Professional development for leaders and teachers : Training courses 2026/27
You need a highly skilled leadership team to create and maintain a thriving school, particularly given the challenges of school leadership today. I design purposeful, evidence-informed CPD that fits your needs and the people involved.
Intellectual clarity, practical application, and internal shift are drivers of training, so leaders can act immediately and sustain success over time.
Whether it is a single session or a year-long programme, I work with you to set out the strategic aims of training, deliver the solution you need and help you evaluate the impact.
A strategic approach to 'Happiness at Work'
This is about taking a scientific, strategic and rigorous approach to creating a culture in which everyone can thrive.
7 key drivers will help you to shift gears on employee satisfaction, wellness and productivity.
The system enables everyone to be accountable for creating happiness at work. Your leadership team and your whole school will perform better.
Book a full day training and facilitation session for your senior leadership team and follow up with bespoke support.
Rather than targeting surface level and tokenistic measures, make a commitment to making a real and lasting difference.
Delegation
There are two points of entry. First: “You know you should delegate more. So why does it still feel quicker, safer, and easier to do it yourself?” Don’t let delegation limit your leadership success.
Second: The higher your leadership role, the more important effective delegation becomes. Your success rests on others being successful. From a strategic standpoint, effective delegation is central to achieving goals, therefore improving your skillset adds value.
This practical course equips leaders to delegate effectively. It goes beyond tools and techniques to address the internal shifts needed to make delegation work, with a personalised focus on each leader’s role and context.
Delivered on-site with your team, or via 1:1 coaching.
Leading Oracy
Your school is likely to be on an 'oracy journey' and your leader (and wider staff) need support to achieve school goals. I provide bespoke advice and training to meet your needs and to speed up the time it takes to achieve impact.
Utilise an audit tool and create a strategic plan that is right for your school.
Learn how to use a robust oracy framework for plotting pupil progression, targeting skills development, and assessment.
Equip teachers with a 4 quadrant planning framework that will help them plan and deliver high impact oracy lessons.
Ensure leaders can evaluate developments and provide targeted support and feedback, from EYFS to Year 6.
"Vicky's whole course was outstanding!"
Strategic Thinking
Some leaders find strategic thinking easier than others, but since it is such an important aspect of leadership, investment in developing a strategic mindset always adds value both personally and for the organisation.
Designed for a small group of leaders, from one school or across a number of schools, this on-site training is a full day devoted to unpacking strategic thinking. Leave with practical models, new ways of approaching tasks, a process that can become part of your normal operating pattern, know the pitfalls to avoid, and a personalised / team plan for improving effectiveness.
Learn how to use some key strategic thinking tools, beyond a surface level, so they become part of your toolkit.
Also available is strategic facilitation to aid team planning.
Feedback & Reflective Culture
Feedback is a critical component of both securing school improvement and creating a thriving work culture. Ideally, this work is undertaken with the whole senior leadership team.
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Secure and agree key principles.
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Create a feedback policy that is high impact.
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Train colleagues on providing effective feedback.
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Access tools and structures to aid leaders in giving feedback.
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Put in place systems and processes that ensure feedback is acted on.
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Create a plan and utilise resources to create a reflective feedback culture where everyone plays their part in achieving high standards and securing school improvement. securing school improvement.
Disadvantaged Pupils
I thread running throughout my school improvement career has been a dedication to raising attainment for disadvantaged pupils.
I work with leaders at all levels in a school to help them utilise the research on closing the academic divide. The solutions are not easy, but if you are looking for high impact actions that knit together to elevate the performance of this vulnerable group, get in touch to discuss how I can be of assistance.
Having a partner to strategise with can help to unlock barriers, but more than this, school leaders who are truly committed to the cause and prepared to be bold in their actions makes the difference.
The faint hearted need not apply.
“Thank you for all the support Vicky! All day you have been extremely knowledgeable in answering all my questions.”
Hear from leaders who have benefited from our leadership CPD programs:
“After the final session I cannot tell you how many staff burst through my door very inspired by the activities they had been part of. I am delighted by the way this programme has developed all my leaders and managers. I know it will have a lasting impact on everyone who has been a part of it which of course will translate to the continued success of our school. I cannot thank you enough for understanding what I needed to achieve and being able to inspire and engage at such a high level.” Headteacher in reference to a year-long leadership programme.
“Just a quick email to say a massive thank you for the training you did on Tuesday. I have had many positive comments about it and people have made a point of coming to tell me about some things they have tried or changed over the past few days...which is great so thanks very much.” Headteacher in reference to a full training day focusing on reading.
“Just to say a very big thank you for your work on Friday. I very much appreciated your direct approach and your hard work. I know the day will move the school on in our marking and feedback and increase the impact on pupil progress.” Headteacher in relation to a marking and feedback review day.
“A massive success and I thank you for your first class training and organisation.” Headteacher in relation to a multi school event for over 90 teaching assistants.
“I appreciate everything you've been doing with EYFS and transition. Staff have spoken extremely highly about everything. Both EYFS and KS1 have had successful moderations with the authority, and transition strategies that were worked out with you are going extremely well. You've really helped with helping to move both these key stages forward, and have a really successful year. A real credit to all involved.” Headteacher in relation to an EYFS / Year 1 writing project.
Design your own leadership training package
You know your team and what would help them to improve their effectiveness and performance, from mastering delegation skills to being brave enough and skilled enough to deliver difficult messages. You can have a training course specifically designed to meet the needs of colleagues, from short, one-off events to year-long programmes. The training is bespoke, matched to the leaders role and reflective of their current skill levels.
If you are based in Yorkshire, face-to-face training can be designed for DHT & AHTs, subject leader and phases leaders in your school or MAT, or across a family of schools. You can also add coaching to the programme, helping to blend together theory and practice.