David Grailey, chief executive at qualification awarding body NCFE believes that now more than ever, schools should invest in professional training and development. "Amidst the doom and gloom of the recession, it can be easy for organisations to let team morale slip and lose sight of their focus," he says. "Tension, financial strain and other hurdles between staff can often hamper progress both collectively and as individuals.
"Investing time and resources into the professional development of employees can help strip down these obstacles and improve working practices to reap generous rewards. Workplace barriers can inhibit individual career progression and in turn negatively affect business, therefore identifying key areas for improvement is vital in order to overcome them," he adds.
The Training and Development Agency claims there is a clear link between CPD and raising standards in schools as staff development equips the school workforce with the skills to effectively support pupils and help them reach their full potential.
There are many types of continuing professional development (CPD). It's important to help colleagues identify the CPD opportunities that best meet their development needs and objectives, so that you can help improve standards in your school.
There are CPD opportunities for individuals, within school, through networks and outside of schools in the form of training days and courses. It is worth considering how many of these opportunities your staff and colleagues are taking advantage of.
Opportunities for individuals
Examples include:
- reading books, periodicals and the educational press
- self-directed study
- watching programmes (eg Teachers TV)
- keeping a learning log or reflective diary
Opportunities within school
These enable staff to learn with and from each other, and from their pupils. A CPD leader can help staff identify colleagues who have skills and experience they can pass on. Advice and suggestions from experienced, or particularly skilled, colleagues can help other staff gain new skills and improve their performance.
Examples include:
- working with different colleagues
- coaching or mentoring
- buddying
- peer support and networking
- professional development days
- staff or team meetings
- observation, such as watching a colleague teach a lesson
- discussing a lesson or group activity
- collaborative planning
- teaching as a team
- listening to pupils' views
- observing pupils
- trying to see school life through the eyes of a pupil
- action research and school-based enquiry
- trying new ways of working
- taking on a new role on a temporary basis to find out what it involves
- providing advice and support to colleagues, particularly those on initial teacher training placements, early career teachers and new members of staff
- Watch some Teachers TV clips demonstrating opportunities for coaching, mentoring and observation within schools.
Opportunities through cross-school networks
Cross-school collaboration provides opportunities to share and develop good practice.
Cross-school networks include:
- formal or informal networks
- visits to schools similar, or different, to your own
- online discussion forums, such as the Times Educational Supplement online staffroom
- working with staff from other schools
- job swapping between schools for a short period of time
- shadowing colleagues with similar roles in other schools
- networks of local schools or ones set up for a specific project
- developing people from other schools
Accessing further expertise
External continuing professional development opportunities can provide a source of expertise not available within the school.
Examples include:
- one-day events
- courses leading to a qualification or status
- blended learning programmes, combining external expertise with school-based activity
- conferences
- working with, or seeking advice from, consultants, local authorities or community groups, universities, Government agencies and professional associations
