Case Study: Farnborough Spencer Academy - creating capacity with group coaching

Farnborough Spencer Academy, part of Spencer Academies Trust, is located in Clifton, Nottingham. The school has been on a clear improvement trajectory since joining the Trust in 2018. Following the appointment of the current Executive Principal and the development of the senior leadership team, a renewed focus on teaching was established, with professional development viewed through the prism of instructional coaching.

This shift led to transformed classroom experiences for students and steady improvements in outcomes. The school was judged ‘Good’ by Ofsted in 2022, following almost a decade of being rated ‘Inadequate’. By 2025, Farnborough Spencer Academy had seen a dramatic rise in student results, placing it:

• 1.
  14th most improved nationally for Grade 5+ in English and maths
• 2.
  Top 100 nationally for most key attainment measures

These outcomes position the school among the highest-attaining “similar” schools nationwide.

As part of Farnborough Spencer’s continued journey of improvement, it became clear that a structured and sustainable whole-school approach to PD was required if the school was to positively impact teaching and learning. As a leadership team, we knew the strong evidence about the power of Instructional Coaching and so we decided that this was the direction we wanted to invest our energies in, with the powerful lever of Steplab to support. We knew from experience that it was important to get implementation right, so the introduction of the coaching programme was carefully phased to ensure buy-in from staff before gradually scaling the programme.

Lesson visits were already established through high presence in lessons from middle and senior leaders, which led to a request from staff to receive more ongoing feedback. Beginning in the summer term, a small group of teachers were trained and began piloting Instructional Coaching using Steplab, focusing on a cycle of lesson observation and structured feedback. The leadership team also worked on creating and establishing a shared language, mirroring this in the bespoke PD curriculum we built on Steplab.

At the start of the academic year, we launched drop-ins on Steplab. Initially, this was led by SLT members and then widened to include faculty heads and ECTs. Alongside this, ECTs received fortnightly coaching from their mentor and, by the second term, all teachers were engaged in peer drop-ins, solidifying a culture of collaboration and feedback. This laid the foundations to introduce a whole-school coaching model the next academic year, following some intensive training in a summer INSET.

When we moved to peer coaching across the school, we decided to use a 20:20:20 model. This means that teachers give coaching feedback all in one room, with an hour of directed time protected at the end of each cycle.

• 1.
  First 20 minutes: we train teachers on one aspect of the coaching model, such as giving precise praise. To help us do this effectively, we use Steplab’s Coaching Quality Check to dig into coaching planning and see which areas we can further develop.
• 2.
  Second 20 minutes: the first of our reciprocal coaches feeds back.
• 3.
  Final 20 minutes: the second coach feeds back.

Coaching all in one central space allows us to do some additional monitoring of quality and also helps build our culture of modelling and rehearsal.

Our coaching programme, powered by Steplab, has had a transformative effect on both PD and teaching quality across the school. Observations and feedback have become valued everyday practice, with teachers reporting:

• 1.
  increased confidence in their teaching
• 2.
  enjoyment of the opportunity to observe and learn from other colleagues
• 3.
  more frequent coaching conversations and corridor discussions about teaching

The structured approach to lesson observations and coaching has helped create a more consistent and expert standard of teaching across the school.

By embedding structured coaching cycles, prioritising staff engagement, and aligning coaching with whole-school priorities, the school has created a sustainable model for continuous improvement. With thoughtful planning, clear communication, and a phased approach, Instructional Coaching has – and can – drive meaningful change in schools.

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