Case study: Building a culture of open classrooms and high-quality drop-ins at The Marvell College

At The Marvell College in Hull, leaders set out to move beyond traditional CPD and compliance-driven lesson visits. Their goal was to build a more coherent professional development programme - one that was practical, sustained and rooted in improving everyday classroom practice.

Through Steplab, the school has introduced weekly group PD, structured drop-ins and a growing coaching model, helping to create a culture of openness, reflection and continuous improvement.

The Marvell College is part of Hull Collaborative Academy Trust and serves a community with significant levels of disadvantage, with around 50% of students eligible for pupil premium. The school predominantly serves white British working-class pupils, with a small proportion of EAL learners.

In this context, ensuring that every student experiences high-quality teaching is critical.

As Eve Cromack, Assistant Headteacher at The Marvell College, explains:

“Making sure that the students have the best possible teachers in front of them is really important for us.”

This commitment to improving teaching and learning sat at the heart of the school’s decision to rethink its approach to professional development.

Before introducing Steplab, professional development at The Marvell College was largely delivered through termly twilight sessions.

While these sessions were often well received, leaders recognised that they lacked cohesion and sustained impact.

Reflecting on the school’s previous approach, Eve recalls:

“There was no cohesion.”

She also recognised that ideas introduced during CPD sessions were not always translating into classroom practice over time.

“You kind of have to give a bit of a recap… and it kind of just loses that impact.”

Leaders wanted a more structured approach to teacher professional development - one that would:

• 1.
  build knowledge over time
• 2.
  focus on specific classroom actions
• 3.
  translate more clearly into practice

After visiting another school using Steplab, the team were drawn to its focus on granular teacher actions and its alignment with their vision of “a bit better every day.”

A key shift was moving to weekly Group PD sessions, creating a rhythm of ongoing professional learning rather than isolated inputs.

Each half-term, the school focuses on a specific area of teaching and learning. Their first focus was increasing pupil participation ratio through the use of mini whiteboards.

Rather than introducing multiple initiatives at once, leaders deliberately focused on one priority at a time, ensuring it could be embedded deeply across the school.

From the outset, sessions were practical and rehearsal-based. Staff were expected to actively practise techniques, rather than simply discuss them.

Reflecting on the shift, Eve says:

“We just wanted to focus on one thing at a time and get really good at that as a staff body. Staff really bought into it because it wasn’t just theory - it was really practical.”

Before Steplab, lesson visits at the school were largely compliance-driven.

Leaders conducted learning walks using a rota system and recorded whether specific practices were present or absent.

Looking back, Eve describes the process as “a bit clipboard-like” with an emphasis on checking compliance rather than improving practice.

Staff feedback reinforced this. Surveys highlighted a desire for greater transparency and more meaningful feedback.

In response, the school redesigned its approach to lesson visits using Steplab drop-ins.

Drop-ins were introduced early in the academic year and designed to be:

• 1.
  non-hierarchical - all staff participate
• 2.
  frequent - staff complete two per week
• 3.
  aligned to PD focus - linked directly to current priorities
• 4.
  initially positive-only - to build trust and buy-in

Staff complete:

• 1.
  one drop-in within their department
• 2.
  one drop-in in another department

Middle leaders also complete additional drop-ins within their teams.

From the outset, leaders wanted the process to feel collaborative rather than hierarchical.

“We wanted it to be non-hierarchical… all staff to be involved.”

The decision to begin with positive-only feedback was equally deliberate.

“We just started with the positives… that’s all we focused on for the first term.”

This helped build confidence, reduce anxiety and establish a genuinely open-door culture.

One of the most striking aspects of implementation has been the scale of engagement.

The school regularly records hundreds of drop-ins each month, including:

• 1.
  815 in November
• 2.
  768 in January
• 3.
  more than 500 even during particularly busy periods

Leaders have maintained this momentum through:

• 1.
  regular evaluation using Steplab data
• 2.
  targeted reminders via heads of department
• 3.
  clear expectations without over-policing participation

For Eve, maintaining the right culture around drop-ins has been essential.

“We didn’t want it to become a ‘I’ve just got to do it’ activity.”

Instead, leaders focused on keeping the process visible, supportive and positive.

This includes:

• 1.
  Steplab awards for categories such as most drop-ins and highest-quality feedback
• 2.
  sharing examples of strong drop-ins during staff briefings
• 3.
  publicly celebrating effective practice across the school

Once participation was embedded, leaders shifted their focus to improving the quality of drop-ins.

They introduced developmental feedback framed around the question:

“Have you considered…?”

This approach encourages reflection without becoming directive or judgemental.

Leaders have also provided additional training for middle leaders to strengthen the quality of feedback and ensure alignment with the school’s PD focus.

As Eve explains: “We’ve got the buy-in, but now it’s about improving the quality.”

The school is increasingly using Steplab data not simply to track activity, but to shape future professional development priorities.

Drop-ins are reviewed regularly by the teaching and learning team, with leaders analysing patterns in classroom practice.

“We’re not just looking at the numbers - we’re looking at what they’re telling us.”

Leaders are now beginning to categorise drop-ins using tags linked to common teaching challenges, helping them identify future PD priorities more precisely.

As Eve puts it: “We want to make sure we’re not just guessing.”

Perhaps the most significant impact has been cultural.

While the school previously described itself as having an open-door policy, leaders now feel this is genuinely embedded.

“We probably said we had an open-door policy before, but now I would say we really do.”

Staff are increasingly comfortable visiting each other’s classrooms, sharing practice and reflecting openly on teaching.

Eve has also noticed a shift in how teachers think about classroom practice:

“Staff are reflecting and thinking about the granular aspects of what good teaching looks like.”

The combination of weekly PD, rehearsal and drop-ins has helped keep teaching and learning at the forefront of everyday practice.

If you’re looking to move from one-off CPD to a more coherent approach to professional development - combining group PD, instructional coaching and meaningful lesson visits - Steplab can help.

Book a demo to see how Steplab can support professional development in your school or trust.