PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT POLICY

Author: Aisha Basir

Reviewed: January 2024
Governors BOD AEN
Committee:
Agreed by Governors: 22 June 2021
Frequency of Review Annually
Next Review Date: June 2025
 ETHICAL LEADERSHIP
The Next School’s professional development plan for 2023-24 has five
aims.

1 Holistic curriculum
2 Qualified and experienced staff
3 Focus on meaningful teaching and
learning
4 Providing opportunities for personal
development
5 Inculcating global citizenship in
students

We aim to operate in a principled and correct manner in everything we do. Schools and colleges serve
children and young people and help them grow into fulfilled and valued citizens. As role models for the
young, how we behave as leaders is as important as what we do. We therefore behave with
selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.
We demonstrate trust, wisdom, kindness, justice, service, courage and optimism.

This policy applies to teaching staff. Non-teaching colleagues’ professional development is overseen by
their line leaders.
Research shows that powerful continuing professional
development helps students succeed and teachers thrive. At The Every teacher needs to improve, not
Next School, we value the contributions of all members of staff because they are not good enough,
and want to support and guide colleagues through the different but because they can be even better.
stages of their career. - Dylan Wiliam

The Standard for teachers’ professional development shall be used by everyone working in, and with,
schools to raise expectations for professional development, to focus on achieving the greatest
improvement in pupil outcomes, and to develop teachers as respected members of the profession.
There are five parts to the standard, which all need to be acted upon together to ensure effective
professional development:
1. PD has a focus on improving and evaluating pupil outcomes.
2. PD is underpinned by robust evidence and expertise.
3. PD includes collaboration and expert challenge.
4. PD programmes are sustained over time.

And all this is underpinned by, and requires that:

5. Professional development is prioritised by school leadership.

Meanwhile, the best available research 5 suggests that successful professional development programmes
display alignment between their design, structure and the pedagogic processes being promoted, and
suggests that the design of effective professional development should consider the following elements:

 Duration: the most effective professional development lasts at least 2 terms - more usually a
year (or longer).
 Rhythm: it is important that professional development programmes create a ‘rhythm’ of follow-
up, consolidation and support activities.
 Design for participants’ needs: creating an overt relevance of the content to its participants -
their day-to-day experiences with, and aspirations for their students.
 Creating a shared sense of purpose: a positive professional learning environment, sufficient
time, and a consistency with participants’ wider context are all of prime importance.
 Alignment: No single particular type of activity – or configurations of multiple activities can
universally effective or crucial to success. A logical thread between the various components of
the programme, and creating opportunities for teacher learning that are consistent with the
principles of the student learning being promoted must be considered.
 Content: Professional development programmes must consider both subject knowledge and
subject-specific pedagogy in order to achieve their full potential. Input should allow for the
consideration of participants’ existing theories, beliefs and practice, and for opportunities to
challenge these in a non-threatening way.
 Providers of professional development: Facilitators of the most successful programmes act as
coaches and/or mentors to participants.
 Collaboration: There is evidence to suggest that access to some form of collegial support for
problem solving is essential. Where using collaborative approaches, schools should allow
participants to engage in collegial problem-solving approaches that are focused on improving
student outcomes.
 Opportunities for career progression

The Next school has a lot of expertise available to all members of staff as required and requested. Some
of the available opportunities are:
 coaching – with opportunities to become coaches, or to be coached;
 observing colleagues – whether in their own subject or across the school;
 opportunities to undertake training – such as the Cambridge face-t-face trainings, signing up for
PDQs, or other types of training with different organizations;
 working with partner schools – whether Primary or Secondary;
 opportunities to deliver and attend training sessions
 support in meeting Performance Management targets;
 Research & Development integration to the whole school plan

The below menu indicates suggested and recommended professional development opportunities for
members of staff at different stages of their careers. Please note that it is not exhaustive, and we
welcome other developmental opportunities.

Title of the Who is it intended for? What does it encompass? When does it happen?
training
ITT and New Bespoke training and Last two weeks in the
induction recruits/permanent staff development programme summer break
members coordinated by the HO of
the Next schools
Exam paper Established teaching Sharing expectations October and March
designing and staff / post-holders regarding summative exam
marking papers.
External CPD Established teaching Ideas and content based on When offered
on request. staff / post-holders/ recent researches related to
leaders modern pedagogical
practices
Internal CPD Established teaching Bespoke/need based One per month (PD
staff / post-holders content Saturday)
STEAM STEAM instructors Sharing expectations and One per month
training supporting teaching
practices
Sport training PE teachers Sharing expectations and Twice a term
supporting teaching
practices

Continuing Professional Development 2023-24

Our aim is to ensure that the structure of our school timetable best supports teachers to consistently
improve their practice. We have a PD Saturday every month to create more time for training and
development. We want to make sure that we use this time to best support the needs of the school,
identified as follows:
 Improving teaching and learning, so that there is an impact on teaching effectiveness and
student achievement
 Supporting teacher workload, so that there is an impact on teacher wellbeing, recruitment and
retention.
Evidence suggests that the most effective CPD programmes:
 Are sustained and iterative, focusing on fewer priorities and taking time on each;
 Establish a rhythm of improvement and learning;
 Focus on what students need and how teachers can develop to achieve this;
 Allow sufficient time, alongside high-quality expertise and facilitation, in an atmosphere of trust
and respect;
 Ensure that all staff are connected to the latest practice

Following continuing evaluation, the structure of this year’s CPD programme will remain largely similar:
1. Whole-School CPD
2. Curriculum-Led CPD
3. Personal CPD (Research & Development)

The primary finding of our years in research and practice at Alpha Education Network is that to be
effective in producing profound, lasting change, professional development interventions had to be
prolonged. The most effective professional development lasted at least 2 terms - more usually a year (or
longer). We are therefore aiming to offer cogent, consistent and coherent programmes of support and
engagement.
According to our findings, professional development and learning should consider the importance of
focusing on both generic and subject-specific pedagogy. It is therefore important to consider how
subject expertise can be developed alongside more generic aspects. Hence, we have offered curriculum
areas the opportunity to introduce their own models for developing subject-specific pedagogy and
expertise.

Whole-School CPD
Must be informed by the school’s plan and priorities. These are:

Aims Objectives
1. Holistic a. broad and balanced curriculum
curriculum b. powerful knowledge
c. curriculum committed to global justice, fairness and
sustainability.
2. Qualified a. recruit, retain and train the best quality
and teachers with strong subject knowledge
experienc b. Monitoring teacher workload
ed staff c. Become ambassadors for the Next schools
3. Focus on a. Staying informed with the latest innovations in T&L
meaningf b. Setting priorities. Keeping relevant issues in T&L at the top
ul
of the list.
 teaching c. Embedding technology in to T&L
and d. adaptive teaching
learning e. whole-school expectations literacy and
numeracy.
f. improve engagement in independent learning
4. Providing a. Creating awareness on the school’s culture and climate
opportuni b. Holding counselling sessions for teachers and students alike.
ties for
personal c. Conducting personal grooming sessions
developm
ent

Curriculum-led CPD
This is an all-year round (ongoing) process and has been designed by curriculum /
subject leaders. The methodology of curriculum-led CPD is one of ongoing
collaboration, planning and assessment within departments, the focus of which is on
improving and sharing teaching knowledge and practice in direct response to
student needs.

Signature pedagogies and the subject community

In order to build a culture which allows for academic conversations and a subject
specific approach to curriculum, we need to build subject-based communities of
practice to set, secure and sustain high quality subject-specific teaching and
learning.
Drawing from the work of Christine Counsell, there are three key dimensions to the
idea of a subject community at work:
1. A way of being a teacher: an orientation to the whole subject field and its
communities
2. Subject communities of teachers creating and sustaining curricula
3. Subject communities of teachers using and producing research

What might this look like on the ground?

 Curriculum mapping and reviews
 Assessment mapping and test design
 Expert debates and subject presentations
 Department focus: subject knowledge
 A shift in the types of conversation happening within schools

Intended impact of subject communities

 Sharing of subject expertise
 Impact in the classroom - higher quality resources, more effective use of time
 Developing better subject and pedagogical expertise
 Teachers feel empowered and see that their expertise is valued
 Space to re-invigorate their passion for their subject
 Positive impact on student outcomes
Subject communities and curriculum CPD
Curriculum CPD should be devoted to:

 The development of subject knowledge

 Subject specific discussion, planning and pedagogy
 Applying and embedding research about the psychology of memory within
subject areas
 Curriculum and assessment design

Planning takes place over the medium- to long- term. It is the curricular thinking
that sits behind the resources that matters. When time is spent on curricular
thinking, it seems less important to spend time on resources.
E.g. What do I want my students to learn about x? How is knowledge of x
structured?
What are the core concepts concerning x? What are helpful illustrations of x?
What kinds of example are helpful for understanding x? What sorts of
questions do I want students to be able to answer about x? What kinds of
misconceptions might students have about x?

Research & Development

As we transform and reshape the manner in which schools enable teachers to

continue to learn, research and development occupies an increasingly central place
in our school culture. By engaging with the theories and ideas of academic
research, our teachers understand the effectiveness of all that we do and feel a
greater sense of empowerment as we reform pedagogy and grasp the mantle of
professional knowledge creation.
The Next School is committed to enabling practitioner research for all teaching staff,
so that our collective professional capital is enhanced through the investigation and
exploration of genuine questions that are centered on effective pedagogy and
learning, thereby nurturing home-grown teacher-researchers who contribute to the
growing body of knowledge that enables the profession to sustain itself.
Every year since 2020/21, every teacher at The Next School has built teacher-led
systematic research into their everyday practice.
Research is an activity associated with effective professional development,
including as it does the types of activities which feature in successful professional
development strategies, including:
 The use of specialist advisors and external experts
 Engagement in the analysis of and reflection around the underpinning
rationale, evidence and relevant assessment data. This reflection and
analysis are important for bringing about and embedding changes in practice.
 The exploration and challenging of teachers’ own beliefs and assumptions
 Explicit discussions about how to translate content to the classroom;
 Teachers implementing what they have learned by experimenting in the
classroom;
 Collaborative enquiry and structured peer support
 The opportunity to explore why things do and don’t ‘work’.
This year, all R&D projects will align with a specified focus as set out in the school
plan. Accordingly, we would like all staff completing a Research & Development
project this year to specify their preferred focus from the list below:
 Ethical Leadership (fairness and equality)
 Curriculum (curriculum design / powerful knowledge)
 Teaching (Pedagogy / independent learning / remote learning / teacher
workload)
 Student achievement and progress
 Attendance and punctuality / Pupil premium / student voice / parental
engagement
 More Able Learners
 Literacy / vocabulary
 Personal development
 Practice-based research
 Inclusion / safeguarding / adaptive teaching
 Sustainability
Every teacher is a researcher. We are committed to supporting them in sharing their understanding
with the wider professional community for the benefit of all learners.

All Trainees at The Next School will have:

 a mentor in their subject area, who will also provide support and guidance
through the procedures and expectations of the school;
 opportunities to work with other colleagues in their subject, planning
collaboratively;
 regular feedback from colleagues;
 opportunities to attend training sessions being run by the school, including
things for the wider community, such as BSL lessons;
 ‘Settling in time’ – observing colleagues and familiarising themselves with the
school, including opportunities to pupil shadow and spend time in alternative
provision;
 and Professional Studies sessions, coordinated by the HO of The Next School

All Trainees will be expected to:

 complete the tasks set by their training organisations on time;
 communicate effectively with their mentors, including seeking feedback and
time with mentors;
 follow school procedures, for absences and setting of cover work;
 shadow pupils and observe colleagues as much as possible;
 plan lessons and show plans to the teacher whose classes they are taking;
 mark the work of the classes they teach, following department procedures
and school expectations for marking and feedback;
 and attend parents’ evenings/after school events, as directed by mentors.

We value learning very highly at The Next School. We seek out to support
colleagues who seek to improve their knowledge, skills and qualifications.

Therefore, when teachers are considering higher degrees or other professional

qualifications and wish to seek time or financial support from school we will use the
following questions:
 1. Has the proposal been discussed with the relevant line leader and Deputy
Head: Curriculum prior to application?
2. Are the aims and intentions of the course clearly identified?
3. Does the course match an identified need within the department’s or school’s
plan?
4. Will the course link to an appraisal or action research target?
5. Does the proposed course of study have any adverse effect on the provision
of education at The Next school?
If the above questions are answered satisfactorily we may agree to make a
contribution to course fees up to a maximum of 50% of the total fees. Time will be
negotiated according to the needs of the teacher’s timetable. It is unlikely that time
will be given except for the purposes of sitting external examinations. Once a
course is complete – or during its completion - we would expect teachers to lead a
session for colleagues on the whole school or faculty implications of their work. This
will be agreed with the Teaching, Learning and Development.

This policy applies to teachers. Non-teaching colleagues’ requests will be

considered by the school Business Manager according to the school’s business
needs.