Blog: School leadership Tips

Do you believe it’s possible to have an even better school AND great well-being?

Do you like meeting headteachers that make the impossible happen? Because they are speaking at our conference, Outstanding Against the Odds

Meet the head of 3 schools: 2 are outstanding, 1 will be soon

Back in July I told you about an Executive Head of three schools. All three schools are situated in tough areas. They don’t have a wealthy benefactor giving them money. Unsurprisingly, they have increased complex needs. Yet 2 of those schools were judged outstanding in 2024. The other was rated Good in 2022 […]

The truth about recently ‘Outstanding’ schools

The truth about recently badged ‘Outstanding’ schools?* Is that they are outstanding. In every way, no matter what criteria you are using. It is what I have found after walking into scores of recently outstanding, and other, schools for over a decade. And these were all schools set in tough contexts. I’ve […]

A simple way to know how high performing your team is

I spent over a decade visiting schools that recently achieved outstanding ratings, even in tough contexts, to understand what they did differently to move from good to great. It wasn’t their curriculum, which was solid. It wasn’t their behaviour management, which was excellent. It wasn’t their team’s happiness or well-being, which was great. All of these things were in place. What really set them apart was their people—they created high-performing teams [...]

Only 9% of school teams have high followership

This week, let’s look at leadership. Because a key job of leadership is to get everyone on board. To help them be great followers. I don’t mean passive ‘do what I say’ followers. I mean committed to the level you are, problem solving followers. But as leaders we often miss one of the most important ways we can do this. We don’t give them a vision that inspires them [...]

New school initiative this year? You need to know this…

Welcome back! A shiny new school year! I hope you had a great break, and have come back rested and recharged to work your magic, to give your communities’ children great education. And at the start of the year I bet you’ve got some great new initiatives in mind. Something that […]

Another school year comes to a close – well done and thank you

Another school year is about to wrap up. Wow! Sometimes I feel like we could blink and miss it. But it’s been a full year; yes, it’s had its challenges and yes, there have been triumphs. What remains true is the commitment of you and your team to delivering the best for your children and communities. So pause for a moment with me. And say well done to yourself [...]

Do you like meeting headteachers that make the impossible happen?

It’s late Friday morning, so it must be time for a story… There is an Executive Head of three schools. All three schools are situated in tough areas. They don’t have a wealthy benefactor giving them money. Unsurprisingly, they have increased complex needs. Yet 2 of those schools were judged […]

Creating an outstanding school, despite the barriers and because of the barriers

How do some schools do it? How do they manage all the national pressures? Increased complex SEND needs Lack of funding Recruitment crisis Falling roll And then on top of that, the local challenges and nuances of their context? It’s a question I’ve been researching since 2011, finding these schools, visiting them, learning from […]

Blog: School leadership Tips

Categories

On the journey from good to great, most schools get stuck

Discover how close you are to being outstanding

About

Resources

Legal