CPD


recognition, both teachers and support workers will also be able to build up credits that could count towards undergraduate or post-graduate studies,” explains Professor Noble. The TLA will also become a membership organisation, open to both


individuals and schools, with different categories of membership ranging from associate to fellow. The present system of “badged” TLA schools – currently awarded to those who have met certain criteria – is set to continue. “It’s a means of signalling their commitment to the TLA,” says Professor Noble. In another development, the TLA will be expanding its influence. “The


new TLA will be covering England and Wales and we want teachers to work through regional partnerships,” says Professor Noble, adding: “We are also getting interest from other countries in what we’re doing. The TLA has the potential to impact nationally and internationally on a wide range of schools.” But while there are likely to be revisions to the TLA’s framework,


flexibility remains key. “We want to ensure that participants can just dip their toe in the water,” says the principal. The TLA will also continue to be fee-paying. “This means that it is vital for individuals and schools to feel that they are gaining something worthwhile and important,” she adds. Calling for a steady approach, Professor Noble says: “We need to learn


from what has worked in the past – and what hasn’t. We’re not starting with a blank sheet of paper, but we can shape it for the future. How can we make the TLA even better? How can we ensure that it has an ever greater impact? Looking ahead, those are the key questions for us.”


Normanton Junior School, West Yorkshire For Suzanne Tunn, headteacher of Normanton Junior School in West Yorkshire, engagement in the TLA has enabled teaching staff to become much more experimental in the classroom. She explains: “Part of the TLA’s impact is that teachers want to own


their professional development and so are more willing to take healthy risks. They are not frightened of failure. Taking part in the TLA is also really enjoyable and teachers get a real buzz.” Another aspect of their involvement is that the school’s 280 or so


pupils are encouraged to play an active part in improving standards of teaching and learning. “As a school, we’ve tried to get across the message that we’re all learning and trying new things,” says Ms Tunn, who joined the school in 2007. Pupils are regularly invited to give their views on lessons. “They are


willing to join in and are open-minded,” says the head. “They are also very astute. They see what we are trying to do and take it seriously, giving us informed feedback and often spotting things that we haven’t noticed.” For example, in a class of mixed abilities one pupil said that he liked supporting others because it helped his own learning. The school is a founding member of the Altofts and Normanton


family of schools. This is an informal partnership of six schools that are working together – using the TLA model – to share expertise and resources, visiting each other’s schools and mentoring colleagues. As Ms


Research reveals positive impact


The TLA’s contribution to teachers’ professional learning has been independently assessed by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), with some remarkable results.


In 2009, the NFER carried out qualitative research investigating the TLA’s impact, focusing on 30 TLA presentations and 18 detailed school case studies. Results showed that taking part had an immediate and continuing positive impact on teachers’ practice, pupils’ learning and overall school improvement.


Widespread and demonstrable impacts often extended beyond the life of the teacher’s original project, exceeding expectations. Indeed evidence points to continuing advances in practice and school improvement up to two years after work has been completed.


The evaluation report states: “Many schools reported that TLA involvement had rekindled a sense of excitement and discovery about teaching and learning in the classroom, alongside a similar buzz in the staffroom.”


Tunn explains: “This has worked really well for us and now we have a bigger community of experience than we would otherwise have had as a small school.” Summing up, Ms Tunn says: “The TLA brings about school


improvement that is owned and led by your staff and tailored to the needs of children in your school – which means that it is sustainable too, because it is led from within. The TLA becomes a way of thinking and working – and not just an approach.”


Danecourt Special School, Kent Danecourt special school in Gillingham, Kent provides education and care for 120 pupils – aged from four to 11 – who have moderate to severe and complex learning needs. The schools’ deputy head, Deanne Daburn, first heard about the TLA


in 2005. “I’m passionate about teachers’ professional development and the TLA pressed all the right buttons for me, with its ability to create a lasting impact on teacher and pupil learning,” she says.


“The TLA brings about school improvement that is owned and led by your staff and tailored to the needs of children in your


school – which means that it is sustainable too, because it is led from within.”


While the TLA is closely linked to the school’s performance


management arrangements, teachers are encouraged to take part, rather than forced. “Every third year there is a commitment from teachers to submit a TLA presentation that is clearly linked to their classroom practice – rather than something that is added on,” explains Ms Daburn. The school actively supports them, giving them time away from the classroom to start writing up their studies. As a result, Ms Daburn says: “Our teachers are involved in some


fascinating TLA projects that are helping to change what happens in the classroom.” Some work has focused on children who have disabilities or learning needs that the school has not encountered before. Meanwhile other projects have helped teachers to pursue their own interests. “For example, one teacher was keen to explore sensory learning,” says Deanne. “Now she has progressed to developing her own training courses, directly influencing the school’s curriculum.” The TLA has also sparked specific benefits for two distinct groups


of teachers. “For younger teachers, there is a positive impact on their confidence,” says Ms Daburn. “Plus many new recruits have only taught in mainstream schools, so the likelihood is that they will have had no specific training. “For us, the TLA really helps to fill that knowledge gap. Today, we


have highly skilled teaching staff, with expert knowledge of a growing range of special needs, who are really helping to change children’s lives for the better.”


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