A balanced approach to professional development

Research tells us that one of the most important things we can do to improve pupil outcomes is to continuously develop the quality of teaching and learning (Higgins et al., 2014).

This means that, as we move towards a new school year and begin to consider training opportunities for teachers, many school leaders will be thinking about how best to ensure that the professional development we provide actually has a lasting and sustained impact on classroom practice.

The EEF’s Effective Professional Development guidance report highlights essential building blocks – or mechanisms – which can help to bring about changes in teacher behaviours and improve pupil outcomes.