Major overhaul of teacher training and development launched across Northern Ireland

Education Minister Paul Givan

A major shake-up of how teachers are trained, supported and prepared for leadership throughout their careers has been launched in Northern Ireland, including dedicated funding for schools and a new Centre for Educational Excellence and Improvement.

Education Minister Paul Givan has published Leading Together for Excellence: A TransformED NI Strategy for Teacher Professional Learning, replacing the Department of Education’s decade-old Learning Leaders strategy.

The reforms are intended to create a single, career-long system of professional development stretching from initial teacher education and the first years in the classroom through to principal, senior leadership and wider system leadership roles.

What will change for teachers and schools

Among the most significant commitments is dedicated funding for schools to invest in professional learning, alongside increased subject-specific and curriculum-aligned development for teachers.

The Department also intends to modernise Northern Ireland’s Teacher Competences Framework and introduce dedicated Leadership Standards.

A new Centre for Educational Excellence and Improvement will be established within the Department of Education, with responsibility for leading professional learning and leadership development across the education system.

Teachers will also eventually have access to a unified digital professional learning platform, while the strategy promises greater collaboration and coordination between organisations involved in teacher development.

The reforms form part of the wider TransformED programme and are intended to support other changes underway within education, including Curriculum 2028.

Support from training to leadership

For people entering teaching, the strategy proposes a common curriculum framework to strengthen Initial Teacher Education, followed by guaranteed high-quality induction arrangements for newly qualified teachers.

Early Professional Development will be strengthened as a distinct stage of a teacher’s career.

Structured leadership pathways are also to be expanded for aspiring leaders, middle and senior leaders and school principals, while bespoke investment and professional learning programmes are planned for the Irish-medium sector.

Mr Givan said investment in teachers would be central to improving outcomes for children and young people.

He said:

“No education system can exceed the quality of its teachers and no vision for transformation can be realised without investing deeply in those who make learning happen every single day. This strategy recognises that investing in our teaching profession is essential to delivering high-quality education and achieving the ambitions of TransformED.

“Leading Together for Excellence sets out a clear vision for a world-class professional learning system that supports teachers throughout their careers, develops leadership capacity at every level and helps ensure that all children and young people receive the best possible educational opportunities.”

Multi-year programme of reform

The strategy represents a substantial programme rather than a single change, with reforms expected to be introduced over several years.

Its planned measures include:

• a professional learning continuum from Initial Teacher Education through to system leadership;

• a modernised Teacher Competences Framework;

• new Leadership Standards for Northern Ireland;

• dedicated professional learning funding for schools;

• subject-specific and curriculum-aligned development;

• strengthened induction and Early Professional Development;

• expanded leadership development;

• a unified digital professional learning platform;

• greater coordination across the education system; and

• bespoke investment and programmes for the Irish-medium sector.

The strategy follows a public consultation on the draft proposals which closed on 3 July 2026.

It also replaces the Department’s Learning Leaders strategy, introduced in 2016, marking a significant reset of the framework governing professional learning for Northern Ireland’s teaching workforce.

Delivery will be the key test

Mr Givan said work to implement elements of the strategy has already begun.

He added:

“This strategy represents a significant step forward in creating a more coherent, accessible and impactful professional learning system for Northern Ireland.

“Importantly, it is more than an aspirational policy document. Significant implementation is already underway, and we are putting in place the structures, partnerships and governance arrangements needed to ensure its successful delivery.”

For teachers and schools, the significance of the strategy will ultimately depend on how those commitments translate into accessible training, sufficient time and resources for professional development, and sustained investment over the coming years.

The Department’s Leading Together for Excellence: A TransformED NI Strategy for Teacher Professional Learning has now been published, with implementation forming part of the wider TransformED education reform programme.