Category: Creating a Great Vision

Jo had a problem that a lot of headteachers will be familiar with.  She had a good team, who worked hard and were mostly fully onboard with her goal of delivering excellence to all her children (though some of them ‘didn’t get it’, most did). They didn’t have the easiest of contexts, being a large […]

Do this with me: Grab a piece of paper.   Write down how many people are in your team (the number on payroll, but don’t worry about being exact).   Now write down these three headings side by side:   Some issues Solid Superstars   How many of them are superstars? (They’re so good you’d […]

Would you like to improve your team, with minimum input and maximum output? ‘Yes!’ I hear you cry! I mean, who wouldn’t?   So let me share this tool which school leaders love (after all it’s Valentine’s day next week so let’s share the love).   It’s great for creating high performance.  It’s beautifully simple […]

I’ve spent over a decade walking into schools and talking to school leaders trying to answer this question:   What stops us breaking through the ceiling of normal, and move beyond delivering good education to providing exceptional education?   Thinking about how to share what I’ve learned puts me in mind of the old game […]

I know you love your school. But as a leader doesn’t it feel like there are more hard bits in your day than good bits? A parent is upset about a decision. There’s been an incident in class. You can’t get the absence figures to improve, despite best efforts.   And then there’s staff. You […]

Who, not what, is the issue you need to fix this year?   I ask because I regularly hear this phrase from school leaders:    “It’s been brilliant this week in school because ‘X’ has been off sick/on leave”.   I imagine you’re instantly picturing someone who makes you feel the same way.   Maybe […]

Nothing goes by more quickly than the school year. We’re always looking towards the next holiday, and how much we want to achieve in that time. They say the week before a holiday is the most productive, the first week back the least.   I think this is one of many reasons schools are so […]

The bells might be jingling and carols might be singing and the tinsel could be glittering. It’s the most wonderful time of the year (and incredibly busy to fit it all in!). Before we know it’ll be the end of the year and the school gates will be locked for the Christmas holidays. Let’s end […]

Today is the last chance to get early bird tickets for next year’s annual conference ‘Outstanding Against the Odds’.  This year we heard from 5 headteachers who deliver educational excellence in tough contexts.   Headteachers like:   Linda Hothersall and her team at Eastgate Academy serve a community with high deprivation. I’ve been to the […]

Beliefs.We all have them. Some are great, they can help us make good decisions Some are not, they can get in our way.   But limiting beliefs can be hard to spot.   Here’s how you can uncover beliefs that might be limiting you and your school.   Look out for things you assume automatically. […]