This article was first published on 22 March 2023

Professional learning is an entitlement for all teachers, and with good reason. The research is clear on the impact that high-quality CPD and a strong professional culture can have on teacher effectiveness.

Yet too often, CPD still feels like a luxury that comes after everything else staff are asked to do. 

So, given existing teacher workload challenges, how can we make teacher CPD both achievable and valuable? It’s not straightforward, but here are a few points for leaders to consider. 

1. Make CPD a must-have, not a nice-to-have

The first step is about recognising that opportunities for professional learning and teacher collaboration must be a high priority and not just a nice-to-have.

It’s understandable that preparing your lesson for Year 9, or completing your Year 6 reports, can feel more important - or at least more urgent - than joining in a teacher learning community meeting or reading a journal article, for example.

As a teacher, you never seem to get to the end of the to-do list, so sometimes that means CPD ends up on the back burner or as yet another thing for teachers to do in their own time.

School leaders need to change this culture; we need to bring CPD to the top of the pile and make sure teachers are clear it is a fundamental entitlement as part of their role.

This could also include replacing traditional approaches to performance management and appraisal with a more developmental approach, as Chris Moyse has proposed with his Growing Great Teachers approach, for example.

2. Take away before you add

Let’s be clear: I’m not saying that teacher CPD should be another expectation on already overloaded teachers. We need to make space for anything new we introduce by taking something else away and protecting that time for CPD.  

Schools have done this effectively in a range of ways - from replacing traditional department, year group or staff meetings with CPD activities, to reorganising the school timetable to allow for a period of time each week where teachers can collaborate and engage in learning together.  

Creating space might also involve reflecting on what teachers spend time on that is useful, but still perhaps less impactful than high-quality professional learning - reducing time spent on marking, feedback and reporting, for example, and replacing that with protected time for professional learning. 

3. Make it evidence-based 

Crucially, professional learning will only be impactful if it is high-quality.

Much CPD that has been invested in over the years has had negligible impact on either teacher practice or pupil outcomes, and there’s no point making time for and raising the profile of professional learning if this CPD approach is not well thought-through. Teacher time is too precious to be wasted.  

We are learning ever more about the active ingredients of effective teacher CPD - and whether we’re looking at designing and delivering our own, or buying in to external CPD programmes or events, we should have these in mind.

As leaders, we also need to be clear that both the structure and the content of any CPD programme are based on the best available evidence.  

4. Focus on teacher need 

It’s important that teachers feel ownership over their CPD and that it’s matched to their needs.

It can sometimes be difficult to balance a school’s priorities with a teacher’s individual interests and needs, but research suggests autonomy over professional development goals is associated with improved teacher job satisfaction and retention.

In reality, a mix is likely to be needed; some whole-school CPD might be important for certain topics, but CPD that focuses on developing teacher quality might be more impactful in smaller groups that allow for peer learning, reflection, discussion and practical application. 

We also need to think flexibly about what constitutes CPD. It won’t all be about going on courses; there is a range of opportunities to develop practice through in-school CPD as well as informal collaboration between colleagues, which can itself support the development of effectiveness. 

5. Ensure CPD is for everyone 

Finally, it’s crucial to make sure that CPD is seen as for the many, not the few; that all can see opportunities to develop their practice.  

Setting an expectation for (and providing time for) a certain amount of CPD to be completed each year, for example, and signposting a range of different opportunities that might appeal to different staff, can help to make sure everyone is bought in.

As Dylan Wiliam reminds us, that’s not to say that teachers are not good enough, but that we can always learn more - and most teachers relish the idea of the intellectual engagement involved in high-quality professional learning that is appropriately targeted and expansive, rather than patronising or generic. 

Cat Scutt is director of education and research at the Chartered College of Teaching. She will also be one of the speakers at the Embley Education Conference: Leadership at Every Level on Friday 14 April. To find out more and book your place visit embley.org.uk/conference