CPD
Supporting teacher development
The announcement that an alternative home has been found for the Teacher Learning Academy (TLA) was welcomed by many in the profession. Headteacher Update considers what this will mean
A
mong the many challenges facing busy headteachers is ensuring that staff have opportunities to develop professionally that deliver tangible benefi ts – for individual teachers, their pupils
and the school as a whole. Combine that aspiration with a desire for accessibility and relevance
and it is clear that heads can face something of an uphill task. But for hundreds of participating schools in England, the Teacher Learning Academy (TLA) has proved to be a model solution. Since its launch as a pilot scheme in 2004 by the General Teaching
Council for England (GTCE), some 17,000 teachers have enrolled in the TLA, with many more thousands benefi tting as a result of their school’s involvement. Its fl exible framework, coupled with academic rigour, has delivered sustained and demonstrable impacts in schools throughout the country. Under the continuing leadership of the GTCE, the TLA offered teachers
at every stage of their career the opportunity to gain public recognition for the professional learning and innovation taking place in classrooms every day. Alongside refl ecting national priorities and initiatives, many projects have had a clear local emphasis, with teachers exercising their creativity to bring about positive changes. However, the government’s plans to bring forward legislation to
abolish the GTCE – announced in June 2010 – cast grave doubts over the TLA’s future. Thankfully all uncertainty has been removed this summer, with the welcome news that an alternative home has been found. From this autumn, a consortium of higher education institutions from
the Cathedrals Group will run the TLA, having bought its intellectual property assets following an open sale. This includes the TLA brand, its framework, resources and web pages. Professor Margaret Noble is principal of University College Plymouth St Mark & St John, one of the consortium’s 11 universities and colleges.
She explains: “We’re an established consortium that has strong commitment to teachers’ education and their professional development. “Changes are happening in funding and the development of teachers’
education, with an increasing role for schools to play. This is a good opportunity for us to lead an initiative that is at the heart of supporting teachers’ professional development. We are important players, bringing new ideas to the table.” Already the group has met with a variety of teachers to discuss ideas
for the future. “We’re having conversations with headteachers too, encouraging them to get involved with a whole school approach,” says Professor Noble. “We know that the TLA can have such a powerful
“The TLA is at the centre of supporting
teachers to develop professionally. Now we want to build on what has been achieved so far.”
impact on teachers’ professional development, pupils and schools. The TLA is at the centre of supporting teachers to develop professionally. Now we want to build on what has been achieved so far.” In practice, this means that there will be some changes, supporting
an overall vision that firmly connects the TLA with professional development opportunities in higher education. “This is an excellent opportunity for higher education and schools
to work more collaboratively together,” says the principal. “There are strong links between higher education and action research in schools and there is no doubt that what happens in one phase can inform developments in the other.” In a move that is likely to be popular with headteachers who are
looking to develop the skills of all their staff, the future model will be extended, enabling those in support roles to benefi t. “Alongside gaining
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