Part of our ‘Navigating Ofsted’ series, this free resource encourages you to reflect on how research is used in professional learning and whether that research is translating into practice
Are you:
This 90 minute, self-paced module will guide you through.
The Ofsted framework now has a stand-alone section that assesses the quality of your school’s ‘professional learning and expertise’. Under the previous framework, CPD was not inspected in its own right, though it was touched upon in the leadership and management section.
Now though, inspectors coming to your school will assess whether or not you are meeting this requirement.
Staff engagement with evidence-informed practice is inconsistent across most schools. Where it does exist, it’s often undermined by two barriers: research is typically presented in dense academic formats that busy teachers cannot easily access, and previous failed initiatives have created justified scepticism about new programmes.
Strategic use of research addresses both. When professional learning draws explicitly on credible evidence, and when that evidence is curated and presented accessibly, staff are more likely to engage, because they can trust the approach is grounded in something tested, not fashionable.
Implementation of research-informed practice also requires care. Surface-level adoption without understanding underlying principles (what researchers call “lethal mutations”) leads to ineffective implementation and reinforces scepticism.
The Ofsted framework now explicitly expects this: professional learning programmes that draw on the best available evidence, with staff continually seeking to improve expertise through high-quality research and effective practice of others.
When schools approach research strategically, curating it carefully, embedding it into existing structures, and supporting implementation through to sustainable change, the quality of teaching quality and staff retention strengthens.
This module will help you to reflect on the importance of embedding quality research in CPD. It will also support you to share research with staff in accessible, actionable and relevant ways. Throughout the module, you will reflect on how what you’ve learned applies to your school or setting and identify actionable next steps to continue your learning.
At the Teacher Development Trust, we’ve had over a decade of experience working with over 500 schools, supporting teachers and leaders to improve their confidence, skills and expertise in professional development. We help leaders invest their CPD resources wisely.
In a 90 minute session designed to fit into PPA time, we’ll give you the basic tools to be able to build your own coherent CPD plan through:
Once you register for our CPD hub and purchase the module, you can work through it at your own pace. The complete module takes 90 minutes and is designed to fit into PPA time, but you can pause and return whenever it suits you. You’ll have access to your progress and can download your certificate when you finish. Many leaders study it alongside their leadership team or use it to prepare for governance conversations about professional learning.
Senior leaders with responsibility for professional development and school improvement.
Middle leaders (heads of department, heads of year, SENDCos) wanting to introduce evidence-informed approaches in their team.
Teacher mentors and coaches supporting colleagues to engage critically with research. Trust leaders wanting to harmonise approaches to research use across schools.
This module gives you the thinking and practical approaches. Many leaders pair it with the CPD Focus Module to ensure research-informed CPD is strategically planned, or with the Use of Expert Knowledge Module to ensure research use is genuinely collaborative.
Built on Experience
We’re focused on one thing: helping school leaders understand their CPD deeply and invest wisely in what actually works.
We believe in partnership. We believe in evidence. We believe in the humility to keep learning and adapt. We’ve worked with schools and we understand the complexity and the constraints. We’re not external consultants parachuting in with a template. We’re partners who know what it takes to actually change practice.
When leaders do this work well, when they understand their CPD and invest strategically in what works, schools transform. That’s what drives us.
All Online Learning modules are intended for individual rather than cross-school or trust use. Any certificates of completion will be in the name of the Hub account holder.
The Teacher Development Trust’s insights on what makes great CPD are informed through our close work with education research, as well as our experience of working with over 500 schools on building stronger professional development programmes through the 7 Domains of People-Powered School Improvement
Each module is also shaped by the influential practice of school leaders working in education today, as seen in our case studies.
Join us to explore how leaders can tap into the power of great CPD and create cultures of professional growth that inspire joy and agency.
A one-day collaborative conference bringing together anyone interested in making staff development in education count.