What we do

The National Institute of Teaching will boost the quality of teaching and school leadership by carrying out research, applying the insights to its professional development programmes, and sharing findings with the sector.

Our programmes are designed by teachers and leaders who understand the joys and pressures of school life. We work in collaboration with schools across the country, ensuring that our findings benefit all schools, teachers and leaders.

Who we are: national, but also local

The NIoT is run by the School-Led Development Trust, an organisation set up by four leading school trusts – Harris Federation, Star Academies, Oasis Community Learning and Outwood Grange Academies Trust – between them, they are responsible for 188 primary, secondary and post-16 schools and colleges. Together, they educate over 100,000 children, in communities ranging from Bristol to Middlesbrough and from Blackpool to Battersea.

The four founding trusts are joined by a network of Associate Colleges, selected for their expertise and track records in teacher development. As well as playing a key role in the delivery of our programmes, these Associate Colleges also contribute to their design, drawing on local expertise and knowledge. This ensures that programmes reflect their local contexts and the needs of the communities they serve. This partnership approach will enable us to extend our reach across the country, delivering targeted professional development where the need is greatest.

What we do: supporting teachers and leaders

We will generate and share research that spotlights the best ways to develop the nation’s educators, from initial teacher training through to system leadership. This evidence will be used to inform the programmes we offer, so that they have the highest impact possible.

We want to be a steady hand, guiding teachers from their first days as a trainee, adding value to the lessons they deliver and helping them to hone their expertise in the classroom. We will support those who choose to progress into leadership, easing their transitions along the way, so that they can become the skilful, pupil-focused leaders that the sector requires.

We value the talent and expertise that already exists within education – we want to complement it and build on it. This is an exciting time in the development of the profession, and we want to help talented teachers to play their part in improving education for all children. Above all, we want to ensure that all pupils – regardless of background and circumstances – are able to achieve to the best of their ability.

Where we are: benefiting the whole of English education

We are committed to focusing our work on those areas of the country where teacher recruitment and retention is low, and where pupil performance suffers as a result. We want enthusiastic teachers to be able to choose to work in areas of disadvantage without sacrificing their own development. They deserve access to the best professional development – just as the pupils in these areas deserve access to the very best teaching.

We want our work to benefit as many schools, teachers and leaders as possible. We will disseminate our research widely, so that everyone with an interest in teacher development can make use of our findings. We want to be the tide that lifts all boats: by 2028, we would like every teacher and leader in England to have been positively influenced by the NIoT, either directly or indirectly.

We’re aiming high – not just for ourselves, but for the whole of English education.

You can read our 2022/3 Directors Report here