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 […]
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 show ‘Family […]
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. For […]
Paul Murphy is the Headteacher, Lancasterian Primary School, Tottenham, London. It’s a larger than average school, serving a diverse population. They have a higher than average number of pupils who are eligible for free school meals, speak English as an additional language, have an ECHP and SEN support. Despite these contextual challenges Paul and his […]
‘Outstanding’ A word that gets all kinds of reactions. Some of these reactions are good, some of them are bad. Some of them are true, some of them are not. It’s a well-known fact that if you want to do better, then learning from the best is one of the quickest ways to do that. […]
Crazy right? 83% of schools. Graded better than good? In the summer term 2023? Against the most recent Ofsted framework!? And they have challenging demographics? Things like high pupil premium, EAL and/or SEND? It’s true. And it’s a reason to celebrate. Because these schools are delivering exceptional education to the communities that arguably need it […]
Ofsted isn’t in many people’s good books right now, and I totally get it. There is much that can be improved about all aspects of inspections and as we’ve tragically seen, the pressures involved can be intolerable. Given the criticisms and the stress, many heads, Trust leads and CEOs I know are working […]
Pandemics, strikes, soaring bills, budget shortfalls, recruitment issues and much, much more… All just another day on the job these days, right? Have levels of uncertainty ever felt higher? Many of my conversations with schools these days involve the word ‘but’…. ‘I’d love to develop my leader’s skills to improve their abilities […]