TPL Northern Ireland: Strengthening Teaching Through Sustained Professional Learning
Meet TPL requirements with confidence. Easily evidence outcomes. Deliver sustained improvement.
Trusted for nearly 20 years
Adopted in 50+ countries
Secure & GDPR compliant
“IRIS Connect is the perfect vehicle for creating ongoing, individualised development. In a system where classrooms have traditionally felt closed, IRIS Connect is helping us open the door safely. It builds psychological safety, gives teachers ownership of their development and creates meaningful conversations about teaching and learning.”
– Ashleigh Thomson, Bloomfield Collegiate School, Belfast
What the TPL Fund Covers
The TPL Fund provides earmarked funding for every grant-aided school across three academic years (2025/26 to 2027/28), supporting professional learning that improves teaching quality and pupil outcomes.
Schools can use their allocation to:
- strengthen teacher expertise
- improve subject and pedagogical knowledge
- support structured coaching and collaboration
- engage external expertise
- build long term professional learning programme
- raise pupil attainment through improved teaching
- invest in approaches that support retention and staff wellbeing
The guidance is clear that the strongest use of the fund is direct professional development, where activities link to improved classroom practice and improved pupil outcomes. The most effective professional development is evidence-based, sustained over time, collaborative with expert challenge, and focused on reflection, feedback and evaluation.
See how IRIS Connect can transform your PD
Whether you want to make use of your current allocation or begin shaping your 2026 to 27 plan, we can help you build a sustained and evidence informed programme of professional learning that meets TPL requirements and improves teaching across your school.
Why Schools Choose IRIS Connect for TPL
Evidence-based
IRIS Connect supports the core mechanisms of effective professional development identified by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), ensuring professional learning leads to real changes in classroom practice.
- Professional learning links research-informed approaches with real classroom application.
- Teachers engage in repeated cycles of practice, reflection, feedback and refinement over time.
- Coaching and peer dialogue support deeper thinking, challenge assumptions and improve implementation.
Sustained Over Time
TPL funding is designed for long-term impact. IRIS Connect enables schools to plan, deliver and evaluate professional learning across terms and years, not one-off sessions.
- Pathways support incremental improvement over time
- Repeated cycles of practice, reflection and coaching
- Coherent programmes aligned to school improvement priorities
Collaborative
Effective professional learning is strengthened through collaboration and expert challenge. IRIS Connect makes this practical at scale.
- Peer observation and shared reflection spaces
- Coaching conversations grounded in real classroom examples
- Easy collaboration across departments, phases and school clusters
Focused on Reflection Feedback and Evaluation
IRIS Connect keeps professional learning focused on improving teaching and learning, while making evaluation straightforward.
- Video enables precise, contextual reflection on practice
- Structured feedback supports purposeful improvement conversations
- Leadership dashboards create a clear evidence trail for TPL reporting
Delivering TPL Programme Objectives
The Teacher Professional Learning Fund sets out five core objectives for strengthening teaching across Northern Ireland. IRIS Connect supports schools in meeting each objective through a practical and sustained approach to professional learning.
Enhance Teacher Expertise
Support the development of subject knowledge, pedagogical skill and classroom practice through structured reflection, coaching and deliberate practice.
Promote Equity
Ensure every teacher can access high-quality professional learning, regardless of role, experience, school size or location.
Raise Pupil Attainment
Improve learning outcomes by strengthening the quality of everyday teaching, focusing on the practices that make the greatest difference.
Foster Collaboration
Enable meaningful collaboration between teachers, teams and schools through shared reflection, coaching and professional dialogue.
Support Retention
Strengthen teacher confidence, morale and professional identity by investing in sustained, developmental professional learning.
See how IRIS Connect can transform your PD
Whether you want to make use of your current allocation or begin shaping your 2026 to 27 plan, we can help you build a sustained and evidence informed programme of professional learning that meets TPL requirements and improves teaching across your school.
Case Studies
How this Trust Built a Family of Success in Diverse Schools
Academy Puts Teachers in the Driver’s Seat of their PD