This study focused on a particular course entitled Raising Standards in Writing and attempted to discover if it did impact on pupil attainment and change teachers' practices. The course was provided by a Local Education Authority and used National Literacy Strategy materials. It was developed in the context of the British government's concern about low attainment in writing and reports on weak teaching. Relatively few studies have focused on the impact of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in literacy. This small-scale study used teachers' self-reports gathered through questionnaire and interview data, and compared end of Key Stage test results to assess the course's effectiveness in raising standards in writing. The study aimed to raise issues applicable to all CPD providers and to consider the importance of local contexts when designing training courses. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)