Our latest vacancies can be viewed HERE

Joining The Island Learning Trust

Are you ready 'to be the best you can be'?

The Island Learning Trust has total commitment to improving the life chances, aspirations of pupils: we hold the highest expectations, maintain a relentless focus on pupil progress and attainment so that no child is left behind. We put the needs of our children at the forefront of every decision.

We are unwavering about the main things: quality, care, standards and integrity.

We welcome applications from individuals who are keen to make a positive difference to children's outcomes and who are eager to progress their career in a dynamic, research driven, forward-thinking Trust.

Staff Commitment

Enabling our teachers & leaders ‘to be the best we can be’

TILT is committed to the achievement of excellence and so MUST invest intelligently in the support and development of our teachers, from our newly qualified teachers to the CEO. There is no substitute for high quality CPD and professional discourse focused firmly on effective teaching and learning. Commissioned by Wellcome, a study by Ambition Institute and the Education Policy Institute found that 35 hours of high-quality continuing professional development a year could improve pupil outcomes almost as effectively as having a teacher with 10 years’ experience in the classroom. The study also found that quality CPD improves teacher retention.

CPD is not always about an external course or conference, it is about intelligent, regular, focused reflection on research, own practice and that of others, supported planning (instructional coaching) in order to improve own practice and ultimately outcomes for children. Within school all monitoring is developmental and helps to identify areas of strengths and areas for refinement. All staff meetings are a forum for the ‘best practice blueprint’ to be identified, clarified, reinforced and developed.

Across the Trust individual schools will also offer whole school training and CPD designed around whole school issues, they will also provide developmental feedback and incremental coaching. To supplement this there are a range of Trust sessions also available:

• Every Lesson Counts Consistently Good: 6 sessions for early career teachers: Assessment for Learning, feedback for learning
• Every Lesson Counts Good to Outstanding: 3 sessions for established teachers
• Emerging Leadership: Leading a Subject 6 sessions
• Developing Leadership: How to lead a team

TILT will also offer access to a range of programmes delivered by the Ambition Institute.

Benefits in working for the Trust

We will:

• Support and challenge you to be an exceptional practioner
• Provide high quality professional development opportunities: access to courses and coaching
• Ensure change is managed effectively
• Support your well-being by ensuring a reasonable workload is the norm
• Offer employment in schools with HQ leadership and focused strategic planning
• Provide a supportive network of academies; where expertise and career opportunities are shared
• Provide access to staff support and assistance: Employee Assistance Program & Westfield Health
• Provide a central team of experienced professionals
• Offer internal promotions within a growing family of schools
• Promote equality of opportunity and diversity

Induction and Career Development

• A mentor programme for all Early Career Teachers
• Strong programme of continuing professional development
• Professional development opportunities, including leadership placements in other settings, for all teachers from newly qualified courses to the NPQH for aspiring Headteachers

We use Ambition Institute as a provider, their evidence-based CPD programmes support educators at every stage – from early career teachers through to CEOs leading multiple schools, and all the crucial teaching and leadership roles in between.

Why Ambition Institute?

Ambition Institute is a national education charity. They help schools tackling educational disadvantage to keep getting better, and help their teachers and school leaders to become more expert over time.

They support schools to ensure every child gets a great education and the best possible start in life.

• They train teachers and leaders to get better at the things that make the biggest difference: what you teach, how you teach it, and how you create the conditions for schools to thrive.
• They share what works. Everyone can benefit from evidence of how great teaching and leadership can improve schools and change lives, so they connect people to the latest research and the best practice out there in the system.
• We champion every teacher and school leader’s potential to develop, as the driving force for sustainable school improvement

Their evidence-based CPD programmes support educators at every stage – from early career teachers through to CEOs leading multiple schools, and all the crucial teaching and leadership roles in between.

The research tells us that:

• Professional development for teachers is proven to support their retention in the sector (Zuccollo & Fletcher-Wood, 2020). This is particularly significant for new teachers. Support significantly increases retention over the first five years of teachers’ careers (Ronfeldt & McQueen, 2017).Throughout a teacher’s career, increased levels of professional development are associated with a reduced desire for teachers to move schools (Sims, 2017).
• Improving the performance of serving teachers is three times more effective in raising standards than the combined effect of all the attempts to improve teaching through replacement (Sutton Trust, 2011).
• High-quality CPD for teachers has a significant effect on pupils’ learning outcomes. (Zuccollo & Fletcher-Wood, 2020).
• Most teachers stop improving after the first five to ten years of their career, but effective professional development can prevent this plateau and enable teachers to continue improving at the same rate (Kraft & Papay, 2014).

All our vacancies are advertised through Kent Teach which can be viewed HERE

Teacher Training Opportunities at The Island Learning Trust

Regardless of your experience to date it is never too late to train to be a teacher. Here at The Island Learning Trust we are able to support you in your journey to achieving QTS -qualified teacher status.

We offer student placements to both undergraduate and PGCE students. In addition we offer Schools Direct Teacher Training, or Assessment Only routes in to teaching.

Key Benefits of School Based ITT

• More in school practice 
• Immediate immersion in to school life
• Building strong relationships in one school
• No need for a PGCE route- another year at university
• The opportunity to earn whilst training

If you'd like to explore ITT routes with us, please do complete the Talent Pool form and we will be in touch.

Working together

'to be the best we can be'

Our Trust and all its personnel are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children. This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure Application to the Disclosure and Barring Service.