Where next?

The DfES developed the CPD strategy in 2001 with the aim of assisting teachers in their professional development, by providing support to schools so that CPD is integrated into performance management with the aim of improving teaching and learning. More info

The GTC published ‘The teachers’ professional learning framework’ (2003) the aim being to provide a ‘map of professional development experiences’, which can be used by teachers to plan their own CPD. They have also set up three ‘teacher learning academies’, currently in Birmingham, Manchester and Sheffield (the aim is to make them nation wide eventually), the brief of which is to provide teachers with the opportunity to further develop their skill and knowledge. The centres will also support learning communities within and between schools.

One of the recommendations of the report by Dillon, Osborne, Fairbrother & Kurina 2000 was that a ‘National Centre for Excellence’ should be set up as science teachers, in particular, needed effective CPD, due to amongst other things the fact that scientific knowledge was constantly advancing. The DfES (2002) conducted an exploratory study into the views of ‘science teachers, CPD providers and professional institutions’, about the centres for excellence with the majority of the respondents were in favour of the centres (More info).

The ‘Five Year Strategy for Children and Learners’ published in July 2004 by the DfES, sets out the plans that the government has ‘to support the teaching profession’. The aim of the strategy is to achieve a ‘step change in children’s services, education and training’. There are three main strategies that are to contribute to this;

	All key curriculum subjects will have an appointed chief advisor whose task it is to improve the teaching of the subject through interaction with teachers, exceptional head of departments and subject associations,
	The emphasis of appraisal will change to become a ‘review of learning and skills’. It will also ensure that CPD is encouraged by making sure teachers have access to the ‘best training and development opportunities’.
	There will be a new digital television channel, ‘Teachers T.V’, to be launched in 2005, which will be dedicated to providing essential programmes aimed at sharing good practice and current ideas for teaching and learning. It will receive a £20 million annual budget and will have an interactive service and an extensive web site. (More info)

The Institute of Biology has developed a CPD scheme which aims to help teachers in documenting their CPD activities and can also assist in the procurement of Charted Biologist Status. The teacher chooses their CPD activity which has been allocated a point score, so, for example, an ASE inset day (6 hours) on gene technology would be worth 18 points and informal activities such as reading the Journal of Biological Education would be 1 point. All the activities are recorded and there is a section to be completed about reviewing and reflecting on the training, the Institute requires 40 points to be collected annually (More info)