Tom Cragg
Head of Client Success, MFL Consultant and Examiner, School Governor, former Head Teacher
Creating a culture of feedback is one of the most powerful ways schools can strengthen teaching, raise outcomes, and build a thriving professional community. At a time when schools are navigating new expectations in the Ofsted framework and working tirelessly to meet the needs of disadvantaged learners, developing this culture is no longer optional, it’s essential.
In this blog, I explore what a culture of feedback really is, why it matters, and what happens when it’s in place.
What do we mean by a “culture of feedback”?
Before we can understand the culture, we have to understand feedback itself. While it sounds simple, meaningful definitions vary. Three stood out:
EEF: Feedback is information given to a learner about their performance relative to learning goals.
Cameron Conaway: Feedback helps someone adjust to become more effective.
John Hattie: Feedback clarifies where you’re going, how you’re doing, and what to do next. Importantly, vague praise isn’t feedback because it doesn’t change thinking or behaviour.
From these, we can say that a culture of feedback is fundamentally a culture of learning, a shared mindset across teachers and leaders where feedback is continuous, purposeful, and rooted in improvement rather than judgement.
In schools that embed this culture well, you often see:
Normalised, ongoing dialogue about teaching
Leaders modelling openness, acting on feedback themselves
Collective responsibility for developing teaching and learning
Feedback on the feedback, ensuring clarity, consistency, and impact
An important principle underpinning this culture is the celebration of error. As Hattie and Clarke highlight:
“Errors are not failures, they are catalysts for feedback, insight, and growth.”
Why a culture of feedback is so important
The evidence is clear: teaching quality is the biggest driver of pupil outcomes. Research from Dylan Wiliam, Jenny Gore, the EEF, and the Sutton Trust all point to the same conclusion: improving teaching is the most effective lever schools have.
A culture of feedback matters because it:
- Improves teaching quality at scale
When feedback becomes routine, teaching continually improves. That improvement is especially powerful for disadvantaged pupils, who make the greatest gains from strong teaching.
- Supports the new Ofsted framework
The updated framework puts significant emphasis on high-quality teaching and the experience of disadvantaged learners. A well-established feedback culture directly supports these expectations, not through performative compliance, but through authentic professional practice.
- Boosts teacher morale and retention
With teacher leaving rates rising, feedback becomes a key retention tool. Teachers are more likely to stay when they feel seen, supported, and developed. Positive, developmental feedback strengthens confidence, motivation, and professional pride.
What happens when we don’t have a feedback culture?
Several risks begin to emerge:
- A Lack of evidence
Without regular feedback, leaders are left guessing about whether training has been embedded or whether teaching aligns with expectations. Issues can go unnoticed until they become serious.
- High-stakes observations
Low-frequency feedback creates anxiety and a sense of surveillance.
High frequency = low stakes.
Low frequency = high stakes.
This shuts down openness and growth.
- “Forgotten teachers” in the middle
Mid-career teachers, typically those 5 to 15 years in, often receive the least structured development. Yet they are the backbone of many schools and represent one of the highest flight-risk groups. Regular feedback and personalised development can be transformative for retaining this group and ensure their classroom expertise is used for the benefit of their colleagues.
But what happens when a feedback culture really takes hold?
Schools that invest in this culture see several transformational effects:
- Clarity and alignment around “great teaching”
A shared model of expert teaching becomes visible across classrooms. Staff understand expectations clearly, and new colleagues integrate quickly because it is evident “how we do it here” from day one.
- Better evidence for stronger decisions
Frequent feedback creates high-quality data. Leaders can quickly answer questions like:
- What’s the quality of teaching across subjects?
- Is feedback happening often enough?
- Which teaching strands should be prioritised for PD?
This ensures professional development is strategic, not based on ‘gut feeling’.
- Continuous professional growth
Research shows CPD only works when learning happens over time. A feedback culture creates those ongoing iterative loops, turning development from a one-off event into a daily habit.
- Inclusion of all adults in the classroom
The same principles can be applied to TAs and other staff, giving schools a unified approach to defining, observing, and developing high-quality practice across all roles.
Building the conditions where everyone thrives
A culture of feedback is not built in a day, and it’s not about increasing scrutiny or adding workload. It’s about creating the conditions for genuine professional growth, where teachers feel supported, leaders have clarity, and pupils benefit from consistently high-quality teaching. When feedback becomes a daily, low-stakes habit, improvement becomes collective, continuous, and sustainable. In this kind of culture, staff thrive, learners flourish, and schools become places where everyone grows together.
In our recent webinar, ‘Creating a culture of feedback in your organisation’, Chris Brown, Principal at The Bridge Academy and Dorothy Asare, Senior Deputy Headteacher at Mulberry School for Girls described the impact this culture has had on their quality of teaching and pupil outcomes.