Case Study: Longdendale High School - Collaborative and Impactful PD

Nicola Cole is Assistant Head and Teaching & Learning Strategic Lead at Longdendale High School. In this case study, Nicola shares how Steplab has been central to transforming their professional development approach and establishing a consistent, inclusive culture across the school.

At Longdendale, we’ve codified what great teaching looks like through our Teaching and Learning Playbook (PD Curriculum). It sets out the principles of an effective lesson and defines the core techniques we want to see embedded across classrooms. For each technique, the playbook breaks down the active ingredients, outlines when and how to use them effectively, and ensures fidelity in implementation.

Crucially, Steplab links directly to our playbook. Teachers can access curated videos and further reading for each technique right on the platform—helping them not only understand the 'what' but also the 'how' and 'why'. This alignment between Steplab and our playbook means PD is not just consistent, but actionable.

As an inclusive school, our approach is designed with all learners in mind. The playbook includes specific guidance on applying techniques to support students with SEND, built around the Education Endowment Foundation’s (EEF) five-a-day principles. We’ve also embedded strategies to foster a positive climate for learning—encouraging praise, strong behaviour choices and purposeful classroom environments.

One of the techniques in Longdendale's T&L Playbook

Each week, every teacher has 60 minutes of PD: 30 minutes in a Teaching Lab, and 30 minutes in a Practice Lab.

Teaching Labs focus on revisiting the active ingredients of a technique, using Steplab’s high-quality video examples and guided discussions. We also draw on Walkthrus and Teach Like a Champion to deepen understanding.

Practice Labs are where it all comes to life. Teachers work closely with their coach to deliberately practise the techniques—rehearsing, refining and preparing to apply them confidently in the classroom. Every teacher keeps a PD journal to track their reflections, takeaways and next steps. Steplab keeps all of this work centralised, structured, and easy to follow up.

Our coaching programme runs entirely through Steplab. It’s the thread that ties our PD together—from theory, to rehearsal, to classroom implementation.

After practising techniques in the lab, teachers trial them in lessons, with coaches dropping in for focused observations. Steplab makes the feedback loop tight and effective—each coaching interaction builds momentum.

Leaders across the school also play an active role. We regularly drop into lessons and log positive feedback on Steplab. When we see great practice, we celebrate it publicly through ‘shoutouts’—always framed around the specific technique and its impact. This not only reinforces best practice but also builds a shared language around what great teaching looks like.

We're incredibly proud of the impact our PD programme is having:

• 1.
  An average of 69 lesson drop-ins are completed every month - almost half of those result in a celebratory shout out
• 2.
  Coaching engagement on Steplab is at 89%.
• 3.
  96% of teaching staff agree that the Labs help them focus on one technique each week (48% strongly agree).
• 4.
  100% agree that the Labs are a helpful reminder of the active ingredients (59% strongly agree).
• 5.
  93% say the videos provide concrete, useful examples (44% strongly agree).
• 6.
  96% value the opportunity to discuss techniques with another teacher or coach (52% strongly agree).

Steplab has been a game-changer for us. It’s provided the structure, clarity and consistency we needed to take our professional development to the next level. By aligning our playbook, Labs, and coaching within one platform, we’ve created a coherent PD model that’s practical, collaborative and truly embedded in everyday practice. The impact is clear—not just in the numbers, but in the confidence and consistency we see across classrooms.

If you’d like to hear more about how Steplab can support your school’s professional development, get in touch at [email protected] or book a demo.