Learning & Growing Together.
Building a positive culture of continuous professional development that is evidence –informed and promotes high outcomes for all.
Prince of Wales Primary School, Enfield
SITUATION
Prince of Wales Primary faced a complex set of challenges. Outcomes in Early Years, phonics and Key Stage 1 lagged behind national averages, while high mobility, deprivation, SEND and EAL created additional barriers to learning. Professional development relied heavily on internal subject training, with limited evidence-informed practice and high staff turnover. Leaders recognised the need for a coherent approach that would strengthen teaching, improve consistency and help pupils know more and remember more.
THEORY
Leaders anticipated that if they could build a shared language around effective teaching, then classroom practice would become more consistent, so that learning outcomes would improve across the school. Drawing on Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction and EEF guidance, particularly the Five-a-Day approach for SEND, they identified WalkThrus as a practical framework for embedding evidence-informed practice, strengthening professional learning and creating a culture of continuous improvement.
ACTION
Implementation began with Rosenshine’s Principles, daily review routines and retrieval practice before extending into a structured WalkThru programme. Leaders introduced core strategies including Cold Calling, Think, Pair, Share and Show Me Boards, supported by modelling, rehearsal and coaching. Over three years, the school developed a dedicated WalkThru team, established coaching groups, aligned policies and appraisal processes, created staff training videos, strengthened peer observation and built a substantial school-wide WalkThru cluster linked directly to behaviour, participation, explicit teaching and literacy priorities.
RESULTS
WalkThrus became embedded across the school as a shared language for teaching and learning. Attainment improved, with increased numbers of pupils achieving Greater Depth and outcomes in phonics and Early Years moving in line with, or above, national averages. Staff described professional development as more coherent, purposeful and research-informed. Surveys highlighted greater confidence, stronger leadership support and improved consistency in classroom practice. Positive feedback from external reviews, local authority visits and inspection activity reinforced these improvements.
TAKE-AWAYS
Remain responsive - only follow the plan if the plan is working.
Slow down to speed up by revisiting and strengthening implementation over time.
Use regular staff feedback to identify priorities and maintain engagement.
Build broad leadership capacity and distribute responsibility for improvement.
Model desired practice consistently and share both successes and challenges.
Use external expertise when it adds capacity, challenge and credibility.
Invest in coaching - sustained coaching is key to improving classroom practice.
PROFILE
Prince of Wales Primary serves a diverse community with significant levels of deprivation, mobility, SEND and EAL. Through three years of implementation, the school embedded WalkThrus, coaching and evidence-informed practice to create a coherent culture of professional learning and continuous improvement.
Written by
Jenny Langstaffe, Deputy Headteacher, and Rachel Knightley, Assistant Headteacher