The CPD (Continuing Professional Development) of all staff at Shrewsbury is taken very seriously, with everyone from cleaning staff to senior leaders benefiting from opportunities to update their skills on a regular basis.

The majority of regular training takes place on site via scheduled INSED sessions and visits from guest experts,  but many staff also attend meetings and courses in venues around Thailand and other countries in Asia. Occasionally staff members will fly to England or even America for key courses, such as training for the Harkness Method, which takes place at Exeter College, Boston, USA. Trainers from the UK and elsewhere also come to Shrewsbury to lead training with select members of staff.

The time after school on Tuesdays is typically dedicated towards CPD, which takes place in a variety of formats (note: sometimes substituted for department time or parent:teacher consultations). This could be a chance for staff to cascade information or activities they have experienced having attended a course, or an opportunity to develop a key area of the curriculum. These are often workshop in style, encouraging staff members to think deeply about their practice, constantly thinking about how they could do an even better job. Staff are also encouraged to take part in Webinars as well as other reflective forms of development such as the Mindfulness seminars which were recently provided to a large cohort of staff. Additionally, the Learning and Teaching Committee exists to create opportunities for whole school events such as Teachmeet and Learning Lunches. The Committee works alongside the newly established Shrewsbury Institute in pushing forward and developing teaching practice.a

Our school is an active member of both the Bangkok Teacher Network (BTN) and FOBISIA organizations. Through this we have developed strong links with other schools in the region, opening up further chances for CPD, through reciprocal visits and shared training.

One of the key principles of both organizations is to offer affordable opportunities, often through JAWS sessions (Job – Alike – Workshops) where many attending have the opportunity to lead a session on a particular expertise as well as learn from others doing a similar job to them in a different school.

Shrewsbury has recently hosted JAWS sessions for Teaching Assistants (BTN), attended by over 300 people, and Early Years Professionals (FOBISIA). Other agencies such as Dragonfly and the Knowledge Source Institute host regular courses in Bangkok which have been well received by staff members attending.