CPD Programme

The overall ‘flavour’ of the day was one of reconnecting with cohort colleagues and exploring ‘Action and Empowerment’ in the AP role. In order to achieve this, APs worked within their allocated Action Learning Set groupings for most of the day, as they moved through three substantial workshops:

1. Exploring change and evaluation of impact
2. Practising a ‘Time to Think Council’
3. Meeting as a (formal) Action Learning Set

Lou Mycroft then pulled things together with a high-impact exploration of empowerment and change including the metaphor of the Australian Bowerbird.  The Powerpoint slides  for the whole day can can be viewed below. We have also created a Padlet of useful resources used, or referred to, throughout the programme.

84% or respondents consider that there has been a positive change in the culture of peer-peer support within their  organisations (rated either 3 or 4, out of 5) as a result of this programme.

Programme attendance and the AP Toolkit are regarded as the most useful aspects of the programme.

Coaching models and related skills (and notably the Thinking Environment) were seen as particularly useful in driving positive change, alongside:

• learning about new improvement strategies and evidence-based-practice;
• networking, sharing and exposure to useful resources;
• gaining a better understanding of the meaning of outstanding teaching, learning and assessment (often focussed on learner engagement, challenge and differentiation).

Perhaps unsurprisingly, lack of time, resources, money and relevant infrastructure were seen as barriers to quality improvement and the AP role, closely associated with a deficit model of performance management.