YOUR GUIDE TO CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

YOUR GUIDE TO CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT What is Continuing Professional Development? Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is the process of continually updating and improving your knowledge and skills throughout your professional life. Typically it takes place through some form of training or learning activity, and is standard practice for members of professional organisations. Why is the RAD introducing a CPD scheme? The RAD is committed to producing the best teachers in the world. By introducing a CPD scheme, we will be able to evidence that our teachers are at the forefront of dance education and training, and that they have the most up-to-date knowledge and skills. By recognising the learning you do, CPD also gives you the chance to take an active role in your career development, and to pursue any personal interests you have. Who does the RAD CPD scheme apply to? Whilst any of our Members can take part in CPD activities, it is mandatory for teachers registered with the RAD, including teachers recognised by mutual agreement. When does the RAD CPD scheme start? The RAD CPD scheme starts on 1 July 2013. It operates on an annual basis, with a CPD year running from 1 July to 30 June each year. How does the RAD CPD scheme work? You will need to take part in a minimum amount of CPD activities each year in order to retain your Registered Teacher status. This is called your CPD requirement. Your CPD requirement must be completed within the CPD year, and you should be able to evidence that it is relevant to your dance teaching career. You can take part in RAD CPD activities or activities offered by other organisations. If an activity is organised and delivered by the RAD, it is called an internal CPD activity. If it is organised by another organisation, it is called an external CPD activity. To qualify as External CPD the activity must have: clearly stated aims and objectives demonstrable learning outcomes be relevant to your dance teaching career be able to be evidenced e.g. certificate of participation. How are activities valued? All CPD activities are either: Time-Valued Credit-Rated. You can meet your CPD requirement by engaging in either Time-Valued or Credit-Rated activities or a mixture of both. Time-Valued and Credit-Rated CPD activities are not meant to be exclusive of each other. By taking part in all types of CPD, you will meet your CPD requirement, and gain a breadth of knowledge and skills. For a full list of CPD activities, visit www.rad.org.uk/cpd 2 3

WHAT ARE TIME-VALUED CPD ACTIVITIES? Time-Valued CPD activities are those that are valued by the amount of time it takes to complete them. These activities could be internal CPD activities or external CPD activities. Some examples of Time-Valued CPD activities include: syllabus workshops first aid workshops conferences business management workshops. activity is Time-Valued CPD, contact the CPD department. What is the Time-Valued CPD requirement? The Time-Valued CPD requirement is a minimum of 24 hours of activities per year. If you complete more than 24 hours, the extra hours do not count towards your next year s CPD. Some Time-Valued CPD activities, such as learning new IT programmes, reading Dance Gazette or accessing online material, may be completed in a less formal setting. These activities are known as Independent CPD activities. Independent CPD will be different for everyone; it is important to include a broad range of activities in your Independent CPD. One third (eight hours) of the total Time- Valued CPD requirement can be from Independent CPD activities. activity is Independent CPD, please refer to the Fact File on page 10, visit www.rad.org.uk/cpd or contact the CPD department. Juliette went to an Introduction to the new Grades 4 5 syllabi workshop. The workshop lasted three days, and was valued at 24 hours. Because the CPD requirement is a minimum of 24 hours of activities per year, by attending the workshop, Juliette had completed her CPD requirement for the year. Maria s school had been hit badly by the recession and she was struggling financially. Wanting to maintain her registration with the Academy, but not spend much money, she planned her CPD carefully. Maria completed eight hours of Independent CPD, this included reading Dance Gazette (2 hours), attending a dance performance at a local theatre (2 hours), meeting with a business development advisor (2 hours), and attending a local meeting for RAD teachers (2 hours). This left her with just 16 hours CPD to complete. Maria decided to use the rest of her CPD requirement to help increase her income, so attended an RAD workshop for Dance Practice with Adults (8 hours), completed an online marketing course (4 hours), and attended two free seminars at a local college on business management (4 hours). Maria has now expanded her business and runs classes for adults. 4 5

WHAT ARE CREDIT-RATED CPD ACTIVITIES? Credit-Rated CPD activities are those that carry educational credits, are delivered by a publicly recognised education provider and meet the RAD Credit-Rated CPD criteria. These activities could be internal CPD activities or external CPD activities. Some examples of Credit-Rated CPD activities include: degree programmes higher education awards short courses. activity is Credit-Rated CPD, contact the CPD department. What is the Credit-Rated CPD requirement? The Credit-Rated CPD requirement is to take part in any Credit-Rated activity that meets the RAD criteria. As long as the activity meets the RAD criteria, it will count as your full CPD requirement for the whole year. In some cases, especially where a course lasts a number of years, it might even count towards your CPD requirement for future years. The RAD Credit-Rated CPD criteria Activities must meet the following criteria. They must: bear educational credits be delivered by a publically recognised institute include a minimum of 24 study hours per year be able to be evidenced as relevant to the teacher s dance teaching career. Su Lyn has been teaching for five years. She wanted to broaden her knowledge through further study and decided to take a two-year course in Dance and Cultural Studies at her local university. To make sure this course counted as her CPD, she checked with the university who confirmed that the course carried 10 educational credits and had 100 study hours each year. Because the course met the CPD Credit-Rated CPD criteria in both year one and year two, it counts towards two years of CPD requirement. 6 7

Frequently Asked Questions How will I know if an activity counts as CPD? A CPD activity is any training or learning activity that you can evidence as being relevant to your dance teaching career. If an activity is organised and delivered by the RAD, the material relating to the activity will carry the CPD logo, and a stamp to indicate if the activity is Time-Valued or Credit-Rated, and the number of hours or credits that the activity is worth. 01 HouRs 05 credits activity counts as CPD, you should contact the CPD department. How do I plan my CPD? How you plan your CPD is up to you. However a good place to start is to consider what you would like to achieve from your career in both the short and the long term and how you might go about achieving these goals. We have created a CPD personal development plan, which gives you an easy-to-use template, and some tips on how to start the planning process and what you need to consider. You can download the CPD personal development plan from the RAD website at www.rad.org.uk/cpd The RAD CPD scheme has been designed to give you the chance to take an active role in your career development. The more time you take to plan your CPD activities, the more you will get out of it. Are my CPD costs tax deductible? Applicants undertaking continuing professional courses should take advice as to whether the cost is allowable as a tax deduction according to their status as an employer, employee or selfemployed. Different rules can apply when the training is related to the updating of an existing skill, as opposed to the acquisition of a new skill. How do I record my CPD? You will need to record all the CPD activities you take part in every year. You must be able to evidence that all the activities are relevant to your dance teaching career, so you will need to keep supporting evidence of the activities you have engaged with. You will need to submit your record to the RAD, no later than 30 June each year. You can either do this by downloading a CPD declaration form from www.rad.org.uk/cpd, or requesting a CPD declaration form from the Membership department, which you will need to fill in and return, to arrive no later than 30 June each year. Submitting your CPD declaration form is part of the membership renewal process, and we will be unable to renew your membership on 1 September without it. In addition, the Membership department will also undertake an annual audit of the submitted CPD declarations of the worldwide teaching membership. Teachers randomly selected as part of the audit will be contacted and asked to submit evidence of their CPD activities in support of their CPD record form. What happens if I do not meet the CPD requirement? If a teacher is found to have failed to complete the CPD requirement, this may be regarded as a breach of the Code of Conduct and Professional Practice for Teachers registered with the Royal Academy of Dance and could be deemed misconduct, and membership and Registered Teacher Status of the RAD may be subject to sanctions, suspensions or termination as a consequence. A false declaration regarding completion of CPD activity will be regarded as a breach of the Code of Conduct and Professional Practice for Teachers registered with the Royal Academy of Dance and will be deemed misconduct, and membership and Registered Teacher Status of the RAD may be subject to sanctions, suspensions or termination as a consequence. However, cases of incomplete RAD CPD requirement will be reviewed by the Membership department on a case by case basis and all cases will be considered in a fair, efficient and transparent manner. Are there any exemptions from CPD? Yes. We understand that there are certain circumstances that may prevent you from meeting your CPD requirement. In these situations you may be eligible for a reduction in your CPD requirement or exemption from CPD for a defined period of time. Reasons for being exempt may include: pregnancy, maternity or paternity leave acting as a carer/care giver bereavement serious illness sabbatical, extended leave or career break relocation. You can find our CPD exemption policy and procedure guide online at www.rad.org.uk/cpd What do I do if I am eligible for exemption? You can lodge a formal request for exemption up to 1 June of the year you want to be exempt from. However, we advise that you contact us as soon as possible in case your request is not approved. Exemptions are only applicable for the year in which they are requested. What about countries with small numbers of RAD teachers? If you live in a country with less than ten RAD teachers, it might only be possible to run one Time-Valued workshop. In these instances you should try to make as much use of online CPD activities as possible, or to travel to other countries for RAD CPD activities or to attend external CPD activities. You may be eligible for a reduction in your CPD requirement. Reductions in CPD requirements will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, and we will take the availability of activities into consideration. 8 9

FACT FILE: TIME-VALUED CPD ACTIVITIES FACT FILE: CREDIT-RATED CPD ACTIVITIES What are Time-Valued CPD activities? Activities that are valued in time What are Credit-Rated CPD activities? Activities that are valued in academic credit Requirement 24 hours per year Up to 8 hours can be Independent CPD activities RAD Credit-Rated CPD criteria It must bear educational credits It must be delivered by a publically recognised institute What activities count? Examples of Time-Valued CPD activities Internal CPD activities External CPD activities RAD syllabus workshops First aid workshop EduCare NSPCC online course What activities count? Requirement It must include a minimum of 24 study hours per year It must be able to be evidenced as relevant to your dance teaching career Internal CPD activities External CPD activities that meet the RAD criteria. Enrolment on a credit-rated activity that meets the RAD criteria, for the duration of your participation in the activity. How do I evidence my activities? Attendance certificates A letter from the organising body or tutor stating attendance Examples of Credit-Rated CPD activities Degree programmes e.g. BA (Hons) Dance Education Higher education awards Short courses INDEPENDENT CPD ACTIVITIES How do I evidence my activities? A letter from the activity organiser detailing your enrolment on the activity and its duration What are Independent CPD activities? Activities that teachers may undertake in a less formal setting Examples of Independent CPD activities No single activity can be valued at more than two hours. Reading Dance Gazette or other dance magazines or journals e.g. Dancing Times, Pointe, Dance Europe Watching dance performances Learning to use new computer software Using online resources to learn more about dance Focused discussion with other dance teachers/colleagues Reflecting on your learning and recording it in your CPD Personal Development Plan Sitting on panels/committees that benefit your learning and development Writing articles or papers and publishing them in magazines, journals, newspapers, newsletters and RAD publications e.g Focus on Members, Focus on Education, Dance Gazette Writing a blog or vlog Presenting at conferences/seminars Mentoring Researching legal and government policies that affect you and your business Attending a regional RAD or Academy AGM Sitting on an RAD committee or panel or that of other organisations Participating in a dance class FOR MORE INFORMATION For more information about the CPD scheme, including the full Rules and Regulations, visit www.rad.org.uk/cpd If you have any general questions about the scheme or how it operates, please contact the CPD department on cpd@rad.org.uk If you have any questions about CPD activities and you are in the UK, please contact the CPD department on cpd@rad.org.uk. If you are outside the UK, please contact your National Office. If you have any questions about exemption from the CPD scheme, or want to know more about what happens if you do not meet the CPD requirement, please contact the Membership department on membership@rad.org.uk How do I evidence my activities? Independent CPD can be difficult to evidence. Please retain any material you think is relevant, from receipts for purchase to ticket stubs. 10 11

Photography Eric Richmond (front cover and pages 5, 7, 8, 9) David Tett (pages 4, 6, 9) Royal Academy of Dance 36 Battersea Square London SW11 3RA Tel: +44 (0) 20 7326 8000 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7326 8040 Email: cpd@rad.org.uk www. rad.org.uk/cpd Royal Academy of Dance is a charity registered in England & Wales No. 312826