In education, the word “outstanding” has long been tied to Ofsted — once a single judgement, now a set of gradings across areas, with a new scorecard soon to come.
But beyond frameworks and metrics, when we talk about being Outstanding Against the Odds, we mean something deeper. It’s not about flawless performance or ticking every box for inspection. It’s about thriving for your children, even in circumstances that make excellence very hard to achieve.
And schools are doing it — right now.
But how? When there are so many odds stacked against schools?
As school leader I hope you know that you’re working in conditions that would flatten many other sectors:
- Staffing shortages.
- Budgets squeezed to breaking point.
- Behaviour and attendance still echoing from lockdown..
- Relentless accountability and scrutiny.
- The loneliness of leadership when the challenges keep coming.
Yet in the middle of these storms, some schools provide a guiding light. Because they aren’t just surviving; they are excelling.
And yes, they are outstanding.
But there’s that word again: Outstanding. An allergic word.
Some leaders really don’t like it. It carries a lot of connotations, stories, expectations and more. I get it.
Outstanding isn’t about perfection. It’s about resilience, adaptability, and clarity of purpose. Most of all it’s about the pursuit of true excellence – the kind of school you became a leader to lead.
It’s about creating cultures where staff stay, grow, and thrive.
It’s about building relationships — with pupils, staff, parents, and communities.
It’s about sustaining the highest standards of teaching and learning, even when resources are tight.
It’s about turning constraints into creativity, and setbacks into opportunities.
It’s about pride in the profession and art of teaching and showing how glorious it is.
As one head put it: “Outstanding isn’t about being flawless — it’s about thriving, because for our children it’s not enough to just survive.”
But is it real? This ‘outstanding’. I believe so. Why? You might already know that since 2011 I’ve been finding schools who were outstanding in the last 12 months, and had as many local challenges as I could find. Because if they were really outstanding, then there’s hope for all of us.
I’ve seen so many examples and to share just a few:
- A school where children stayed, on average, just two years — yet staff still built consistency, depth, a culture that developed the whole child, and strong attainment.
- A school, deep in deficit, that climbed out of financial crisis and declining outcomes to achieve Outstanding.
- A community facing high deprivation that became a beacon of excellence — the first in its area to achieve Outstanding in over a decade.
All of these schools had tough demographics.
What unites these leaders is not luck or magic. It’s ingenuity, relentless clarity of purpose, and a shared commitment across their teams.
Why does this matter?
If you lead a school I believe you are inherently someone who wants to give children the best chance in life.
School life is wonderful, but it’s hard as well.
And being a good school is actually often harder than being an outstanding school.
Being “Outstanding Against the Odds” isn’t about a badge to wear. It’s a survival skill — for schools, for leaders, and for communities.
It shows that thriving is possible, not just coping.
It models for pupils and staff alike that excellence can exist – even in difficulty.
And it proves, again and again, that leadership is the difference-maker.
Everyday we get to see how, against the odds, leaders are proving it can be done. And you can too.
What does it mean to be ‘Outstanding Against the Odds’? This year’s Outstanding Against the Odds conference is built around this question.
We’ll hear directly from headteachers who have achieved what many thought impossible — from Beth Dyer at Nine Acres, the first Outstanding school on the Isle of Wight in over a decade, to Rupinder Ahluwalia at Yeading Infants, proving that joyful learning and high achievement can go hand in hand.
Each story is different.
But the thread is the same: courageous leadership, ingenious practice, and a relentless belief that children deserve the very best — no matter the odds.
This isn’t theory. It’s lived experience, shared with honesty, inspiration, and practical takeaways you can bring straight back to your school.
An invitation
So here’s the question:
What would it mean for your school to be Outstanding Against the Odds?
We’d love you to join us — to learn from these leaders, to reflect with your SLT, and to discover what thriving could look like in your context.
👉 Book your place for Tuesday 18th November 2025: Outstanding Against the Odds Conference