First Instalment Of The Emmaus IPL Blog

Welcome to the Emmaus Institute of Professional Learning

At Emmaus Catholic Academy Trust, we believe that professional learning should be energising, purposeful and rooted in what really makes a difference for children. With that in mind, we are pleased to introduce this new blog from the Emmaus Institute of Professional Learning (IPL), our research-informed approach to professional learning across our family of over thirty schools.

The IPL is both a programme and a community. It brings together colleagues from across Emmaus CAT to learn together, challenge one another and grow in a culture that values curiosity, expertise and shared purpose. At its heart sits a straightforward ambition: to raise the quality of professional learning for every practitioner, at every stage of their career, and to nurture a sense of belonging while doing so.

Grounded in research and in people

The IPL draws on the best of what we know from educational research, while staying grounded in the day-to-day realities of classrooms, leadership and school life. Whether you are an ECT, a mentor, a subject leader or a senior leader, the IPL is designed to support you in ways that feel practical, connected and meaningful.

A network that brings the trust together

The IPL strengthens collaboration across Emmaus CAT. Through shared networks, lab school partnerships and cross-school learning opportunities, practitioners can see great practice in action, learn from one another and build relationships that last. Walking alongside one another is at the heart of how the IPL works.

What’s coming up on the blog

This blog will be a window into the life of the Institute, a place to share stories from across our family of schools and to celebrate the expertise of the colleagues at its centre. Over the coming weeks, you can look forward to:

Insights from our Specialist Leaders, exploring the thinking, research and practice shaping their work
Perspectives from Development Practitioners, on how they are supporting colleagues and driving improvement
Voices from our ITE Tutors and Mentors, with a behind-the-scenes look at how we nurture the next generation of teachers
First-hand reflections from practitioners in our schools, on the impact of network involvement on classroom practice and pupil outcomes
Features from our Lab School Network, exploring inquiry and learning in community

Each post will bring you closer to the people, ideas and practices at the heart of the IPL.

Join us on the journey

The Emmaus Institute of Professional Learning is here to support every colleague to grow, thrive and feel part of something bigger. We are glad to begin this work with you and look forward to sharing more in the weeks ahead.

In our next post, we will hear from one of our Specialist Leaders on what professional learning looks like when research meets real-world practice.

On the Road to Emmaus

¹³Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles^[^a^] from Jerusalem. ¹⁴They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. ¹⁵As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; ¹⁶but they were kept from recognizing him.

¹⁷He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”

They stood still, their faces downcast. ¹⁸One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

¹⁹“What things?” he asked.

“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. ²⁰The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; ²¹but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. ²²In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning ²³but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. ²⁴Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”

²⁵He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” ²⁷And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

²⁸As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. ²⁹But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.

³⁰When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. ³¹Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. ³²They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

³³They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together ³⁴and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” ³⁵Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.