Case study: Building a coaching culture at William Perkin CofE High School

At William Perkin CofE High School, instructional coaching is not an add-on - it's embedded into the fabric of professional development (PD).

The decision to introduce instructional coaching was grounded in evidence and aligned closely with the school’s ethos.

“The initial decision to start instructional coaching was because it’s based in the evidence that it’s the best way to improve teaching.”

As part of a high-performing trust, leaders wanted a PD approach that reflected their commitment to excellence and continuous improvement. Adele explains that the school has a strong growth mindset among staff, where teachers see themselves as constantly developing.

Instructional coaching gave leaders a clear, evidence-informed mechanism to support that ambition.

The school selected Steplab not just as a platform, but as a partner aligned with their approach to teacher professional development.

Adele highlights two key reasons. First, usability:

“It’s a very user-friendly platform. If it isn’t immediately obvious what to do, busy teachers simply don’t have the time to work it out.”

Second, and more importantly, alignment with evidence:

“The challenging part isn’t the platform - it’s whether it’s built around what actually works. And Steplab is built around the Simple Model of Teaching and what is effective.”

For William Perkin, this meant Steplab was not just a tool, but part of a wider, evidence-informed approach to professional development and instructional coaching.

William Perkin’s coaching programme is now well established, with high engagement and strong completion rates. For many staff, coaching is simply part of everyday practice.

However, this was not always the case. Initially, instructional coaching was a more isolated part of the school’s PD offer. Leaders are now working to integrate coaching more closely with whole-school priorities, training and group rehearsal.

This marks a more mature phase of implementation, where coaching is not separate from the wider PD strategy, but directly connected to what the school is prioritising.

A key driver of success has been the intentional development of coaches.

Leaders recognised early on that high-quality instructional coaching does not happen by chance. Coaches need explicit training in the skills that make feedback precise, useful and actionable.

This includes:

• 1.
  taking focused observation notes
• 2.
  selecting high-leverage action steps
• 3.
  modelling and scripting effectively
• 4.
  supporting rehearsal
• 5.
  giving clear, actionable feedback

“You have to be very intentional about teaching all the parts of instructional coaching.”

In the early stages, training was highly explicit. Leaders even modelled how to model and rehearse effectively, creating what Adele describes as “meta moments” where coaches practised the skills they would later use with teachers.

Over time, this has built a strong and experienced coaching team. Some staff have now been coaching for five or six years and are working on increasingly sophisticated aspects of teaching practice.

As the programme has matured, leaders have begun to differentiate coaching development.

With a relatively stable staff body, the school now supports both new coaches and highly experienced coaches. This ensures professional development remains relevant, challenging and useful for everyone.

Newer coaches receive support with the foundations of coaching, while more experienced coaches continue refining advanced practice.

One of the school’s biggest implementation lessons is that logistics matter.

High engagement and completion rates have been achieved through careful planning and practical support. Coaching sessions and feedback are built into directed time, rather than relying on staff to find additional time.

Adele explains that timetabling coaching shows staff how much the school values it.

Leaders also map out coaching cycles at the start of the year, flagging potential pinch points such as marking periods, assessment windows and holidays. This means barriers can be anticipated rather than dealt with reactively.

Strong communication also plays a key role. Staff know what is happening, when it is happening and what is expected of them.

Where barriers arise, leaders find practical solutions, including arranging lesson cover where needed. Recognition also helps sustain momentum, with “coach of the week” certificates, friendly competition between departments and regular celebration of strong practice.

A major learning for the school has been the importance of practising coaching and teaching strategies in context.

Early attempts to rehearse using unrelated examples were enjoyable, but less effective. Staff found them fun, but they didn't always help them rehearse teaching.

The school has since focused on embedding rehearsal within real teaching contexts, using classroom practice to make professional learning more meaningful and transferable.

This has reinforced the importance of modelling, rehearsal and feedback as core mechanisms of effective PD.

Instructional coaching has had a significant impact on the culture at William Perkin.

The school has developed a strong professional learning culture, where all staff see themselves as continually improving. Adele describes this as a place where no one is treated as the finished product.

This mindset is visible at every level. Senior leaders talk openly about their own teaching and how they want to improve, helping to create psychological safety and shared commitment.

One of the most important outcomes has been greater consistency in teaching practice.

Leaders use coaching to support key priorities, helping ensure that expectations, routines and approaches are aligned across classrooms. This means teachers feel part of a shared school-wide approach, rather than working in isolation.

For pupils, that consistency matters.

“When children have consistency in the procedural parts of learning, they are far more able to do the deeper thinking and make faster progress.”

Consistent routines reduce unnecessary variation, support attention and create the conditions for pupils to focus on the most important learning.

Adele notes that it's difficult to attribute pupil outcomes to one single factor. However, leaders are confident that instructional coaching has contributed to improved teaching quality, stronger consistency and better learning conditions across the school.

Ultimately, the purpose of the programme is clear: to improve the experience and outcomes of pupils.

As Adele explains, coaching has an impact on “the most important people in the building” - the children.

If you're looking to strengthen instructional coaching, develop expert coaches and build a culture of continuous professional development, Steplab can help.

Book a demo to see how Steplab can support PD in your school or trust.