A coherent approach to professional learning

The Professional Framework can provide an anchor for professional development throughout an individual’s career. Those leading CPD can make links to relevant principles where appropriate, whilst explicitly identifying where external CPD aligns with the Professional Principles, which can help individuals understand and recognise how broader CPD experiences fit within their career development pathway. With teachers increasingly engaging in CPD from a range of sources and providers, this helps to bring coherence to individual professional learning and development. Additionally, the professional principles support progression from the Early Career Framework, and also align with new NPQs, meaning they complement the DfE’s ‘golden thread’ that underpins the support, training and development offered to teachers as part of recent national reforms.

The Professional Principles are drawn from research and evidence and have been developed in consultation with the teaching profession. They differ from the Teachers’ Standards, which outline a minimum standard that teachers are required to uphold. Instead, the Professional Principles intend to define an aspirational standard that all teachers – and school leaders – can strive to achieve, aligned to both their current role and future career goals.

The Chartered Teacher Professional Principles build on teachers’ early career experiences and support ongoing professional learning and development for classroom teachers at all levels of experience, who are aspiring to the highest standards of practice.

The Chartered Teacher (Mentor) Professional Principles crossover with the Chartered Teacher Professional Principles to provide an alternative pathway for teachers who take on mentoring roles, enabling them to focus on developing both high-quality teaching and high-quality mentoring practice.

The Chartered Teacher (Leadership) Professional Principles build on the Chartered Teacher and Chartered Teacher Mentor Professional Principles, to support leaders’ ongoing development, with a focus on context-focused, evidence-informed leadership and school development.

Each set of Professional Principles is divided into three categories:

• Professional Knowledge: These principles define the knowledge and understanding that an effective teacher, mentor or school leader is expected to hold, relevant to their role. This typically includes knowledge around teaching and learning, curriculum and assessment.
• Professional Practice: These principles aim to articulate the specific practices that teachers, mentors or school leaders might enact in order to be effective in their role. These are typically skills that individuals develop and hone over time.
• Professional Behaviours: Theses principles reflect the key aspects of professionalism which transcend any individual role; they aim to capture the behaviours that all teachers might endeavour to maintain and strengthen throughout their career. As such, the Professional Behaviours are replicated across each of the three pathways. They include critically evaluating and reflecting on practice; engaging in relevant, career-long professional learning; exhibiting collegiality; demonstrating high standards; and engaging critically with research and evidence.

You can view the framework in full by completing this form. The framework includes guidance on how to use it for professional learning planning.