Press Release

NFER report into CPD projects published

5 October 2005

“The project was unique and refreshing - it was the first time that teachers, teaching assistants, nursery nurses and other staff had come together to talk about their professional development needs…Those involved in the project became empowered as individuals…Working together with so many different people- helping them to find out more about themselves, their roles and their needs - was a marvellous experience.”
Head teacher from Sunderland

“All together better” – a partnership approach to developing support
for teachers’ continuing professional development

A partnership involving the General Teaching Council for England, the DfES, local education authorities (local authorities), schools and teachers has received a resounding endorsement from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER).  An independent evaluation by the NFER (published today, Wednesday 5 October) of a partnership project to build local capacity for teachers’ continuing professional development found a wide range of positive benefits for schools, teachers and participating LEAs.   

The project, funded by the DfES, involved GTC link advisers working with DfES regional CPD advisers, LEA advisers, schools and teachers, in 26 LEAs during the 2004-2005 academic year. It aimed to help strengthen the ways in which schools and LEAs build on their capacity to offer and deliver CPD, developing CPD strategies, tools and thinking. Many of the partnerships developed or enhanced opportunities frameworks mapping out CPD opportunities for teachers at different career stages.

The NFER report, which will be presented to a full meeting of the General Teaching Council on 5th October, concludes that at LEA level the project has led to a wider perspective of CPD and its national context and to higher priority being given to professional development. The project also led to the emergence of a more coherent approach to the planning and organisation of professional development. Overall, the CPD available to teachers was enhanced and LEA CPD advisers interviewed described an increase in their own knowledge, skills and understanding of CPD matters. The project also led to an enhancement in relationships between LEAs and schools.

School staff directly involved in the project – and their schools where they had begun to apply new approaches and thinking – also reported increased skills and understanding about CPD. They too noted that stronger links were developed with the LEA as well as with other schools involved in the partnership. The partnerships also led to a greater personal understanding of career paths and roles and increased awareness of CPD options available, while increased awareness of how to identify training needs had the potential to lead to more tailored and effective CPD provision. Those involved also noted the enjoyment and stimulation they gained from the partnership.

The NFER identified factors that contributed to the success of the projects and that would be key to securing positive outcomes in similar kinds of work. These included the flexibility and responsiveness built into the partnerships, which in turn enabled the work undertaken to reflect local priorities, and gave scope to the partners to identify their own focus and take ownership of the work. The partnership approach itself was also highly valued. Collaborative working, sharing knowledge and expertise and encouraging input from all parties were all seen as important to the projects, as were the status and credibility that partner involvement brought to the work. External expertise was also seen as important; GTC link advisers brought CPD knowledge and skills but also provided direct hands-on support to the partnerships, as well as a flexible, tailor-made approach.

The researchers draw out messages for policy makers. They conclude that the projects show that the same features considered central to effective CPD in relation to teachers’ classroom practice – use of external expertise, professional networking, needs-based work that affords ownership – can transfer to different levels in education, for example LEA-wide approaches. While recommending further follow up work to track the future effectiveness of the projects in building local CPD capacity, which the GTC has asked the NfER to undertake, the report highlights the value of the partnership model approach developed during the project.

The LEAs interviewed have plans for future developments leading from the projects, and it was anticipated that further impacts on schools across the authorities would be felt through wider dissemination during the next academic year. Further planned developments include the continuation of strategic work within the LEA, for example LEA-wide dissemination of the work, including opportunities frameworks.

The GTC will now be working with the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) to ensure its school workforce advisers have access to the project’s findings and can use its evidence to inform the TDA’s approach in its new role.

Carol Adams, Chief Executive of the General Teaching Council for England, said:
“This partnership has been a tremendous success for the schools and LEAs that took part.  With grant funding from the DfES, we have been able to work at local level with teachers, advisers and LEAs to build local models and capacity for teachers’ professional development. It is hugely encouraging to see the positive impact of our collaborative work and very important for the profession to have the opportunity to shape its own development.
“The GTC has argued for more consistent access to high quality CPD for the teaching profession since its launch in 2000. The climate has changed significantly since then but there is still some way to go and we will continue working with our partners to ensure that teachers get the professional development they need to best support the achievement of young people.”

NfER’s Helen Moor said: “The LEAs and school staff we interviewed spoke very positively about the value of working together to enhance professional development practices in their locality and of the benefits of the specialist input they received. Whilst follow-up work would be advantageous in determining the project’s longer term effectiveness, the evidence to date suggests that there is significant merit and worth in the model of working that the GTC and DfES have developed.”