: “But will it stick?” Embedding professional development in secondary schools and trusts “But will it stick?” Embedding professional development in secondary schools and trusts
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“But will it stick?” Embedding professional development in secondary schools and trusts
“But will it stick?” Embedding professional development in secondary schools and trusts
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by Essex Research School
on the
Sarah-Louise Johnston
Director of Essex Research School
About the author As a former Secondary SCITT teacher trainer, an ECT Induction Lead, and co-leader in whole-school CPD in a large comprehensive secondary school in Ipswich, Sarah-Louise has spent nearly two decades helping teachers grow and succeed. Now, as Director of Essex Research School, her passion for supporting teachers and leaders drives her mission: to show that high-quality teacher development doesn’t just improve classroom practice — it changes lives!
“We’ve done the training. Staff were engaged. But will it actually lead to change?”
That was the question facing Jo, the Director of Professional Development in a secondary multi-academy trust, after a successful PD launch on improving classroom talk. The session had all the right ingredients: relevant content, strong facilitation, and time for reflection. Yet Jo knew from experience that enthusiasm in a PD room does not guarantee lasting impact in classrooms.
The fourth domain is where many well-designed PD programmes fall short. Teachers may leave sessions with a deeper understanding and even try new techniques once or twice. But without systematic support to embed those techniques, they rarely become habits.
EEF Effective PD – Embed Practice
According to the EEF, embedding practice involves:
• Prompts and cues that trigger the use of a new skill in the classroom • Action planning that helps teachers articulate and commit to specific changes • Monitoring and feedback that keeps implementation on track • Context-specific repetition which allows teachers to apply techniques in their actual setting, over time, with refinement
These elements are not bolt-ons. They are core features of sustained professional learning.
A real-world example: Trust-wide focus on extended writing
Jo’s trust had prioritised disciplinary literacy as part of its three-year strategy. As part of this, all departments were exploring how to improve extended writing across the curriculum.
The initial PD focused on research-informed strategies such as sentence combining, use of metacognitive talk, and subject-specific writing frames. But Jo knew that unless teachers received ongoing support to embed these strategies, the initiative would fade.
Here is how the trust designed for embedding:
1. Co-designed prompts
Rather than issuing a generic toolkit, Jo asked each department to create their own set of visual or verbal cues to support the use of extended writing techniques. For example:
• In science, teachers used “Explain It Cards” that prompted students to justify conclusions using causal language • In history, classrooms displayed question stems such as “To what extent…?” and “What is the significance of…?” which teachers modelled using live writing • English teams used visual “metacognitive maps” to help students reflect on how they constructed analytical paragraphs
These cues were embedded into planners, classroom displays, and lesson slides. They were specific, relevant, and visible at the point of use.
2. Structured action planning
During departmental time, every teacher created a short action plan specifying what strategy they would implement, with which class, and when. Plans followed the “if – then – when” format, shown in cognitive science to enhance follow-through:
• If I am teaching Year 9 science and students are interpreting a graph, then I will use the ‘Explain It Card’ to scaffold their conclusion because this is when they struggle to explain their reasoning.
These plans were stored centrally on the trust’s shared platform and reviewed regularly by curriculum leads.
3. Low-stakes monitoring with feedback loops
To avoid “drive-by observations” or checklist monitoring, Jo set up a system of 10-minute coaching drop-ins. Coaches visited classrooms with a clear focus (e.g. use of modelling in extended writing), took notes, and followed up with short reflective conversations using a simple structure:
• What did you try? • What worked? • What will you adjust next time?
These micro-feedback loops helped teachers refine their use of strategies and kept the focus on improvement rather than performance.
4. Built-in rehearsal and contextual practice
Rehearsal is not just for drama or PE. Teachers were given time to rehearse elements of their action plan with a colleague. For example:
• In History, pairs of teachers practised live modelling of an exam-style answer using a visualiser • In Science, staff rehearsed how to prompt students using tiered questioning to support extended explanations • In Geography, teams peer-reviewed writing scaffolds and co-planned when and how they would be introduced
This form of deliberate practice, rooted in the actual curriculum and with peer feedback, was key to helping strategies embed into day-to-day teaching.
What does the evidence say?
Cognitive psychology tells us that retrieval and spaced repetition strengthen long-term memory. The same applies to teacher learning. When professional development strategies are revisited, refined, and rehearsed in context, they are more likely to be retained and used effectively. The EEF’s Metacognition and Self-Regulated Learning guidance highlights that learning is strengthened when individuals are supported to plan, monitor, and evaluate their approaches over time. Embedding practice mechanisms such as action planning, low-stakes feedback, and structured rehearsal mirror this process for teachers. Just as pupils benefit from explicit modelling and guided practice before working independently, so too do teachers. Embedding is not just about habit formation; it is about enabling professionals to think metacognitively about their own practice.
Implementation science also supports this. Fixsen et al. (2005) highlights the importance of ongoing coaching, performance feedback, and adaptations based on local context when embedding professional practices. One-off training without follow-up often leads to “knowing about” rather than “being able to do”.
The EEF PD guidance draws on this body of evidence. Embedding mechanisms are not optional extras but necessary conditions for impact.
Key takeaways for PD leaders in secondary and trust settings
If you are leading professional learning in a secondary school or across a trust, consider these reflective questions: 1. Are staff using prompts that are designed by them and for them? Generic posters rarely change behaviour. Tailored cues work better. 2. Are action plans specific and visible? Public, time-bound plans increase accountability and help colleagues support each other. 3. Is there a system of feedback that supports rather than evaluates? Monitoring should feel developmental, not performative. 4. Do teachers have opportunities to practise in context? Rehearsal time must be part of CPD, not an optional extra. 5. Are you returning to the strategy weeks and months later? Sustainability means checking back, not moving on.
Final word Embedding practice is not about more work. It is about deeper work. When teachers are supported to make small, focused changes and return to them over time, professional development moves from an event to a process.
If you want your PD to stick, build in prompts. Make the planning public. Create room for practice. Follow up with feedback. And most importantly, revisit!
Because when embedding is designed with care, the strategies you introduce in September might just become habits by July.
