Institute of Teaching and Learning

Institute of Teaching and Learning

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Our Institute of Teaching and Learning invites reflective critical thinking about our educational approach. In pursuit of best practice, our work is both inward-facing, seeking to develop policy that can be shown to work well for us, and at the same time we look outwards to connect with schools and higher education institutions both locally and overseas.

Our vision is for the institute to be known as a centre for excellence in teaching and learning and for the evaluation and implementation of research practices in independent, secondary and international education.

Our work is spread over four main areas:

  • Character Education
  • Wellbeing and Flourishing
  • Digital Learning
  • Learning to Learn

We invite you to explore our research and development page and Innovate journal to find out more about our work.

“The Institute of Teaching and Learning bridges the gap between academic research and classroom practice, making research findings more readily accessible to classroom teachers and allowing us to conduct our own research projects too. ”

Elen Harris - ITL Research Fellow

“My research into retrieval techniques revolutionised my classroom practice at Sevenoaks, ensuring the techniques I was using were most beneficial for my students’ progress and performance.”

Elen Harris - ITL Research Fellow

“The Institute of Teaching and Learning at Sevenoaks School plays a vital role, ensuring that our teachers are supported in their professional learning and encouraged to reflect on their craft. ”

Jesse Elzinga - Headmaster

“A culture of reflective practitioners benefits each one of our students every day.”

Jesse Elzinga - Headmaster
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We are committed to reflecting meaningfully on everything that can and should define us as a world class educational institution. We welcome connections with schools, whether near or far, who are keen to be part of our ongoing work.

The last few years have witnessed growth in significance and reach for the Institute, which is set to continue. In the next stage, to further develop our approach to professional development for our teachers, we envisage that the Institute will provide:

  • Increased opportunities for our teachers to engage in research
  • More and broader CPD opportunities for our teachers
  • Research connections, bringing together like-minded schools both locally and overseas
  • A chance for students to engage with research with both teachers and university departments
  • An annual conference to share and develop educational thought leadership
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The ITL held the Supporting Flourishing in Schools Conference in October 2023.

The conference held over two days was an inspiring and practical event for teachers, school leaders, education professionals and practitioners. It gave insight into pedagogical research and provided interactive workshops from leading thinkers on the topic of practices to promote flourishing in schools. Speakers addressed the challenges and rewards of implementing flourishing practices in general and focused on three themes:

  • Learning activities that develop a sense of meaning and purpose
  • Creativity and the Arts
  • Connecting with Nature

A wide range of expert speakers shared their knowledge including, Dr Christina Hinton, from the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard and CEO for Research Schools International, Dr Laura Taylor, deputy director at the Wellbeing Research Centre at Oxford and Dr Jim Reese, director of the Professional Development Collaborative at Washington International School.

Key Programmes

Ideas Lab

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Fellowship programme

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Get in touch

Mark Beverley, ITL Director

mpb@sevenoaksschool.com

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