In September 2015, the government called for evidence concerning continuing professional development for teachers. The Historical Association responded to this call for evidence. You can find our response here.

On 12 July 2016, the Department for Education published a standard for teachers’ professional development and guidance for implementation.

The standard aims to clarify the meaning of professional development and identifies the best practice being a “sustained, coherent programme which includes structured, collaborative in-school activities for teachers to refine ideas and embed approaches.”

The standard states that

Effective teaching requires considerable knowledge and skill, which should be developed as teachers’ careers progress. High-quality professional development requires workplaces to be steeped in rigorous scholarship, with professionals continually developing and supporting each other so that pupils benefit from the best possible teaching. Effective professional development relies upon teachers, head-teachers and leadership teams in schools and organisations providing professional development, being clear about their respective roles and working together effectively.

The standard goes on to identify five strands that should be considered in order to achieve high quality professional development.

High quality professional development should have/be:

• A focus on improving and evaluating pupil outcomes
• Underpinned by robust evidence and expertise
• Include collaboration and expert challenge
• Sustained over a period of time
• Prioritised by school leadership

You can access the full standard here

The Historical Association already offers professional development opportunities that fulfil the new standard:

Applications to our Teacher Fellows Programme The Cold War in the Classroom close on November 7

Our Teaching Thematic History Course takes place over 4 sessions starting in September. You can find out more here.