15. Continuous Professional Development

A key strength of this school is that all staff sing to the same hymn sheet. This has not happened by chance.Ā  Over time, individualĀ attitudes, whole school ethos andĀ confidence in practice has grown.Ā  This has been nurtured and supported by the headteacher and her senior managers. However, as confidence has grown many other staff now feel able to demonstrate and share their own individual knowledge andĀ skills so that the school is aĀ trulyĀ learning establishment in its own right.Ā Ā  An exampleĀ of extending leadership for learning involves a Support for Learning Assistant (SfLA) whose skills had been recognised by a Speech & Language Therapist. The SfLA undertook Makaton training and subsequently became a Makaton tutor, delivering training to her colleagues during Twilight sessions.Ā  The school has now purchased Makaton Manuals and the level of Makaton understanding andĀ practice has significantly increased. Other SfLAs take the lead in rebound therapy and moving andĀ handling training. In line with Authority policy, formal timetabled Employee Review & Development (ERD) meetings allow each practitioner to discuss their strengths andĀ needs with their line manager.Ā  Support structures areĀ put in place where neededĀ and trainingĀ needs identified. In so far as formal training is concerned, the school undertakes a skills audit which is shown here. Ā Information from the audit is collated in a database to quickly identify current training needs across the school.
Prompt for Reflection How well do you know how you areĀ doing?
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