Creating a Teaching & Learning Culture
We wanted to establish a culture to support teachers through the complexity of teaching and learning in a post Covid context.
Longdendale High School
SITUATION
Longdendale High School, a mid-sized 11-16 comprehensive in an area with low aspirations, faced significant challenges. In February 2020, Ofsted rated the school as ‘Inadequate’. The subsequent cancellation of GCSE exams and the onset of lockdown further complicated matters. In January 2021, during the second lockdown, a new Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) was established, introducing a new executive head and CEO.
THEORY
To lay the foundation for improvement, leaders introduced Rosenshine’s Principles through workshops and independent CPD. Staff engaged with the principles via YouTube and Teams sessions, sparking initial motivation. However, to truly embed these practices in classrooms and develop a robust teaching culture, the school recognised the need for an effective professional learning curriculum. This led to the adoption of a CPD curriculum inspired by David Kolb’s experiential learning model, alongside training coaches through the Ambition Institute and the Walkthru introductory webinar.
ACTION
The school initiated a trust-wide Walkthru membership to foster collaboration across secondary schools. Leaders began each middle leader meeting with a 15-minute Rosenshine’s Principles refresher. Every teacher and teaching assistant received all three WalkThru volumes, supported by T&L goodie bags. Collaborative planning time, middle leader conferences, and whole-school CPD sessions were implemented to reinforce and evaluate these practices. In Year One, the focus was on questioning and checking for understanding, with coaching provided to a core group and Early Career Teachers (ECTs). Year Two continued this focus, integrating retrieval practice and aligning WalkThrus with key teaching and learning policies. In Year Three, Steplab was introduced to support instructional coaching, and clusters were formed to enhance lesson planning.
RESULTS
Initially, the school moved too quickly, attempting to address multiple focuses simultaneously. This highlighted the need for fidelity in strategy implementation and the importance of avoiding assumptions about staff understanding. Despite these challenges, the school established a strong teaching and learning culture, with a common language across systems. For three consecutive years, CPD ranked among the top positives in staff feedback. The transition from lesson observations to coaching drop-ins was largely successful, with 89% average engagement. Ofsted reports indicated progress.
TAKE-AWAYS
Think big, start small. Focus on core strategies and refine them over time.
Context awareness. Demonstrate the effectiveness of strategies within the school’s unique context.
Saturation without overload. Establish a supportive culture that encourages growth without overwhelming staff.
Sustained investment. Commit to long-term improvement, maintaining focus and resilience.
PROFILE
Longdendale High School, led by a new executive head and CEO within a newly formed MAT, embarked on a journey of transformation following a challenging ‘Inadequate’ Ofsted rating. The school serves a community with historically low aspirations, necessitating a focused and resilient approach to educational improvement.
Written by
Nicola Cole, Assistant Head Teacher