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Dixons City Academy

Professional deliberate practice

Vision for CPD

At Dixons City, every member of staff is committed to the pursuit of excellence as educators and uses high quality feedback to continually improve. Through regular and deliberate practice and bespoke CPD, every member of staff is empowered to teach and lead so we help all students to fulfil their potential.

All teachers engage in daily CPD each morning, with an additional session on Thursday evenings. Practice is a key part of our CPD and we may ask staff to: rehearse, spotlight great practice, have purposeful discussions, provide instant high quality feedback, act as a critical friend or plan collaboratively. Typically, daily CPD focuses on one specific goal and we aim for all teachers to plan for future action and have a specific takeaway so CPD instantly impacts on teaching and learning. Through daily CPD, teachers also develop a mental model of expertise and excellence. The focus of a CPD session is often followed up and repeated to ensure strategies are consistently embedded across the school. Teachers also have the opportunity to plan and facilitate CPD as well as be video recorded so we can share and celebrate best practice.

We are proud of the support and CPD opportunities available for new staff and NQTs. We have an intensive induction programme to ensure teachers are confident with our routines for learning and our key systems and structures. We want new staff to feel part of the Dixons City community so all new members of staff have a staffroom buddy outside of their department. NQTs are further supported with a mentor and have weekly meetings. They also attend NQT CPD and Dixons Trust NQT CPD. After the completion of the NQT year, as RQTs, teachers attend Dixons Trust CPD so they are further supported in their professional development. Additionally, we want all teachers to fulfil their potential no matter what their career stage and we encourage teachers to attend external CPD courses and Dixons Trust CPD. To develop leadership and management, teachers may complete the NPQSL or take part in one of the programmes through Ambition School Leadership. Teachers may also wish to complete a Masters or take part in conferences and courses through Bradford Research School.

We very much see development as a journey not a destination. Cervantes sums this up nicely, “the journey is better than the inn.” In addition, we strongly agree with Dylan Wiliam that everyone can get better regardless of their prior experience or starting point, and because everyone can get better, as educators we have a moral imperative to get better. As Wiliam states, “All teachers need to improve their practice—not because they are not good enough, but because they can be better.”