Induction rites and wrongs: the ‘educational vandalism’ of new teachers’ professional development

Abstract

The central theme of this article is that teachers’ professional development in England is not being taken as seriously as it needs to be. With reference to the induction of newly‐qualified teachers and the early professional development pilot schemes, it draws on data from several related pieces of research, to argue that cases of ‘educational vandalism’ exist. These are identified at three levels—the school, the individual and the current funding policy of the government. It is argued that the short‐term gain of money and time saved by non‐existent, inadequate or inappropriate continuing professional development has a number of significant effects. Teachers work below their potential, get stale, leave the profession—all of which result in generations of children not learning as well as they might have been. This paper argues that ‘educational vandalism’ needs to be eliminated. Investing in people’s development costs money but the alternative is more expensive.