Delivering high-quality CPD is one of the most persistent challenges affecting the education sector. With teachers juggling heavy workloads, limited budgets and shifting policy priorities, professional development is often pushed aside by competing demands.
At , which operates 24 campuses in the UK and over 120 worldwide, when we asked our school leaders what they needed most to advance CPD, the answer was clear: more time.
In response, in 2018 we took the bold step of introducing a two-hour protected CPD slot every Wednesday afternoon across all of our UK campuses.
This decision has transformed how CPD is planned, delivered and experienced by our staff, and it is a model used not just in the UK but across our 120 schools and five regions around the world.
Embedding protected CPD time
Every Wednesday all students go home an hour early, which gives teachers a dedicated window at the end of the day that must be used for CPD.
Crucially, this CPD is timetabled into the school day, demonstrating to staff that it is integral to the school’s culture and that investment in our staff development is a key priority.
As the dedicated CPD time is consistent across all 24 campuses in the UK, this makes it much easier for leaders to coordinate professional development at different levels within and between our campuses.
Collaboration between campuses
Each year the Global Teacher Academy, the unit responsible for CPD across OneSchool Global, sets out the network’s overarching priorities and creates carefully differentiated courses for all teachers to complete during the academic year.
Once these global priorities are established and the mandatory courses are timetabled, the next layer of CPD is shaped at a regional level, with subject or cohort leads being able to organise cross-campus meetings and plan collaborative activities to bring staff together.
This consistency means that even across a network of 24 schools, subject leaders can schedule meetings with their counterparts from the other campuses, knowing every teacher will be available during the protected time slot.
Autonomy for school leaders
Crucially, time is also put aside to be dictated by school leaders, who have the autonomy to set CPD priorities at a campus level, based on the unique needs of their students and staff.
This empowers campus principals to respond to challenges within their schools and decide the areas that need improvement, from strengthening behaviour strategies to enhancing special educational needs and disabilities provision.
In this way, CPD is not only aligned with broader organisational priorities but is also grounded in the day-to-day realities of each individual campus in the network.
Personalised professional pathways
Finally, the remaining time is filled by personalised individual training for each teacher based on their level, experience and development needs.
This is determined by clear stages that staff follow over time. For example, in stage 1 a new staff member completes induction modules and workshops. In stage 2, a more experienced teacher undertakes specific courses related to planning and delivering the unique pedagogy at OneSchool Global.
Once a teacher reaches stage 3, they can look at more personalised development opportunities, such as undertaking a National Professional Qualification or specialising in a particular area, such as mentoring or curriculum development, and completing action research relevant to their role, subject or students.
Having protected, ring-fenced CPD time also allows us to be reactive and schedule training sessions in response to changing government policy, helping teachers to rapidly adapt to new requirements.
Why it works
This multi-level approach to CPD ensures that every teacher engages with global and regional priorities but also has the flexibility and freedom to focus on campus-specific goals and their own professional development.
What makes it all work is that these different sessions are timetabled and planned for the entire academic year. Teachers know in advance which courses they are expected to complete, how long each will take and where there is scope to pursue their own professional interests.
This is particularly important in terms of enabling teachers to respond to feedback throughout the year, allowing them to access “just in time” CPD to improve practice and impact positively on student learning and progress.
A global model for professional learning
What began as a response to the simple request for more time has evolved into a global model for professional learning.
By protecting CPD within the timetable, structuring it at global, regional, campus and individual levels, and ensuring that it is diverse and personalised, we have created a culture where CPD is a core part of school life.
The result is stronger engagement, greater consistency across our network and, ultimately, better outcomes for students.
Rachel Beyer is global director of teaching and learning for primary at OneSchool Global
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