Professional Development Opportunities

Bristol is a great place to build a teaching career. Bristol schools work together to share skills, knowledge and experience. It’s a great way for teachers to improve their practice and build friendships with peers in other parts of the city.

Bristol offers access to ongoing professional development and varied career pathways. Most schools, especially secondaries and multi-academy trusts, offer bespoke leadership programmes for aspiring, middle and senior leaders. Teaching schools in the city provide a range of outstanding Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses as well as well-evaluated leadership programmes, many accredited, and both city-based universities provide Masters and Doctoral programmes for school leaders at all levels.

Collaboration amongst schools also provides a range of opportunities for leaders to gain experience in other settings through placements, exchanges or secondments. Many senior leaders in the city have progressed quickly through a career pathway supported by their schools and the local education system.

Bristol City Council created Trading with Schools (TwS) to bring services across the council into one trading unit to better support schools and educational settings.

Trading with Schools provides a vast knowledge base and a wealth of experience in meeting the complex business needs and training needs to help schools and educational settings perform well. Their aim is to support schools, and teachers, in delivering a first class education for all learners.

Trading with Schools offer a comprehensive Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme through set packages as well as bespoke services to meet individual requirements.

To find out about the training opportunities available, visit the Trading with Schools website:

Trading with Schools
Trading with Schools

The Bristol Primary Teaching School Alliance is a hub for sharing good practice across the city, engaging in collaborative school improvement, promoting existing networks, creating new collaborations and developing Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

The Bristol Primary Teaching School Alliance hopes to provide a vehicle for the promotion and development of what is currently working well in schools, as well as a forum for new alliances and collaborations to form and develop based on the issues and concerns of Bristol schools and in response to national initiatives.

The Alliance is currently made up of three schools who have been awarded Teaching School status: Ashley Down Primary School (awarded Teaching School status in 2013); Whitehall Primary and Bridge Farm Primary (awarded Teaching School status in 2014) and Fair Furlong Primary (a strategic partner school).

To be kept up-to-date with information about the Bristol Primary Teaching School Alliance, read their latest newsletters:

News
News