Leading Together for Excellence: A TransformED NI Strategy for Teacher Professional Learning

Overview

The Department of Education is seeking views on Leading Together for Excellence: A TransformED NI Strategy for Teacher Professional Learning. This strategy sets out a long‑term, system‑wide approach to strengthening teacher professional learning as a central driver of educational excellence in Northern Ireland.

The strategy is grounded in strong international evidence that no education system can exceed the quality of its teachers, and that high‑quality professional learning is the most powerful lever for improving teaching and pupil outcomes.

It sets out proposals to:

• establish a clear professional learning continuum from Initial Teacher Education through to system leadership;
• modernise the current teacher competences and introduce distinct leadership standards;
• strengthen subject‑specific and curriculum‑aligned professional learning;
• guarantee high‑quality induction and early career support;
• invest in leadership development at every level;
• establish a Northern Ireland Centre for Educational Excellence and Improvement to provide coherence and system leadership; and
• introduce a unified digital professional learning platform to improve access, equity and collaboration.

Together, these reforms aim to move Northern Ireland from fragmented provision towards a coherent, career‑long professional learning system, aligned with the ambitions of the Department’s TransformED Strategy.

The consultation aims to:

• test the clarity, coherence and ambition of the proposed strategy;
• gather views on the proposed reforms to professional learning, leadership development and system infrastructure;
• ensure the strategy reflects the realities of classroom practice and school leadership; and
• identify any risks, gaps or unintended consequences before finalisation

This public consultation will form part of wide ranging and targeted engagement with other government Departments, teacher unions, key interest groups and other stakeholders.

It is strongly advisable to read the accompanying ‘Leading Together for Excellence: A TransformED NI Strategy for Teacher Professional Learning consultation document prior to completing this questionnaire. See below for link to Strategy,

A TransformED NI Strategy for Teacher Professional Learning

Equality and Rural Screening

As set-out in the Department of Education’s Equality Scheme, and in order to comply with the Rural Needs Act (Northern Ireland) 2016, these policy proposals have been subject to an Equality Screening.

The documents indicate that there are no adverse impacts in relation to the policy proposals.  As part of this consultation, we welcome any comments on the Equality Screening (EQIA_Consultation_Leading_Together_for_Excellence_Strategy).

Timescales and Submission of Responses

Your views matter.

We want to give everyone with an interest in this policy area the opportunity to have a say and influence these proposals. Your feedback will help us finalise our policy on this important issue.  

This questionnaire can be completed online until 11.59pm on 6 July 2026.  If you prefer, you can email or post responses to:

tpl@education-ni.gov.uk

or

Teacher Professional Learning Team

Department of Education

Rathgael House

43 Balloo Road

Rathgill

BANGOR

BT19 7PR

Documents can be requested in alternative formats. For more information on the alternative formats available and the timescales involved, email tpl@education-ni.gov.uk

Next steps

All responses will be carefully analysed and used to inform final decisions on the strategy. A summary of consultation findings will be published following the consultation period.

The Department is grateful for your engagement and for your continued commitment to improving learning and teaching across Northern Ireland.