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Continuing professional development through the DfES training school programme

Abstract The author, who is Director and Deputy Head Teacher of a newly established Department for Education and Skills training school, examines the origins of the successful bid for training school status, the proposed changes to professional practice and informed discourse, and the enhanced expertise which it will bring to all involved, and how already this has had a positive effect on school staff development practices. The development of the school's continuing professional development (CPD) practices, which will be funded partly from the training school, will influence the burgeoning culture of teacher-practitioner research, building the capacity for improvement, advancing the cause of informed practice and benefiting pupil learning in the process. In short, the school will become a CPD school training all its staff throughout the different stages of their career and not just focusing on initial teacher training alone. Also examined are existing CPD practices, with a significant focus on the school-based MA and the development of a CPD continuum for all professional colleagues, whether their professional practice is classroom based or as a ‘paraprofessional’ working in a support activity within the organisation.