Case study: Rebuilding a culture of professional development at Melksham Oak

At Melksham Oak, professional development had lost direction.

When the school began its journey with Steplab, there was no clear structure for teacher CPD.

Two years later, the school has established a coherent, evidence-informed model of professional development (PD), using Steplab’s Group PD builder to rebuild both practice and culture.

Melksham Oak had experienced a challenging period following Covid and there was a lack of focus on teaching and learning.

Professional development lacked coherence and without consistent systems in place, teaching practice varied widely across the school.

School leaders describe the starting point as having “no real existing structure for PD”, with the approach feeling “quite directionless”. The school needed a more structured, consistent and trusted model for improving teaching.

Steplab provided a clear direction.

After attending a Steplab intensive training event, school leaders began by building a shared understanding of the approach and aligning it with the school’s priorities. An implementation plan, grounded in EEF guidance, helped establish a shared understanding of how professional development would work.

Crucially, the approach was built around real classroom needs. Existing drop-in data was used to identify key themes, ensuring PD focused on the areas likely to have the greatest impact.

In the first term, the school focused on a small number of high-leverage teaching techniques:

• 1.
  Thresholding
• 2.
  Positively narrating entry
• 3.
  Scanning for cooperation

These were deliberately chosen as familiar practices that staff already understood, but were not applying consistently.

Rather than presenting them as new initiatives, leaders framed the work as doing existing things better. This helped build confidence and create early momentum.

A key feature of the approach was how professional development sessions were delivered.

Rather than relying on slides or theory, leaders modelled practice live, including both examples and non-examples. This helped staff see clearly what effective practice should look like and what leaders were actually seeing in classrooms.

Rehearsal was introduced immediately, with a clear expectation that staff were not there simply to discuss the techniques, but to practise them.

Despite some initial uncertainty, staff quickly engaged. This proved to be a turning point, with rehearsal becoming a normal part of PD and reducing barriers around vulnerability and participation.

A key decision was to focus on just three steps per term.

This helped manage cognitive load and ensured teachers could embed new practices effectively. Rather than asking staff to remember “18 things” at once, leaders kept the focus deliberately tight.

Drop-ins were aligned to these priorities, making expectations clear and reducing anxiety. Staff knew exactly what leaders were looking for and what they were working to improve.

Over time, this clarity changed how staff experienced lesson visits.

“We’ve had teachers asking us to come back and see something they’ve worked on… that would never have happened before.”

One of the most significant changes has been cultural.

Lesson visits are now seen as supportive, with teachers thanking leaders for coming into lessons and even asking them to return to see improvements..

This reflects a shift from compliance to genuine engagement with professional development. One school leader described the scale of that change:

“The biggest impact has been the culture shift… I’m not trying to convince people anymore, they just go for it.”

Staff now understand what effective teaching looks like and feel more confident working towards it.

Another important outcome has been the development of a shared language around teaching and learning.

Staff are now much more able to articulate what good practice looks like, creating a clearer shared language around teaching across the school.

This has improved both teacher expertise and leadership capacity, making it easier to identify strong practice, give precise feedback and support improvement.

The structured approach has also helped reinforce habit formation over time. Rather than overwhelming staff with multiple initiatives, the school is building expertise gradually and sustainably.

Professional development is now closely aligned with the school development plan.

For example, when literacy became a priority, the school selected Steplab steps that supported its literacy strategy. Staff could see how their current PD focus connected directly to wider school priorities.

This alignment has helped reduce cognitive load, improve coherence and ensure consistency across initiatives. It also reinforces professional development as a central driver of school improvement.

Initially, group PD sessions included all staff, including teaching assistants and pastoral teams. This helped establish a shared culture across the school: a sense of “this is what we do here”.

Over time, the school introduced more tailored professional development for different roles, while maintaining consistency in approach. This included tailored steps for pastoral staff, targeted development for teaching assistants and use of the Group PD builder to support delivery.

Leaders were trained to replicate the same model, ensuring alignment across teams.

Melksham Oak has taken a thoughtful approach to evaluating impact.

Alongside quantitative data, such as drop-ins, the school gathers qualitative feedback from staff to understand how professional development is being experienced. Leaders ask staff regularly whether the approach is still working and use that feedback to refine implementation.

This responsiveness has been important for maintaining trust. For example, when one teacher received multiple drop-ins in a short period and felt uncomfortable, leaders adjusted the approach straight away.

While still early in the implementation journey, leaders are already seeing clear impact.

This includes:

• 1.
  Stronger consistency in classroom practice
• 2.
  Clearer expectations across staff
• 3.
  Improved confidence among teachers
• 4.
  More precise feedback and coaching
• 5.
  A more open culture around lesson visits

Leaders are now seeing classrooms where teachers have “really nailed” the step they have been working on. This reflects a shift from inconsistent practice to a more aligned, evidence-informed approach to teaching.

Melksham Oak’s journey highlights the importance of combining clear structure, shared language, deliberate practice and consistent implementation.

By focusing on a small number of high-impact strategies and embedding them over time, the school has created a sustainable model for teacher professional development. For school leaders, the change can be summed up simply:

“Teaching and learning is now back at the centre of what we do.”

This foundation is enabling the school to continue improving both teaching practice and pupil outcomes.

See how Steplab’s Group PD builder can help you create consistent, high-quality professional development across your school. Book a demo to learn more