CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT POLICY
Vision
Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is the ongoing training and education for staff. BCC is committed to CPD because the Company’s aim is to deliver consistent high-quality care and teaching which is highly responsive to all children’s needs. The Company understands that to achieve this the management team constantly needs to:
- Evaluate practice and teaching; and
- where we find it does not meet our high standards;
- provide focussed professional development which impacts on children’s well-being, learning and development.
What is CPD and how does the Company provide this?
CPD is a cycle – we observe or reflect on practice; identify a need; create a training Priority for Improvement on a Professional Development Plan; do the training; evaluate the effectiveness and impact of that training; update the Professional Development Plan which might include a new Priority for Improvement, then observe and reflect again to maintain the cycle of continuous improvement. See Appendix 1.
Ways to achieve training include attending external courses, reading journals, visiting other settings, mentoring, meetings, peer to peer observations, supervision, discussions and Cascade Training. Appendix 2 is a chart showing all the things that can be considered part of Professional Development. As well as helping you gain skills and develop your learning, all of these things can also help you create further Priorities for Improvement as good training and learning experiences inspire you to the next challenge.
You are encouraged and given time for training where appropriate. You have a Professional Development Folder where all CPD paperwork must be kept. This folder should be taken to all CPD meetings including appraisals and must be kept at nursery in lockers.
You shall ensure that you receive no less than 10 hours CPD each year, running from September to September. This shall be in addition to training which is necessary for the safe conduct of the job or is required by law. Such training includes First Aid, Fire Warden and Safeguarding training. This will be checked and discussed at appraisals, supervision and other Professional Development meetings.
Professional Development Plan
You have a Professional Development Plan (folder 1.4.1) on which personal areas for development are recorded. You are encouraged to reflect on your practice and teaching and set yourself Priorities for Improvement, but room leaders, managers, CLs and Senior Managers can also suggest Priorities for Improvement following observation of your practice, teaching, observations and assessment.
Information from many aspects of professional development will feed into creating the Priorities for Improvement, such as peer to peer observations, feedback from the Manager and CL, supervision and room development plans. Appendix 2 shows what can inspire you to create their Priorities for Improvement and all of these things are also considered CPD. This creates a continuous cycle of training, improvement and further training goals.
Professional Development Plans are kept in your Professional Development Folder and should be discussed at appraisals, supervision meetings, mentoring meetings and meetings with managers or room leaders.
You can ask to discuss your development with a manager at any time if you feel you have worked on a Priority for Improvement and wish to add others. Notes of discussions are recorded on the form as well as an evaluation of the impact of that training on children’s well-being, learning and development. When a form is completed, a new one is started and the date noted on the previous form so that there is a continuous flow of development, evaluation and new Priorities for each member of BCC staff. Old forms must be kept in the Professional Development Folder for up to a year to show progression.
Should you fail to engage with this Professional Development process or make any progress, the manager or mentor will refer this to the Managing Director who will meet with you to discuss reasons for this and support you through the process. New Priorities may be written with deadlines given or procedures may be initiated under the Poor Performance Policy.
Training Co-ordination
Professional Development is co-ordinated by the nursery manager. You must liaise with the nursery manager to request and organise training, including but not limited to external courses, in accordance with your Priorities for Improvement.
The Company acknowledges that not all training needs to happen as an external training course, so will be creative in how it helps you achieve training needs identified.
BCC Cascade Training is held once a year, from 9.30 until 12 on a Saturday morning or from 6 until 7.30pm on a weekday evening. You are expected to attend all such sessions unless prior notice is given to the Managing Director. Dates are given in advance and those returning from maternity leave are also expected to attend as you will have been kept informed. You will be paid £25 for attending Cascade Training.
You are expected to read Nursery World and other publications to keep yourself updated with childcare issues. This reading will count towards the 10 hours. To assist with this each Nursery has a subscription and you can also access Nursery World articles online with a password which is provided to all.
Administration and Payment
When booking training, consideration must be given to staffing for that day and training may not be possible if two members of staff are already on holiday or out of nursery.
Due to the nature of the business, some group training has to be held during evenings or weekends. You are expected to attend all group training unless a valid reason is given. The level of attendance will be noted and used to inform salary reviews.
Time for training carried out during normal working hours, (internal and external) shall be considered as normal working hours and paid as such. Time spent for training outside normal working hours shall not be payable unless otherwise indicated by the Managing Director prior to attendance. Normally, time will be paid as overtime or hours given back during that working week.
Where training (other than Cascade Training) takes place on a Saturday, the rate of pay will be advised in each situation.
Where training takes place no more than 10 miles from the normal place of work during working hours, no additional payments for travel costs shall be made by BCC. Where the training takes place outside normal working hours, a £12 allowance per session is payable to cover additional costs. For training which takes place more than 10 miles from the normal place of work, you are entitled to reasonable travel expenses agreed with the Managing Director prior to incurring the cost.
Should a course cost more than £70, you will be asked to sign a Training Fees Agreement whereby costs of training are paid back to BCC on a sliding scale should you leave within a year of the course.
Evaluation of Training, Impacts and Next Steps
When attending an external course, you should take these forms with them to fill out on the day of your course while the information is fresh. These evaluation sheets should be discussed with the manager before they are filed in the individual’s Professional Development Folder. If Inspired by my Training sheets are put on display they must be filed in an individual’s Professional Development Folder when taken down. Through discussions with the manager, you should organise to cascade what you have learnt, to your room team, at staff meetings, or at group Cascade Training, as appropriate.
Through evaluating your training you must reflect on whether you have achieved any Priorities for Improvement on your Professional Development Plans or have discovered other Priorities that you would like to work towards. You can discuss this with managers, mentors or CL’s as appropriate. See below.
Appraisals
An appraisal is a formal performance related review to evaluate the individual’s strengths and areas for development and individual performance against agreed objectives over an agreed period of time.
All staff have an annual appraisal. To prepare for this you fill in an Appraisal Form, the contents of which are discussed during the meeting (folder 1.4.4). The nursery manager will fill in a Spot Check document which will be discuss at the appraisal.
Long term targets and areas for improvement will be agreed at the appraisal and noted on your Professional Development Plan as Priorities for Improvement. Priorities for Improvement are continuously monitored and updated. However, if considered necessary, some will be monitored and updated by the Managing Director throughout the year through a series of follow up meetings, the first date of which will be decided at the appraisal.
Appraisal material is kept in a secure and confidential environment; documents are scanned to the confidential HR folder. You keep the original Appraisal Form in your Professional Development Folder.
Your performance appraisal forms part of your annual salary review.
Spot Checks
Managers, room leaders and senior managers can carry out a “spot check” (folder 1.4.1) as a way to ensure policies are being followed. Any issues discovered will be discussed with you and Priorities for Improvement can be added to your Professional Development Plan. Issues can also be added to Room Development or Nursery Development Plans. All paperwork will be filed in your Professional Development Folder.
Peer to Peer Observations
Peer to peer observations are used to help with development. They may be used to help you achieve a Priority for Improvement or just to help staff share good practice and ideas. Mentors should use peer to peer observations during the probation period.
Where you need to develop an area of practice, you may be asked to observe another member of staff who is strong in that area. This will hopefully support you in understanding how you can improve your practice.
Comments are noted on a form (folder 1.4.1) after the observation has finished, and should be shared between the observer and observee, and then with your mentor and/or nursery manager and Managing Director as necessary. Documents are filed in your Professional Development Folder and scanned to the HR folder.
Suggestions for Peer to Peer Observations can come from appraisals, mentors, CLs, managers, senior managers and you. The aim is to match your practice needs with another’s practice strengths for the benefit of both individuals as well as the nursery, children and staff team.
Working at other BCC Nurseries
The Company believes there can be benefit in working in other BCC nurseries. Practitioners can gain different perspectives and new ideas. You may be asked to observe practice at another BCC nursery as part of a peer to peer observation.
If you attend another BCC setting you will receive a £10 travel allowance for each day worked at a BCC nursery other than that named as your main place of work in the contract of employment. A day means a shift of more than two hours. If you are working at another BCC setting for more than 2 weeks, you will be paid for the extra travel by additional mileage or additional public transport costs. These must be submitted to the payroll department.
Reflective Practice
You are encouraged to constantly reflect on your practice and evaluate how you can improve, individually and as a team. This is part of the Company’s self-evaluation process and ties in with the Professional Development Plan as above. The Company encourages nursery teams to use the Ofsted Inspection Toolkit to assist with self-evaluation and documents are available to guide this. Please see the Self-Evaluation Policy in the Policies Handbook.
You are encouraged to reflect on your practice and if possible, solve any issues yourself. If any issues are affecting your work, you can request supervision.
Working with assessors and trainers
If you are undertaking training or qualifications outside the setting, managers, CLs and mentors, as appropriate, will be proactive in feeding back any concerns about your practice to trainers and assessors who visit the setting to observe you. This will be done consistently each visit, not left until you are nearing qualification or sign off. Any forms must be filled in reflecting an honest professional opinion and feedback must also be given in an honest professional way, remembering that the Company is always mindful of whether you are a “suitable person” under the EYFS and whether you demonstrate the standards expected of a Bristol Childcare practitioner.
CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT POLICY
Appendix 1 – Cycle of Professional Development
CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT POLICY
Appendix 2 – Chart Showing What Is Professional Development and how all these things can also help staff decide on Priorities for Improvement