ABSTRACT
Continuing professional development (CPD), also known as professional learning, is an important part of early years. But there may be a tendency for it to be dominated by compliance training rather than professional learning opportunities. The rationales are multiple but from a pragmatic position start with the challenges of recruiting and retaining suitable staff in the early years' sector. They are also firmly connected to debates about quality and parental choice with developing practitioners as a crucial part of ensuring improved outcomes for children. The practitioners started thinking about children and wanted to undertake a project that would make a difference to practice. They began by identifying a specific early years' pedagogical approach, Sustained Shared Thinking, and then considering what they need to know and do to implement it. This led to a realisation that understanding their settings approach to CPD opportunities would be beneficial before embarking on a child-centred project.
