Teach Secondary Issue 14.8

assessment and feedback. Wellbeing initiatives and policy briefings have their place, but staff are most motivated when CPD directly helps them improve what they do in the classroom. 2. Make it subject-specific Generic strategies often collapse amid the complexity of the classroom. A strategy that works inmaths may be useless in PE. The best schools invest in subject- specific CPD, led by subject experts, so that teachers can see howwell-crafted principles can be applied to their own curriculum. 3. Balance theory with practice There can be a danger of CPD being either too abstract (‘ Here’s some cognitive science – now off you go! ’) or too practical (‘ Use this resource tomorrow ’). Real impact comes when schools ground practice in evidence while giving teachers time to rehearse and adapt strategies in their own context. 4. Create time for deliberate practice CPD only works if teachers can try things out, get feedback and refine. Some schools we visited built these processes into their timetables via lesson study cycles, coaching conversations or video reflection. Others simply ensured that any new approaches were introduced slowly, with space to embed before moving on. Leadershipmatters In HowDo They Do It? , we found that leadership is the decisive factor in whether CPDmakes a difference. Leaders who got it right habitually did three things. First, they emphasised clarity by setting out a clear vision for teaching and making sure that every CPD activity aligned with it. Second, they were consistent . By sticking with a few key priorities and seeing them through, they were able to avoid initiative fatigue. Finally, they demonstrated trust by treating staff as professionals and giving them agency to adapt ideas and share expertise, while also holding them accountable for implementation. Workload and wellbeing issues are often less about the number of hours worked, and more about whether staff see their work as meaningful. CPD that feels coherent and purposeful will be energising, rather than just draining. Aculture of growth Ultimately, CPD isn’t about events or programmes, but about culture . In the best schools we visited, professional learning was part of the daily rhythm. Teachers would drop into each other’s lessons. Subject teams debated the curriculum. Leaders would regularly model being open to feedback. In these schools, CPD wasn’t something done to teachers; it was something they lived. And that’s the real lesson here. If we want CPD that improves teaching, we need to see it not as a box to tick, but as a curriculum in its own right – one that’s sequenced, sustained and deeply connected to the craft of the classroom. ABOUT THE AUTHORS Mark and Zoe Enser were both teachers and school leaders, ex-HMIs in Ofsted’s Curriculum Unit and now co-authors of How Do They Do It? – Learning Lessons from Amazing Teachers, Leaders and Schools (Crown House, £16.99) FROM REFLECTIONTO ACTION If you’re reviewing your school’s CPD offer, here are some questions that might guide the process: What is the ‘golden thread’ running through your CPD this year? How does it build on what staff already know and do? How will you know if it is having an impact in classrooms? Where have you built in time for practice, feedback and refinement? How do you ensure CPD strengthens subject knowledge as well as pedagogy? These are deceptively simple questions, but schools that return to them regularly will be those where CPD translates into better teaching. 85 teachwire.net/secondary C P D