Despite growing recognition of the importance of research-informed practice, the further education (FE) sector in England continues to face systemic barriers that limit teachers’ engagement in inquiry. Continuing professional development (CPD) often remains compliance-driven, prioritising external accountability over context-sensitive innovation (Ball, 2003; Coffield, 2017). This erodes teacher agency, narrows professional growth, and suppresses critical thinking and problem-solving.

This paper shares learning from two complementary initiatives that challenge this status quo, placing practitioner inquiry and collaboration at the heart of sustainable educational improvement. While rooted in FE, we argue that the approach is transferable to schools, higher education, and other learning communities seeking more meaningful and agentic models of professional learning.

The first initiative,"[College] Projects", launched in 2021, adopted a project-based approach to CPD in which Teachers were invited to explore questions arising from their own practice, design interventions, and reflect critically on their outcomes. Across just one academic year, more than 160 practitioner-led projects explored context-specific pedagogical questions, spanning curriculum design, inclusive practice, and beyond. This sparked wider cultural change: replacing graded observations with voluntary, teacher-requested learning visits; supporting collaborative teaching experiments; and creating space for innovation and risk-taking. A showcase event celebrated this work, amplifying teacher voices and inspiring others to engage in inquiry.

The second initiative is the Further Education and Skills Research Alliance (FESRA), launched as a pilot in early 2024 to build a collaborative research culture across 18 South Coast colleges and training providers. Through action learning sets, peer-led tutorials, and knowledge exchange events, FESRA is addressing common barriers to practitioner research, such as time constraints, limited confidence, and disconnection from academic research, by creating cross-institutional spaces for inquiry and leadership development..

Together, these initiatives demonstrate how collaborative, problem-based learning communities can empower teachers as inquiring professionals and reposition them as leaders of educational change. They build research capacity not through compliance but through shared purpose, contextual relevance, and professional trust.

In an era where education is shaped by market forces and accountability measures, this work argues for an alternative future: one where teacher-led inquiry drives professional growth and student success. We believe this model can inform educational improvement in schools, higher education, and beyond, creating collaborative, context-sensitive professional learning cultures where innovation is sustained by those closest to practice.

Keywords: Practitioner inquiry, professional development, teacher agency, collaborative learning, educational improvement, research-informed practice.