To ask the Minister of Education to detail the tender process followed to award any commercial contracts for the Online Teacher Continued Professional Development Academy, arising from TransformEd NI.

The Department appointed InnerDrive through a Direct Award Contract to deliver the online Continued Professional Development (CPD) Academy for post-primary schools. All required public sector procedures were followed and the contract was awarded on behalf of my Department by Construction and Procurement Delivery (CPD) within the Department of Finance.

The online CPD Academy was made available on an equitable basis, with every post primary school invited to participate through an expression of interest process, irrespective of their individual budget position. Schools that accepted this offer have full access to the programme at no cost, ensuring that budgetary constraints did not restrict participation.

This is the only commercial contract awarded to date by the Department for the delivery of CPD programmes associated with TransformED NI.

A competitive tendering process will shortly be commenced for an online science of learning development programme for all primary schools.

The £31m TransformED Teacher Professional Learning (TPL) Fund gives schools flexibility by allowing them to choose professional development activities that best match their specific needs and priorities. Schools can use the funding for a wide range of options including accredited courses, coaching, mentoring and collaborative learning. This autonomy supports tailored, high-impact learning aligned with each school’s context and improvement goals.