Continuing Professional Development

Tegryn Jones
Policy and Planning Officer
Focus of talk:
1. Background

2. CPD pilot projects

3. Developing a Professional Development

Framework
 Background

The Council’s advice document “Continuing

Professional Development: An Entitlement
for All” presented to the Welsh Assembly
Government in April 2002.
 CPD – An Entitlement for All
Five Key principles:
All teachers should be entitled to high quality CPD throughout their
career, irrespective of location
CPD should be defined broadly to include all formal and informal
learning of teachers
Teachers have both an entitlement and a responsibility for their own
CPD
A CPD Framework must reflect individual teachers’ own needs as well
as those of the school, local and central government
There is a close relationship between CPD and the performance
management process
 Welsh Assembly Government response

In March 2003 the Welsh Assembly Government

responded to the Council’s advice document with the
consultation on ‘Continuing Professional Development
for Teachers – The Way Forward’
The consultation proposed putting individually focused
CPD on a permanent footing and developing a
Professional Development Framework
Following the consultation the Welsh Assembly
Government invited the Council to undertake this work.
 The Council’s
CPD pilot projects
 CPD PROJECTS
Phase 1
(September 2001 – March 2002) 3 projects - £1 million
Evaluation report – June 2002
Phase 2
(April 2002 – March 2003) – 7 projects - £5 million
Evaluation report – June 2003
Phase 3
(April 2003 – March 2004) 6 projects - £5 million
Evaluation report – June 2004
 CPD Funding Opportunities
Professional Development Bursary – up to £500 to be spent on a
professional development activity of the teacher’s choice
International Visits– up to £2000 (£1500 for visits within Europe) to
undertake a visit or exchange with another school or other suitable
institution outside the UK, to view good practice and exchange ideas
Teacher Research Scholarship – up to £3,000 to undertake action
research on an area relevant to the individual’s or school’s development
Teacher Sabbaticals – up to £5,000 to enable a teacher to
undertake a prolonged period of study or develop transferable skills
in a different environment
Professional Networks – up to £10,000 to enable a group of
teachers from one subject area, school cluster or LEA to work
together on a regular basis
Whole Staff Initiative – up to £30,000 to a school to undertake a
professional development project that will involve and impact on all
teachers at the school
 Participants on Phase 2
Number of teachers – 7,774
% primary – 68% % secondary – 29%
% according to post (individual applications)
•Headteachers – 9%
•Other Senior Management – 12%
•Head of Department / Curriculum Leader – 38%
•Classroom teacher – 34%
•Supply – 1%
•Others – 6%
 Participants on Phase 2
Number of years worked as a teacher
Years % participants % registered
0–5 21 23
6 – 10 22 14
11- 15 14 8
16 – 20 12 7
21 - 25 14 13
26 and over 18 35
 Participants on Phase 2
Subjects (all sectors)
Special Needs – 11.3% ICT – 9.1%
English – 8.9% Management – 7.2%
Science – 6.2% Early years – 5.4%
Humanities – 4.5% Mathematics – 4.0%
PSHE – 2.6% Design and Technology – 2.3%
Music – 2.1% MFL – 1.9%
Welsh (2nd Language) – 1.8% PE – 1.7%
Religious Education – 1.7% Welsh (1st Language) – 1.3%
 Participants on Phase 3

Since April 2003, over 8,000 teachers

have received funding and over
£4,000,000 has been allocated.
EVALUATION OF THE COUNCIL’S CPD PILOT
PROJECTS
 EVALUATION
All participants, and virtually all headteachers and mentors, indicated that the projects had
been effective or very effective in improving participants’ professional knowledge and skills.
Benefits included:
•the development of individual needs and skills, through activities tailored to personal needs,
with a focus on self-planning and development
•motivational and career incentives, including enthusiasm to consider new perspectives and
innovations, increase in status and esteem, and the breaking down of professional isolation
•identification and adoption of good practice, especially through the visit & exchange funding
•time to develop reflective practice – the benefit most often cited by respondents
•work-based learning, both in their own school and in others
•working collaboratively with other professionals
•learning and teaching gains, including developing good practice in KS2/KS3 transition.
 EVALUATION
BENEFITS TO SCHOOLS
Virtually all participants and their headteachers indicated that their activity had been
effective or very effective in improving provision and raising standards in their
schools. Benefits included:
•improvements in specific skills
•introduction and evaluation of new teaching strategies
•curricular enrichment through collaboration between schools
•curricular enrichment through the production or acquisition of new materials
•improved continuity and progression on transfer between schools
•improved continuity and progression within schools.
Conclusions
The Professional Development pilot projects have been very
successful in :
• Raising the quality and quantity of CPD for teachers in Wales;
• Developing a work and profession-based culture for CPD;
• Promoting teaching as an evidence – based profession;
• Contributing to school improvement; and,
• Fostering collaborative work between teachers and between
schools
Overall, they represent very good value for money ... and should be a
settled entitlement for teachers in Wales
Recommendations
1. The Welsh Assembly Government should continue to make funding available through the
Council to enable pilot projects to become a settled entitlement for teachers.
2. To maximise the impact of the pilot projects, the Council should consider:
• how it can better promote the scheme to increase participation from under-represented
groups and areas
• ways in which good practice generated by the pilot projects can be shared and
disseminated
• producing clear criteria on the eligibility of award-bearing courses for bursaries and
scholarship awards.
3. To further enhance quality control, the Council should:
• tighten the criteria for the awarding of scholarship funding
• encourage participants to engage in discussion with their headteachers / line-managers,
to agree objectives and outcomes for their planned activities.
Developing a Professional
Development Framework
 The Professional Development Framework
In September 2003, the Council commenced work on the
development of a Professional Development Framework. The
work is in its early stages however, the Framework is likely to
consider:
• coherence and progression in standards
• professional recognition and qualifications
• quality assurance of providers
The Professional Development Framework (continued)
The work is being led by the Council, however, a Task Group
has been set up to support the work. The Task Group includes:
• teachers and head teachers
• representatives of ADEW, UCET Cymru, the USP for
Education, Estyn and the Welsh Assembly Government
 Contact
For more information contact:
General Teaching Council for Wales, 4th Floor, Southgate House,
Wood Street, Cardiff, CF10 1EW
Tel: 02920 550 350
Fax: 02920 550 360
E-mail: cpd@gtcw.org.uk
Web address – www.gtcw.org.uk