Aurora Development Day - 2

Colleagues from Aurora's seven schools came together on Friday for the second Development Day of the academic year. Collaboration has always been at the heart of Aurora's work, and this year, colleagues from across the trust have been working hard to develop trust-wide principles of effective teaching and learning. The day featured presentations from schools on how they were turning theory and research into effective classroom practice, as well as opportunities for staff to learn more about the best approaches to supporting all pupils to succeed, regardless of individual barriers.

The day was facilitated by Aurora's Directors of School Improvement, Laylee Pocock and Thomas McMorrin. Laylee said, "It was wonderful to help colleagues learn from each other and provide opportunities for best practice to be shared across our amazing schools." Feedback gathered from staff attending the Development Day showed that 94% of attendees agreed that the day had helped them develop their practice further. Thomas shared, "Our approach as an organisation has always been to foster collaboration and invest in our brilliant staff. Our Development Days are constructed based on the feedback we receive from staff, and it's wonderful that, once again, Aurora colleagues have contributed to and benefitted from the expertise within our organisation."

The day was filled with valuable opportunities for professional development. In addition to the focus on teaching and learning, staff had the chance to join professional network meetings for attendance officers and designated safeguarding leads. Shared services staff benefited from sessions focused on the trust's digital strategy, HR, and finance.

Chief Executive Officer James Freeston remarked, "Professional development was one of Aurora's founding principles, and it's wonderful to see that, over a decade later, colleagues across our organisation are still eager to participate in and contribute to days like today. The atmosphere was buzzing with learning and collaboration, and it's been heartening to receive so much positive feedback from staff in various roles. I'm thoroughly looking forward to our final Aurora Development Day of the year in June."

In their feedback, delegates were asked to share one word that summed up the day. This is what they said.

Please follow the link below if you're interested in finding out more about the Aurora approach to effective pedagogy and to learn more about the training opportunities on Aurora Development days.