Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will introduce a school teacher development programme to enable all leaders and teachers to access continuing professional development.

Teaching quality is the most important in-school factor in improving pupil outcomes and is one of the department’s top priorities to raise the quality of teaching and school leadership.

The department has created an entitlement to at least three years of structured training, support and professional development for all new teachers. This is to bring teaching into line with other prestigious professions such as law, accountancy and medicine. Underpinning this is the new initial teacher training (ITT) Core Content Framework and the early career framework (ECF). Together, these ensure that new teachers will benefit from at least three years of evidence-based training, across ITT and into their induction.

Building on refreshed ITT content, from September 2021 early career teachers (ECTs) continue their journey by completing a two-year induction, based on the ECF. The ECF provides the solid foundations for a successful career in teaching. It outlines what all teachers should know and learn how to do during the first two years of their careers.

The offer includes a dedicated mentor and support for these mentors, including funding for mentors to spend time with ECTs in the second year of induction. ECTs are also entitled to 5% off timetable in the second year of induction to undertake induction activities and access to freely available high quality development materials based on the ECF.

In addition, the department has launched a refreshed suite of fully funded of national professional qualifications (NPQ) to support teachers across the profession, to help them become more effective teachers and leaders inside and outside the classroom.

To best address the broad range of responsibilities of current and aspiring middle leaders we have three specialist NPQs: Leading Teacher Development, Leading Teaching and Leading Behaviour and Culture. Alongside these, we are introducing two additional NPQs which will be available from autumn 2022: Leading Literacy and Early Years Leadership.

The three NPQs in Senior Leadership, Headship and Executive Leadership have also been updated in line with the latest evidence to give existing and aspiring leaders the tools and skills to transform their settings, offering the best possible outcomes for the staff and pupils in their diverse communities.

Taken together, these measures create a golden thread running from initial teacher training through to school leadership, rooting teacher and leader development in the best available evidence. More information about these reforms are available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1059686/Delivering_world_class_teacher_development_policy_paper.pdf.