Staff Professional Development

Cheam High School has an excellent staff development programme with a wealth of experienced staff working with teachers and support staff.  The focus is very much to continually strive for outstanding outcomes for students.

Staff are committed to their own development and many take part in helping others to progress.  Staff attendance at training sessions is high and evaluations are very positive for all internal training that we offer.

SPD (Subject Planning and Development) Sessions

These run regularly on Thursdays after school with subject teams focusing on what is being taught next and pedagogical areas for development within a department.

CCPD (Cross-Curricular Professional Development) Sessions

Staff have signed up to three cross-department groups to provide a depth focus to compliment the breadth provided in SPD sessions. These groups are:

  • Explaining and modelling
  • Questioning and feedback
  • Practice and retrieval

Focus groups and forums

Regular forums such as BTEC forum and Teaching and Learning forums are run with opportunities for staff to share good practice with colleagues and develop their own practice.

Support Staff

Support staff have many training opportunities throughout the year, for example behaviour management, The Adolescent Brain and Managing Conflict and First Aid training.

Statutory Training

Statutory training such as Child Protection and Safeguarding, Anaphylaxis Awareness and the Use of EPIPEN and Asthma Awareness and the Use of Emergency Inhalers run regularly throughout the year.

Other Training

More specific training for teachers teaching the Life curriculum takes place regularly.  Pastoral leaders receive training regarding SEN, attendance and safeguarding in the PLM meetings.  Subject Leaders receive training in SLM regarding curriculum and training developments and SEN.  Bespoke SEN training for departments also takes place.

External Training

Staff may attend specialist external training as part of their individual professional development or to support student outcomes and school or subject specific priorities. Many staff take part in regular subject specific training and staff in specialist roles may attend external training courses run by specialists in areas such as pastoral care, First Aid, mental health and wellbeing, MAGT and Challenge.

Support for ECTs

ECTs (Early Career Teachers) are staff embarking on the first two years of professional development as a teacher, having completed their initial teacher training.  ECTs receive bespoke support from a mentor, as well as a course of learning modules, completed both online and through in-person training sessions, which allow ECTs to learn their craft, before practising with their classes and reflecting on this.  The school has designed its own programme working with accredited materials provided by Ambition Institute to ensure that our ECTs are both well prepared and supported.  ECTs all receive timetable reductions in their first and second year to give them allocated time for their learning.

Initial Teacher Training (ITT)

At Cheam High School we work with a range of ITT courses and providers to help support staff in their first training as a teacher.  ITT students , whether though school SCITT or PGCE placements, receive a bespoke programme of support including weekly training sessions from school staff as well as 1-2-1 guidance and support from a mentor.  We have had a lot of success recruiting ITT students at the end of their placements after training with us.