Read the ‘Independent review of
teachers' professional development in schools: phase 2
findings' report.
The report finds that the ECF is generally being
implemented successfully, with early career teachers agreeing
that their training is effective and having a noticeable impact
on their career, particularly in the areas of pedagogy and
behaviour management. High quality mentoring and investment from
their school and from Trust leaders were found to be essential
factors in an early career teacher's success.
NPQs
are also largely seen as relevant and high-quality. In the most
effective schools, the learning from NPQs is being used
more widely as a tool to improve staff retention and make
whole-school improvements. Teachers and leaders value the new
range of available NPQs and leaders
told Ofsted that they are keen for the funding to continue so
that more staff can have access in future.
However, Ofsted found that less than half of those surveyed who
were not on an ECF or
NPQ
pathway thought they were benefiting from a high quality and
relevant teacher development programme. In several schools
visited for the research, the teacher development offer was
piecemeal and not strategically aligned with school improvement
or teacher development priorities. School leaders told Ofsted
that workload pressures, and the cost of providing cover while
teachers attended training, were long term barriers to teacher
development.
The report also highlights some innovative ways that the most
effective schools are providing staff with high-quality teacher
development, including flexible formats and methods, and
networking and partnership working.
Ofsted Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver said:
I am pleased to be able to report that the Early Career Framework
and National Professional Qualifications are providing teachers
with well-constructed and effective development opportunities.
High-quality teaching has a long-term positive effect on pupils'
life chances, particularly for children from disadvantaged and
vulnerable backgrounds. So it is important that all teachers
benefit from development opportunities, based on the best
available evidence.
Notes to editors
-
The review was commissioned by the Department for Education
(DfE) in 2021 and was designed to explore teachers' recent
experiences of training and development, as well as how the
government's early career framework (ECF) and updated range of
national professional qualifications (NPQs) are being
implemented in schools. The findings from the first phase of
the research were published in May 2023.
-
Ofsted commissioned research from YouGov
and the Institute for Employment Studies to provide
additional data to sit alongside it's own research on this
topic.
