Unlocking Teacher Development

Teacher development is vital, but it’s complicated.
In schools around the world, leaders are constantly seeking the best ways to support teacher CPD, deliver effective teacher training, and build sustainable professional development programmes.

Unlocking Teacher Development gives you the theory, tools, and practical advice needed to design CPD that actually works.

Drawing on two decades of experience in schools across the UK and internationally, Adam Robbins explores how school leaders can create the conditions that allow teachers to grow permanently and meaningfully. Whether you're leading whole-school teacher development, running INSET, coordinating CPD, or coaching individual teachers, this book provides a clear framework for success.

Inside you'll discover:

• How to build a culture that supports effective teacher CPD

• How Self-Determination Theory explains staff motivation and sustainable improvement

• Why developing teaching expertise is so challenging, and how to overcome it

• How to improve teacher training through evidence-informed approaches

• How feedback, coaching, and accountability can drive teacher growth

Unlocking Teacher Development is approach-agnostic: It doesn't push a single model of teacher training or CPD. Instead, it helps you understand the strengths and limitations of different strategies, from instructional coaching to whole-school INSET, so you can design development that fits your school's needs.

This book is ideal for:

• Senior leaders responsible for teaching and learning

• CPD leads and professional development coordinators

• Middle leaders and department heads growing teaching teams

• Educational consultants and international school leaders

About the Author

Adam Robbins is a teacher, teacher trainer, and coach with over 20 years of experience supporting teacher development in UK schools. He is the author of the acclaimed Middle Leadership Mastery and a trusted expert in school leadership, cognitive science, evidence-informed CPD and executive coaching.

If you're serious about improving teacher CPD, strengthening teacher training programmes, and supporting sustainable professional growth in your school, Unlocking Teacher Development is your essential guide.

"This book is like a GPS for navigating the mysterious labyrinth of teacher habits and is amusingly honest about the challenge of shifting seasoned educators’ entrenched routines. Adam Robbins brilliantly dismantles the myth of effortless change, revealing why good intentions often stall faster than an old school photocopier. Packed with relatable anecdotes, robust research and practical frameworks, Robbins doesn't promise miracles, but rather equips leaders with tools to gently yet firmly guide teachers toward improvement. It’s a refreshing, essential read that humorously acknowledges the complexity of habit-change without losing sight of hope or practicality."

Professor Haili Hughes EdD FRSA CCT

Teaching teachers is, without a doubt, harder than teaching students. Amidst the day-to-day chaos of the typical school, finding the time to even think about how to go about this critical task can be a tall order. For too long, leaders have had to fly blind when it comes to developing others. In this accessible but thorough guide, Robbins has provided many of the key conceptual keys to unlocking the ability and capacity to bring about positive change in a department, school, or MAT.

Adam Boxer, Lead Practitioner The Totteridge Academy and Co-Founder of Carousel Learning

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