Professional Development

Mission Statement

‘Castleford Academy Trust is an exceptional place to work and has a team of dedicated and committed staff. We strongly believe in developing and nurturing talent by providing opportunities for staff training and development’ George Panayiotou, Chief Executive Officer, Castleford Academy Trust.

At Castleford Academy Trust, we firmly believe in developing high-calibre staff and nurturing talent. We are committed to providing a range of staff development opportunities, partnerships and support to enhance staff skills, talent and expertise within their own academy, throughout the Trust and the across the wider education system. This is outlined in the Trust’s three-year strategic plan and is deeply rooted within our vision ‘Working Together to achieve excellence for all’. Providing effective professional development opportunities is fundamental to the development of exceptional classroom practice, high pupil outcomes and outstanding leadership. Within the Trust we have a core offer within each academy, with activities happening on a weekly, fortnightly or termly basis, as well as a wide range of well-planned professional development programmes which are informed by individual, departmental and academy priorities and regional and national initiatives. We embrace the use of evidence-based research to drive professional development, and ensure that there are opportunities for teachers to share best practice and engage in professional discussion. When planning and delivering professional development we are mindful of staff workload, and take this into account.

Aims and objectives

The purpose of continuing professional development and ongoing training is:

1. To improve the quality of teaching and learning.
2. To enable staff to meet their individual objectives as set out in their performance management review.
3. To facilitate the professional development (PD) of all staff.
4. To involve all staff in moving the school towards the objectives stated in the academy development plan (ADP).
5. To provide a systematic approach to development for all staff.
6. To provide support and advice for staff.
7. To ensure all teaching staff are able to meet the teachers’ standards.
8. To promote collaboration and sharing of good practice.

This policy aligns with the Castleford Academy Trust Professional Development Strategic plan.

Key roles and responsibilities

• 2.1. The Chief Executive Officer and Headteachers have overall responsibility for the implementation of the Professional Development and Training Policy of Castleford Academy Trust.
• 2.2. The Chief Executive Officer and Headteachers have overall responsibility for ensuring that the Professional Development (PD) and Training Policy, as written, does not discriminate on any grounds, including but not limited to: ethnicity/national origin, culture, religion, gender, disability or sexual orientation.
• 2.3. Each academy Headteacher and governing body has responsibility for handling complaints regarding this policy as outlined in the school’s Complaints Policy.
• 2.4. The Headteachers will be responsible for the day-to-day implementation and management of the Professional Development and Training Policy of Castleford Academy Trust.
• 2.5. Headteachers are responsible for whole school professional development, linked to the academy development plan (ADP).
• 2.6. Senior leaders are responsible for overseeing the administration of PD and training at a strategic level and for liaising with the Governing Body and Headteacher to report on the provision and impact of PD.
• 2.7. Line Managers are responsible for identifying training needs among their staff members via performance management and quality assurance.
• 2.8. Each academy is responsible for keeping accurate records of professional development activities and events within the academy.
• 2.9. Subject Leaders are responsible for identifying training needs within their subjects in primary academies and across their departments via departmental meetings in secondary academies.
• 2.10. Members of staff are encouraged to identify their own training needs in response to their own practice. Members of staff are responsible for evaluating the PD they undertake and its impact.

Identifying needs

• 3.1 Individual – these should be identified as part of the performance management process, and by the individual member of staff in response to their own practice. When the individual’s work objectives have been agreed they should, with their line manager, then consider their own development needs to enable them to meet those work objectives. At the same time, individuals should consider their longer-term career aspirations and identify the development needs arising from these.
• 3.2. Professional development through existing leadership structures – these include a focus within a department, subject, phase or year group within each academy or across academies.
• 3.3. Organisational – these may arise as the result of new legislation and policies, or as part of a wider academy development plan (ADP). They should be considered in liaison with Executive and Senior Leaders and factored into long term strategic planning.
• 3.4. Development needs should be reviewed formally at least twice a year during the performance management process.

Provision of professional development and training

• 4.1 Core offer – Within each academy, throughout each week and each term, teachers have access to a range of timetabled CPD opportunities. These are in addition to the CPD opportunities and programmes outlined below. Within primary academies these include coaching cycles which may be pedagogy or subject specific, regular support from subject leaders which may include plan-do-review cycles or lesson study, weekly staff meetings, weekly senior leadership team meetings and INSET sessions. Within secondary academies these include weekly teaching and learning briefings, weekly departmental CPD meetings, middle leaders and year group leaders’ meetings, bespoke CPD options, coaching opportunities with leading practitioners, peer coaching through IRIS connect, PIXL membership, Wakefield Learning Community membership, twilight sessions and INSET sessions.

• 4.2 Professional Development opportunities will allow staff to develop skills and competencies progressively with reference to a range of standards and frameworks including Teachers’ Standards, Headteacher standards, Leadership Programmes, National Professional Qualification Frameworks (NPQs)and competency descriptions for Teaching Assistants, High Level Teaching Assistants, School Business Managers etc.
• 4.3 The Trust will support accreditation of the professional development of staff.
• 4.4 The Trust ensures that there is a fairness of offer and the professional development opportunities available to staff across the academies is equitable.
• 4.5 Quality assurance mechanisms within each academy will ensure that access to professional development is of a consistently high standard and impacts on pupil outcomes.
• 4.6 Executive and Senior Leaders ensure that there are effective links to school improvement and self-evaluation, that professional development maintains a high profile, the trust professional development strategy is implemented and a member of the Senior Leadership Team, holds responsibility for coordinating professional development within the academy.

Training costs

• 5.1. All funds are allocated on an equitable basis across the Trust.
• 5.2. Funding for professional development is identified by senior leaders through the academy development plan and curriculum financial planning.
• 5.3. Individuals are also encouraged to apply for Training Bursaries when applicable, to help fund further professional development.
• 5.4. The academies do not tend to fund master degree modules unless a particular module can have a direct impact on the academy’s objectives. Individuals would need to see a member of the senior leadership team in the first instance. (The exception would be the statutory SENCO qualification which is a master’s level qualification).
• 5.5. The academies encourage unqualified teachers to follow degree courses on a part time basis. Again, funding for these will be determined by the academy’s needs and will be judged on an individual basis.

Repayment of training costs

• 6.1. If a member of staff resigns during training for which the academy is paying or within one month of the date of completion of training for which the academy is paying, they will be required to repay the full cost of the training.
• 6.2. Following this period, each academy operates a sliding repayment scale, so that the amount that the employee is required to repay is reduced by one twelfth/one quarter at monthly/quarterly intervals. Once the employee has completed one year’s service from the date of the end of the training, they will not be required to repay any of the costs of the training should they resign.
• 6.3. Each academy reserves the right, on the employee’s resignation, to require them to repay the employer for training costs that they owe from their final salary payment.

Leadership and management of professional development

• 7.1. Executive Leaders have oversight over trust wide professional development and Headteachers and Senior Leaders have oversight of professional development within their academy. Leaders ensure that professional development aligns to the Trust professional development strategy and school improvement priorities.
• 7.2. Executive Leaders, Head teachers and Senior Leaders are responsible for quality assurance of professional development and the impact of such opportunities and regular reporting to trustees and governors.
• 7.3. Leaders ensure that there are opportunities within performance management for discussions relating to individual professional development.

Planning for effective professional development

• 8.1 Aligning with the Trust professional development strategy, the Education Endowment Fund (EEF) – Guidance Report – Effective Professional Development is used to set fundamental expectations when designing and delivering or selecting (purchasing) professional development. This includes:
  • When designing and selecting professional development, focus on the mechanisms.
  • Ensure that professional development effectively builds knowledge, motivates staff, develops teaching techniques, and embeds practice.
  • Implement professional development programmes with care, taking into consideration the context and needs of the school

• 8.2 Professional development programmes and activities should be balanced in design, including all four EEF groups;

• A. Build Knowledge
• B. Motivate teachers
• C. Developing teaching techniques
• D. Embedding practice, and at least one of the following 14 mechanisms from each group as follows:

Build Knowledge

• Managing cognitive load
• Revisiting prior learning

Motivate Teachers

• Setting and agreeing on goals
• Presenting information from a credible source
• Providing affirmation and reinforcement after progress

Developing Teaching Techniques

• Instructing teachers on how to perform a technique
• Arranging social support
• Modelling the technique
• Monitoring and providing feedback
• Rehearsing technique

Embedding Practice

• Providing prompts and cues
• Prompting action planning
• Encouraging monitoring
• Prompting context-specific repetition

• 8.3 Leaders should consider value for money and the credibility of purchasing professional development programmes

Types of professional development activity

• 9.1. Attendance at one or a series of training events or a conference (online or face to face)
• 9.2. Self-study as part of a training programme.
• 9.3. In-school training using the expertise available within an academy, e.g. team teaching, skills in classroom observation, sharing existing expertise.
• 9.4. Academy-based work through accessing an external consultant/adviser or a relevant expert such as a lead practitioner to model and demonstrate planning and teaching.
• 9.5. School visit to observe or participate in good and successful practice, e.g. visit to a school or subject area with similar circumstances, as part of the teaching school hub, or within or beyond the Trust.
• 9.6. Secondments, e.g. with a regional or national organisation, an exchange or placement, e.g. with another teacher, school, higher education, industry, international exchange, involvement with Governing Body.
• 9.7. Opportunities to participate in award bearing work from higher education or other providers.
• 9.8. Research opportunities.
• 9.9. Practical experience, e.g. national test or exam marking experience, LA moderator, opportunities to present a paper, contribute to a training programme, coordinating or supporting a learning forum or network, involvement in local and national networks.
• 9.10. Job enrichment/enlargement, e.g. a higher level of responsibility; job sharing, acting roles, job rotation, shadowing or associate role.
• 9.11. Producing documentation or resources such as a personal development plan, teaching materials, assessment package or curriculum planning.
• 9.12. Coaching on a scale varying from directive (mentoring) to dialogical (Instructional) and facilitative – receiving or acting in these roles, as part of peer to peer support or the professional development offer within an academy.
• 9.13. Partnerships, collaboration and strategy groups, e.g. with a colleague, group, subject, phase, activity or school-based; team meetings and activities such as joint planning, observation or standardisation, special project working group, involvement in networks or partnerships, sharing of good practice or developing consistent approaches across the trust.

Evaluation of professional development activities

• 10.1. In order to ensure that training activities undertaken are efficacious to staff and pupils, professional development activities will be evaluated on an individual, departmental, subject, phase, year group and academy basis.
• 10.2. Leaders will measure the following through quality assurance mechanisms:
  • Pupil and academy outcomes.
  • Improved teaching and learning.
  • Increased pupil understanding and enthusiasm.
  • Increased staff confidence and knowledge.
  • Increased evidence of reflective practice.
  • Recruitment, retention and career progression/promotable staff.

• 10.3 Executive and Senior Leaders will evaluate the impact of professional development against development plans and action plans.
• 10.4 Staff members will evaluate individual professional development activities as they undertake them. They are encouraged to maintain an appropriate professional development portfolio.
• 10.5 Staff members are responsible for disseminating relevant professional development to the academy community.