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Episode 279: In this episode of Thinking Deeply About Primary Education, Kieran Mackle is joined by Scott Wells, Professional Learning Lead at Windsor Academy Trust, to explore what it takes to design professional development that genuinely changes classroom practice.
Scott sets out a trust-wide approach to professional learning built around evidence, codification, coaching, rehearsal and careful diagnosis. The conversation explores how trusts can learn from bright spots within their own schools, how leaders can balance trust-wide clarity with school-level responsiveness, and why effective professional development must focus on more than knowledge alone.
Together, Kieran and Scott discuss instructional coaching, group rehearsal, knowledge building, professional development mechanisms, adaptive expertise, and the importance of routines, belonging and predictable classrooms. Scott also explains Windsor Academy Trust’s “rhythm of the year”, including alignment, improvement and transition phases, and shares how the trust uses drop-ins, spotlight tours and coaching data to inform its next steps.
This is a rich and practical episode for anyone interested in teaching and learning, school improvement, and how to make professional development meaningful at scale.
By Kieran Mackle5
55 ratings
For show notes, links, and a summary episode, sign up for the Hey! What You Reading For newsletter. Mondays at 7am BST - https://tdape.beehiiv.com/subscribe
AI For Teachers newsletter
For maths curriculum questions contact us here or via [email protected]
Learn more about The Story of Maths - www.alta-education.com/tsom-overview
Episode 279: In this episode of Thinking Deeply About Primary Education, Kieran Mackle is joined by Scott Wells, Professional Learning Lead at Windsor Academy Trust, to explore what it takes to design professional development that genuinely changes classroom practice.
Scott sets out a trust-wide approach to professional learning built around evidence, codification, coaching, rehearsal and careful diagnosis. The conversation explores how trusts can learn from bright spots within their own schools, how leaders can balance trust-wide clarity with school-level responsiveness, and why effective professional development must focus on more than knowledge alone.
Together, Kieran and Scott discuss instructional coaching, group rehearsal, knowledge building, professional development mechanisms, adaptive expertise, and the importance of routines, belonging and predictable classrooms. Scott also explains Windsor Academy Trust’s “rhythm of the year”, including alignment, improvement and transition phases, and shares how the trust uses drop-ins, spotlight tours and coaching data to inform its next steps.
This is a rich and practical episode for anyone interested in teaching and learning, school improvement, and how to make professional development meaningful at scale.

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