BSB are delighted to announce we have been awarded the Gold Award from CollectivEd for Coaching, Mentoring and Professional Learning in Schools. This is as significant recognition of the excellent work undertaken by the school in the professional development of all staff.
“This award recognises powerful professional learning and builds the capacity of teachers and leaders to increase the positive impacts of education through the enhanced professional agency and wellbeing of educators” said Professor Rachel Lofthouse, Director of CollectivED.
In 2017, BSB embarked upon a significant quest to rethink Professional Learning at BSB. We appointed 14 Professional Learning Partners (PLPs) from both teaching and operational roles who became important agents of change to create a genuine staff and student led Professional Learning Community (PLC) that is rooted in trust. In September 2020 our Professional Learning Partners began preparing for the CollectivEd Award. It allowed us to collectively reflect on our understanding of coaching, mentoring and Professional Learning as a whole school and add breadth and depth to our work.
Melanie Chambers (Head of Professional Learning) reflected on what the award process has brought BSB’s PLC:
“The CollectivEd Award is more than just a tick-box activity. The process brings energy, motivation and learning as it pushes your thinking beyond your own areas of practice. It has enabled us to gain a deep understanding of the research behind a range of coaching models and allow our Professional Learning Partners to develop a coaching vision that recognises the value of nuanced approaches that work within our own setting. Additionally, the criteria of the award have emphasised our belief in sustainable leadership to develop a PLC.”
Our PLC at BSB is very special and we often host professionals who are interested in our innovative practice which is characterised by self-accountable ways of working. The BSB Professional Learning Community is a whole school model that values the inquiry, innovation and collaboration of our staff to make a difference to learning outcomes for all.
For more information on Professional Learning at The British School of Brussels or our forthcoming Symposium, please contact us.