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Introducing the GTC Networks.
Good teaching needs good networks and good networks need good teachers.
The GTC Networks provide support by linking teachers nationally and putting them in touch with the latest research and evidence. They let teachers have a voice at national debates on changes to education.
EPD pilot scheme: key findings
The DfES Early Professional Development (EPD) pilot scheme looked at CPD arrangements for those teachers in their 2nd to 5th year of teaching. The evaluation of the three-year scheme indicated that it made a significant impact on teachers, pupils and schools.
The evaluation found a number of characteristics of effective EPD:
- Teacher autonomy. Teachers who had some control over decisions regarding the form and focus of their professional development were much more likely to benefit from it.
- School support. The support of their school was linked to advances in teachers’ commitment to teaching, their ability to take on leadership roles and their contribution to their colleagues and the school.
- Mentor support. The mentoring relationship was particularly influential for 2nd year teachers, with improvements in their teaching practice (especially behaviour management) and their career development (including gaining promotions) attributed to the advice and support they received from their mentor.
Connect asked Helen Moor, who led the evaluation, to write a report on the key findings in relation to CPD leaders:
Evaluation of the Early Professional Development (EPD) pilot scheme (PDF, 107KB).
Crucially, the report highlights effective practices that make a difference to EPD. As you read the report consider what the professional development you provide looks like.
- Does it provide teachers with autonomy in their CPD decisions?
- Does the school offer its full support for EPD?
- Are there effective mentoring arrangements in place?
Don’t forget the Engage network for NQTs, teachers in the early years of their careers, mentors and induction coordinators from schools, Local Authorities and higher education institutions.
