This enquiry focuses on one learning community of primary teachers as they undertake a school-based mathematics project with the intention of collectively improving practice, based on evidence collected through peer mentoring and coaching strategies. The aim of this research paper is to examine the challenges for teachers in using an evidence based approach to professional development working as a learning community. Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is closely linked to the government agenda for reforming the primary school workforce (DfEE 2001). Teaching as an evidence based profession has been actively promoted by teacher educators and government (Hargreaves 2000; Bird 2001; Helmsley-Brown et al 2003) alongside mentoring and coaching, and ‘learning from each other’ (CUREE 2007) as school-based strategies to achieve teacher and school improvement. The current promotion of learning communities within schools using mentoring and coaching for professional development is set in the wider context of a decade of CPD strategy (DfEE 2001, TDA 2008). The government strategy for CPD (DfEE 2001) had the aim of helping teachers make the most of available choices and integrating CPD with performance management and school improvement to build capacity in schools for effective professional development. E-learning and networked learning communities were later included in the strategy. In contrast, the government’s early reform agenda focused on centralization of CPD activity in primary schools, in order to achieve rapid training of all teachers at the introduction of the literacy and numeracy strategies. Although there was much resentment at the way the strategies were imposed, the end result was greater consistency of practice across the curriculum that challenged teachers’ beliefs and stimulated professional learning (Webb and Vulliamy 2006). However, such an approach to CPD assumes that progression is linear (Poulson and Avramidis 2003, McNamara et al 2008) and does not chime with research findings that CPD is most effective where teachers have ownership over their professional development (Cordingly et al 2003, Moor et al 2005). The curriculum development project in this research resonates strongly with a view of CPD that is school based and teacher led. This research project is set in the context of an established literature on mentoring, learning communities, teaching as an evidence based profession and models of professional development within schools (Blandford 2000; Lave and Wenger, 1991; Maynard and Furlong 1993)

The research is based on a case study of a cluster of primary schools who are working together on an evidence based mathematics curriculum development project. Teachers from each of the cluster schools work as a mathematics project team, dividing into pairs to plan teaching, visit each others schools to observe their cluster partner teaching in order to develop an evidence base for evaluation and development. Field notes of observations of the cluster meetings and observations of a cluster pair teaching and evaluating the sessions alongside interviews with the teachers form part of the research. Case study was chosen as the appropriate research method as while the focus is on one professional development project within one cluster it is evident that there will be generalisations that will be of value to other schools aiming to use an evidence based approach to underpin innovation in curriculum development and enhance teacher practice.

This research contributes to our understanding of how evidence collected in situ can underpin the development of practice and curriculum development. It demonstrates how involvement in peer mentoring has provided a means for the collection of evidence within an environment where teachers are encouraged to take responsibility for their own professional development. The creation of a supportive learning community gave teachers the confidence to observe and evaluate each others’ practice. The enhancement of their teaching skills alongside the difficulties that they faced and how they overcame them provide a research story rich in data and insight into the possibilities for schools as evidence based learning communities.