Continuing professional development is for everyone. The range of experiences that contribute to staff development is very wide and should be recognised as anything that progresses, assists or enhances your ability to perform your job such as attendance at courses, preparatory or follow up work for courses, reading professional materials such as journals, books, research information, school improvement work and membership of working groups. A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century (the national agreement) states that all teachers have an entitlement to a Continuing Professional Development plan that is agreed annually with their line manager and that is based on the assessment of individual need.
The booklet Professional Review and Development 2002 (SEED, 2002) highlights key principles and features which should be incorporated into schools' policies and practical arrangements. This booklet and the additional booklets listed below have been fundamental in structuring and informing North Lanarkshire's Guidelines in CPD.
A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century introduced an additional contractual 35 hours per annum for all teachers. Teachers are now required to agree an annual CPD plan with their immediate managers and to maintain a record of the CPD activities they have undertaken.
Scottish Government CPD documents and useful websites: