Category: Outstanding schools

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 […]

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:

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, […]