I’ve heard many an Ofsted inspection story, some heartwarming and just how you would want an inspection to be (regardless of the judgement) because they are developmental and supportive, whilst giving an honest summary of…
1. Do I want to be ‘Outstanding’? This can get lost in an intelligent conversation about the framework, Ofsted. What does ‘Outstanding’ mean anyway? Forget that. Exchange ‘Outstanding’ for ‘the school you dream of creating’,…
I’ve met a lot of Outstanding Heads and walked into a lot of Outstanding schools. And I hear a lot of ‘myths’ about what it is to be Outstanding. Here are seven I come across…
I know that hearing the ‘O’ word can sometimes send shivers down your spine and send you into a thought process of ‘What will they think of us’, but here at Heads Up we encourage…
I call moments where your culture can really be seen ‘cultural touch points’, and many of these happen naturally during the course of the year: New team members joining Existing team members leaving The end…
Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, it’s a great time to show people you care and reinforce the kind of school you are. In fact, the New Year is also a good time to do…
As a headteacher you are the leader of your school and the leader of the next generation; you know too well that your school’s success ultimately rests on your shoulders. Leadership creates culture by design;…
Here’s how reactions look like in an RI, Good and Outstanding school. You’ve got an idea to improve an aspect of school, maybe it’s reading, maybe it’s maths, maybe it’s playtime. You’re excited to share…
It’s hard to move a school from ‘Requires Improvement’ to ‘Good’, but even harder to move a school from ‘Good’ to ‘Outstanding’. In fact, there’s a high chance that a ‘Good’ school will remain ‘Good’…
It slightly loathes me to say this but there are some give away clues in schools that let you judge how good they are. It loathes me because these clues are pretty superficial, I’d go…
