Continuing professional development (CPD) for teachers can be a hit and miss affair unless the institution concerned is serious about keeping their colleagues skills up to date in all areas. Although there is a requirement that CPD is accessible for all, the implementation can be patchy.
The General Teaching Council has produced recommendations about CPD and their research figures that show that[1]:
‘The types of CPD activities experienced by teachers in primary and secondary schools also varied in the last 12 months. Primary teachers participated in the following CPD activities more often:
• external courses (84% primary; 72% secondary);
• collaborative enquiry (59% primary; 44% secondary); and
• collaborative learning in a network of schools (70% primary; 51% secondary).
Secondary teachers participated in the following CPD activities more often:
• observing colleagues teach (76% secondary; 69% primary); and
• being observed by colleagues (90% secondary; 82% primary).’
There is little record of the softer skills training, leadership, management and financial training that education leaders may need. Advice is given on how teachers can access and plan their CPD. The recommendations focus very much on learning and not much on organisation and the practical skills needed to manage departments and run large institutions.
Other professions and CPD
The regulations for provision contrast with the more rigorous approach of other professional organisations such as the Solicitors’ Regulation Society (SRA), where there is a requirement that in the first years of working in the profession, new lawyers must undertake at least 16 hours per year of training, 25% of which must be accredited. Good advice is given on how to access and record CPD that shows the professional accreditations alongside the softer skills training that is often needed[2].
The General Dental Council also has a strict requirement of CPD to cover 150 hours over a five year period; 50 of those hours must be verifiable[3].
Most of the professional sites show their regulations for training, professional - accredited and other training. Members can access information as to qualifications, providers and plan their CPD in a structured way. They have the advantage of sometimes being given time within work to attend courses and gain their knowledge. Part-time academic courses are available for all professions that can be taken in their own time. It is very clear what they need to do in order to remain in their chosen career.
As a generalisation it can appear that attitudes to CPD seem to be that it is essential for progression and development. If it appears too costly we are not sure and we really don’t want to give too much time away from work, if it isn’t a compulsory factor in maintaining professional status. The professional bodies charge providers a not insubstantial amount for becoming accredited trainers to their members. This may mean that a provider may opt out of gaining accreditations for the courses they offer. Those that have gone through the process may feel that they have jumped through several repetitive hoops for each course they wish to offer.
The organisation of CPD in the business world is often in the hands of HR managers who use appraisals, discussion and the needs of the company as a basis for allocating training. Smaller companies may use a director or senior administrator to carry out the role. The softer skills training can be done by providers who are experienced in delivering the workshops in-house and working with the business to establish and support their CPD planning. In our experience as a training provider for business and education, this often works out to be less expensive and more efficient for in the long run as the business has a training provider that is genuinely interested in them and knows their CPD needs.
CPD leadership in schools
In education CPD provision is organised differently. NFER research into the role of CPD leadership in Schools authored by Mark Robinson, Matthew Walker, Kay Kinder and Ben Haines[4] tells us that CPD in schools and colleges is managed mainly by senior leaders with considerable professional experience. The executive summary shows that the time spent on organising training varies as:
‘respondents spent broadly similar amounts of time on strategic and administrative issues (48% and 52% respectively). CPD leaders in secondary and special school spent on average slightly more time on administrative issues than those in primary schools. The time spent on strategic and administrative issues varies by school role:
Headteachers spent most on strategic issues (63%) and less on administrative issues (37%), compared to deputy headteachers (43% and 57% respectively) and other roles (33% and 67%). Regression analysis showed that respondents who focused more on strategic issues found cultural issues more of a barrier to leading CPD, and also accessed external sources more frequently.’
The research goes on to highlight that organising CPD ‘were more likely to find that capacity factors - such as time/workload issues and the release of staff were barriers to leading and developing CPD. Being aware of available opportunities, the new professional standards as well as operational challenges such as the need to evaluate the impact of training and development led to the conclusion that this is consistent with phase-one findings (TDA, 2007), that many CPD leaders do not have the capacity to do their job effectively.’
However, the report’s findings also show that there is good practice to follow and CPD is developing well in many areas. Furthermore, CPD priorities tend to be about performance management, developing CPD programmes that are related to the renewed curriculum or new initiatives that happen often in education not to leadership and developing managers.
Budgeting for CPD
The amount business and education spend on training varies according to budgets available, in business this is likely to depend on the current economic state of the business, and in education the yearly CPD budget and how it is to be used to cover new curriculum initiatives will be a determining factor.
Local authorities
These provide in-house training for their public sector workers and education institutions. This is accessed through their own trainers or training providers. Local authorities who use training companies can also spend a considerable amount on training and be inadvertently supporting a vast organisation that outsources its training to consultants who are paid on a daily basis for the training services they provide. There are additional costs to these contracts that add to the cost of training without providing any extra training time or value for money. This happens in the private sector as well.
Businesses, local authorities and schools need to be cautious about who they contract to provide their training. As a result of some exorbitant company charges, consultants can find themselves expected to go into a school for two days to assess and deliver improvement! It is understandable that with this approach success cannot be guaranteed and heads end up being unhappy with this type of ‘support.’
If businesses, schools and local authorities were to find and access local training providers who know the area, its needs and can bring in business expertise to help develop, mentor and sustain in-house training in a variety of areas they may well find that training in leadership, management and the basic skills of business areas improves as staff are able to work more effectively with a business/education provider of training who can be contacted and give in-house and other support when it is needed.
Do educators or businesses need a charismatic guru who presents well, talks the talk and charges a few thousand pounds for his/her services when a local provider could do the same for far less cost? Not really, if we are honest. After the buzz what is left to take back?
In-house training using a variety of expertise that is locally based is more likely to ensure a focused approach that is knowledge based, cost effective and can be on-going for the institution concerned.
Business supporting education
Being supported in their development as good leaders and educators, by local business trainers could allow CPD organisers to fulfil their obligation to ensure that those they are responsible for have genuine opportunities to develop and flourish through the training they receive
How many teachers are promoted to management positions in their schools and then left to manage? There is very little induction into a position that requires that you manage a budget, show team building skills, improve performance and results whilst keeping up with the curriculum changes that have become frequent events in education calendars. School leaders and managers have to use business skills that they are not trained in to carry out their roles. Work shadowing in a business can often help both parties to develop their roles and the support they can offer.
Why not learn from business trainers and business people who can help them to achieve these skills? A business finance manager or trainer in finance can often save a school money by helping managers understand how to plan and work a budget effectively. A trainer with an HR background can help develop the policies that are needed in the school, a health and safety specialist can train and help the institution comply with the current regulations. Sustainability, health and safety can be looked at and developed so that again compliance with the regulations is put into place, monitored by a local provider who is interested in the learning community and is likely to offer pro-bona support too when it comes to school projects and activities.
Using local providers through the local Chambers of Commerce, through education networking, can ensure that local business training providers can save local authorities and schools money, sustain in-house training and help develop the leadership and management expertise of those who lead the schools. Mentoring and supporting those who need to understand their role and responsibilities better so that their CPD is purposeful and useful is vital for all concerned if schools are to become successful learning centres for the future.
CPD provides business and education with local opportunities that should be developed. After all, the more educators learn from business the more they are able to prepare their students for the world that awaits them. Furthermore, CPD can become a valuable tool for change and development if valued and used well by business and education professionals.
[1] www.gtce.org.uk/documents/publicationpdfs/policy_0107_profdev.pdf
[2] http://www.sra.org.uk/
[3] http://www.gdc-uk.org/
[4] www.tda.gov.uk/upload/resources/pdf/n/nfer_cpd_leadership_a.pdf