As part of a CfBT Education Trust funded study, we investigated the practical steps school leaders can take to ensure that self-evaluation of school performance led, through the effective staff development, to genuine school improvement. On the journey from self-evaluation to school improvement our research identified what schools did that worked, how people helped each other, how obstacles were overcome, and what was done to ensure even greater improvement. The role of continuing development of staff was crucial in helping to address most of the priorities identified through self-evaluation to bring about improvement, enhance the quality of the learning experience, and generally make things better for pupils. In this article we outline the key factors that need consideration by school staff development leaders to ensure that the journey leads from self-evaluation to school improvement. (Contains 2 figures.)