As pressure grows on budgets, what can schools and colleges do to ensure their CPD opportunities for staff remain as rich and creative as possible? Here we highlight some key steps.

CPD options

The ASCL blueprint for a self-improving system recognises that developing the quality of teachers is one of the most important jobs for school leaders.

Professional learning enables improvement and innovation that has an impact on outcomes for students. It is, therefore, imperative that a range of professional learning activities are provided to keep staff up to date, challenged and motivated and that participation is both an entitlement and a responsibility for all staff in schools and colleges.

However, in a recent ASCL poll of more than 1,000 members, 62 per cent said that they were expecting to reduce their CPD budgets. So, with increasing pressures on budgets how can schools and colleges continue to offer creative professional learning opportunities for all their staff?

Needs analysis

A good starting point is to carry out a needs-analysis audit. Providing effective professional learning depends on knowing what is required, not only for the individual staff member but for departments and the school or college as a whole. With pressures on finances and the need for cost-effective solutions, schools and colleges need to ensure that resources are targeted where they are likely to have most impact.

Once the analysis is done, schools and colleges are in a good position to begin planning a range of activities to meet the needs identified. Remember that effective professional learning should be:

• seen as an integral part of working life
• shared and collaborative
• relevant to professional context
• have a positive impact on practice
• developed and sustained over time

A ‘mixed-model’ approach, drawing on a range of solutions, means that you can meet the requirements of staff at all stages of their career and help them keep a balance with life outside school. The range could include activities taking place on single days or twilights as well as encouraging staff to engage in webinars or sign up to longer-term programmes, some of which may be accredited.

Internally led professional learning activities by staff for colleagues are now commonplace in schools and colleges. This can be a case of ‘formal’ activities at designated times and dates but remember, too, those informal interactions and professional dialogues that can happen at any time and that can have equal impact.

Activities that involve collaboration beyond your institution will give staff the opportunity to network locally, share good practice and gain a greater understanding of the local context. External expertise still has a part to play and bringing an external facilitator can be a good way to challenge thinking. Delivering CPD in school or college for groups of staff from different institutions can be a very cost-effective way of ensuring that all have access to the best professional learning and also supports collaboration.

And attending professional learning activities out of school or college gives colleagues the opportunity to network with others and enables participants to be exposed to a much wider sphere of practice. Such activities can be effective if the school or college has systems in place for reflection and dissemination and even more so if there is a clear expectation that colleagues will share their learning on their return.

Range of options

ASCL Professional Development (ASCL PD) is well versed in developing professional learning activities and we recognise that schools and colleges require a range of options. Through our consultancy provision we can offer a bespoke approach and different sessions from twilights and half-days to full days and longer.

Schools and colleges regularly contact us for support and, on average, we receive about 60 requests a month for our tailor-made packages, such as those for middle leaders, subject reviews and training for governors, as well as our leadership appointment service. Requests for the twilight programme remain popular and currently we are providing more than 200 staff with long-term support across the country.

ASCL PD ensures that a needs-analysis process is carried out for each request and the support offered is cost-effective. Local schools and colleges often work in groups to cover the costs and our flexible fee structure allows for additional schools to be invited to participate.

To find out more about the consultant services offered by ASCL PD please contact Claire Simpson, Deputy Director, via consultancy@ascl.org.uk

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For a full list of courses and events visit www.ascl.org.uk/pd

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ASCL consultancy services

ASCL PD provides a range of customised support including:

• Ahead: An Aspiring Senior Leaders Package for Schools
• Leadership Matters: Team Development
• Business Management Services
• Ahead: Middle Leaders Toolkit for Improvement
• Leadership Appointment Service
• Preparing for Promotion
• Professional Partner Programme
• Internal Audit/Responsible Officer Service
• Twilight Support Programme
• Rise: Requires Improvement, Sharpen Your Evaluation
• New to Headship: Mentoring Service

For details contact: consultancy@ascl.org.uk

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