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Share Schools are working hard to recruit, retain and develop great people. Career development sits right at the centre of that challenge.
This year’s Edurio National Career Development Award recognises the schools and trusts creating strong opportunities for colleagues to grow and progress. These organisations have built professional cultures where development is intentional, progression is visible, and staff can see a future in the school.
With staff feedback from 1,729 schools nationwide, competition for this award was exceptionally strong. The ten winning schools represent an exceptional standard for how schools can support career progression through clear pathways, high-quality professional development and supportive leadership.
As Ernest Jenavs, CEO at Edurio, explains:
“When staff feel they can learn, advance and thrive, schools are better places for everyone, pupils and colleagues alike. This recognition reflects purposeful investment in professional growth and the leadership that makes it possible.”
Celebrating excellence: The National Career Development Award winners
The schools recognised below are the top 10 highest-scoring schools in England for staff responses to the question:
“How satisfied are you with opportunities for career progression?”
National Career Development Award:
- Advance Learning Partnership – Staindrop Academy
- Avanti Schools Trust – Avanti Grange
- Cornwall Education Learning Trust – Poltair School
- GLF Schools – Meridian High School
- Nova Education Trust – Birklands Primary School
- The Laidlaw Schools Trust – Atkinson Road Primary Academy
- The Ted Wragg Multi-Academy Trust – Marine Academy Plymouth. Primary and Nursery
- The Ted Wragg Multi-Academy Trust – Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School
- Eko Trust – Kaizen Primary School
What this award measures, and why it matters
Career progression is not a single programme or an annual conversation. It is the lived experience of whether people can build expertise, take on responsibility and move forward without feeling they have to leave to do so.
This award is based on Edurio’s national analysis of staff feedback collected across England during the 2024/25 academic year, using Edurio’s Staff Experience survey. In total, 1,729 schools (primary and secondary) participated.
In other words, this recognition is grounded in what staff say, at scale.
What set the winning schools apart
A strong score on career progression usually reflects a wider set of professional conditions. The strongest schools tend to make development feel structured, supported and realistic alongside day-to-day pressures.
Across the winners, common features often include:
- Clear development pathways, so staff understand what progression can look like in practice
- High-quality professional development, linked to classroom needs and longer-term growth
- Supportive line management, with regular coaching and meaningful check-ins
- Opportunities to lead, without creating unsustainable workload
- Fairness and transparency, so progression feels consistent across teams
These behaviours help colleagues feel motivated, valued and confident about their future.
Career development is a school improvement lever
When staff can see a future in the organisation, everyone benefits.
- Retention improves because colleagues do not feel they need to move on to move up
- Teaching quality strengthens, because professional learning becomes part of normal practice
- Leadership capacity grows, because more people gain experience and responsibility over time
- Culture becomes more stable, with clearer expectations and stronger internal trust
Career development is not a nice-to-have. It is a practical way to build a stronger, more resilient workforce.
Build a stronger career progression in your school or trust
Improving career development starts with a clear understanding of how staff experience it today.
Staff feedback helps you pinpoint what is working well, and where colleagues feel uncertain or stuck. That insight helps leaders make targeted changes that build confidence, strengthen professional culture and support retention.
If you want to reflect on career progression in your organisation, start with the question at the heart of this award:
“How satisfied are you with opportunities for career progression?”
Make it visible. Make it discussable. Then make it better.
Coming soon. Practical examples from award-winning schools acting on feedback well.
Our Listening & Acting Best-Practice Guide will include insights shared by the winners of Edurio’s National Listening & Acting Awards.
This guide will share concrete examples of:
- How leading schools build a listening culture
- Practical examples of responding to staff, pupil and parent feedback
- Real improvements driven by feedback
- Leadership behaviours that make stakeholders feel heard
- Communication strategies that build long-term trust
Want early access when it’s published?
Learn how the top-performing schools in England turn staff voice, pupil voice, and parent feedback into real improvements.