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FEATURE FOCUS: CPD


Bringing out the


best in the classroom


Image courtesy of The Education Support Partnership


I


n our second look at CPD this month, we hear from Julian Stanley, CEO of education charity Education Support Partnership, on the importance of improving the health and wellbeing of teachers and the wider education workforce; while Denise Inwood of BlueSky offers some further thoughts on the use of CPD and the setting of professional objectives to enhance the performance management cycle and ensure teachers are working to the best of their abilities.


For Julian Stanley, the funding crisis in education has made the work his charity undertakes even more important, and with the launch of its fund to help teachers access


quality CPD, he hopes to allow a new cohort of practitioners improve their teaching skills. “Earlier this year, an Education Select Committee Inquiry into teacher recruitment and retention was published. One of its central calls was that teachers should have access to high- quality development throughout their careers. “But with the deepening school funding crisis, a report by the Teacher Development Trust back in February found that 600 schools have had to effectively “wipe out” their budget for professional development. This is a huge concern. It is so important for those working in education to have access to training opportunities, particularly given the constant change and continuous evolution of pedagogic research. “Teaching professionals, arguably above many other professions, given the importance of their role, should be stimulated and encouraged to stay ahead of the curve. Investment in professional development is an important marker demonstrating value in staff. Yet compared to many other high-performing education systems across the world, a teacher in England has an


average of four CPD days per year. In Singapore the average is 12 days.


“Education Support Partnership is the only UK charity dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of teachers and the whole education workforce. So we were delighted when earlier this year, in partnership with the Civil Servant Insurance Society Charity Fund (CSIS) we were able to launch a fund to help teachers expand their knowledge and access to continuing professional development (CPD).


“Since our creation 140 years ago, we have provided financial grants to those in need of support across the sector. In addition to the thousands more we support via our free, confidential helpline, support with training and CPD consistently comes up as an influencing factor which would help keep them in the profession.


“The purpose of the new fund is to expand knowledge and skill-sets across the profession.


Image courtesy of The Education Support Partnership


Not only does it help staff with the cost of education-related training but also help many re- enter the sector after time out with caring responsibilities perhaps, or to develop new skills within the role and in allied professions. “Jody, a “born teacher,” took a break from being a business studies teacher when caring for her children as a single parent. In that time though the curriculum changed and she no longer felt she had the up-to-date skills she needed. Lacking confidence, we supported her by paying for a course that helped her become more familiar with the new course and gave her the confidence to apply for a teaching position, able to demonstrate that she was committed and hard working.


“We’re delighted to be in a position to support teachers and other staff to develop. At such a difficult time for the UK education system, our fund may not be able to give all the opportunities for the sector but we hope it will go some way to


28 www.education-today.co.uk


October 2017


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