I think you and I can agree that: All schools are working hard. No school is ‘coasting’ (I hated that phrase!).   Having walked into hundreds of schools I’ve never found a school that isn’t hard working and committed to their children and community, regardless of results or inspection outcome.   But what is fascinating […]

Environment matters. Why? Because it’s constantly communicating your standards and expectations.   It’s also one of the easiest ways to promote higher standards.   I’m not talking about spending money on painting walls or putting new carpets in.  No. These cost money.  They are not a reflection of your standards – they are a reflection […]

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

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 [...]