Changing Professional Development

Tony Clarkson | Deputy Headteacher, DESS

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic forced the world to be innovative and act in often unconventional ways. The range of learning models adopted within the education sector - online, blended, distance, recorded, live lessons - demonstrated the ability of teachers and school leaders to respond to, and implement change, at rapid pace.

At DESS, we embraced change and pioneered a new approach to Continuous Professional Development (CPD). An effective CPD programme is vital in any school to encourage teachers to develop their practice and ultimately learn new ideas to take into the classroom. Getting it right would increase teachers’ efficacy and motivation but would also ensure the best possible outcomes for our children.

Change can bring about much excitement and creativity, however, it can also have a negative impact on staff health and wellbeing if not managed correctly. In addition, CPD may not have been top priority for many staff, which is why we were careful to plan this programme with wellbeing in mind. We partnered with the Art of Brilliance, an organisation which specialises in positivity, motivation and developing ‘brilliant people’. What followed was a series of online workshops, with titles such as ‘Gritted Teeth’, that were rooted in scientific research and Positive Psychology.

Another significant change was the way we delivered CPD, due to the new restrictions we faced. We required a programme which was flexible and personalised but still ensured we were maintaining high standards and allowing our staff to grow. Thus, ‘Online and Ondemand’ became the new theme for our CPD provision – CPD which was available anywhere and at any time. In-house training videos were developed and content shared via our internal Microsoft Stream Channels; webinars and online courses were made available, links to articles and inspirational TED talks were shared all via our in-house DESSflix guide. We even entered the world of Podcasts which enabled collaboration with colleagues at DESC via our joint ‘Podcast PD’ initiative. Colleagues were challenged to listen to various podcasts on a particular theme over a set number of weeks. Following this, staff were invited to join online forums to discuss ways in which the new ideas they listened to could be implemented at DESSC. We also arranged keynote speakers for these meets, including leading practitioners such as Tom Bennett and Lucinda Powell. Constantly striving to be innovative, we ventured deeper into the podcast world by recording our own ‘DESS Irresistible Learning’ series, with the aim to share ideas, staff stories and connect with each other in new ways.

The pandemic has accelerated change across all industries and education has truly felt it. The need to think differently, act quickly and maintain morale has certainly given us the incentive to develop new initiatives and practices which, despite being born out of the chaos, will perhaps stick with us for many years to come. At DESSC, we will continue to strive for the very best ways to invest in our staff and of course, provide the best learning experiences our children deserve.