and reception year educators:

Qualifications & Training

(schools, P16, specialist and AP settings)
(working in group provision or as a childminder)

Programmes & Support

Early years stronger practice hubs provide advice, share good practice and offer evidence based professional development for early years settings.
The NELI programme targets reception-aged children who need extra support with their speech and language development.
The Reception Networks programme is a national initiative to improve the quality of reception year provision and support more children to start school ready to learn.

Resources & Guidance

Nine free webinars to support schools, trusts and local authority leads to increase the number of children who achieve a GLD at the end of their first year in school.
The toolkit summarises a wide range of approaches to improving teaching and learning in the early years.
The Foundation Years website provides news, policy and resources for early years professionals.
Help for early years providers contains free resources for educators working with children aged 0 to 5 years.

Maths Hubs

Maths Hubs offer a range of reception and KS1 specific support to state funded schools in England to improve the teaching of mathematics.
SENCO
Designed to strengthen the knowledge and practice of all practitioners (reception teachers and accompanying teaching assistants) teaching and supporting the learning of early maths in number and spatial reasoning pathways.
Aims to secure firm foundations in the development of good number sense for all children from reception through to year 1 and year 2.
One-to-one support from an intensive support partner to work with school leaders to implement change in reception to embed effective practice.

English Hubs

English Hubs offer a range of support to mainstream schools to improve the teaching of reading. This includes, but is not limited to:
English Hubs have developed new courses to improve early language and literacy in reception. These will be available from September 2026.
Initial Teacher Education
Staffordshire Research School Logo
The Staffordshire Research School at John Taylor has been a member of the Research School Network since 2019 and is one of 33 Research Schools that make up the Research Schools Network. They support the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), an independent charity, to achieve their mission of improving teaching practices to break the link between family income and educational achievement.

Research School CPD

Each year we provide a range of CPD offers through training that is accessible to all schools and through bespoke partnership programmes. You can find out more about these opportunities at our Staffordshire Research School (SRS) Events.

Approved Hubs and Other Newsletters

Sign up to John Taylor Teaching School Hub’s newsletter to receive the latest CPD offers from our partners.

Please also find other newsletter recommendations to the right.

John Taylor Training

National insight, local impact.

John Taylor Training provides high-quality professional development, events and bespoke training for schools, trusts and organisations.

Drawing on research and evidence, as well as contextual expertise, we create opportunities for learning that are affordable, practical, impactful and inspiring.

Apprenticeship Professional Development Offers

Next Steps

Sign up for our termly newsletter to receive the latest CPD offers from our partners.

Consider including a QR code to allow email recipients quick access (Parents, Local Community and Sixth Form students)

An example of an email footnote could look like this:
Do you know someone who is interested in training to teach? Send them this [insert QR code]

How to become a teacher
Routes into teaching
Provider specific

Include ‘Train to Teach’ signposting to local providers or DfE materials as an email footnote or signature strip.

Share these myths and misconceptions-busters about teacher training and teaching to inform potential applicants about the profession.

Offer Intensive Training & Practice (ITAP) placements to ITE providers (typically 1-2 days) to allow trainees to observe practices and apply learning.

Offer enhanced placements (1-5 days) as part of an ITE programme, focussing on a phase, type, or specialist area of education (e.g. PRU, Special School, EYFS, Post-16).

Contact us for a conversation to support meeting your school needs for how you wish to engage with Teacher Training:

Share positive stories, case studies and testimonials of colleagues and ex-trainees (associated with your school), showcasing career progression, opportunities and CPD.

Connect and share on socials (pathways and providers) to community networks through regular school comms (e.g., Newsletter, social media posts).
Other:

Follow and share content on your school accounts from these below to reach your community:

ITE providers in the West Midlands

Connect with ITE providers in the West Midlands – click here to access a map of local and national Accredited providers.

Connect with ITE providers on social media from the districts covered by the John Taylor Teaching School Hub region or in the immediate surrounding districts:

John Taylor SCITT
Reach2 SCITT
University of Derby
University of Staffordshire
St. Joseph’s College SCITT
Teach Derby/Teach Derbyshire
Barr Beacon SCITT
The Coventry SCITT
Arthur Terry SCITT/Hub
Loughborough University
The University of Birmingham
Birmingham City University
Contact your local Teaching School Hub & ITE providers to let them know you are interested and ask them who you can engage with/support, and how.

Add Your Heading Text Here

ITE providers in the West Midlands

Connect with ITE providers in the West Midlands – click here to access a map of local and national Accredited providers.

Connect with ITE providers on social media from the districts covered by the John Taylor Teaching School Hub region or in the immediate surrounding districts:

John Taylor SCITT
Reach2 SCITT
University of Derby
University of Staffordshire
St. Joseph’s College SCITT (Stoke)
Teach Derby/Teach Derbyshire
Barr Beacon SCITT
The Coventry SCITT
Arthur Terry SCITT/Hub
Loughborough University
The University of Birmingham
Birmingham City University