Teaching School Hubs express fury at “extreme centralisation” of DfE plans on teachers’ professional development

Providers of the government’s flagship career development programme for teachers have expressed fury after the Department for Education cancelled at the 11th hour a host of courses they were planning to run from September, in what critics are labelling “extreme centralisation” of policymaking under the schools minister, Nick Gibb.

Civil servants suddenly told leaders of the government’s newly-appointed Teaching School Hubs earlier this month that they were now not being allowed to run professional development courses unless these were aligned with government priorities.

There is also unhappiness that the move is heralding a standardisation of all in-career professional development for teachers across England, with schools forced to use training provided by a small number of DfE-approved providers. These were described angrily as “the government’s mates” by one multi-academy trust chief executive.

Another provided details of a Department for Education email, described in detail below, which underlines the degree of centralisation.

There were signs, however, this week that officials may be struggling to contain a backlash against their move. I was told that a zoom meeting shortly after it was announced featured “absolute vitriol” against the idea from more than 100 people involved with Teaching School Hubs.