It’s late Friday morning, so it must be time for a story… There is an Executive Head of three schools. All three schools are situated in tough areas. They don’t have a wealthy benefactor giving them money. Unsurprisingly, they have increased complex needs. Yet 2 of those schools were judged outstanding in 2024. […]
How do some schools do it? How do they manage all the national pressures? Increased complex SEND needs Lack of funding Recruitment crisis Falling roll And then on top of that, the local challenges and nuances of their context? It’s a question I’ve been researching since 2011, finding these schools, visiting them, learning from them. […]
I recently got this message from a headteacher: ‘We are a school that has moved from Special Measures to Requires Improvement in 11 months.All indicators suggest we will be good however I am not aiming for Good for Ofsted. I want an outstanding provision for our students and any CPD that makes us think […]
I hope SATs went well last week, and the GCSEs & A-Levels continue to. Time. Money. Two resources we never seem to have enough of. But which is more important? Time. Why? Because: money buys time. And what do we do with time? I know school finances are incredibly hard right now. […]
It’s hard in school right now. Falling rolls. Recruitment challenges. Complex needs like we’ve not seen before. I get it. What can you do about it? There’s only so much in your control. And sadly a lot of aspects that aren’t. I’m always looking for those schools who are achieving above average success, in […]
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 […]
‘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. […]
We so often hear about schools no longer being outstanding. But what we don’t hear about as often is those that retained their outstanding judgement. And what I find is these schools have done this by creating really impressive schools, with a great culture. Tracy Cafull is one of our speakers at Moving […]
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 […]
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