A Code of
Practice for providing
Continuing Professional Development
The
challenges now facing schools are such that new and innovative responses are essential
– for ensuring an entitlement to high quality CPD, for supporting recruitment and
retention and for school improvement.
These
challenges need an organisational capacity to meet change with creativity and optimism
through developing the professional knowledge, skills and competencies of all staff.
We
take seriously our commitment to the principles of Investors in People and Investors in
Equalities by recognising that the context for meeting these challenges is one of an
increasingly diverse group of clients with regard to the racial background, cultural
heritage, disability, faith and age of both women and men.
Croydon
QDI’s mission is to promote the professional development and competence of all staff
by providing high quality CPD that supports their desire to improve and thereby raise
standards.
Given
this model it is important to maintain a consistency of approach and quality of delivery
and in order to ensure this all providers* will need to conform to this Code of Practice.
Note
* providers are defined as Croydon QDI staff or those individuals or organisations
commissioned by Croydon QDI to provide CPD
Principles
1.
Much professional development, particularly in well run organisations, comes from the
support people provide for each other formally and informally. Equally, planned
development is needed for individuals, teams, departments and whole schools to improve the
quality of the education service they provide to their learners.
2.
This Code of Practice underpins the range of training and development offered to teachers,
support staff, managers and others. The Code is based on existing good practice, drawing
heavily from the DfES Code of Practice for providers of CPD to teachers. It is established
on the principles that high quality professional development will:
a.
meet identified individual, team, school, LEA or national development priorities;
b.
be based on good practice - in development activity and in teaching and learning
methodologies;
c.
support the raising of standards in education by enriching the experience and expertise of
all staff;
d.
respect diversity and have regard to the appropriate Equalities legislation, particularly
the Sex Discrimination Act (1975). the Disability Discrimination Act - DDA (1995), the
Race Relations (Amendment) Act (2000) and the Special Education Needs and Disability Act
(2001).
e.
be provided by those with the necessary experience, expertise and skills;
f.
be planned systematically;
g.
be based, where possible, on relevant standards;
h.
be based on current research and inspection evidence;
i.
make effective use of learning resources particularly ICT;
j.
be provided in accommodation which is fit for purpose;
k.
provide value for money; and,
l.
have effective monitoring and evaluation systems including seeking out and acting on
feedback to inform the quality of future provision.
3.
CPD provided or procured by Croydon QDI will observe the principles and practice of
Equality Assurance by:
a.
ensuring delivery that is non-discriminatory in context and training method;
b.
promoting success in organisations through the effective use of diversity in their teams.
4.
There must be a process of identifying needs, deciding provision and then defining the
outcomes and how to measure them. The process of identifying needs should lead to
objective setting by the participants (individuals, teams, or whole schools) firmly based
on specific strengthening of performance management. This in turn is related to the
improvement of performance in schools and across LEAs, in accordance with national and
local priorities.
back to top of page
The
Code
5.
This Code of Practice sets out what clients, other service agencies and individuals can
expect from Croydon QDI and those organisations which are providing continuing
professional development which has been commissioned by Croydon QDI
General provision
6. The provider will:
a.
give a brief description of the event and set out the aims of the development activity,
including whether it is intended to meet national, local, LEA or individual priorities.
The aims should identify the professional benefits for individuals and schools;
b.
give details of charges, including any additional costs (for example for materials or
books) which participants will be expected to meet in addition to the service
agreement/course/event fee;
c.
ensure that terms and conditions of booking are clearly publicised;
d.
indicate clearly the target audience;
e.
rovide details of the assessment procedures to be used if the participants are to be
assessed;
f.
provide details of accreditation and routes of progression if applicable;
g.
indicate where applicable any demand on participant’s time other than for attendance
- for example, supplementary reading together with an estimate of likely time commitment;
h.
provide details of venue, dates and times together with any resources that may need to be
brought.
School
or individual specific
7.
The provider, after a needs assessment analysis, will agree with the school, team or
individual:
a.
the needs which are to be addressed;
b.
the purposes of the development activity; and,
c.
the success criteria, in terms of the quality of the development activity itself, the
objectives set after needs identification, the desired outcomes for pupils’ learning
and development where this is appropriate, and the expected benefits for individual
participants.
7.
The provider, if commissioned by Croydon QDI, will also provide details of the people
delivering the development activity setting out:
a.
their experience and expertise in the sector generally;
b.
their specific expertise and experience in the area to be addressed in the development
activity;
c.
the research and inspection evidence which will be informing their input where
appropriate.
8.
he provider, if commissioned by Croydon QDI, will also provide details of the people
delivering the development activity setting out:
a. their experience and expertise in the sector generally;
b.
their specific expertise and experience in the area to be addressed in the development
activity;
c.
the research and inspection evidence which will be informing their input where
appropriate.
back to top of page
Delivery
10.
Continuing Professional Development can be delivered in a variety of ways and providers
should explain, in advance, the methods they intend to use and, where appropriate, give
reasons to ensure that participants are clear about what will be expected of them. Common
ways include:
a.
formal and/or informal presentations by the providers or participants;
b.
group discussions;
c.
exercises relating to the topic;
d.
role play;
e.
direct observation of participants’ and others’ working practices and discussion
of the methods and outcomes;
f.
coaching, modelling, mentoring;
g.
using ICT;
h.
other practical activities.
11.
The contents of the development activity will be informed by recent, relevant research
and/or best practice.
12.
The method of delivery will be appropriate to the subject of the development activity.
13.
Continuing Professional Development will only be delivered by those with the necessary
experience, expertise and skills.
14.
Materials used will be of a high standard, both in terms of content and of presentation.
15.
Providers will give careful consideration to the question of differentiation in delivery,
to take account of the possible different needs of those participating.
16.
The venue will be well-prepared, organised, equipped, comfortable and compliant with the
demands of the DDA.
17.
The provider will make clear, in advance, if they will be exercising any rights they may
have under intellectual property and Human Rights legislation to restrict the use of
materials during the development activity.
18.
Once a course/event has been planned and the programme agreed and issued, the course/event
will closely follow this programme. Courses – particularly those comprising of
several sessions – could vary in order to meet the emerging needs of individuals or
groups of participants.
19.
Once planned, it is expected that courses/events will run. Whenever practicable,
participants will be notified within 5 working days if it becomes necessary to cancel or
postpone an event.
back to top of page
Assessment
and Evaluation
20.
In the planning stage criteria for success will have been established and the provider
will put in place procedures whereby the school or individual, with the provider, can
evaluate the extent to which the provision has been successful in:
a.
meeting the needs of individuals and teams in their professional and career development;
b.
improving the individual’s or school’s capacity;
c.
meeting Equalities Assurance aims.
Not all these
outcomes can be measured and few will be measurable in the immediate period after the
development activity. Nevertheless a clear framework for considering the impact must be
part of any assessment process of development activity and where there are measurable
outcomes these should be included in the assessment with a timescale;
21.
The participants must be given the opportunity to make a judgement on the quality of the
development activity itself, considered against the requirements laid out above.
22.
If the support is to be on-going, procedures must be established to monitor its
effectiveness during the delivery period and, where necessary, changing or, in extreme
cases, ending the input by the provider.
General
provision
23.
The provider must make sure that participants can assess whether the aims of the course,
as set out in the preliminary documentation, and through objective setting based on needs
identification, have been met.
24.
Participants must be given the opportunity to comment on the quality of the development
activity judged against the requirements set out above. They will also be given the
opportunity to say whether their personal needs had been met and ways in which the
provision might be improved. Information gleaned from this exercise should inform future
planning and development of the content and delivery of the provision.
25.
If the participants have been assessed the provider will inform them of the results as
soon as is practicable.
26.
Continuing Professional Development providers, whether internal or external to Croydon
QDI, should clearly state what their intended learning outcomes are. The quality of
courses/events should be monitored and evaluated by comparing actual performance against
these intended outcomes.
27.
Performance information should be gathered by the provider. It should include learner
perception of quality of provision, and the frequency with which the course aims and
objectives are met. Other performance information such as participant objectives and the
ratio of courses run to those cancelled should be considered.
back to top of page
Equality
issues
28.
The provider will respect cultural diversity and ensure that access to the development
activity is open to all participants including those with disabilities and conforms to the
requirements of human rights and other legislation concerned in particular with race,
disability and gender. The provider will also have regard to the appropriate Council and
LEA Equalities Policies and when required will provide Croydon QDI with equalities
monitoring data for activities, courses or events.
29.
In planning the development activity the provider will give consideration to and take
account of the needs of those with childcare and family responsibilities.
30.
The provider will ensure that all of the standards required under Health and Safety at
Work legislation are met.
Complaint
31.
The provider will follow the agreed Complaints Procedure, available from the Principal
Admin and Finance Officer at the Centre.
Data
protection
32.
The provider will comply with the requirements of data protection legislation and respect
the rights of participants to decide what personal information about them held by the
provider is used and revealed to others.
Continuous
Improvement
Croydon
QDI is a member of the British Quality Foundation (BQF) and is committed to using the
Excellence Model to regularly monitor, review and evaluate its work in order to seek and
take opportunities to make improvements.
Croydon
QDI works within Best Value criteria and consistently strives to provide the highest
quality services and provide excellent value for money.
Acknowledgements
-
Good
Value CPD -A Code of Practice for Providers of Professional Development for Teachers
DfES publication 0059/2001 01.03.01
Contact
-
Croydon QDI, 7th Floor, Leon House,
233 High Street, Croydon CRO 9XT
Tel: 020 8726 7398
Fax: 020 8726 7440
e-mail:
teachers.courses@croydon.gov.uk
|
