Tensions between National, School and Teacher Development Needs: a survey of teachers' views about continuing professional development within a group of rural primary schools

Abstract

From a case study looking at continuing professional development (CPD) within a rural primary school cluster, teachers' views of the way their needs were met, what controlled their CPD, and the impact of school and system needs on their CPD experiences were analysed. This confirmed the existence of tensions between these levels of need in relation to CPD. Nevertheless, these data also show the primary teachers as largely compliant in allowing this to be the case. This article suggests that they identify their own with their schools' needs, partly because of the current managerialist system where external pressures – league tables, inspection -are mediated through school development plans and performance management. The effect is seen as a loss of professional autonomy. A stronger sense of responsibility for individual professional development, grounded within the context of their role in a professional community, is called for, but this must also recognise the realities and complexities of teachers' lives and careers.