Abstract. The article highlights the significance of professional competence among educators under the new approach to the construction of educational standards. The authors emphasise, using the example of teaching younger students to create oral and written texts, the necessity of identifying professional deficits among primary school teachers, understanding the reasons for their occurrence, and developing a strategy for overcoming these deficits through additional professional development. The article characterises the diagnostic tools, course and results of the research. Conclusions are drawn, and recommendations are formulated.

Keywords: additional professional development, professional deficits, professional competence, primary school, teaching oral and written text creation