At Abbeyfield School, we believe that consistent, high-quality teaching is the most powerful lever we have to secure exceptional outcomes for every student. We are committed to developing expert teachers through an evidence-informed, ambitious and supportive professional learning culture. Our approach to professional development is rooted in the belief that great teaching is a craft built through purposeful practice, collaboration and reflection.

Our Guiding Principles

Consistency

We have whole-staff CPD to ensure a shared understanding of high-quality, inclusive teaching and aligned expectations across the school. This supports consistency so that every student experiences strong teaching in every classroom, every day.

Subject Expertise

Curriculum-based CPD, led by Directors of Learning, strengthens subject knowledge, curriculum design and disciplinary pedagogy. We believe that expert subject teaching is central to excellent learning.

Personalised Development

Instructional coaching provides bespoke, individualised support for every teacher. Action steps are small, precise and high leverage, enabling meaningful improvement at the point of need.

Practice & Rehearsal

We know that teaching expertise develops through practice, not theory alone. We use rehearsal and deliberate practice to strengthen classroom routines and habits that have real impact on learning.

Revisiting to Secure Learning

Just as we expect students to revisit content to secure long-term learning, staff CPD is structured to return to key themes over time. We revisit core strategies — such as modelling, checking for understanding, purposeful circulation and questioning — to ensure they embed deeply and consistently.

Lesson Drop-ins & Live Coaching

A key strength of professional learning at Abbeyfield is our culture of frequent, supportive drop-ins. Using Steplab, teachers receive regular, actionable feedback and expert coaching.

• Over 2,000 lesson visits have taken place in the past two years

• Feedback is precise, developmental and focused on impact

• Where appropriate, leaders offer live coaching in the moment to support rapid improvement during a lesson

• Patterns emerging from drop-ins inform CPD priorities and coaching foci

This continuous cycle of observation, feedback, practice and reflection drives improvement across the school and has strengthened consistency and student learning.

Professional Development Calendar