Case study: Strengthening professional development across The Black Pear Trust with Steplab

The Black Pear Trust is a Worcestershire-based multi-academy trust comprising seven primary settings and one secondary school.

Over recent months, the trust has strengthened its teacher professional development offer using Steplab, supporting leaders and practitioners through phase INSET days and weekly professional development meetings (PDMs).

A key focus for the trust has been developing a consistent pedagogical approach grounded in evidence-informed teaching strategies.

Early in the process, leaders identified a clear knowing–doing gap across schools. Colleagues understood effective teaching strategies conceptually, but implementation in the classroom varied.

To address this, the trust began producing exemplification materials to support leaders and practitioners in applying agreed approaches. However, creating these resources was time-consuming, required significant in-house expertise, and risked inconsistency across schools. The same challenge applied to designing high-quality CPD for teachers.

Steplab and the Group PD builder have provided a highly effective solution.

The exemplification within Steplab is granular, precise and rooted in robust evidence. Success criteria, video models, examples and case studies provide clear guidance on what each step looks like in practice. This gives teachers and leaders the clarity needed to translate professional development into classroom action.

Attending a PD Intensive training day also helped build confidence in implementing these approaches, while ongoing support from the Steplab team has played a key role in guiding implementation across the trust.

Group rehearsal was introduced during phase INSET days, with a clear focus on closing the knowing–doing gap.

This approach aligns closely with the EEF’s mechanisms for effective professional development and builds on the trust’s existing work around instructional coaching and pedagogy.

Steplab's Simple Model of Teaching provided an accessible framework that aligned well with the trust’s Pedagogy Playbook.

Practitioner response has been overwhelmingly positive, with 100% of staff reporting that group rehearsal supports improvements in classroom practice.

Working closely with Headteachers and PD Leads, the trust has now embedded a group rehearsal cycle in every school.

The Group PD builder enables leaders to create high-quality, precise PD materials quickly, ensuring accuracy, consistency and alignment with the Pedagogy Playbook. As a result, professional development meetings are now more tightly focused on the specific needs of each setting.

In his role as PD Lead, Dom Davis has been able to more effectively support leaders in identifying next steps and designing impactful professional development.

Leaders and Professional Partners - the trust’s instructional coaching leads - have been trained to conduct high-quality drop-ins, which are monitored for consistency across schools. Clear success criteria keep feedback focused and manageable, helping to avoid cognitive overload.

Recognition through shoutouts has also strengthened the trust’s culture by celebrating effective teaching and sharing best practice across schools.

Although the trust is still early in its implementation journey, there are already signs of improved consistency in teaching practice across schools.

Using Guskey’s model to evaluate professional development, there is clear evidence that staff value the new PDM approach and the support provided by leaders and coaches.

Classroom behaviours are beginning to shift, suggesting that the knowing–doing gap is narrowing. Feedback from Headteachers and PD Leads has been consistently positive, particularly regarding the precision and efficiency that Steplab’s Group PD builder brings.

Dom Davis summarises the impact:

“Steplab has rapidly transformed the way we design and deliver professional development. It is helping us ensure that every teacher is supported to improve their practice, so that every child is taught by a great teacher.”

See how Steplab’s PD platform can support teaching and learning across your school or trust.