PT ENGLAND SCHOOL POLICY
STAFF DEVELOPMENT
INTRO:
A Staff Development programme will improve teacher effectiveness thus enhancing learning opportunities for students.
OBJECTIVES:
1.To increase teacher effectiveness.
2.To improve learning opportunities for students.
3.To achieve increased job satisfaction for staff.
4.To meet the requirements of the Charter.
5.To ensure teaching practice is current and appropriate for the needs of individual students.
6.To enable outside assistance to be called as required.
GUIDELINES
1.The Principal will present to the BOT by the end of February each year a staff development programme for approval.
2.A minimum of one curriculum area will undergo a 'Major Review' each year. This will consist of a full evaluation of current practices including teaching methods, resource allocation and availability, catering for individual differences, the direction given in the School Education Plan, and recommendations for future development.
3.A schoolwide review will be conducted before the end of each school year for specified curriculum areas and all special programmes.
4.An outcome from these 'Reviews' will be the update of the Education Plan and strategic planning for the subsequent year.
5.A minimum of two full Staff Training Days will be held annually
6.Regular Staff meetings, Senior Staff meetings, and team meetings will be held with agendas/minutes/contents kept and filed. These meetings will be critical, analytical and will focus on professional development.
7.Opportunites will be available for staff to attend courses, seminars, conferences, exhibitions and meetings both in and out of school time. Expenses for these will be met where approved by the Principal within agreed budget limits. Staff who have attended offsite courses will provide feedback to the school where and as appropriate.
8.Subscriptions to journals, periodicals, papers and magazines will be taken out where appropriate. These will be funded from curriculum budgets except those of a general nature which will be funded separately.
9.The school will take membership of and registration with relevant educational organisations. This will be funded from curriculum budgets.
10. Additional Staff Development programmes will be set up for Beginning Teachers (See separate policy statement on BeginningTeachers.)
11. In selecting staff to participate in out of school courses during school time priority will be given to :
* the school's needs for improvement
* the teacher with the particular responsibility
* the next most suitable person in terms of a likely benefit to the individual and the school.
12. A record of attendance will be kept of staff attendance at on and offsite professional development meetings.
13. An increasing degree of professional development will be carried out on the school site for groups of staff or the whole staff.
Formulated: 1990
Reviewed: 1999
2002
2005
2009
2013
2018
2023
2025