Delivering a CPD session is daunting. Whether it’s to a small team or the whole staff body, there’s a lot to think about and it can feel overwhelming. Everyone always has a horror story about the worst CPD they’ve ever been to, and twilight sessions can feel like the graveyard shift.
But, done well, CPD is a chance to inspire, produce high-quality teaching and learning and facilitate really honest, productive conversations about how to support students. In my role as head of English, I’ve presented department, whole-school, early career teacher and trust-wide CPD, and these are some things I’ve found along the way.
Tips for delivering effective teacher CPD
1. Think about the ‘why?’
Evaluate the need within your school and really pin down the “why?”. Why are you delivering the CPD? Why have you been asked to deliver it? Why is there a need for this in your school? Being clear about this at the start of the session ensures that you and the team are all working towards the same goals.
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2. Keep students at the core
A massive part of your “why?” - if not the whole reason - is your students. Show your team that you are not delivering the training to tick boxes for Ofsted and that it will have an impact on the students. Create case studies with references to actual students in your school, highlighting how the strategies you are implementing will work for them and share best practices in supporting these students.
3. Evaluate the needs of the team
Know the group you are presenting to and evaluate the needs within the team. How you deliver CPD to early career teachers will be very different to your pitch for more experienced teachers. Evaluating who you are presenting to will help with the planning. For example, are they a group who can lead with lots of contributions? Or will your delivery need to come mostly from the front?
4. What would you do?
Starters and thinking tasks can be difficult to pitch without being patronising but the best one I have found is structuring starters around “what would you do?” scenarios. This question generates good discussions in which staff share best practice - ensure that everyone knows there are no wrong answers, and facilitate thoughtful conversations about how to approach challenging scenarios that link to what you are going to present.
5. Make it short and impactful
Give time for some group planning where the team can get their heads together and discuss what you’ve presented. Timing needs to be thoughtful: make sure it doesn’t take over the session or sometimes we can all start to list other things we should be doing in our heads. A short session of group planning is a really great way to cement the strategies and give your team a really clear takeaway they can implement. To show the longevity and impact of your session, ask questions like: how will you use this tomorrow? How will you use this next week? How will you use this next term?
7. Make sure to follow up
Make sure there is a follow-up to your CPD: share any resources you have presented and let people know when they can see you for any more support. If possible, ask for a slot in the calendar after a half term to catch up with the same team and share best practice of how things have been implemented since the training. Sometimes this can even just be a drop-in session where people know a time they can find you to discuss what you presented.
8. Ask for feedback
Take the time to ask for feedback on the session, and go beyond a generic survey. Instead, ask a couple of colleagues you trust to give you really honest thoughts. Take the negatives as well as the positives - one or two things you can improve on next time is always helpful, especially a couple of days later.
Elena Russell is the head of English at Lordswood Boys’ School, Birmingham
