Without wanting to state the obvious, great teachers are a vital component of a great education. Teachers don’t just deliver course material to learners – they inspire confidence, support aspirations and build rapport that allows them to support every person they teach to reach their full potential. Teaching can be complex and intensive, but it’s also an incredibly rewarding profession, as you see learners realise their dreams and go on to success. To teach is to set people up for their lives and truly make a difference.

But we know that teachers need support, now more than ever. In fact, around 25% of teachers leave the profession after one year, and almost half leave within three years (DfE). That’s a significant figure and we set out to make a difference, ensuring that our teachers get what they need and deserve, so they can thrive as much as the learners they work with every day.

And that’s why we launched Access Forward, our new in-house teacher training programme. 

The programme has two simple aims:

1) To equip our early career teachers with the knowledge and skills to deliver our creative curriculums effectively.

2) To aid staff retention via impactful onboarding and continual staff development.

Access Forward is a Level 4 training programme, meaning that at the end, teachers will have a Pearson Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training qualification. The course content has been designed by and for us.

I am delighted to see the successful launch of Access Forward, a programme which throws an arm around our new and unqualified staff, providing them with the tools to help them secure successful outcomes for our students. I’m excited about the programme’s potential and am already thinking about ways we can develop it, and take it beyond our walls. Watch this space! – Claudine Brown, Executive Head of Quality for Access Creative College.

This year, we’ve enrolled 37 trainees on the programme across Access Creative College, Access Industry and Access Sport, with participants receiving online classes and workshops.

We also held a teaching and learning conference back in February at ACC Birmingham which was a huge success. The aims of the event included:

• Equipping trainees with evidence-based teaching strategies to improve student outcomes
• Fostering networking and knowledge-sharing among educators 
• Encouraging reflective practice to build confidence and expertise

We’re proud to offer this programme to our teaching staff, both now and in the future. Without our support, teachers will continue to struggle and leave the profession, and without great teachers, educators will struggle to provide a great education. Our teachers have long been an incredible support to our college, and we wouldn’t have the thousands of incredible student and alumni success stories we do without them. Teachers matter, and we must continue to show them that they do by working to build them up. Together, we can ensure that education works for all.