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CPD

Continuing Professional Development is an integral part of developing a high quality school workforce. Our best practice articles offer a wealth of ideas and examples for whole-school CPD strategies, including action research and effective delivery.

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Back to School Guide: Teaching & Learning

In this 12-page guide, we consider what teaching and learning should look like in schools from this September when all pupils are due to return following the Covid-19 lockdown...

Back to School Guide: Staff wellbeing and support

In this 12-page guide, we consider how lockdown has affected the wellbeing and mental health of school staff and offer practical advice and ideas for promoting wellbeing and supporting colleagues, both now and this autumn

Building subject knowledge in primary schools

Developing the subject knowledge and sequencing skills of teachers is crucial, certainly in light of the revised national curriculum and change in focus of Ofsted inspection. Neil Almond explains the approaches being implemented across the Woodland Academy Trust

Staff wellbeing: Regard, dialogue and feedback

Personal and professional regard, dialogue and feedback – what approaches can help staff during the testing months that lie ahead? Mark Burns advises on how we can invest in personal and professional regard to support our teaching staff

Four coaching conversations for school leaders

Coaching can have a positive influence on staff wellbeing, morale and performance in schools. Denise Barrows outlines four particularly powerful coaching conversations that leaders can use to achieve this sort of transformative impact

#CelebrateEd: Five days of inspiration from the North East

The second annual #CelebrateEd conference took place recently as teachers from across the North East shared best practice and inspiration. Sean Harris was there (virtually)

Seven solutions to your teacher retention challenges

More than one in nine primary teachers are leaving the profession each year. Drawing on a range of research, Matt Bromley looks at seven key factors that schools should focus on if they want to boost retention rates

Retention: Practical steps to avoid driving new teachers out of teaching

The retention rate of NQTs and RQTs continues to fall. How can we mitigate against inadvertently driving new teachers out of the profession? Maria Cunningham draws on recent cross-sector discussions to offer practical advice – both to school leaders and NQTs

Embedding CPD and action research using the Early Career Framework

The Britannia Teaching School Alliance has been using the Early Career Framework to help embed action research as part of its CPD programme for NQTs and RQTs. John Collier explains

Ideas for teacher CPD during lockdown

One consequence of the Covid-19 closures for many teachers has been a reduction or at least a side-lining of their CPD. Fiona Aubrey-Smith urges schools and teachers not to neglect their CPD and instead to take their professional learning online...

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Cultivating the lead practitioner role

Headteacher and MAT CEO Stephen Dean created a maths improvement strategy as part of his CPD studies – an approach that created immediate, notable results. Yvonne Gandy learns more

Safeguarding, behaviour & wellbeing: Trauma-informed practice in schools

The symptoms of ADHD, autism and other common child diagnoses often match those of childhood trauma and adverse childhood experiences. Dr Margot Sunderland looks at the implications

CPD: Five things schools should…

Are you planning next year’s CPD programme for your schools? Maria Cunningham suggests five things the evidence says you should leave out

Ten ideas for using research in your school

How do we engage teachers with research? And how can we turn this engagement into impact? Alex Beauchamp offers 10 principles for developing research-informed professional learning

CPD: Books on the balcony...

School leaders can find inspiration and solutions if they build reading for professional development into their schedules, says Yvonne Gandy

Getting subject-specific CPD right

The role of subject-specific CPD and curriculum development in effective teaching is vital. Maria Cunningham looks at the research and some best practice approaches

Internal audits: Specialist teacher review teams

One multi-academy trust has introduced a system of specialist teacher review – or STaR teams – to help guide internal performance audits. CEO Louise Smith explains more

Teaching climate change

EduCCate Global and a group of Teaching Schools in Derbyshire are supporting teachers to train in climate change education in order to equip children to handle an uncertain future on a warming planet. Headteacher Fiona Cowan explains more about the project and her school’s climate change curriculum

Observing vulnerable students during lessons

For teachers with challenging or vulnerable students in their lessons, observations can become all the more stressful. Daniel Sobel looks at how we must observe the pupils in question and not the teachers...

Supporting teacher practice and wellbeing

Drury Primary School in North Wales has developed a staff programme called the SWIG Club, which promotes wellbeing and encourages teachers to share good practice. Liz Jones explains

Case study: An effective plan for CPD

How does your school plan and implement effective professional development? Drawing on his work at Springfield Junior School, Daniel Jones shares the main principles and logistics behind their approaches to using CPD to develop and sustain high-quality teaching

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