Outstanding news from Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School

Every so often, a school’s success story makes you smile all day — and this is one of them. Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School in Wanstead has been graded Outstanding in every area.

Reflection isn’t a luxury for leaders — it’s survival

What I’ve noticed from over a decade of working with high-performing, fantastic schools: Without reflection, schools drift. With it, they grow. Reflection isn’t sitting around staring at your shoes. And you’ve definitely had it before. Maybe on a train journey to a conference, where the conversation flows there and back. Or on a precious SLT away day, where the fog lifts and you leave buzzing with ideas. And at some point you’ve said: “We should do this more often.”

What does it mean to be ‘Outstanding Against the Odds’?

In education, the word “outstanding” has long been tied to Ofsted — once a single judgement, now a set of gradings across areas, with a new scorecard soon to come. But beyond frameworks and metrics, when we talk about being Outstanding Against the Odds, we mean something deeper. It’s not about flawless performance or ticking every box for inspection. It’s about thriving for your children, even in circumstances that make excellence very hard to achieve. And schools are doing it — right now.

High achievement without burnout — and national recognition to prove it

East Wichel isn’t a shiny outlier. It’s a large, two-form entry school with high mobility and a deeply mixed pupil population. It’s in a town that’s been publicly called out as an education “cold spot” — a place often overlooked and unfairly judged. But under the leadership of Paula Phillips, something different took root.

Launch offer: How 7 Headteachers Built Outstanding Schools Despite the Barriers

In this new book, seven inspiring headteachers share how they transformed their schools - despite the odds. Their real-world insights offer practical, proven strategies that any school leader can learn from. And for today only (Monday 3rd March), you can get the Kindle edition for just 99p (RRP £16).

How 7 Headteachers Built Outstanding Schools Despite the Barriers

Being a school leader is truly work from the heart. You’re driven to create the best education for your children, but with ever-changing national and local challenges, it’s no easy task. Sometimes it feels like you’re running in circles, but there are guiding lights to show the way. Some leaders have managed to create exceptional […]

Do you know how much staff sickness is costing you?

Budgets are tight. And when they are, one of the ways to help combat this is to look at the costs we’re spending and not getting the most out of. Pay is your biggest cost. And it gets eroded from many angles. Perhaps sickness is eroding yours.

This is what your environment is telling people about your school

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 of your […]

The first outstanding school in a region for over 10 years

As we head into half term, join me in celebrating and congratulating a school that is outstanding across the board against the odds, and utterly deserves recognition as such: Beth Dyer and the brilliant team at Nine Acres Primary School. The context High free schools meals eligibility (29.1% vs average 25.9%). Higher SEN […]

Would you love to visit amazing schools to get ideas, but you don’t have the time?

Are you looking for great ideas to help your school be even better? Then let me introduce you to the outstanding headteachers who are speaking at Outstanding Against the Odds this year. All of their schools are in challenging contexts and all have recently achieved outstanding across the board. They have lots of great […]

Category: Excellence in schools

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