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 the school. And the horror stories that make you sink! One thing that I do notice is how much schools […]
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’, with or without inspectors. Is that something you really want and are willing to learn and stretch yourself and your […]
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 regularly: 1. They only teach a narrow curriculum. Even before the new Ofsted framework put a focus on a broad […]
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 schools and Headteachers to think in another way. A great restaurant who consistently deliver high quality plates of food from […]
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 of a term The start of a term Exams starting Exam results coming out These are generic ones, but there […]
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 any of these too. Here are 5 quick Christmas culture wins – pick the ones that feel true to you […]
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; a lack of leadership allows a culture to form by accident. Great leaders create great cultures. The behaviour of individuals, […]
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. And you do, at a staff meeting. Depending on the culture of your school you will tend to get […]
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’ or slip down. Out of 3734 schools reviewed, only 4% moved from Good to Outstanding in their next inspection1, 4%! […]
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 so far as to call them daft…but they keep coming up. Here are *** daft but true environmental correlations I […]
