The idea of undertaking an NPQ filled me with a giddy thrill, geek that I am, but what I was hoping for more than anything else was to build connections and have even more of an opportunity to talk all things teaching and learning (something I have greatly missed since it ended). For me, there was only one option, the Leading Teacher Development NPQ. This is something of a passion project of mine, starting with simply offering to help with CPD in 2018 to growing my own role of Research and Development Lead.
I truly believe that done well, professional development can be transformative to an individual, school, and culture. This is why such blogs such as those being written by Haili Hughes and Nikki Sullivan are so important in highlighting ways this can be done successfully in schools. One would hope we have moved away from lecture style ‘silver bullet’ CPD where staff are spoken at then told to go away and do it, all followed up with QA measures but none of the key support to ensure success. This is, however, still the case in some school halls. You only have to look on EduTwitter at the start of September to find the ubiquitous INSET Bingo cards and phrases.
So why are we still doing the same old thing? Well, good professional development is complicated. This is the most important lesson I learnt. There are so many moving parts, considerations and so much choice that identifying and moving forward with an approach can feel overwhelming. Add into this the different priorities, personalities, and expertise of the staff in front of you and you are in a position where as CPD lead you’re trying to teach multiple classes at the same time, whilst spinning all the other SLT plates and preparing for the ‘Big O’ by trying to constantly measure the impact of every conversation. I am exhausted just writing this. But I think that there are some key lessons to be learnt, not just from my NPQ but form all the amazing Teaching and Learning Leads out there. Here are some the key lessons I have learnt over the last 18 months.
Lesson number 1: Focus on a problem.
I think that work the by Kennedy on persistent problems which has since been taken and adapted by others into ‘problems of leadership’ etc. can provide a clear framework from which to start. What is the problem you are trying to solve? What have other people done about it? What does educational research say? All of these are key questions to identify a clear priority and then here is the key point, stick with it until you are confident this is fully embedded. Don’t move on to another problem, leaving this one half understood and staff flailing with misconceptions and half formed ideas. By focusing on problems first, we are starting from a point of necessity, not just following the latest edu-fad.
Lesson number 2: Why this? Why now? Why here?
These are questions my awesome mentor used to ask me when I proposed a CPD idea, and these are the key questions I now ask myself before I run with anything, becoming something of a mantra. Why would this solution solve the identified problem? Is it the most persistent problem with the biggest leverage? Why would it work now? Do we have the right context? Conducting a pre-mortem to ensure that all the conditions needed to succeed are present and then delving deeper into why here – how does this fit the context of your school. Being able to answer these not only gives you credibility standing in front of staff who want to know this is going to be important and useful but also it means the measure/strategy you are trying to implement has the best chance of success. I love the EEF’s implementation plan for helping to clarify these ideas. This is a tool I return to often.
Lesson number 3: Mechanisms
I am a big fan of Harry Fletcher Wood and Sam Sims’ work on mechanisms. This was something I had read prolifically about prior to starting my NPQ and their importance was only cemented for me during that year. As mentioned, a silver bullet one off approach was commonplace in terms of CPD but with mechanisms, the focus is on ensuring success. Bunched into 4 categories; build knowledge, motivate teachers, develop teacher techniques, and embed practice, what was made clear is that none are more important, but all suffer if one or more are lacking in the planning and execution of CPD. I now find myself mentally tallying the different areas and it is something I actively plan for when delivering CPD.
Lesson number 4: Support
Implementing a new idea does not start and end with a 20–60-minute presentation to all staff in the Hall. Firstly, you must have considered all the questions from lesson 2. What are the conditions needed to make this successful? Then you can look at ways in which you can support staff to make a chance. Consider the science of habit building, could we habit stack or set up a new cue and reward system. What materials or social support are staff going to need? I have worked hard to ensure that there are clear materials, including recordings of all my sessions for staff to refer to. I like to reference the new technique in briefing to keep it in mind and then give staff time in faculty meetings or in another Twilight to consider how this can work for them. What adaptations are needed? What has/hasn’t worked etc.? This goes alongside QA procedures such as learning walks, book looks etc. but without planning for support then it is unlikely that change will occur. Teachers are time poor and so it must be made as easy as possible for them to form new habits reflecting the desired changes.
Professionally, the way I approach CPD, and my inner critique have been finely honed throughout the NPQ. Wiliams’ quotation ‘“Everything works somewhere; nothing works everywhere’ alongside my ‘Why this? Why now?’ are the two most frequent thoughts in my head when planning CPD. This, I hope, helps to harness the power of CPD to transform lives.
Personally, my life has been transformed. I would not have my Research & Development role, would not have pursued other speaking opportunities, would not have started this blog or have found my voice without the NPQ and the support of those around me which allowed me to successfully complete it.
I am one of those people who has been transformed by CPD and I hope that I can go on to support others in that same journey as well.
References:
- Kennedy, M. (2015). Parsing the practice of teaching, Journal of Teacher Education, 67.
- Clear, J. Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Habits and Break Bad Ones., 2018.
- EEF, Effective Professional Development: Guidance Report (2021)
- Sullivan, N. https://lovetotalktandl.wordpress.com/2024/02/02/space-for-the-small-things-space-for-the-big-things/
- Hughes, H. https://tdtrust.org/2024/02/05/high-quality-cpd-can-help-schools-overcome-diverse-challenges-when-its-adaptive-responsive-and-part-of-the-culture/ , (2024)
- Barker, J. and Rees, T., https://www.ambition.org.uk/blog/persistent-problems-school-leadership/
A Life of Learning 
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