Professional development

At the heart of an active learning approach is the creative, adaptable professional who can enjoy developing the ideas that arise from children immersed in their learning.

Many staff are committed to and comfortable with this approach. Others may require support from headteachers, heads of centres and peers to develop their practice with confidence. For all staff, appropriate professional development which builds understanding, confidence and skill will be an important element in achieving high quality learning experiences for all young children.

For this to happen, local authorities, schools and pre-school centres will need to identify and plan for a range of continuing professional development opportunities for staff – through, for example, working with colleagues to learn from each other, reflecting together on current practice, and planning for improvements. Pre-school and primary staff have much expertise to offer each other. Increasingly, authorities are working successfully with staff from the different sectors including partner providers. This good practice of joint training should be applied wherever possible.

In putting the principles outlined in this document into practice, local authorities, schools and centres can be confident they are providing effective opportunities for children to develop as successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors.