When I continue to reflect on the PD I have delivered, one lesson repeatedly stands out: change does not happen in the session itself, but afterwards! Considering this, a key question for leaders of teaching and learning is: How will teachers continue to practise the strategies they have learned to ensure high-quality teaching reaches every pupil, especially those facing disadvantage?
This reflection is further deepened when I consider the evidence surrounding high-quality teaching being noted as the most powerful lever for improving outcomes for disadvantaged learners. It’s a given that even the most carefully designed PD will lose impact if teachers do not have time, support, and structured opportunities to practise. In my experience, what happens after the session is just as important, if not more so, than the PD session itself. The sustain phase therefore, can arguably be just as crucial to plan for and (get right).
The Missing Piece: Practice Too often, PD ends with understanding rather than mastery. Teachers leave sessions with enthusiasm, but without structured rehearsal and refinement, teacher learning can fade as the daily demands of teaching return.
To make PD stick in your school, you must build time and space for teachers to practise, not just understand, new strategies. Doing so ensures that high-quality teaching becomes routine, benefiting all pupils and closing gaps for disadvantaged learners.
EEF Effective Professional Development – Planning PD Tool
Embedding Practice into Daily Teaching Practice does not happen by accident. As a leader, you must design it in. Think carefully about how teachers can safely try strategies, receive feedback, and see themselves improving.
During sessions, I now build in explicit rehearsal. Teachers plan, model, or role-play aspects of a strategy. For example, in a session on modelling writing, colleagues script and practise think-alouds with peers. In a session on questioning, we pause to practise prompts that stretch student thinking.
The real value comes from shared reflection. Teachers discuss what worked, what was challenging, and how strategies could be adapted for their pupils. Reflection turns rehearsal into genuine learning.
Why This Matters for Disadvantaged Learners Embedding practice is especially critical for disadvantaged pupils. These learners depend on consistent, high-quality instruction to make progress. Gaps in teaching practice often widen inequalities, while well-rehearsed, embedded strategies help close them.
In schools where PD focused on retrieval practice, modelling, or scaffolding, and where teachers had time to refine approaches, the greatest gains were among pupils who struggled with language, background knowledge, or working memory. When teachers practised together, classroom routines became more consistent, explanations clearer, and learning more equitable.
EEF evidence confirms that improving teaching quality has the largest impact on disadvantaged pupils. Sustained PD ensures that impact lasts. Framing professional development this way helps you, as a leader of teaching and learning, focus on what matters most: embedding high-quality teaching that benefits every learner.
Sustaining Practice Beyond the Session Powerful PD continues beyond the workshop. Leaders can embed practice in simple, sustainable ways:
Coaching cycles where teachers revisit the same strategy
Short practice moments at the start of staff or department meetings
Peer drop-ins focused on one shared priority
These are not extras; they are part of PD itself. Creating rhythm and routine around practice is essential for sustaining change.
What Leaders Can Do Sustaining PD is less about new content and more about deliberate, structured practice. Teachers need time, space, and encouragement to embed strategies effectively in classrooms.
When planning PD, I build in three commitments:
1. Plan for practice, not just participation. Every session should include a chance to try, rehearse, or discuss strategies.
2. Create ongoing opportunities. Practice continues through coaching and planning cycles, not just the initial workshop.
3. Nurture a learning culture. Teachers, like students, need encouragement, safety, and constructive feedback to improve.
When the Sustain phase is prioritised and teachers have time to practise and embed new strategies, consistency grows and disadvantaged learners benefit most. This is when professional development truly shifts: moving from informing practice to transforming it, and from short-term inspiration to lasting change.
Key Takeaway The most important question for leaders of teaching and learning is: How will teachers continue to practise the strategies they have learned to ensure high-quality teaching reaches every pupil, particularly those facing disadvantage?
Answer it clearly, and PD in your school moves from understanding to action, and from momentary impact to lasting improvement for every learner.
