School: it's a place of learning in which young and promising individuals are moulded into knowledgeable, experienced and valuable members of society.

The statement is most obviously used in association with school children, but it can equally apply to people in teaching jobs up and down the length of the UK. Like in any profession, graduates are required to attain a general level of skill and basic experience before they are rewarded with their first job. Teachers start their first day of work fully competent and you can be confident in the knowledge you can engage with pupils, hold classes and structure planners, but that doesn't mean you will cease to learn anything over the course of your career.

Many teachers will see this accumulation of extra skills and experience as a fortunate and useful tool. One which will help them apply themselves to difficult professional situations in the future in a more effective manner than they may have do so in the past. They view it as a natural consequence of the career they have chosen and take it step by step.

However, some people in teaching jobs like to formalise this knowledge. Recognising it with qualifications and achievements, while ensuring their advancement via structured vocational courses.

Continued professional development 

Continued professional development (CPD) is relevant to many sectors, but for those who work in and around a learning environment, it can be a very useful pursuit. CPD exemplifies to peers, parents and even students, a teacher's commitment to continuously improving their skills, knowledge and expertise.

The advantages of CPD

1 - Qualifications. CPD courses are a great way to boost your CV. This may not be an important consideration if you are new to the teaching profession, having just finished your PGCE and looking forward to getting to grips with the practicalities of the classroom, but if you have been working for a few years, you may be ready to add another string to your bow. CPD courses can lead to MA qualifications and could be the difference between getting your ideal teaching role or just missing out.

2 - Conversing and sharing best practice with like-minded individuals. In an ideal school, the staff room would be a hotbed of peer-led discussion about the intricacies of the curriculum or the benefits of a particular way of learning. In reality it isn't, with your fellow teachers spending the brief few spare moments in their working day refilling the kettle before they try to get some marking done. 

A CPD course will give you the dedicated space you need to speak to motivated and enthusiastic teachers who have differing experiences to ones that you may have come across at your own school. You will have the opportunity to share and develop ideas with colleagues from different local authorities and learn how best to adapt them to your job.

3 - Staying up to date. Teaching is a fast-paced and dynamic profession. Often there is little time in the classroom to stay on top of all the advancements made in the educational industry and this can leave you feeling less confident that you and your pupils are working to your maximum potential. A good CPD course will put you at ease, highlighting genuine ways in which you could improve, but also reaffirming your belief in yourself that you are doing a good job.

4 - Learn new skills and subjects. CPD is one of the most effective ways you have to become a better teacher. The improvement can come in many ways, new experiences, exposure to new techniques, developing new-found confidence, but you will always need to acquire new skills to be better at what you do. Not only will these freshen-up your working day, they can have numerous benefits. Learning how to teach a closely-related subject to your own specialism, for example, will not only make you more employable, but can inform the way in which you approach abstract and difficult concepts you have struggled teaching in the past. CPD can also give you wider skills that extend outside of the classroom and improve your whole school. Many CPD courses can show you how to set up extra curricular or parent-led learning activities, for instance.