Steplab case studies

Check out how Acorn Education Trust have built on their experiences of the ECF to develop an impactful professional development (PD) programme for all their staff through Steplab.

Longdendale have created a coherent PD model that’s practical, collaborative and truly embedded in every day practice.

Assistant Principal Steve Allen shares Farnborough Spencer's experience of working with Steplab to improve teaching and learning across the school through a whole-school coaching model.

Chris Routledge, Assistant Principal for Quality of Education explains how instructional coaching became central to their school improvement model

The Ribbon Academy is a large primary school in the North-East of England. Stuart Houghton, Deputy Headteacher, explains how they successfully implemented instructional coaching and the impact this has had on staff engagement and pupils' outcomes.

Three years since partnering with Steplab, Coaching Lead and Assistant Headteacher Alex Evans explores what they've learned and updates us on St Luke's incredible progress, including recognition for being in the top 3% of schools of a similar context and improving pupil progress by +0.9.

Caroline Sherwood is Deputy Headteacher at Pilton Community College. In this case study, Caroline shares her school's experience working with Steplab and the impact this has had on her school community.

This is part 2 of a blog post series in which Elliot, a coaching lead at Manchester Communication Primary Academy, shares the five lessons he learnt when building a TA coaching programme, and the positive impact Instructional Coaching has had on TA practice.

Teaching Assistants (TAs) do not always have access to the same high quality professional development (PD) as teachers. TAs support learners with the most complex needs, and therefore ongoing training is key to their effectiveness.

If we want instructional coaching to make a real difference to teachers and pupils, we need to focus on getting the implementation right.

When I arrived in the summer of 2022, there was enthusiasm about the idea of coaching but a need to provide clarity around what makes great coaching, and drive the school’s instructional coaching programme to excellence.

We explore how subject leads can utilize lesson drop-ins to enhance professional development (PD) for teachers. By conducting regular, focused drop-ins, subject leads can provide ongoing feedback, build shared pedagogical understanding, and foster a supportive teaching environment.

As a primary school head and a MAT leader, I believe it is an absolute entitlement for every teacher in our organisation to have meaningful, quality professional development.

At my previous school, I’d seen what a positive impact coaching has on both teacher practice and the teaching and learning culture in a school. When I started leading on Teaching and Learning in September 2021, I knew I wanted to start an instructional coaching programme.

What systems can help staff to prioritise coaching? With this in mind, I considered what measures I could put in place to maximise the completion in order that coaching could have the greatest possible impact.