How They Connected Feedback and Development
Background:
Located in Essex, William Edwards School is a high-performing secondary school serving 1,250 students and supported by over 100 staff. As part of the South West Essex Community Education Trust (SWECET), the school is committed to high standards and continuous improvement, with clear priorities for teaching and learning:
- Ensure consistency across classrooms
- Strengthen challenge and assessment across the school
- Develop a collaborative CPD programme to share best practice and drive improvement
But while these goals were well-defined, turning lesson feedback into real, measurable action was a challenge.
William Edwards School in Essex, a high-performing secondary school committed to continuous improvement in teaching and learning.
The Challenge: Inconsistent and Isolated Feedback
Before adopting ProgressTeaching, the school relied on paper forms to capture feedback, which were then scanned and stored. While feedback was taking place across the school, there was no system in place to analyse trends or identify common areas for development.
“We were carrying out feedback across the school,” explains Mrs Aman Barber, Assistant Headteacher,
“but we didn’t have a system to interpret the findings or spot patterns.”
This meant valuable insights were lost. Without a whole-school view of teaching strengths and areas for growth, it was difficult to offer personalised professional development. Inconsistency in how feedback was recorded further limited its impact.
The Turning Point: Introducing ProgressTeaching
William Edwards School needed a smarter, centralised approach that would make feedback meaningful and actionable. ProgressTeaching offered just that.
“We chose ProgressTeaching because the platform looked easy to use, and the analysis tools fit our purpose,” says Aman.
The school introduced both the Feedback and Appraisal modules, allowing them to align teaching and learning frameworks with clear, consistent processes. Setup was simple, and the system was tailored to fit their needs from the start.
“The implementation process went smoothly and any tweaks we needed were quickly resolved. We have been 100% happy with the support.”
From Feedback to Action
Since launching ProgressTeaching, lesson feedback has become a powerful tool for reflection and growth. It now happens regularly, is based on shared expectations, and enables staff to track their development over time.
“Staff can now clearly evidence how they’ve met their targets,” Aman notes.
“It’s allowed us to connect lesson feedback with professional development in a way that’s genuinely impactful.”
With feedback and appraisal integrated, the school has significantly reduced admin time, while gaining a clearer picture of performance and progress.
The Result: A Smarter Approach to CPD
ProgressTeaching has helped William Edwards School embed a more strategic, connected approach to staff development. Lesson feedback no longer sits in isolation – it now underpins a broader vision for continuous improvement.
