Professional Development

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest”
– Benjamin Franklin

Introduction

The Centre for Educational Professional Development (CEPD) at The City School is committed to building the capabilities, skills, and expertise of the teaching faculty, school leaders, and office management through our extensive portfolio of professional development programmes.

“…If staff development is to be a key component of school improvement, if it is to be something that empowers teachers and makes schools more responsive, then Pakistan’s (i.e., The City School) experience has some lessons for us all.”

Times Educational Supplement, Strathclyde University, UK.

Since our inception in 1978, we at The City School have always aimed to achieve the highest standards of professional excellence by offering training and development programmes through various ongoing partnerships with international and national universities.

  1. At present, CEPD has launched several foreign training courses in collaboration with various universities, such as the University of Cambridge and Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU), United Kingdom.
  2. Currently, over 13,000 trainings have been provided to teachers and heads, which has enabled The City School to distinguish itself from other school networks in terms of teaching quality.
  3. More than 12,000 employees in the last decade have received training on various programmes offered locally and through foreign qualification or accreditation.

Recent Initiatives

Post Graduate Certificate in Education International (PGCEi) with Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU)
Post Graduate Certificate in Education International (PGCEi) with Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU)

Post Graduate Certificate in Education International (PGCEi) with Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU)

The City School takes immense pride in being the first educational organisation to collaborate with the School of Education at Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU), the United Kingdom, to hold PGCEi-CCCU in Pakistan, an international Level 7 qualification that targets pedagogy, andragogy, heutagogy, and innovative practices in teaching and learning.
The City School witnessed the launch of the first cohort of Post Graduate Certificate International (PGCEi-CCCU) in February 2021. This is a testament to our resolute commitment to empowering classroom practitioners and senior school leadership with diverse international perspectives and experiences in research, policy, and practice in education.
This partnership has opened doors to a loyal fraternity of engaged professionals at The City School under the banner of CCCU. The certification offers 3 modules, and upon successful completion of all modules in PGCEi-CCCU, the students will gain up to 60 Masters-level credits, which could provide them access to further Masters and Doctoral studies in the UK and develop specialist knowledge and skills for institutional development.
We have completed three cohorts successfully across the entire network, comprising 115 Level 7 graduates.

Leadership and Management Programme (LAMP), 2021
Leadership and Management Programme (LAMP)

Leadership and Management Programme (LAMP), 2021

The Leadership and Management Programme (LAMP) is a prestigious in-house training programme with a long-standing history at The City School.
Every year, CEPD organises LAMP for newly joined or promoted School Heads to harness the power of leadership and the organisation's policies, practices, and procedures. This training addresses School Heads' leadership and management learning to enable participants to reflect on their practices and ensure improvement through self and peer observations. This training encompasses the role of motivational drivers, emotional intelligence, leadership concepts, and communication methods to establish their leadership style. Heads of Departments (HODs) and their representatives also interact with the participants to give an overview of their departmental procedures directly related to school operations.

Professional Development Qualifications (PDQs) – Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE), UK
Professional Development Qualifications (PDQs): Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE), UK

Professional Development Qualifications (PDQs) – Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE), UK

PDQs are level 4 and 5 qualifications offered by CAIE, United Kingdom, that are designed to enrich teaching and leadership in schools. The City School has been offering three strands of PDQs to teachers and school leadership since 2018:

  1. Certificate in Educational Leadership (CICEdL)
  2. Certificate and Diploma in Teaching and Learning (CICTL/CIDTL)
  3. Certificate in Teaching with Digital Technologies (CICTDT)

We have accredited Programme Leaders (PLs) for three strands of Professional Development Qualifications (PDQs) to deliver the training. PL accreditation is valid for 2 years, followed by an annual review process conducted by Cambridge International and reaccreditation on an annual basis. The PLs aim to train teachers through PDQs to meet the needs and priorities of the school, teachers, and leaders, following guidelines and quality assurance procedures as outlined by Cambridge International. We have delivered several successful cohorts and are steadfast in meeting excellence to continuously develop teachers and leaders to become reflective practitioners.

Initial Teacher Training Education (ITTE) - The University of Cambridge, UK
Initial Teacher Training Education (ITTE) - The University of Cambridge, UK

Initial Teacher Training Education (ITTE) - The University of Cambridge, UK

Initial Teacher Training Education (ITTE) is a specialised programme of The City School, addressing the pedagogical needs and skills required by new teachers for an effective transition into the teaching profession. It is aimed at developing new teachers professionally by giving them a blended learning experience of theory and practice and thus raising standards by improving the educational performance of The City School's students.
This project was initiated in June 2019 in collaboration with the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge, UK, to train 60 teacher educators (TEs) across the network. These TEs, in turn, are now playing an instrumental role in training all teachers at The City School.
The teacher educators first received face-to-face training from Cambridge tutors in two tiers, in June 2019 and September 2019, in Lahore and Karachi, respectively. All TEs have now trained at least three cohorts of The City School teachers and will continue to do so. The ITTE training is for all teachers for their baseline professional development, consisting of three workshops that span over 120 hours.
We have completed three cohorts comprising 1600 teachers. This is a testament to The City School’s pledge to provide quality instruction and thus continue its legacy of the past 45 years of excellence in education.

Early Years Education PGCC (Post Graduate Certificate Course)
Early Years Education (EYE) and PGCC (Post Graduate Certificate Course)

Early Years Education PGCC (Post Graduate Certificate Course)

EYE is designed to provide school teachers and practitioners with the required professional skill set to hone and develop children in their care and to prepare them to become lifelong learners. This programme uses a combination of approaches, techniques, practice, and reflection to help educators develop a complex understanding of child development and issues relevant to the early years.
PGCC focuses on developing the knowledge and skills of teachers (3 to O levels) as per TCS Teacher Competencies, thus further improving teaching and learning in our schools. The course also focuses on developing reflective practices and professional inquiry methods.
At the end of these trainings, participants can actively work towards the academic excellence of students in their schools to improve learning outcomes in the classroom.

Train the Trainer (TTT) Programme
Train the Trainer (TTT) Programme

Train the Trainer (TTT) Programme

Train the Trainer (TTT) is a refresher course for Master Trainers who are responsible for further cascading training to concerned audiences. This training aims to provide Master Trainers with a conceptual background in training and practical skills for delivering sessions to teachers and staff. TTT addresses the processes and procedures of the training cycle and training strategies in both face-to-face and online learning environments.
CEPD organises the training centrally and administers it simultaneously in all three regions.

Our Partnerships

University of Cambridge

In our pursuit of improving the quality of classroom practices and building leadership capacity, we at The City School regularly collaborate with the University of Cambridge to embed global teaching strategies in our classrooms and enhance student learning. The University of Cambridge is a prestigious institute recognised worldwide in research, teaching, assessment, and learning.
This partnership has resulted in building the professional capacity of over 1600 teachers in three cohorts and continues to do so for future cohorts. After a successful collaboration on Initial Teacher Training Education (ITTE), The City School and the University of Cambridge are working on bringing more courses to staff.

Canterbury Christ Church University

On February 5, 2021, The City School and the School of Teacher Education at Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) signed an MoU to announce their strategic partnership to meet the rising demand for high-standard and affordable teacher training opportunities in Pakistan. Canterbury Christ Church University, UK, is globally recognised for its teacher training college and ranks in the Top 20 in the UK for Qualified Teaching Staff (HESA 2017/18).
The City School’s recent collaboration with Canterbury Christ Church University has granted us exclusive rights to deliver Level 7 Postgraduate Certificate in Education International (PGCEi) in Pakistan. This high-quality and affordable teacher training qualification is committed to empowering classroom practitioners and school leaders with diverse global perspectives and experiences.
The result of this course has led to a transformative impact on learners’ skill sets during classroom practices. To date, this strategic partnership has contributed to the upskilling of the professional capacities of more than 115 teachers and SLT members.
We are confident that this collaboration will redefine the educational sector of Pakistan and contribute further to the greater cause of excellence in education.

The University of Strathclyde

This institution was named ‘University of the Year’ in 2012 by Times Higher Education and again in 2019, becoming the first university to receive this award twice. The City School has had a long-standing successful partnership history with The University of Strathclyde, Scotland, since 1996 for a postgraduate level professional development programme, postgraduate certificate, and diploma courses (PGCC and PGDC) in Advanced Professional Studies and Management and Leadership in Education (M&LE), with successful graduates enrolling in Master level study.
The university has trained our faculty on ways to impart skill, knowledge, and learning to improve learning, teaching, and whole-school development on various strands of education and research.

University College London

The City School successfully conducted a 5-day Leadership Development Programme (LDP) through the Institute of Education (IOE) at University College London (UCL) (UK) in 2017. This training was provided by university tutors Kate Adams and Ian Smith and centred on polishing the leadership traits and characteristics of individuals working in senior positions.
Addressing the needs of primary school students, The City School initiated Primary Years Pedagogy (PYP) in 2017 with UCL, which addressed differentiation, inclusion, and research in Early Years Education. For this programme, Ms. Lizbeth Bullough was the main tutor.
The City School’s school inspectors from the School Improvement and Quality Assurance (SIQA) Department received a week-long training in 2018 at the Institute of Education (IOE), UCL, under the name of ‘Educational Accountability and Evaluation’ to understand and critically evaluate various school monitoring and evaluation systems along with inspection frameworks. This gave a new dimension to school inspectors in measuring school effectiveness and school improvement against international standards at TCS.

University of London

In 2016–2017, The City School enrolled a few School Heads in a Master’s degree programme at the Institute of Education (IOE) – the University of London. This programme revolved around the concept and practice of effective learning and teaching. It provided our participants with a wide range of research contexts relating to the principles and practices of successful learning. It supported them in critically observing and developing their learning processes and how their experiences relate to those of the students they teach.

Cambridge Assessment International Education

Professional Development Qualifications (PDQs) are level 4 and 5 qualifications offered by Cambridge International in the United Kingdom. These qualifications are designed to enrich teaching and leadership in schools. The City School has been offering three strands of PDQs to teachers and school leadership since 2018:

  1. Certificate in Educational Leadership (CICEdL)
  2. Certificate and Diploma in Teaching and Learning (CICTL/CIDTL)
  3. Certificate in Teaching with Digital Technologies (CICTDT)

To support the course, we have accredited Programme Leaders (PLs) for the three strands of Professional Development Qualifications (PDQs) to deliver training. Several successful cohorts have been completed, and we remain committed to continuing to meet the emerging demands of professional development.

The University of Waikato

The University of Waikato is ranked among the top 1% of the world’s universities and is globally recognised for research and facilities across numerous disciplines.
In 2012, The City School collaborated with The University of Waikato for a 6-day training in Primary Years Education (PYE) that was tailored and designed specifically for TCS teachers to provide them with a deeper insight into aspects of their teaching and build their capacity to further help students acquire leadership skills from an early age.

English Proficiency Test

The City School is an English speaking school system and all instruction is in English in every school.

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