Introduction
At Denla British School (DBS), professional development is grounded in the belief that improving teaching is the most effective way to improve student outcomes. This principle has increasingly shaped how we think about staff development across the school. As such, we have sought to design a coherent, evidence-informed model of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) that supports sustained changes in classroom practice.
Over the past three and a half years, we have refined and strengthened our CPD provision, aligning it more closely with our High-Quality Learning (HQL) framework and placing greater emphasis on evidence-informed practice. Our approach is underpinned by guidance from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), particularly its Effective Professional Development report (2021), which conceptualises professional development as structured activity aimed at improving teaching quality. Crucially, the EEF highlights that professional development must go beyond knowledge acquisition and support teachers to enact effective practices in the classroom.
Engagement with the Chartered College of Teaching’s professional learning pathways has been instrumental in supporting the development of our CPD programme, strengthening our use of evidence and providing practical structures for translating research into classroom practice.
This article reflects on our approach to embedding CPD, the role of Chartered College school membership in shaping this work, and the emerging impact on professional practice.
Aligning CPD with a coherent model of teaching and learning
DBS is a relatively young school and, during its early development, strategic consideration of CPD was not a primary focus. In practice, this meant that professional learning could at times feel disconnected or episodic. As a result, a significant shift in recent years has been a move away from one-off professional development sessions towards more sustained and structured programmes, aligned with the Lower and Upper School development plans.
Today, CPD at DBS is an integral component of a wider, coherent approach to teaching and learning. Our HQL framework defines learning as purposeful, evidence-informed, and centred on strong knowledge acquisition, drawing on Tom Sherrington’s interpretation and application of Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction (Sherrington, 2019).
This closer alignment has helped ensure that professional development is not an ‘add-on’, but something that directly informs classroom practice. In particular, CPD has focused on strengthening teachers’ use of explicit instruction, modelling, questioning, retrieval practice and feedback, all approaches that are well supported by cognitive science and classroom-based research.
Crucially, CPD is structured around the three phases of our HQL framework – Design, Build and Succeed – providing a shared language for both teaching and professional learning. This has been important in reducing fragmentation and ensuring that development priorities are consistently reinforced across the school.
From activity to impact – designing a balanced CPD model
This shift towards sustained, structured CPD reflects the EEF’s guidance (EEF, 2021) that effective professional development is most likely to lead to changes in practice when it incorporates mechanisms related to building knowledge, motivating teachers, developing teaching techniques and embedding practice.
At DBS, this has involved designing CPD as a coherent programme that combines engagement with research and evidence-informed content, opportunities for modelling and rehearsal of specific techniques, and structured follow-up through coaching and professional learning communities (PLCs). Rather than attending isolated sessions, teachers are now expected to engage in an ongoing cycle of learning, application and reflection. For example, teachers within sections and faculties engage with research-informed materials, identify a specific area of focus, and are supported to implement and refine this in the classroom over time.
PLCs and coaching conversations provide opportunities to revisit, reflect on and adapt practice, helping to bridge what the EEF describes as the ‘knowing, doing gap’, where teachers may understand new approaches but require support to implement them effectively (EEF, 2021).
This shift has been important in moving CPD from a focus on activity sessions that teachers attend but not necessarily engage with, to a focus on impact in terms of how teaching changes as a result. A further development has been a move away from measuring CPD in terms of attendance, towards a clearer focus on what has actually changed in the classroom.
The contribution of Chartered College pathways
Our Chartered College school membership has played a significant role in supporting this development, particularly through the provision of structure, access to research, and opportunities for sustained professional engagement.
Structured, evidence-informed learning
The Chartered Teacher and Mentor pathways offer a clearly sequenced programme of study, enabling teachers to engage with research in a manageable and structured way. For many colleagues, this has provided a clarity that can sometimes be missing in more ad hoc professional learning.
As one colleague noted:
“The methodical, structured approach ensures progress feels incremental and never overwhelming… there was never a point where I wasn’t sure what my next steps were.”
This reflects the importance of sequencing and managing cognitive load, not just for students but for teachers as learners. (EEF, 2021).
Developing reflective, analytical practitioners
A consistent theme in staff feedback has been the development of more deliberate, evidence-informed reflection:
“Engaging critically with research has made me more analytical and methodical… replacing vague notions of ‘getting better’ with clear, evidence-informed strategies.”
“It helped me slow down, reflect, and make meaningful, informed changes rather than relying on habit.”
What is notable here is not just the adoption of new strategies, but a shift in how teachers think about their own practice. This aligns with findings from Philippa Cordingley et al. (2015), which highlight the importance of developing teachers’ knowledge and understanding alongside opportunities to apply and refine practice.
Professional learning communities and collaboration
To support implementation, we have embedded the pathways within PLCs. These provide structured opportunities for discussion, collaboration and mutual support.
As one teacher reflected:
“The professional learning community… provided support and helped keep us motivated across the year.”
Sustaining change over time remains one of the most challenging aspects of professional development, and these collaborative structures have been critical in maintaining momentum. This aligns with evidence highlighting the importance of collaborative professional learning and peer support in sustaining changes in practice (Darling-Hammond et al., 2017).
Bridging research and classroom practice
A notable strength of the Chartered pathways has been their emphasis on application. Teachers are encouraged to connect research directly to their own classroom contexts:
“The course has complemented my day-to-day teaching… enabling me to apply evidence in practical, classroom-based contexts.”
“It has strengthened my confidence in making informed pedagogical decisions.”
In many cases, this has been supported through inquiry-informed approaches, where teachers test and evaluate changes in their own classrooms. This practical emphasis has helped ensure that engagement with research does not remain theoretical, but leads to tangible changes in teaching.
Impact and ongoing challenges
Across the school, we are beginning to see changes in professional habits, including consistent use of evidence-informed strategies, greater coherence in instructional routines, and more deliberate approaches to lesson design. These developments align closely with the priorities set out in our HQL framework and have been supported by our involvement with the Chartered College pathways.
There has also been a noticeable cultural shift. Professional development is increasingly viewed as intentional, sustained and grounded in classroom practice. As one colleague summarised:
“Professional development now feels purposeful and accessible… supporting sustained, long-term growth rather than short-term change.”
However, this work has not been without challenges. At times, there has been a degree of overlap between existing in-school CPD and Chartered College content, which has occasionally reduced its perceived added value.
This has prompted more careful thinking about how these pathways are positioned within the wider CPD offer. In particular, we have focused on making clearer links to school priorities and creating more opportunities for subject-specific application. We are also exploring how colleagues can share their learning more widely, ensuring that the benefits extend beyond individual participants.
This process has highlighted the importance of not only selecting high-quality professional development, but ensuring that it is carefully aligned with school priorities and meaningfully integrated into day-to-day practice.
Conclusion
Our engagement with the Chartered College of Teaching has supported the development of a more coherent and evidence-informed approach to CPD at DBS. In particular, it has provided structure, access to research, and a shared framework for professional learning. Perhaps more importantly, it has helped to shift how professional development is understood across the school.
Resources such as the Chartered College’s Impact journal have provided a valuable source of insight, enabling staff to connect research with classroom practice in a meaningful way.
At the same time, this work remains ongoing. Embedding effective professional development is a complex and iterative process, requiring continual alignment, evaluation and refinement. There is still more to do to ensure consistency and depth of implementation across all areas of the school.
Our focus moving forward is to strengthen further the connection between evidence, professional learning and classroom practice, ensuring that CPD remains deliberate, sustained and consistently focused on improving outcomes for all students. The Chartered College pathways have played a central role in supporting this development, particularly by providing structured access to research and sustained opportunities for professional learning, and will continue to be integral as we further embed and refine our approach.
References
Cordingley P, Higgins S, Greany, T, Buckler N, Coles-Jordan D, Crisp B, Saunders L and Coe R (2015) Developing great teaching: Lessons from the international reviews into effective professional development. Teacher Development Trust. Available at: https://chartered.college/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/DGT-Full-report.pdf (accessed 23rd April 2026)
Darling-Hammond L, Hyler M E and Gardner M (2017) Effective teacher professional development. Learning policy institute. Available at: https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/product-files/Effective_Teacher_Professional_Development_REPORT.pdf (accessed 23rd April 2026)
Education Endowment Foundation (2021) Effective professional development: Guidance report. Available at: https://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/production/eef-guidance-reports/effective-professional-development/EEF-Effective-Professional-Development-Guidance-Report.pdf (accessed 20th April 2026)
Sherrington T (2019) Rosenhine’s Principles in Action. London: John Catt.