Think tank on personalising CPD

last updated:21 Oct 2009

During 2008-09, Connect facilitated a series of meetings for CPD leaders from schools, LAs and HEIs. The aim was to learn how schools were developing their CPD strategies, particularly in relation to tailoring the CPD offer, and how CPD leaders were developing their own skills in leading or guiding professional learning.

The following questions were addressed.

• How do staff experience a personalised CPD offer?
• The role of research and enquiry based learning in school; what helps introduce and embed it and how can a culture of learning for all be created and sustained?
• What is the interplay of school self evaluation, school improvement and CPD? What does this look like in practice?
• What difference does successful CPD make to children and young people? How do we know? How is impact evaluated?

In this article we look at the activities that helped participants reflect on their work and their ambitions for the development of professional learning in schools. We also review how we evaluated the impact of CPD, the research tools we found useful, and the evidence gathered from schools.

You can also read two case studies from schools that have risen to the challenge of personalising CPD. How is succession planning for leading professional learning being addressed? How can inquiry-led approaches enable all staff to support each others’ learning in a culture which prizes continuous professional learning for all staff?