Professional Learning
At Harris Academy Rainham we are determined that all our pupils will acquire powerful knowledge, engaging with the greatest that has been thought and said, and strive for greatness themselves. Therefore we place great importance on staff development.
Continuous professional development means our staff are consistently working to improve their practice but also allows staff in all levels of their career the opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge required to further their career within teaching. We believe in investing in our staff and therefore provide many opportunities for career development.
Being a part of the Harris Federation also enables us to work closely with the Chafford Hundred Teaching Hub and allows access to greater CPD opportunities such as Federation network meetings that occur throughout the year that provides subject specific training and opportunities for collaboration across academies, as well as the attendance of two Federation conferences a year.
Whole school CPD
There is a fortnightly schedule that encompasses all aspects of Teaching & Learning and Curriculum development across the school.
Week 1:  
- Tues AM – Whole school teaching and learning training
- Tues PM – ECT and beginner teachers training
- Wed AM – Induction programme
- Thurs PM – Department time (Intelligent adaptation of whole school focus) 
- Fri AM – Whole school briefing
Week 2: 
- Tues AM – Whole school teaching and learning training
- Tues PM – Theory Aligned Practice (TAP)
- Wed AM – Induction programme/ Middle Leaders training
- Thurs PM- Curriculum/ Whole School needs/ department time
- Fri AM – Whole school briefing
Whole school CPD takes place weekly. This focuses on teaching and learning, and each term has a specific focus, for example ‘knowledge checks’, using ‘show me’ and mini whiteboards. A termly focus allows us to ensure that this is embedded across the school. Whole school teaching and learning training takes place every Tuesday morning at 8.10am – 8.25am.
In addition to this, we have implemented a Teaching and Learning bulletin that offers a wide range of CPD for all members of staff and offers advice and tips that are concurrent with our whole school teaching and learning foci. This is sent out weekly to all staff.
Middle Leaders training
Middle leaders training takes place once a fortnight (Wednesday morning Week 2) 8.10am – 8.25am. This training is for all curriculum leads. The sessions are pre-determined and outlined in our termly professional development plan. They ensure our middle leaders are supported, have bespoke training and opportunities for collaboration.
Line management
Formal line management meetings take place once a fortnight. During this time all Middle Leaders meet with their SLT line manager, with a check-in the following week. The sessions are pre-determined and outlined in our termly professional development plan. The purpose of these are to support middle leaders and follow on from the middle leader training session in week 2.
There are always three main areas of focus:
- Quality of Education (Teaching & Learning and Curriculum)
- Department & Middle leader support
- Whole school priorities
Teachers' book club
Learning is a never-ending cycle. Everyone always has something to learn. With this in mind, we have a Teachers' Book Club. A book is chosen by our Senior Leadership team and all members of staff are encouraged to sign up. Books we have read include, for example, Boy’s Don’t Try? by Matt Pinkett. We are all very excited to meet as a group to discuss our thoughts and feelings from the books we read. We will then work as a team to explore ideas and embed strategies within our Academy relating to this book, ensuring that we have a whole school impact.
We also provide other fantastic research and books for our teachers to explore. We have an expanding teaching library which can be found in our school library.
