To ask the Minister of Education whether any consideration has been given to including the Teachers’ Research Exchange, as part of TransformED Teacher Professional Learning.

My Department's TransformED Strategy commits to significant investment in high-quality, career-long professional learning that supports teachers at all stages of their career to develop evidence-informed practice, strengthen teaching and learning and improve outcomes for all learners.

A significant element of the Strategy's early investment and activity has focused on strengthening teacher professional learning through career-long professional learning opportunities; the development of a more coherent and consistent professional learning system; enhanced leadership development; improved support for initial teacher education and early-career teachers; and stronger system-wide capacity for school improvement aligned with wider TransformED reforms.

Our focus remains on ensuring that educators have the necessary tools, skills and evidence-informed support required to deliver consistently high-quality teaching throughout their professional careers.

Alongside the Department's wider investment in professional learning, the Teachers’ Research Exchange (T-REX) platform is free to access and available to all educators in Northern Ireland. The Department has actively supported and promoted T-REX and its Digital Badge programme through a range of channels, including targeted email communications, social media activity and departmental publications. Most recently, the forthcoming ‘Using Evidence for Middle Leadership in Educational Settings’ Digital Badge was featured in a leaflet highlighting the leadership development programmes available to educators in Northern Ireland during the 2026/27 academic year. I am encouraged by the number of educators who have undertaken Digital Badges to date.

My Department will continue to promote awareness and uptake of existing and forthcoming Digital Badges to maximise participation across the education sector. It will also continue to engage closely with T-REX and explore opportunities for further collaboration, where appropriate, to support educational improvement across Northern Ireland.