Professional Review and Development (PRD) Professional Update
For
Teaching Staff
August 2014
Content
1. Introduction
2. Purpose
3. Process
4. Self-Evaluation
5. Before the Meeting
6. Professional Development Plan and Professional Learning Record
7. The PRD Meeting
8. Professional Update Sign-off process
9. Confidentiality
10. After the Meeting
11. Professional Review and Development Meetings for Temporary and Supply Teachers
12. Professional Review and Development Meetings for Head Teachers
13. Appeals
14. Deferrals Process
15. Roles and Responsibilities
16. Evaluation of the PRD Process and Career Long Professional Learning (CLPL)
17. Finance
Professional Review and Development for Teaching Staff
1. Introduction
1.1 The Education Department is fully committed to supporting the professional development of all staff. Each member of staff has a valuable contribution to make in maximising the potential of children and young people in East Lothian. Professional review takes place within the overall framework for Career Long Professional Learning.
1.2 Policy Background and Context
The document published by SEED in 2003 entitled ‘Professional Review and Development’ gives a national framework for review for teachers. The framework addresses the outcome for National Priority 2: ‘to support and develop the skills of teachers’. In 2001, the national agreement ‘A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century’ established PRD as an entitlement and duty for teachers. It is the main vehicle for teachers and their managers to identify teachers’ professional development needs, and to plan how to address them through professional learning. The agreement requires that:
Ø Teachers shall have an on-going commitment to maintain their professional expertise through an agreed programme of Career Long Professional Learning (CLPL).
Ø Every teacher will have an annual Professional Development Plan (PDP) agreed with his/her immediate manager.
Ø Every teacher will be required to maintain an individual Professional Learning Record.
Ø Teachers will be expected to meet the full commitment of an additional 35 hours per annum for CLPL (Pro-rata for part-time staff).
Ø Head Teachers have a responsibility to ensure that staff have an annual review of their development needs.
Ø All staff are entitled to an annual Professional Review and Development (PRD) meeting.
Ø Any potential issues regarding the Professional Update process should be managed separately by line managers and individuals and not as part of the PRD process.
1.3 Professional Update
In January 2011 Teaching Scotland’s Future (The “Donaldson Report”) included recommendations on the nature and provision of Career Long Professional Learning.
From August 2014 the Professional Update scheme, which is based on a legislative requirement in the 2011 Public Services Reform Order, requires teachers be “re-accredited” i.e. to engage with the Professional Update scheme which lays out principles for the PRD process and makes continuing engagement in PRD and Career Long Professional Learning a requirement of every registered teacher in Scotland. The PRD scheme within East Lothian was validated by the GTC Scotland (GTCS) in July 2014.
1.4 Compliance with other Council Policies
The PRD policy is consistent with the Council's Workforce Development Plan and Learning at Work Policy which address in more detail the operation, support and development of all staff.
It is therefore recognised in line with the Learning at Work Policy that each teacher:
· remains aware of the duties and responsibilities of their job and any performance and professional standards and requirements; working to and maintaining these appropriately.
· Maintains training and CPD records as appropriate, in accordance with the guidelines of their professional body and the requirements of their role.
· Takes responsibility for their annual and interim PRD.
2. Purpose
PRD is intended to:
Ø Identify, and plan a route to meet, the professional development needs of individual teachers related to personal career development, school and local authority objectives
Ø Involve all staff in planning and quality assurance procedures within the school, through a systematic process of self and school evaluation.
Ø Enable teachers to take responsibility for their own development and professional learning as lifelong learners.
Ø Promote professional self-confidence and maintain and enhance staff motivation and job satisfaction.
Ø Improve levels of pupil achievement through increasing the effectiveness of learning and teaching.
3. Process
The PRD process is designed to give all staff opportunities to:
- Engage in an ongoing process of reflection and self-evaluation.
- Discuss progress and professional development needs on an annual basis.
- Review and evaluate progress in meeting aims and objectives agreed at the previous review meeting through CLPL activities.
- Agree aims and objectives for development for the coming year and a Professional Development Plan.
The process (overview of process Appendix 1) should be a positive and supportive experience intended to improve the quality of teaching and learning, and management, at all levels. The Council’s aim is to develop and embed a coaching culture which builds on trust
and respect. It gives staff the opportunity to take ownership and responsibility for their development. In order to achieve a coaching culture all reviewers should be trained in coaching. Training is available for staff through the central CLPL programme.
4. Self-Evaluation
It is important that the reviewee undertakes meaningful self-evaluation to ensure that the whole PRD process is valuable and worthwhile. This process should be continuous throughout the session and not regarded as a single annual event.
Self evaluation against the relevant GTCS Standard(s) should form the basis for the review and for setting CLPL priorities. Any professional learning arising from the process must be consistent with the teacher’s remit and relevant GTCS Standard, except when the teacher wishes to evaluate against another GTCS Standard by reason of promotion or other career aspiration.
The GTCS Professional Standard for Full Registration is the baseline professional standard and will inform the process for all teachers. Where appropriate, the GTCS Standards for Leadership and Management should be used.
Teachers may choose to reflect against the GTCS Standard for Career-Long Professional Learning as they progress, develop and enhance their knowledge, skills and professional values throughout their careers.
5. Before the Meeting
Preparation for the meeting should focus on self-evaluation including the following areas:
Ø Reviewer and reviewee agree a meeting date and time.
Ø The reviewer reviews the last PRD form and prepares the new PRD form (Appendix 2 pg 1-2) for the reviewee with the key priorities from the School Improvement Plan and shares with the reviewee.
Ø The reviewer and reviewee will review the previous Professional Development Plan (Appendix 2 pg 3).
Ø The quality of staff development recorded on the Professional Learning Record for the previous year.
Ø The impact on teaching and learning.
Ø Staff development needs arising from the School Improvement Plan or from the Service Improvement Plan Education.
Ø Other development needs including those related to personal career development.
The PRD form (Appendix 2) should be used in conjunction with the relevant GTCS standards. The Professional Learning Record (Appendix 3) for the previous year, should be shared with the reviewer at least one week before the meeting.
6. Professional Development Plan and Professional Learning Record
The Professional Development Plan will be based on the PRD meeting and signed off by the reviewee and reviewer. All teachers should maintain an accurate and comprehensive record of professional activities undertaken. Further guidance on this, along with guidelines for preparing for PRD Professional Update are available on ELNet and Edubuzz.
7. The PRD Meeting
The PRD meeting must be viewed as part of the learning and teaching focus of the school and not as a standalone event. It is only part of the PRD process. The relationship between the reviewer and the reviewee is important as this will set the tone and direction for the meeting. The quality of professional dialogue is crucial and the reviewer must ask open questions to support the reviewee’s thinking and development.
The reviewer will normally be the reviewee’s line manager as they will be familiar with their work. In certain circumstances a member of staff may request that another manager facilitates the PRD process. Should another manager be appointed, it is essential that this manager knows the work of the individual member of staff concerned and is in a post of an equivalent status to the original manager (reviewer). Should no agreement be reached as to who the other manager is and the matter remains unresolved, then the teacher may opt to pursue a grievance under the Grievance Procedures for Teachers.
The format of the annual meeting is set out below:
Ø Self evaluation against the relevant Standards are discussed. (Appendices 4 -6).
Ø The Professional Learning Record is discussed.
Ø New/revised development objectives for the coming year are agreed and recorded on the Professional Development Plan. (Appendix 2 pg3).
Ø A CLPL programme is planned to meet these objectives.
A checklist for reviewers and reviewees is provided. (See appendix 7).
NB
· The PRD meeting is a time for reflection and discussion on professional issues and identification of areas to take forward to promote job satisfaction and professional development.
· Any issues about capability or competency must be taken up separately and not raised at a PRD meeting.
8. Professional Update “Sign-off” process
Engagement in Professional Update is an ongoing process, with professional learning and PRD at its heart. Every five years, teachers will be required to confirm their engagement in this process with the GTCS. Like the Professional Learning Record, this will be completed on the MyGTCS online system. The teacher will confirm the following statement.....
“I confirm that I have engaged in ongoing professional learning and reflected against the appropriate GTCS Professional Standards. I have maintained a reflective record of professional learning and evidence of its impact on my thinking and professional actions. I have discussed this with my line manager as part of my Professional Review and Development process.”
And the Reviewer will click to say they confirm the above statement.
9. Confidentiality
The discussions and reports associated with PRD will be confidential to those immediately involved in the process, the head of establishment and the Executive Director of Resources & People Services.
10. After the Meeting
The reviewer provides information of the CLPL needs to the designated member of senior management who has responsibility for the school co-ordination of CLPL. Any needs which cannot be met internally should be collated and sent to the Training and Development Officer in the Education Department (See appendix 8).
The Reviewee needs to ensure they have updated their contact information with the GTCS on an annual basis. This can be done by registering for a MyGTCS account at http://www.gtcs.org.uk/mygtcs-application-form.aspx
11. Professional Review and Development Meetings for Temporary and Supply Teachers
All temporary and supply teachers have an entitlement to a PRD meeting and are required to engage in the PRD process. Temporary and supply staff who are in employment should request a PRD meeting in any school where they have worked for 4 consecutive weeks or more in an academic year. Due to the very nature of supply it is likely that the supply teacher has covered various schools for a number of days at a time rather than for 4 consecutive weeks. In this case the supply teacher would be required to contact the Head Teacher who conducted their interview for appointment to the supply list for a PRD meeting to be arranged. This is an important step in ensuring that the GTCS requirement for all registered teachers to engage in continuing PRD professional update is met.
If supply teachers are unable to identify how to make a contribution to a specific school’s improvement plan, they will identify the contribution they can make to the broader priorities of the Service Improvement Plan Education, as well as self evaluating against the appropriate GTCS professional standard.
12. Professional Review and Development Meetings for Head Teachers
Head Teacher PRD meetings are conducted by the Head of Education or their representative. The Head of Education will carry out up to a third of Head Teacher PRD meetings on an annual basis. The Quality Improvement Officers, representing the Head of Education, will carry out the remaining meetings each session. The Quality Improvement Officer knows the school well and is in a good position to have a professional dialogue with the Head Teacher.
Any Head Teacher is entitled to request a meeting with the Head of Education at any time on a personal or professional issue. Likewise, the Head of Education will meet with Head Teachers out with the PRD process.
Head Teachers may decide to take part in a peer review process alongside the PRD process. This can be highly beneficial to both parties and is to be commended for all staff, this is separate from the PRD process. The Head Teacher may use the information gathered in preparation for the PRD meeting and to plan professional development activities.
Areas of professional interest which are cited for development, exploration or reflection will be submitted to the Training and Development Officer, by the reviewers. This information will be used to plan courses, conferences and seminars and will feed into the evaluation and compilation of the Service Improvement Plan Education.
13. Appeals
The right of appeal will apply in two areas:
• Failure to agree the sign-off for a plan or record in the annual PRD process.
• Failure to agree the sign off for the 5-yearly Professional Update process.
Experience with the PRD process suggests that such appeals will arise only in very exceptional circumstances. Should a difficulty be encountered in either of the two areas above, the following steps will be taken:
(1) A further attempt to resolve the situation by discussion should be made by the teacher and the manager.
(2) If this fails, then the teacher may approach a more senior manager and present their reasons for appealing. The more senior manager would discuss the matter separately with the teacher and the original manager, and may also meet with them jointly. The more senior manager will then reach a decision on the matter.
(3) If the matter remains unresolved, then the teacher may opt to pursue a grievance under the Grievance Procedure for Teachers.