Professional Development
Within our school, we understand and prioritise the significance of empowering our teachers and LSEs (Learning Support Educators) in their professional growth. Therefore, we highly value the time allocated to School Development days, as they offer us the perfect opportunity to organise training and support sessions.
Empowering Educators
These dedicated training days are designed to provide comprehensive assistance to our educators, catering for both their professional and personal needs.
Recently, we conducted various enriching professional development sessions. For our Early Years staff, we organised seminars focusing on the effective implementation of the Emergent Curriculum. Additionally, in collaboration with the National Literacy Agency, we hosted sessions dedicated to Promoting Bilingualism in the Classroom, aimed at enhancing language learning opportunities.
Furthermore, we also believe in nurturing our teachers’ well-being. To address their personal needs, we conducted workshops related to self-care, ensuring that they feel supported and rejuvenated, especially towards the end of the academic year.
Staff Development Overseas
For two consecutive years, a twenty-strong staff contingent, first from the Junior School, followed by the Senior School, engaged in a week-long study tour in Tampere, Finland. The aim of this trip was to visit schools and to experience first-hand the highly commended Finnish educational system.
Throughout the week, the staff complement visited different schools, consolidating the school visits with lectures relating to the Finnish education system, cooperation and collaboration, curriculum and assessment, educational support and leadership and management.
As could be observed from both the school visits and the lectures, the Finnish education system has as its core the values of equity, equality and trust, these being evident in the great teamwork and collaboration between Finnish educators and students alike. These elements result in the nurturing of autonomous, critical thinkers with an enthusiasm for learning and a strong sense of community.
Besides being very enjoyable and inspiring, this study tour has certainly served as a catalyst for dialogue and exchange of ideas amongst our staff – all with the aim of finding ways to implement elements from the Finnish system in our school.
This overseas experience has proven to be very enriching for our members of staff.
