GovWire

Phase 1

The Department for Education (DfE) commissioned Ofsted to carry out an independent review of teachers professional development. See the terms of reference for the review. Our interim findings focused on the experiences of the training and development that teachers have engaged in since April 2021.

Phase 2

The second phase of our study found that, as in our phase 1 findings, the early career framework (ECF) is generally being implemented successfully, with early career teachers agreeing that their training is effective and having a noticeable impact on their career. National professional qualification (NPQs) are also largely seen as relevant and high-quality by those studying them. However, for those not on an ECF or NPQ pathway, teachers were generally less positive about the quality of the training and development opportunities that they have recently received.

The report highlights some innovative ways in which the most effective schools that we visited are navigating barriers to provide their staff with accessible, relevant and high-quality professional development.

Our mixed-method approach

As part of our mixed-method approach, we drew evidence from alongitudinal cohort study of 40 teachers that we commissioned from the Institute for Employment Studies (IES). The views expressed in this report are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily represent the views of Ofsted.

The DfE also has published statistics on the ECF and NPQ programmes.