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PD and School Improvement

Office for Standards in Education (2004). Making a difference. (HMI 1765) UK: OFSTED. 

This extensive UK report details an evaluation of the extent to which in-service training courses made a significant and sustainable contribution in participants' schools. Inspection of the 26 courses offered by 15 providers focused on:

  • how well the training courses had been designed to support sustainable school improvement
  • the ways that training supports school improvement
  • the factors that enhance or reduce the impact of training on school improvement
  • the effectiveness of the providers' monitoring of the impact of the courses on participants and schools
  • the extent to which the courses represent good value for money (pp. 4-5).

Inspections included discussions with course leaders and tutors; examination of documents (handbooks, assignments, course evaluations); interviews with current course members; and visits to schools of previous participants to interview participants, senior managers, colleagues and pupils. Lessons were observed. School development and improvement plans, schemes of work, performance data, and performance management information were also scrutinised (p. 5).

Some findings were that:

  • award-bearing in-service training courses had supported participants in bringing about significant improvements in pupils' work, teaching, pupil assessment and target setting, curriculum planning, implementation of national strategies and systems for review and self-evaluation
  • the courses had increased teachers' subject knowledge; improved their organisational, interpersonal and analytical skills; given them greater knowledge and understanding of current initiatives; and enhanced their leadership and management capabilities (p. 6).