Technology & Innovation - Issue 12

LOVE... Get a better sense of your professional development needs, available options and potential paths forward with the suite of tools available from IRIS Connect... WHY I ABOUT US: Kate Hall is director of education at Hales Valley Trust in Dudley, West Midlands, which consists of seven primary schools, ranging from one to three-form entry, including nursery provision. WILL IT WORK FOR YOU? TALKING ABOUT: IRIS CONNECT’S COACHING, COLLABORATION AND REFLECTION TOOLS How long have you been using it? We’ve been working with IRIS Connect for nearly 10 years. It was first introduced at one of our three-form entry schools, and since 2022 has been embedded in our school improvement strategy across the trust. It’s now used consistently in all seven of our schools to support teacher development and quality assurance, directly underpinning the priorities of our Trust Education Excellence Strategy. Why are you such a fan? I value IRIS Connect because it provides staff with a supportive, non-threatening way to improve their practice. This reflects the Education Excellence Strategy’s commitment to building a culture of professional growth, where staff feel safe to reflect, take risks and refine their practice. The impact of this is improved teaching quality, which directly enhances the life chances of the children in our care. What have you achieved with it? At school level, IRIS Connect has helped establish a consistent language around effective teaching that’s aligned with our strategy. It’s enabled focused CPD that’s tailored to individual and team needs, while also improving the quality and frequency of developmental conversations. Teachers are more engaged in reflective practice, and feel a greater sense of ownership over their professional growth – an essential component of the strategy’s focus on professional excellence. Leaders are also able to identify strengths and areas for support with greater precision, which has resulted in sharper and more impactful development planning. At Trust level, IRIS Connect has created a cohesive professional learning community across our schools. It’s supported cross-school coaching, the sharing of excellent practice and consistent quality assurance of teaching standards. The platform has been integral to delivering trust-wide initiatives, such as curriculum moderation and subject-specific CPD, ensuring alignment while still celebrating diverse strengths across settings. This reflects the ‘collaborative excellence’ strand of our strategy. It’s also proved invaluable in accelerating the development of ECTs and middle leaders, helping to build sustainable leadership capacity across the trust. This sustained focus on high quality, collaborative professional development is improving the consistency and effectiveness of teaching across our Contact: 0333 136 2484 | info@irisconnect.com irisconnect.com • Adaptivepathways Step-by-step PD frameworks that adapt toyour needs. Experience guided reflection, coaching and collaboration. schools. As a result, pupils’ learning and outcomes are benefiting, which directly supports the strategy’s goal of excellence for pupils. Why should other schools consider using it? IRIS Connect is not only a robust and impactful platform, but one supported by a team that’s highly accessible and responsive to schools’ evolving needs. They have been genuine partners in our school improvement journey. We’re currently collaborating in a working group focused on developing the use of AI within the platform, and exploring how AI can enhance professional reflection, streamline coaching feedback and improve insights into teacher development needs. This forward-thinking partnership reflects the innovative excellence strand of our Education Strategy. It gives us confidence that IRIS Connect will continue to be a central and progressive tool, genuinely useful for staff at every level across the trust. • TechniqueGuides Access our practical library of teaching techniques directly within the platform. Also allows WalkThrus integration. • AI Insights Save time reviewing lessons.Analyse recordings at the click of a button and jump straight to the moments that matter. • Video tools Record, review and share teacher- controlled, GDPR compliant classroomvideos within and between schools. PA R T N E R C O N T E N T 13 teachwire.net