GCSE Photography Teacher CPD Course

Deliver GCSE Photography With Confidence

Informed by many years of experience, Laura Crawford has created this CPD course for teachers to share her knowledge and expertise, with the aim of supporting teachers like you to be more confident in delivering GCSE Photography.

Learn how to plan and structure the course, support students of different abilities, develop stronger projects, assess work effectively and approach the exam and moderation process with greater confidence.

£169  •  60 days' access • Over 3 hours of on-demand CPD • Downloadable resources

PLUS: Free access to the GCSE Student Masterclass for use with your classes!

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Plan and Structure Your Course

Understand how to build a successful GCSE Photography curriculum, from initial skills development through coursework projects and the externally set assignment.

Improve Student Progress and Engagement

Discover practical strategies for supporting a wide range of learners, including students who lack confidence, struggle to generate ideas or become disengaged during longer projects.

Feel More Confident With Assessment

Develop a clearer understanding of the Assessment Objectives, explore different graded portfolios, and learn exactly how to tackle the exam preparation and moderation.

 

Stop Guessing What Makes a Strong GCSE Photography Portfolio

Teaching GCSE Photography can involve far more than simply teaching students how to take good photographs.

You need to plan a coherent curriculum, teach technical and creative skills, help students develop ideas, manage portfolios, differentiate for different learners, assess work against the Assessment Objectives and prepare students for the externally set assignment.

And unlike some subjects, Photography teachers are often working independently or within a small department, sometimes without another specialist Photography teacher to ask.

This CPD course brings together the practical approaches, resources and strategies I developed over 17 years of teaching Art and Photography, giving you a clear framework you can adapt to your own students, timetable and school.

It isn't about prescribing one rigid way to teach the course. Instead, it gives you practical ideas, examples and structures that can help you make confident decisions about how GCSE Photography should work in your setting.

BONUS: GCSE Student Photography Masterclass Included (Worth £39)

Your enrolment also includes access to my GCSE Student Photography Masterclass, packed with practical advice to help students develop their ideas, improve their coursework and achieve their potential.

You can share this with your classes throughout your 60-day course access period, giving you an additional ready-to-use teaching resource at no extra cost.

Learn From an Experienced GCSE Photography Teacher

I’m Laura Crawford, an Art and Photography teacher with 17 years of classroom teaching experience, specialising in helping students develop their creativity, confidence and understanding of GCSE Photography.

Throughout my teaching career, my students have consistently achieved strong results and excellent progress, including students developing from uncertain starting points into confident photographers producing sophisticated, highly developed portfolios.

Alongside this I have had additional training during my time spent working for one of the exam boards as a moderator, giving me valuable insight into the marking process. 

Many years ago, I created my website Photography with Miss Wilson to share high-quality Photography teaching resources beyond my own classroom. The website has grown into an extensive collection of GCSE Photography ideas, artist inspiration, project guidance and practical resources used by students and teachers around the world.

I’m also the author of How to Excel in GCSE Photography, which I wrote specifically to help students understand how to improve their work and approach the course successfully.

My wider How to Excel series draws on the same principles I have used throughout my teaching career: helping students understand why successful creative work is successful rather than simply telling them what to produce.

This CPD course brings together the approaches I found most useful in the classroom — including the practical things that are often not explained in specifications or exam-board documentation.

Course Fee & School Bookings

The GCSE Photography CPD course costs £169 per teacher, including 60 days of on-demand access, downloadable resources and the GCSE Student Masterclass (normally £39), which you can share with your classes during your access period.

Purchasing for an individual teacher?

If your school is paying, simply select Send as a gift at checkout and enter the teacher's email address so they receive their own login and course access.

Purchasing for multiple staff or through your finance department?

Please contact me to arrange multi-staff enrolments, purchase orders, invoices or BACS payments. Each teacher will receive their own individual login, allowing them to complete the course at their own pace.

Enrol Now – £169 per teacher
Contact Laura – Purchase Orders and Multi-Staff Bookings

Teacher CPD: GCSE Photography

  1. CPD Videos

    20 lessons
    1. Introduction
    2. Understanding the Assessment Objectives
    3. Planning Your Curriculum: Curriculum Map Example
    4. How to Structure a Scheme of Work
    5. Skills Development
    6. Drawing in Photography
    7. Writing in Photography
    8. Digital Portfolios vs Sketchbooks
    9. Running the Course on a Low Budget
    10. Cameras and Space for Photoshoots
    11. Engaging Lower Ability and Disengaged Students
    12. Quick Wins for Engagement
    13. Traditional Darkroom Photography
    14. Hand Manipulation
    15. An Introduction to Photo Editing
    16. Planning Trips
    17. Assessment, Feedback and Mock Exams
    18. The Exam
    19. Grade 7 Exam Portfolio
    20. Exam Admin and Moderation

  2. BONUS: The Student Masterclass

    10 lessons
    1. Overview for Teachers
    2. Introduction
    3. Understanding the assessment objectives: AO1
    4. Understanding the assessment objectives: AO2
    5. Understanding the assessment objectives: AO3
    6. Understanding the assessment objectives: AO4
    7. Tips for the top grades
    8. Discussion of a Grade 9 Portfolio
    9. Common mistakes made by students
    10. Understanding the exam unit

  3. Feedback

    1 lesson
    1. Feedback

  4. Useful Links and Downloads

    4 lessons
    1. Further Support for Teachers
    2. Support for Students
    3. Useful documents to save for later
    4. Useful Links

What You’ll Learn Through This Course

 
Practical Guidance You Can Take Straight Back Into Your Classroom

By the end of the course, you will have a clearer understanding of how to:

  • Structure GCSE Photography across Years 10 and 11.
  • Decide what students really need during the initial skills-development stage.
  • Design project titles that encourage creativity while remaining manageable.
  • Structure schemes of work that build student confidence and independence over time.
  • Teach AO1, AO2, AO3 and AO4 in a way students can actually understand.
  • Make effective use of artist and photographer research.
  • Help students learn how to develop ideas and combine the styles of different influences.
  • Improve annotation and written work without allowing writing to overwhelm the visual subject.
  • Explore the pros and cons of digital portfolios and sketchbooks to help you choose the right option for your students.
  • Introduce drawing and physical manipulation meaningfully within Photography.
  • Learn the basics of photo editing, with simple techniques that will engage your students and lead to exciting work.
  • Consider which traditional darkroom photography techniques may be suitable for your classes.
  • Run Photography successfully even when budgets, equipment or specialist spaces are limited.
  • Engage students who struggle with confidence, motivation or independent project work.
  • Explore strategies to support differentiation in mixed ability groups.
  • Prepare students for the externally set assignment.
  • Understand the practical processes surrounding the exam and moderation.
  • Recognise the characteristics of stronger GCSE Photography portfolios.
  • Avoid some of the common mistakes that can limit student progress.

The aim is not just to give you more resources.

It is to help you understand why successful GCSE Photography courses work, so you can confidently adapt the ideas to your own students and school.

Enrol in the CPD course here

Created for the Reality of Teaching Photography

You don't need a huge Photography department, unlimited equipment or an enormous budget to run a successful course.

Throughout the course I share practical approaches for working with the equipment, time and resources you actually have available.

Whether you have DSLR cameras and Photoshop or a much simpler setup using phones, basic cameras and free editing software such as Photopea, the principles behind building strong Photography projects remain the same.

This is particularly useful for teachers who are:

  • introducing Photography for the first time
  • teaching Photography alongside Art or Design
  • working in a small department
  • inheriting an existing course
  • teaching outside their original specialist area
  • looking to refresh an established Photography curriculum
Laura Davis - Assistant Principle

"Laura's expert planning and adaptations ensure that every student has the opportunity to thrive. She's a kind, warm and deeply knowledgeable educator, always focused on bringing out the best in each individual. I have witnessed first hand how Laura can plan and interact with young people of all ages, understanding how to motivate and engage them."

Elena Kkama - Deputy Headteacher

"I had the privilege of working with Laura as her line manager. During that time she successfully supported a number of staff when we were teaching outside of our specialisms within creative arts, in particular in photography. Laura always made everything so easy for us to pick up with her expert knowledge and resources. Year after year students achieved above their own, national and other subject expectations. It was never a surprise that the Art and Photography results were amongst the highest in the school!

Paige Gibbs - Head of Creative Arts

"Laura is an exceptional teacher who consistently achieves outstanding results in art and photography through her detailed planning, in-depth subject knowledge, and excellent teaching skills. Nationally, her results are consistently above average, reflecting both her dedication and the high-quality lessons she delivers."

Want To Feel More Confident Teaching GCSE Photography?

Whether you are introducing Photography for the first time, taking over an existing course or simply looking for new ideas, this CPD will give you practical guidance you can apply directly to your teaching.

Plan more confidently. Support students more effectively. Understand assessment more clearly.

And spend less time wondering whether you're doing it the right way.

Get Instant Access to the Teacher CPD Course

Important Information

Independent Training Provider

This CPD course has been independently developed by Laura Crawford, drawing on extensive classroom teaching experience, research and subject expertise. The course is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially accredited by any of the exam boards.

Examination Specifications and Guidance

Whilst the course provides guidance on teaching GCSE Photography, examination board specifications, assessment requirements and guidance may change. This course is not specific to any one of the exam boards, and therefore teachers and centres should always refer to the latest official documentation published by their examination board.

Professional Development

This course is intended to support teachers in developing their subject knowledge, confidence and teaching practice. It does not constitute an official examination board training programme or guarantee particular student outcomes.

Course Materials and Copyright

Downloadable resources are provided for the purchaser's own professional development and use with their students or classes. Resources must not be redistributed, resold, uploaded to shared resource platforms or passed on to other individuals without prior permission from Laura Crawford.

Course Access

Course access is provided for 60 days from enrolment. Downloadable resources may be retained and used in accordance with the terms above.