Professional Learning
Ridgeway Academy offers teaching staff a full programme of professional development focused on the school priorities; current OFSTED framework; individual staff requirements and current educational research and pedagogy. Staff are empowered to hold autonomy over their own professional development and encouraged to participate in a wide variety of training and sharing of good practice. Teaching staff are encouraged to train as subject specific examiners and share their knowledge within subject teams and across the Trust. An annual AET teaching and learning conference provides wider opportunities including key note speakers; teacher led workshops; team building and enrichment activities. In addition, Middle Leaders participate in an annual AET conference and termly collaboration and moderation opportunities across the Trust. Ridgeway Academy offer a wide variety of professional development training courses through the excellent provision of the Alban TSA. The AAT run a programme of Peer Reviews which allow staff to visit other schools within the Trust and work with the senior leaders on strategic development of the school. This offers a fantastic professional development for teaching staff and supports inter-school collaboration yet further. As part of the AAT we offer an enhanced summer induction programme for all our Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs). This programme begins at the end of June/beginning of July and runs for three weeks. The induction programme is delivered at home schools as well as jointly, enabling all NQTs to meet their peers within the Trust. Support is provided by subject and senior leader mentors and we offer subject specific as well as general training through the Alban Teaching School Alliance (ATSA) and Herts for Learning (HfL) events.
