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What makes our workshops different to those from other trainers?
Use these points to help persuade your school to release you to attend a course:
- We have Lead Facilitator accreditation as part of the National STEM Learning Centre CPD Quality Mark and we have planned and delivered a wide range of courses on their behalf, along with supporting Enthuse partnerships.
- Our courses focus on real solutions for real classrooms. As experienced teachers we know teachers are looking for ways to maximise learning in the classroom whilst also reducing teacher workload. We provide ideas and resources that do this and a big feature of all courses is that delegates will be able to go back into school and use ideas, strategies and resources with little or no work.
- Our courses consistently get rated as outstanding by delegates and we pride ourselves in the quality of our workshops. A lot of time and thought goes into planning each one to ensure they are up to date and meet the needs of delegates. We constantly evaluate courses, responding to delegate feedback, to ensure each course is the best it could possibly be.
- Most courses include both Julie & Paul Boyd delivering the course for no additional cost. This means delegates get the benefit of a wide range of experiences we have had in education and industry in both D&T and leadership related areas.
- Delegates get resource packs to take away that support the course they have attended. These are aimed at supporting the delivery of the course content back in the classroom and many are designed to be used immediately. Many courses include substantial resources, including electronic curriculum resources, equipment linked to the activities done on the day and materials packs.
- Most courses have content relevant to other areas of D&T and many have content relevant for use at whole school level.
- Our online and distance course offer the same level of high quality content but in a way that is more flexible to the needs of individuals.
- A focus on outstanding teaching and learning is included in most courses. This links to our leadership experience leading teaching and learning in schools, as well experience as a senior lecturer at university level on teacher training programmes.
- Our approach is based on current educational research with specific strategies on how to make this work within D&T.
- For many of our courses delegates go away from the course with a coaching action plan which they can use to help them embed change across the next year. Embedding long term change following on from a course is important to us and delegates might find this form useful to help them self review their progress, as well as potentially being able to use the form as part of their performance review/appraisal.
- Follow up support is available after courses. Delegates are welcome to keep in touch after courses and we are always keen to know how course ideas have been applied back in school. There is also a free newsletter as well as various social media forums where new ideas and resources are shared that support our courses.
- Although we run courses for bigger groups many cater for very low numbers of delegates if we feel this best suits the type of content that is being delivered. This allows for better discussion and encourages delegates to be more open and share ideas. It also allows us to give each delegate individual attention and the ability to respond to the school context they are in. Smaller numbers also makes the atmosphere less daunting for those who are a little nervous about attending a course.
- We try to avoid cancelling courses and will sometimes even run courses just for two or three delegates (this is dependent on the venue).
- We're a small independent company which means we are able to be more flexible in terms of types of courses, content, venues and dates.
- Courses can be designed to meet an individual delegate’s needs and this course can then be added to the calendar for everyone else to attend. There is no additional cost for this even though the delegate who requested the course has had it personalised to their needs.
- We are always happy to consider adding in new course dates if delegates can’t make the ones on the calendar. This is at no extra cost to the delegate. Courses can also be delivered in house.
- Why not build attending a course in to your performance review conversation? Remember we can design a course based on your individual needs at no extra cost and then add it to the course calendar so others can also attend.
Just to say a huge thank you for a great day today. You always provide fantastic resources, but what I think makes your courses so unique is the practical application you provide, even down to ideas for teaching in the class room!!! As a teacher with not enough hours in the day this is exactly what is so valuable. You give us the foundation and provide scope to develop the ideas.
A super day. Well worth the money. The Boyd’s never disappoint!
Both Paul and Julie are in touch with what is really going on out there in our subject.
Providing evidence for the benefits of attending CPD
Take a look at these tips from The National STEM Learning Centre on submitting proposals to SLT for CPD you want to attend.
Use the DfE Standard for Teachers’ Professional Development document to evidence the impact CPD has on student outcomes.
Use this Teacher Development Trust review to evidence the importance of CPD on raising student outcomes
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