When I think back to my time leading professional development in a secondary school, one lesson stands out: knowing what the evidence says works is only half the battle. The real challenge is getting it to stick.
I can still picture CPD sessions where we introduced a great strategy, staff nodded along, and yet, a few weeks later… very little had changed. Not because teachers weren’t committed. Not because the idea was weak. But because we hadn’t thought carefully enough about how to embed it.
The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) capture this perfectly in their Implementation Guidance Report. Change doesn’t usually fail because of poor intentions. It fails because we don’t plan the process as carefully as the practice and if you’ve ever led teaching and learning, you’ll know just how easy it is to get caught out.
Why Change So Often Falters Schools are noisy, busy, complex places. Priorities shift constantly: curriculum, behaviour, accountability, inspection. Against that backdrop, it’s not surprising when new initiatives fizzle out.
I’ve seen it happen, and maybe you have too. Here are some common reasons:
• New approaches get bolted onto existing routines, without replacing anything. • Teachers are told about a strategy but never given the time to practise it. • Leaders shift focus too soon, moving on before things have bedded in.
We’ve all felt that sense of “here we go again” when something new lands. And I’ll be honest: I’ve been guilty of underestimating how long it takes for a new practice to become habit but over time, I learned that fewer things, done better, beats chasing multiple priorities every time!
Leading PD: A Four-Phase Approach Here’s how I’d structure PD leadership, merging insights from both guides.
1. Explore: Diagnose Before You Design Before you plan any PD, ask the hard questions:
• What are the real areas for improvement? • What do classroom observations and student outcomes tell us? • What do teachers feel they need?
Effective PD starts here. Choosing a focus without exploring these questions often means time and energy are wasted. Less is more: pick the most pressing challenge and design your PD around it.
2. Prepare: Get Clear on What Matters Once you know what you’re tackling, get clear on the “active ingredients” of your PD:
• What exactly are teachers expected to do differently? • Which parts are non-negotiable and which can be adapted? • How does this fit with wider school priorities?
Preparation also means planning the practicalities: time, resources, who will support staff, and how progress will be monitored. Setting expectations and creating support structures makes a huge difference in the long term.
3. Deliver: Support, Model, Repeat This is where many initiatives stall. The PD guidance emphasises that professional development is a process, not a one-off workshop.
As a leader, your role is to:
• Model the practice yourself or through expert teachers. • Give teachers time to rehearse and refine techniques. • Offer feedback and coaching along the way. • Keep revisiting the focus so it becomes part of everyday routines.
I’ve learned that embedding practice takes patience. Staff need opportunities to try, reflect, and adjust. Short bursts of high-quality support are more effective than a single intensive session.
4. Sustain: Make PD Part of the System Sustainability is often the hardest part. To avoid PD fading away, link it to systems that are already in place:
• Appraisal and professional growth conversations. • Curriculum planning and schemes of learning. • Lesson observations and feedback cycles. • Induction for new staff.
Also, plan to reflect and adapt. Context changes: priorities shift, staff change, new challenges emerge. Good PD evolves with the school.
“What I Would Do Now” as a PD Leader Looking back, if I were launching a PD initiative now, I would:
1. Start with a mini-pilot in two or three departments, using the PD mechanisms from the EEF PD guide. That pilot would include building knowledge, modelling, practice, embedding. See how it works in real classrooms before scaling up. 2. Form an implementation team: include heads of department, expert teachers, senior leaders. Use them to design, support, monitor. This helps distribute leadership and ensures ownership. 3. Map the overlap of PD with existing systems: make sure PD outcomes are built into appraisal, learning walks/observations, curriculum reviews. Don’t make PD extra — make it part of how you currently do things. 4. Build in opportunities for teacher feedback and reflection: not just after the PD, but during. Use staff meetings, peer share, and observation to see how the strategies are being taken up and what obstacles are showing. 5. Be realistic about time & workload: both guides warn that unrealistic demands or too much change too fast undermine outcomes. So, I’d phase PD, give teachers chance to try, fail, reflect and adjust.
Key Takeaways for PD Leaders • Clarify what needs improving and why before selecting the PD focus. • Design PD using the four mechanisms from the PD guidance: knowledge building, motivation, techniques, embedding. Balance them. • Ensure the school is ready: have the leadership support, resources, time, and shared understanding required. • Deliver over time — not a one-off. Include coaching, modelling, rehearsal. • Embed PD in school systems: use appraisal, observations, curriculum plans. • Continuously monitor, adapt, and scale wisely.
Final Thought Implementing PD well is one of the most powerful levers a leader has to improve teaching and learning. Evidence alone isn’t enough: how you design, support, and embed PD is what drives real, lasting change. Focus on the craft of PD implementation, and you’ll see teachers refine their practice and students benefit as a result.
