Case Study:
St Antony’s R.C. Primary School

St Antony’s R.C. Primary School places a high importance on providing tailored professional development opportunities for all roles and responsibilities in the school workforce.

Heather McGowan, Headteacher, joined us to discuss how the academy has benefitted from gaining access to over 2,600 webinars, courses and resources, delivered by world-leading experts, from The National College.

Reflecting on the school’s decision to join The National College, Heather said: “We were looking for a platform where we could access CPD online.”

“We saw an advertisement for The National College, and we decided to take part in a free trial of your platform,” she added.

She continued: “When we decided to join, we received a fantastic discount and it was a really simple process.”

At The National College, we pride ourselves on the flexibility of our CPD, which allows staff to undertake training at anytime, anywhere and on any device.

“The National College is great because staff can choose training that is relevant to their roles and they can complete it at a time that suits them. If they have families, they can choose to do their training when the kids have gone to bed or they can stay behind at the school and have that time there,” she continued.

She added: “For example, we have INSET twilight time and I can allow staff to complete their CPD at the school and we can discuss the outcomes as a team.”

“But for those with families, they can go home and complete it later. It’s great for part-time staff as well, as they might not be able to make it to the school for an in-person session but they can complete the training at home. That’s one of the main reasons why we liked The National College and the whole accessibility side of the platform,” she commented.

Heather explained: “It’s just fantastic for work-life balance. You can’t  send staff out on in-person training courses all the time, due to budget cuts and trying to get supply staff. It can be very challenging.”

Training delivered by world-leading experts and institutions

Heather revealed: “I think that the experts are fantastic. You can clearly see that the training is credible.”

“Plus, the visuals in the webinars and courses are really helpful as you can see bullet points and key information that is shown on the screen as a reminder,” she said.

She nodded: “The range of content on the platform is excellent as staff can complete mandatory training for the school, but they can explore their own interests in line with their career development goals too.”

Discovering our state-of-the-art professional development platform

With our annual membership, leaders can organise and adjust user groups and watch lists to deliver more personalised training for all staff.

“The ability to download reports and create watchlists is really useful for us too. We can see who has completed their training and who might need a reminder,” Heather said.

She said: “We like the fact that you can download certificates too, that’s a great aspect of The National College.”

Our annual membership provides unlimited access to our comprehensive professional development platform, with a wealth of content delivered by world-leading experts and available on demand.

“I think that the biggest benefit of the platform for our school is the breadth of courses and resources. There is always something that you can find. If there’s anything you would like to focus on, there is a webinar or course which will fill that gap and provide you with the knowledge that you need,” Heather said.