An overview of the recommendations from the 'Shaping the future of CPD' report, which discusses 'what works' to improve teaching and learning, challenges the status quo and suggests a course for the future of professional learning. With contributions from David Weston, Vivienne Porritt, Pete Dudley and Philippa Cordingley.

1. Shaping
the
future of
CPD
Summary of key
recommendations
#ShapingCPD

3. “We must not compromise.
We must say to all the
political parties: ‘what are
you going to stop doing
to the system, to allow
the system to focus on
the important and not to
continue to work on the
urgent?’
We must prioritise CPD even
though it may never be the
most urgent thing on the
list.”
David Weston
Teacher Development Trust

4. Maintain a tight
focus on the
importance of
evidence based
professional learning
opportunities
1

5. Reassure the profession that a College of
Teaching will be truly independent
2

6. 3
Ensure that Ofsted
becomes a part of
the fabric of school
improvement and
does not drive
the urgent at the
expense of the
important

7. Develop a system
of accreditation
which validates
and acknowledges
the impact and
value of on-going
school based
professional
learning activities
4

8. 5
Review and clarify
the position of the
‘lead’ school in a
teaching school
alliance and the
consequences if it
does not remain
‘outstanding’

9. “The big 6 really are a big 6.
We need to enable teaching
schools to feel good about
specialising in a few areas
and build some critical
masses between them.
We need to do some really
good research about what
works when you major on
ITE or CPD.”
Philippa Cordingley
CUREE

11. “To improve quality,
professional learning is
enhanced by combining the
practice expertise in schools
and the research knowledge in
universities.
In particular, collaboration
between schools and
universities through practitioner
enquiry in collaborative R&D
supports access to new
knowledge, maintains the
rigour of enquiry and enriches
and deepens everyone’s
learning.”
Vivienne Porritt
UCL Institute of Education

12. Ensure there is a focus
on the skills across
the whole group,
rather than just the
lead school so that
knowledge becomes
‘co-creation’ across
all schools
1

13. 2
Develop common understandings
around language, processes and be clear
about what great teaching looks like

14. 3
Develop clear processes for collaborative
enquiry within inter-school alliances

15. 4
Invest in
technology
which enables
iterative
collaboration
between and
across schools

16. 5
Through inter-school
collaboration, ‘keep the
end in mind’ when
developing learning
opportunities.
Ensure these translate
into the need of pupils
attending schools with
different identities,
challenges and
opportunities

18. “We develop practice
knowledge effectively when
we feel safe to take risks and
when we work collaboratively
with people we trust enough
to expose our professional
vulnerabilities.
Without these conditions,
we play safe and do the
‘performance’ lessons we do
when being judged.”
Professor Pete Dudley

19. 1
Ensure that there is clarity on the purpose of
lesson observations so that formative
development is distinct

20. 2
Form a knowledge
creating school
through peer reflection
groups, lesson study
and research processes
combined with activities
to inform these with
specialist expertise

21. 3
Embed professional learning as
an on-going process within the
school timetable

22. 4
Enable sharing of practice in a
non-judgemental culture which also
acknowledges the importance of risk taking

23. 5
Develop and exploit
the opportunities
of technology as
a collaborative
tool within agreed
protocols which
ensure teacher
control and
permissioning

24. www.irisconnect.co.uk/ShapingCPD
#ShapingCPD