Organisational aspects

Continuing education and specialised training are two ways that contribute to teachers’ continuing professional development.

Continuing education is both an entitlement and a duty. It aims to improve and update teachers’ professional knowledge and competences, professional mobility and career advancement.

Specialised training is defined as additional training that allows teachers to gain qualifications in other educational duties that assist schools to work efficiently and the education system to develop.

Continuing education

Decree-Law No. 22/2014 of 11 February, in its current form, establishes the legal framework for the continuing professional development of teachers and defines the corresponding system for its coordination, administration and support.
The objectives of continuing professional development are to promote the fulfilment of the training priorities of teachers in schools, with a view to implementing their educational and curricular projects and improving their quality and effectiveness, improving the quality of teaching and pupils’ learning outcomes, and supporting the professional development of teachers.

There are various types of continuing education: training courses, training workshops, study circles, short courses or, at the request of the Continuing Education Scientific-Pedagogical Council (CCFPC), internships and projects.

Continuing education is organised by different training bodies:

• higher education institutions.
• municipal and intermunicipal-based school associations training centres, which consist of schools and kindergartens.
• not-for-profit professional or scientific association training centres.
• Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MECI) central services, in areas considered important for developing the educational system and
• other institutions whose intervention is deemed useful in this domain, and which are public, private or cooperative non-profit entities accredited for this purpose.

The accreditation of training bodies, trainers and training courses is the responsibility of the CCPFC. For the purposes of career development and progress, teachers must attend and pass continuing education or specialised training courses for 25 hours at scale 5 and 50 hours at the remaining scales.

For the above-mentioned purposes, valid training is that which is accredited by the CCPFC, recognised and certified by the training bodies (short courses) and undertaken within the framework of the European programmes, provided it is accredited by the CCPFC.

The School Association Training Centres (CFAE) should draw up an annual or multiannual training plan, considering the priorities indicated by the associated schools. The continuing education courses that are part of the Centres’ training plans are submitted for accreditation by the CCPFC.. The CFAE may establish collaboration protocols with public, private and cooperative bodies to provide training in priority areas.

School leadership training is a key area where training initiatives have followed the MECI’s strategy. Overseen by the Ministry, the extinct Directorate General for School Administration, now Agency for the Management of the Education System, I. P. (AGSE, I. P.) has formed different partnerships and designed training programmes that target mainly top-level school leadership. It is hoped that their impact is reflected throughout all school leadership and will improve students' quality of learning. 

The quality of training is guaranteed via a variety of regulation mechanisms, via monitoring by the AGSE, I. P. and external evaluation, which is the responsibility of the Inspectorate-General of Education (IGEC). The model of continuing education involves short training courses (recognised and certified by training bodies) that last a minimum of three hours and a maximum of six hours. This training is important for career development, alongside accredited training and specialised training, with a maximum of five hours on scale 5 and ten hours on the remaining scales.

This legal framework applies to all teachers working in state schools, in Portuguese schools abroad and private and cooperative schools registered in the CFAE and ensures free compulsory continuing education for teachers. 

Specialised training

Decree-Law No. 95/1997, 23 April, establishes the legal framework for the specialised training of nursery school teachers and teachers in primary and secondary education. Specialised teacher training involves the acquisition of scientific, pedagogical and technical skills and knowledge, as well as the development of critical thinking, innovation and research skills and attitudes in a specific field of educational sciences.

All teachers who are fully qualified and have at least five years teaching experience at the time the course is held may take a specialised course.

The following training areas are defined in the Specialised Training Legal Framework: special education; school administration and educational administration; social-cultural activities; educational guidance; curriculum development and organisation; teaching-practice supervision and training the trainers; training management and development; and communication in education and information management. 

Specialised training courses are provided by higher education institutions and span 250 hours. The curricula include a general training section on education sciences that should not occupy more than 20 % of total instruction time, a section on the specialised area that occupies no less than 60 % of the course and a section based on a project in the area of specialisation. This training should also be submitted for accreditation by the CCPFCl.

Incentives, supporting measures and funding for participation in continuing professional development (CPD) activities 

Training organised by educational administration is free for teachers. Time away from school to attend continuing professional development (CPD) is deemed work time and, as such, is remunerated. Leave of absence taken to attend training may be obtained for not more than five consecutive or eight random working days per year.

Leave of absence for CPD organised by educational administration (i.e., the MECI’s central and/or regional departments, the school/school cluster in which the teacher works) is preferentially given when training takes place during the teacher’s non-teaching hours. Whenever training cannot be done during non-teaching hours, teachers can attend during their teaching timetable. Whatever the case, training can only be authorised provided that the non-clustered school/school clusters have ensured that there will not be a break in the lessons the teacher normally gives. If the training course is upon the teacher’s own initiative, leave of absence can only be granted during school holidays.

After a written request by the teacher interested in taking CPD, it falls to the director of the school cluster/non-clustered school to grant the teacher leave of absence.