This survey formed part of Strand 3 of our study into teacher professional development. Here we summarise our findings from the survey. The document below provides detailed analysis. The survey was designed to be completed by staff in schools in England who hold a professional development leadership role. Our intention was to learn more about the structures and processes within the school environment which support professional development.
The findings demonstrate the importance of school leaders, particularly those with a formalised CPD leadership role, in planning, coordinating and delivering professional development in schools, and in building policies and practices within schools which support teachers’ engagement in professional development activities. They suggest that, even when schools have varying contexts and staff professional development needs, it is possible to build cultures of professional development through actions which support staff participation and changing practice. Numbers of participants were small and so, while we do not suggest that these findings are representative of the CPD system in English schools, they provide valuable insights into the leadership of professional development in the current system.