Case Study:
The Heath School

The Heath School state “We’re in the Business of Learning” and, through The National College, they’ve been attributing this message to their staff roll.

Like many, the Covid-19 pandemic had a real impact on how CPD could be delivered, with a new, remote approach adopted by a number of schools.

For The Heath School, our School Membership opened up numerous learning possibilities thanks to an entire platform which was dedicated to providing flexible video CPD for all.

A new and improved approach to CPD

Speaking insightfully about the changes which the school has undertaken in terms of CPD, Vice Principal, Steve Byrne highlighted just how valuable it has been to have The National College as a resource.

He said: “Since the pandemic, we’ve done 95% of our training online, with Teams and Zoom – even our governors meetings too.

“If I’m being honest, I think it’s better. The CPD we’ve been doing with The National College has been quite short and sharp – but you’re in work afterwards and you don’t have the travelling time.

“The one thing to take out of the pandemic is this aspect of it, because I was spending a lot of time on motorways. I’d personally like to not go back to having a meeting in Birmingham or London.”

Embracing blended learning

There’ve been specific successes too, with our blended learning series having a huge, direct impact, much to Mr Byrne’s delight.

“Blended learning was a real new thing in the first lockdown back in March 2020, although during that time it got better and better,” he explained.

“However, with the lockdown which came after Christmas this year, it was far better and much more well-planned, and a lot of that was because of the access which we had to The National College training.

“That was really practical and really helpful.

“There were a lot of digital platforms out there that we could look into and it was hit and miss, but that (the blended learning training) had a really big and crucial impact on our students, parents and the community.”

“People like The National College”

That positive feedback isn’t pigeonholed to one specific strand of training either, and Mr Byrne was quick to point out that “It’s been right across the board” when it comes to uptake and availability of high-quality CPD.

Mr Byrne stated: “The breadth of what The National College has been offering as well has been really positive too.

“It’s been right across the board, with training for teachers, right through to pastoral leaders, curriculum leaders and the senior leadership team. It’s been impressive I’ve got to say.

“People like The National College, our teachers like the delivery – they find it informative. You can go to other platforms and it’s really not as good.

“The people who deliver The National College training are good and they know what they’re saying, and our staff have respected that.”