Q1. What are the greatest impediments teachers and schools face in regularly undertaking high-quality professional development?
The greatest impediments are insufficient funding and access to high quality provision. In the past teachers were funded to participate in extended accredited professional development opportunities which are known to have the most significant impact on teachers’ practice (Askew et al., 1997 Effective Teachers of Numeracy and NCETM’s RECME report, 2009). At primary, in particular, head teachers may be reluctant to invest in a teacher who is likely to move to another school as a result of professional development. Investing in teachers’ continuing professional development needs to be perceived as a national priority to the benefit of the entire teaching profession, rather than something that is at the whim of an individual school. As ACME set out in its Empowering teachers: success for learners report (2013), continuing professional development should be an expectation and a right for all teachers.
Q2. To what extent, and how, do teachers currently evaluate their professional development? What would support more rigorous evaluation?
The extent to which teachers evaluate their professional development is at best piecemeal and depends very much on the nature of professional development and their institution’s approach to tracking the impact of professional development. Teachers on Masters programmes will be expected to systematically and critically reflect on the impact and implications of their studies for their professional practice. However, this may be of limited direct value within their place of work.
The tiny minority of teachers who have Chartered Teacher status (e.g. Chartered Mathematics Teacher) are required to confirm their ongoing active engagement with professional development that impacts their own practice and that of others on an annual basis in order to maintain their registration.
An entitlement to high quality professional development with a national approach towards recording engagement and impact would benefit all teachers. The government funded National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) has developed an online system for auditing professional practice and recording professional development. This might inform the development of any new generic system.
Q3. Where should the balance of responsibility lie between teachers, schools and Government for ensuring that appropriate professional development is undertaken? How, in the longer term, might responsibility sit with a new independent professional body?
The responsibility for engaging with professional development should lie with each teacher as part of professional expectations. Government should establish access to professional development as a right for all teachers. This needs to be facilitated by sufficient resource from Government to ensure that teachers can access adequate financial support to engage with extended, accredited professional development opportunities that may not appear to be of immediate benefit to the teacher’s current employer but will enhance the profession as a whole. Schools then need to support all teachers in personal professional development to the benefit of the learners with whom they work.
A new independent professional body should encourage membership of subject associations as a means of keeping up to date with and sharing developments in the subject. Providing a means for tracking engagement with professional development opportunities and their impact will establish a national standard that teachers can use to inform annual discussions about their effectiveness and career aspirations. A new independent body should consult with teachers to establish career pathways that ultimately lead to Chartered Teacher status.
Q4. Despite the growing reach of the Teaching Schools network, are there areas where coverage of schools would remain a concern? How could any gaps be addressed?
Teaching schools alone are unlikely to be able to provide high quality professional development for all teachers. Teaching schools need to work with subject associations, professional bodies and higher education institutions to ensure that high quality, research and evidence informed professional development is available to all teachers. A new College of Teaching needs to promote such partnerships to the benefit of all learners and their teachers. Individual schools, regardless of their status, need to be encouraged to develop a culture in which professional development is valued and actively encouraged.
Q5. What should the funding criteria be for Teaching Schools wishing to draw on the new funding pot for professional development? Should there, for example, be a requirement for Teaching Schools to work with a predetermined proportion of schools that are not already “good” or “outstanding”?
Teaching schools alone are unlikely to have the capacity or expertise to meet the professional development needs of all teachers. It is vital that expertise in higher education institutions, subject associations and professional bodies is drawn upon to ensure high quality provision for all teachers wherever they might work. There need to be sources of funding that teachers can access independent of their school. Individual schools, regardless of their status, need to be encouraged to develop a culture in which professional development is valued and actively encouraged.
Q6. Will teachers benefit from an online platform that collates and presents evidence-based best practice?
Whilst an on-line platform of research and evidence sounds useful, the selection and presentation of material will be critical to its value and impact. As the Carter review (2014) clearly sets out teachers need to engage critically with research and evidence, as the outcomes are often complex and nuanced and need to be interpreted relative to the context in which the teacher works. NCETM has an area on its portal that supports teacher engagement with research. This might provide a useful model to inform future developments.
Q7. In addition to the proposals outlined here, what other approaches would help schools to remove barriers and incentivise effective professional development for teachers?
We would like to hear your views on our proposals.
As stated above, all teachers should be expected to engage with and have access to high quality professional development. This will improve outcomes for learners and help retain teachers in the profession. An independent professional body for teachers could set out career pathways and provide a standardised approach to recording professional developments and its impact.
A new professional body must promote subject association membership, encourage engagement with long term accredited professional development provision and raise aspirations amongst teachers to work towards Charter Teacher status. By engaging with school leaders the College of Teaching can promote the benefits to schools and the education profession as a whole of each teacher actively engaging with professional development.
Schools and Further Education Committee
27 January 2015
