This post has been provided by Anne McGhee, a consultant who has been working with the CPD team to support CPDFind and other online CPD initiatives. It is hoped to inform and start a wee debate on what we would like CPD providers to tell us about themselves before we will part with our hard-earned CPD budgets!

 “It is important that this part of the provider’s details be completed as it may have implications on the uptake of your services.  Although many authorities and schools implement their own evaluation procedures it will be important for providers to demonstrate an ongoing commitment to quality and improvement. As a rule of thumb, the quality statement may include the following: 

• Statement of the quality of tutors eg all tutors are former teachers and are GTC registered.
• Details of your evaluation mechanisms; the format they take, how you implement and review them to ensure quality of CPD opportunity development and delivery.
•  Details of your commitment to quality and improvement through participating in CPD relevant to your field
•  Membership of Professional Bodies
•  Quality Standard Awards eg Investors in People, SQA approved
•  Reviews undertaken by external assessors eg HMIE”

As always comments are very much appreciated on the blog or by email to cpdanswers@ltscotland.org.uk

Considerable progress has been made on the CPDReflect front over the last few months. Here are some of the details and decisions made.

• We have agreed a detailed design and 3T are developing the solution as I write (more pictures soon!)
• LTScotland has agreed to host the tool on their servers to let us get maximum benefit from integrating this product with other LTS online services (including our very own CPDFind)
• We will exemplify the Standard for Initial Teacher Education and the Standard for Full Registration in the initial phase.
• CPDReflect will only be readily available to users of Glow

Timescale

The CPD Team are looking to improve the way that policy is developed and practice is shared and making even stronger links between the two. We are very keen to involve as wide a range of practitioners in our work as early as possible.

The Flexible Routes to Headship pilot programme has been operational for 9 months involving 30 participants across 5 local authorities. A unique feature of the programme is the support provided for each participant by a Professional Development Coach. This support is currently focussed on each participant’s Professional Learning Plan constructed following self evaluation against the Standard for Headship.

Timescales
Assessment criteria and performance

The National CPD Team are undertaking a review of the Professional Review and Development (PRD) process. We recommend that the Standard for Full Registration be central to this review and the cornerstone of PRD and CPD for the Scottish teaching profession. For some post holders there are other Standards which will be the focus of their PRD but the SFR is the baseline professional Standard and should be placed in a fundamental central position.

‘Good professional review supports