Reflections of an Educational Leader: The Power of Collaborative CPD

Moving Beyond Sit-and-Get Sessions

Too often, CPD sessions are seen as passive experiences—teachers sitting in rows, being talked at for an hour, leaving with little practical application. However, effective professional development should be an interactive, immersive experience where teachers are actively engaged, critically assessing strategies, and considering how to apply them in their own classrooms. At Avanti, we are committed to ensuring that our CPD sessions reflect the very best in teaching and learning, and our most recent coaching and mentoring CPD session was a model of this approach.

CPD as Part of a Wider Strategy

This session did not exist in isolation; it was the culmination of weeks of work through our Coaching Walk’n’Talks initiative. Over time, I have dedicated time to walking the halls and classrooms of Avanti Grange, engaging with staff from a variety of disciplines and career stages, focusing on oracy in the classroom. These discussions, observations, and reflections were not just for the sake of gathering data—they fed directly into shaping the content of our CPD session.

This meant that when the session began, staff had already invested in the content. They had seen the focus areas in their own teaching, discussed them with colleagues, and had a stake in the solutions we were exploring. CPD in this sense was not just a top-down delivery—it was a collective effort where all voices mattered.

Modelling Means of Participation

To ensure the CPD was not a passive experience, we structured it to model active participation techniques. Instead of merely discussing how to improve classroom discussions, we demonstrated these methods in real time, encouraging staff to engage in the very strategies we want to see in classrooms. Some highlights included:

• Teaching Technique Bingo – Gamification encouraged staff to actively track the techniques used during the session. A special mention goes to Chris Wilson and Alison McCulloch , whose energy during the game was boarderline dangerous! The look of competitive destruction on the last technique was a sight to behold!
• Choral Response & Key Word Focus – Staff experienced how these methods can embed understanding of key terms.
• Think-Pair-Share & Turn & Talk – Discussion prompts allowed staff to connect concepts to their own teaching contexts.
• Echo Reading – Demonstrated as a means to engage students in collaborative reading practices.

By engaging with these techniques firsthand, staff could critically assess them, reflect on their effectiveness, and consider how to adapt them for their own subject areas.

The Role of Avanti Speaks & Devon Oakley’s Contribution

A crucial part of the session was Devon Oakley’s introduction of the Avanti Speaks initiative, a new oracy-focused approach that the Avanti Schools Trust is rolling out across all schools. Devon has worked extensively on developing Group Discussion Norms, ensuring that structured talk becomes a key part of classroom learning. She took these norms to student leadership, had them ratified at ELT, and is now embedding them into our school’s culture.

This initiative is bold—it challenges traditional methods of lesson delivery and places significant responsibility on teachers to scaffold meaningful discussions. However, Avanti Grange has the right culture and expertise to make this work. By integrating structured oracy practices, we are not just improving classroom talk; we are empowering students to think critically, articulate their ideas confidently, and engage deeply with learning.

The Energy & Impact of CPD Done Right

The session left staff feeling energised, valued, and ready to implement new strategies. More importantly, it reinforced that CPD is not just about receiving information—it’s about experiencing, reflecting, and applying. The engagement and enthusiasm in the room confirmed that when CPD is truly interactive, it leads to real professional growth.

The impact of this session will not end with its delivery. The Coaching Walk’n’Talks continue, Avanti Speaks is gaining momentum, and staff are already reflecting on how to embed these strategies into their teaching. CPD should never be about isolated moments of training—it should be an ongoing, collective effort that constantly refines and enhances the quality of education.

At Avanti Grange, we are building a culture where CPD is not something that happens to teachers, but something that teachers actively shape and contribute to. The result? A more engaged, reflective, and skilled teaching community—and ultimately, better outcomes for our students.