Teacher Champions

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust are proud to introduce their inaugural Teacher Champions programme for SY25/26.

The Teacher Champions programme seeks to create a peer support structure, developing best practice in both secondary Early Career Teachers and established Shakespeare experts, fuelled by a bespoke programme of mentoring and CPD opportunities from the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

Successful applicants will receive, for FREE, a year’s worth of mentoring, CPD resources, and other benefits; in return agreeing to work collaboratively with their peers to develop and share innovative approaches to teaching Shakespeare to secondary students - and ultimately sharing their experiences and enthusiasms to the wider educational world.

We are looking for 12 teachers to join a trial year of Champion activity in SY25/26; we are then anticipating Champion teachers will retain the status and a place in the network, while a new cohort receives the intensive CPD and mentoring.

The Teacher Champions programme is completely FREE for secondary teachers but only a small number of spaces are available. Being a part of this programme will require investment from both the individual teacher and support from their employer (such a providing cover for the Teacher Champions Launch Day in July 2025.)

The closing date for applications to the Teacher Champions programme for SY25/26 is 25/04/25.

Further details can be found on the Teacher Champions: Benefits and Expectations page.

For a more in-depth briefing, you can visit our FAQs page, attend our Zoom Q&A at 4pm on 31/03/25 (email Claire Fenlon for joining details), or, alternatively, email your questions directly to Claire Fenlon at [email protected].