Steplab Australia: in-person and online Institute events

Steplab Institute offers practical, high-impact training for educators and school leaders looking to strengthen professional development (PD) through coaching and evidence-informed leadership.

Our one-day intensives and longer-form programs are designed to support schools to embed PD that leads to meaningful improvements in classroom practice.

(We also offer in-person training in the UK and USA.
For our remote training offer check out our Training & Support pages.)

Steplab Australia currently offers three professional learning pathways through Steplab Institute:

• 1.
  Instructional Coaching Intensive – for coaches and those leading coaching
• 2.
  PD Leadership Intensive – for leaders responsible for PD across a school or network of schools
• 3.
  Certificate in Coaching Leadership (CCL) – a year-long program for sustained leadership development

Each option can be taken as a standalone experience, depending on your role and responsibilities.

Our one-day intensives are highly practical, face-to-face training sessions delivered by the Steplab team. Participants gain access to expert resources, follow-up support and self-study modules to help embed learning back in school. All the below intensives are standalone events and can be attended by anyone looking to improve their knowledge and skills.

• 1.
  Sunshine Coast, March 9 - Instructional Coaching Intensive
• 2.
  Melbourne, March 23 - Instructional Coaching Intensive
• 3.
  Darwin, July 13 - PD Leadership Intensive
• 4.
  Adelaide, September 1 - Instructional Coaching Intensive

Not in your state? Register your interest for a future intensive near you by filling out this form.

This one-day intensive is designed for new or existing coaches who want to strengthen their instructional coaching practice and improve the quality of professional development in their school.

Instructional coaching is a personalised approach to PD that focuses on improving classroom practice through ongoing, one-to-one support. Coaches observe teaching, gather meaningful evidence, and support teachers to adopt specific, research-informed techniques over time.

Who is this for?

• 1.
  Instructional coaches
• 2.
  Mentors or staff supporting teacher development
• 3.
  Staff leading coaching in a phase or school

What the day includes
The day begins with an introduction to the research foundations of instructional coaching, followed by practical sessions on:

• 1.
  collecting high-quality observation data
• 2.
  identifying progress made by your coachee
• 3.
  diagnosing the most effective next step
• 4.
  delivering targeted praise and feedback
• 5.
  proposing motivating action steps
• 6.
  modelling teaching strategies
• 7.
  supporting coachees to plan classroom implementation
• 8.
  running rehearsals to build excellence in practice

How you’ll learn
This is a highly practical, hands-on training day. You’ll analyse examples of coaching practice, script and rehearse coaching conversations, and receive feedback to refine your approach. Optional follow-up support is available through Steplab’s Coaching Skills Builder Program.

For an in-depth explanation, visit Steplab’s guide to Instructional Coaching.

This one-day intensive is designed for leaders responsible for professional development across a school, network or system.

It is ideal for leaders looking to design, implement and sustain PD that genuinely improves teaching and learning, using instructional coaching alongside other evidence-informed approaches.

Who is this for?

• 1.
  Leaders of professional development across a school or network
• 2.
  Leaders of coaching in a phase or school
• 3.
  Principals and system leaders with oversight of PD

What you’ll learn

• 1.
  how to align leaders around a shared vision for improving teaching and learning
• 2.
  how to identify effective foci for PD through lesson visits and drop-ins
• 3.
  how to combine group rehearsal, lesson drop-ins and instructional coaching
• 4.
  how to monitor, sustain and improve PD over time

How you’ll learn
You’ll engage with the theory of effective PD, explore practical models, and design training you can take straight back to your context. Participants also gain access to Steplab’s Implementation Roadmap and ongoing network support with other PD leaders.

The Certificate in Coaching Leadership is Steplab’s year-long flagship program for leaders ready to build a strong coaching team and lead effective professional development.

Designed by Harry Fletcher-Wood, CCL supports school and system leaders to develop their coaching expertise and embed instructional coaching as a core part of their PD strategy.

To learn more visit the CCL page.

Recruitment update
Recruitment for the 2026 CCL cohort has now closed. If you’d like to be the first to hear about future cohorts, please email [email protected] to join the waiting list.

Questions?
If you’d like to know more about any of our training opportunities, please don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected]