HR training for schools and academies
Our HR Pathways continuous professional development (CPD) courses are designed to equip professionals operating within an educational setting with the skills, knowledge and confidence to proactively manage employees in accordance with HR best practice and employment legislation.
There are currently two pathways available:
- One for newly appointed or aspiring managers within schools and academies without any formal HR or employee-related experience or training.
- The second, is a more strategic training course and is for senior leaders and those with significant people-management experience and/or qualifications.
Both pathways will:
- Help leaders build a strong leadership and people-management culture.
- Empower delegates to proactively manage people.
- Save money on your legal and HR spend in the long term.
To guarantee a high-quality learning experience and maximum engagement with programme leads and peers, delegate places are limited to approximately 30 per cohort. Registration for our next cohort is open now.
Register nowThe HR Pathways Academy CPD courses
Next cohort: Starting 25 September 2025
The HR Pathways Academy: Intermediate pathway is an exclusive course designed for newly appointed head teachers. school leaders and managers or those aspiring to move into a leadership role within a maintained school, independent school or an academy trust.
The intermediate pathway is also suitable for school business or operations managers without a formal human resource or employee-relations background who advise senior leaders on staff-related matters.
Delivered via Zoom, this interactive four-month programme covers:
- Getting people-management right.
- High-quality recruitment and onboarding.
- Leading safeguarding.
- Driving performance-management.
- Effective and proactive absence management.
- Hearings and investigations.
- Policy and contract matters.
- Employment law.
The course is delivered by Hayley Rivens, HR Consultant and she will be joined by legal experts, including safeguarding lead, Dai Durbridge.
To ensure a personalised learning experience, the course is delivered via eight two-hour learning sessions and two on-hour Q&A sessions, so that delegates have ample time to have their questions answered and discuss related scenarios with their peers.
Next cohort: Starting 6 November 2025
The HR Pathways: Visionary pathway is an exclusive course tailored for strategic leaders such as CEOs and COOs, HR directors, and experienced principals and business managers within single or multi-academy trusts or other school settings.
It blends HR expertise with executive insight to enhance strategy, improvement, efficiency, and the future version of your organisation.
Delivered via Zoom, this interactive programme has 14 hours of contact time over four months, this bite-sized approach to learning provides and covers:
- Setting the tone and culture.
- Celebrating the diverse workforce.
- Impactful HR strategy.
- Framework for the future.
- Influencing: Impact in action.
- Influencing: what makes you unique.
- HR Unleashed.
- Alliance craft: Forging successful union collaborations.
The course is delivered by a team of senior HR professionals and legal education experts.
The course also includes two one-hour Q&A sessions, so that delegates have ample time to have their questions answered and discuss related scenarios with their peers.
You'll benefit from an individual TypeCoach report to help you understand your natural preferences, how to build strong relationships and collaborative environments to enhance performance, build trust and ensure inclusivity.
There's also an option to add individual coaching for an additional cost, with one of our qualified executive coaches, providing bespoke mentoring, support and enabling space for you to fully implement your learning.
Next cohort: Starting 25 September 2025
The HR Pathways Academy: Intermediate pathway is an exclusive course designed for newly appointed head teachers. school leaders and managers or those aspiring to move into a leadership role within a maintained school, independent school or an academy trust.
The intermediate pathway is also suitable for school business or operations managers without a formal human resource or employee-relations background who advise senior leaders on staff-related matters.
Delivered via Zoom, this interactive four-month programme covers:
- Getting people-management right.
- High-quality recruitment and onboarding.
- Leading safeguarding.
- Driving performance-management.
- Effective and proactive absence management.
- Hearings and investigations.
- Policy and contract matters.
- Employment law.
The course is delivered by Hayley Rivens, HR Consultant and she will be joined by legal experts, including safeguarding lead, Dai Durbridge.
To ensure a personalised learning experience, the course is delivered via eight two-hour learning sessions and two on-hour Q&A sessions, so that delegates have ample time to have their questions answered and discuss related scenarios with their peers.
Next cohort: Starting 6 November 2025
The HR Pathways: Visionary pathway is an exclusive course tailored for strategic leaders such as CEOs and COOs, HR directors, and experienced principals and business managers within single or multi-academy trusts or other school settings.
It blends HR expertise with executive insight to enhance strategy, improvement, efficiency, and the future version of your organisation.
Delivered via Zoom, this interactive programme has 14 hours of contact time over four months, this bite-sized approach to learning provides and covers:
- Setting the tone and culture.
- Celebrating the diverse workforce.
- Impactful HR strategy.
- Framework for the future.
- Influencing: Impact in action.
- Influencing: what makes you unique.
- HR Unleashed.
- Alliance craft: Forging successful union collaborations.
The course is delivered by a team of senior HR professionals and legal education experts.
The course also includes two one-hour Q&A sessions, so that delegates have ample time to have their questions answered and discuss related scenarios with their peers.
You'll benefit from an individual TypeCoach report to help you understand your natural preferences, how to build strong relationships and collaborative environments to enhance performance, build trust and ensure inclusivity.
There's also an option to add individual coaching for an additional cost, with one of our qualified executive coaches, providing bespoke mentoring, support and enabling space for you to fully implement your learning.
Cost
Intermediate pathway (four months)
- £825 plus VAT per delegate per school or trust, or;
- £1,450 plus VAT for two delegates from the same school or trust attending the same programme.
Please contact Tanya Jackson directly to discuss packages for three or more delegates.
Visionary pathway (four months)
- £1,200 plus VAT per delegate per school or trust, or;
- £2,100 plus VAT for two delegates from the same school or trust attending the same programme.
Should you wish to add individual coaching from one of our qualified executive coaches to enhance your visionary pathways, then this can be added at an additional cost of:
- £1,750 plus VAT for 4 x1-hour sessions which will be spaced throughout the programme, or;
- £4,980 plus VAT for 12 x 1-hour sessions with 4 sessions spaced throughout the programme and the remaining 8 across the year.
Please contact Tanya Jackson directly to discuss packages of three or more delegates.
Apply for the next cohort of the HR Pathways Academy
- Intermediate pathway agenda, starting 25 September 2025.
- Visionary pathway agenda, starting 6 November 2025.
Please contact Tanya Jackson directly if you would like to discuss either pathway in more detail or to discuss packages for three or more delegates.
Please complete the form below and click submit in order to register for the programme.