Levels of Professional Learning
Individual level
At Rainbow Education MAT, we identify CPD needs on an individual basis for every member of staff. This is done through the appraisal process, 360 feedback, regular line management conversations and by using our school trackers. These trackers record each staff member's completed CPD, their career aspirations and their professional learning priorities for the year ahead. Throughout the year, the Trust CPD Lead works closely with the school CPD leads and individual staff members to regularly review and updated these trackers, ensuring that all colleagues are accessing the right CPD opportunities to support both their development and our shared mission.
School level
At the Rainbow Education Multi Academy Trust, we believe every teacher is on a journey — not because they aren’t already exceptional, but because they can always be even better. As Dylan Wiliam so powerfully puts it, “If we create a culture where every teacher believes they need to improve, not because they aren’t good enough, but because they could be even better, there is no limit to what we can achieve.”
Professional Development at the Rainbow
We are proud to offer a comprehensive and inclusive professional development offer that reflects our commitment to continuous growth, collaboration, and excellence in teaching and learning. Our CPD offer supports all staff — from aspiring teachers to senior leaders — to flourish.
Induction and Early Career Support
All new staff at Rainbow benefit from a trust-wide induction that introduces our vision, values, and the wide-ranging development opportunities available. Early Career Teachers (ECTs) are supported through a structured and high-quality programme aligned with the Early Career Framework (ECF). As a delivery partner, we support not only our own ECTs but also those across the region. The Rainbow Teaching School Hub actively supports this.
Growing Our Own Future Teachers
Our identification and development starts early through the Rainbow Leadership Programme, Aspiring Heads Programme and Aspiring SENCO Programme. We work with TSH, School Direct partners and universities to train the next generation of teachers through immersive, school-based experiences.
Instructional Coaching
We are embedding an instructional coaching model to improve teacher effectiveness at all levels. This personalised approach to CPD enables all teachers to move from proficiency towards mastery, turning evidence-based knowledge into impactful classroom practice. It is rooted in high-quality research and guided by national experts.
Pedagogy Leaders & Practitioner Research
We champion research-informed practice across our schools. Our Pedagogy Leaders – expert practitioners from across the trust – lead investigations into pedagogy in education, generating evidence-based solutions and shaping teaching practice trust-wide.
Subject Expertise & Leadership Development
Our trust-wide CPL offer includes bespoke subject knowledge training led by Trust Subject Leads and external experts. From moderation and assessment to domain-specific pedagogy, we support teachers to become confident subject specialists. In addition, our leadership development offer spans aspiring leaders through to executive leadership, offering clear progression pathways. This team lead development days and networks to develop the Rainbow Base Curriculum.
Collaboration and Equity
We are proud of our culture of collaborative professional development, where schools work together across the trust through curriculum breakfasts, shared INSETs, CPD twilights, and network groups. We ensure all development is equitable and inclusive — from EYs to SEND, every practitioner and every learner matters.
At the Rainbow, professional development is not an add-on — it’s part of who we are. We are building a culture where every adult is supported to thrive because we know that flourishing staff means flourishing children. Our CPL approach is designed to inspire, challenge, and empower every educator in our trust to be the best they can be — for themselves, for their teams, and for the children they serve.