Senior leadership

PFI: Challenging overly expensive contracts

18 January 2021

As an academy trust CEO, Andrew Chubb successfully challenged aspects of his school’s PFI contract, leading to substantial savings. He looks here at why PFI often proves unfairly expensive for schools – and what can be done about it

Crisis management for school leaders

7 January 2021

When it comes to handling crises, Ben Solly has certainly crammed more than his fair share into his seven years of headship. Here – at a time when all school leaders are in crisis management mode – he outlines his advice for managing challenging situations in schools

Wellbeing at Christmas: Time to focus on you

7 December 2020

This Christmas holiday may be the first time that many teachers and school leaders have chance to take a breath and step back from the chaos and stress of Covid-19. Sophie Howells says that now is the time to prioritise your wellbeing – and offers some ideas

How to collect staff feedback on workload and wellbeing

25 November 2020

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to evolve, it is important to check in on your staff to see how remote learning and Covid restrictions are affecting their workload and wellbeing. Katherine Fowler shares some practical tips on how to talk to your staff and gather feedback, so that you can help ...

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Professional development: How to receive fierce conversations

24 November 2020

Much has been written & discussed about delivering difficult conversations as a leader, but not as much has been said about how to receive them. Caroline Sherwood offers her reflections based around the seven principles of Susan Scott's Fierce Conversations

The revised Headteachers' Standards: An overview

16 November 2020

The Headteachers’ Standards have recently been updated. National Leader of Education Helen Frostick reflects on the revisions and how the standards apply to leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic

What should remote education look like in your school?

11 November 2020

What is remote learning? What isn’t it? And how are schools approaching it? Tom Middlehurst takes a practical look at what school leaders and teachers can and should be doing to fulfil their legal and moral obligations this term and beyond

What school leaders can learn from Stoic philosophy

10 November 2020

From being values-driven and promoting mental fortitude to embracing uncertainty and being patient, primary headteacher Jim Mepham puts forward his case for how Stoic philosophy can transform the leadership of your school

Eight leadership habits and how to encourage them

4 November 2020

The Ted Wragg Trust prioritises leadership development across its schools. Senior leader Caroline Sherwood describes the MAT’s eight leadership habits and how these can be encouraged

Stepping up to co-headship

3 November 2020

Two heads are better than one as the saying goes. Sean Harris speaks to co-headteachers Alan Rogers and James Wilson about how a co-leadership approach to headship is working for them...

Remote learning: How to handle objections from parents

28 October 2020

Whether you have individual pupils self-isolating, or groups of pupils learning from home, you may come across objections from parents about the remote learning you are providing. Ciara Lamb looks at some potential concerns and how we might respond

Covid-19: Managing and supporting your school's staff

21 October 2020

With increased staff absence due to Covid-19, increased anxiety among our colleagues, and an ever-changing landscape, supporting and managing our teaching colleagues is a priority for school leaders this year. Employment law expert Jane Hallas offers some tips

Covid-19 and schools: Taking stock and the challenges ahead

7 October 2020

As half-term approaches, Geoff Barton takes stock on the first five weeks of full re-opening and the challenges still facing schools. He covers Ofsted, examinations, remote education, budgets, accountability and life after the pandemic...

Planning your school's digital strategy post-Covid

29 September 2020

With the future still uncertain, digital plans for schools have taken on a new significance and we must ensure that ed-tech can be used effectively both in-school and remotely. Al Kingsley offers some advice and reflections

Stepping up: Taking on your first headship…

22 September 2020

Taking on a new headship is as daunting as it is exciting. Martyn Gordon made the step-up last September. One year on, he speaks with Sean Harris about the experience so far, what leadership lessons he has learnt, and his advice for other new headteachers…

Curriculum impact: Assessment, pace, progress & outcomes

9 September 2020

Having already tackled intent and implementation in SecEd this year, Matt Bromley now turns his attention to the third Ofsted ‘I’ – impact. In the second of two articles, he offers practical advice for schools, focusing on how we teach the curriculum and the pace of pupil progress and outcomes

Four coaching conversations for school leaders

1 July 2020

Coaching can have a positive influence on staff wellbeing, morale and performance in schools. Denise Barrows outlines four particularly powerful coaching conversations that leaders can use to achieve this sort of transformative impact

A school leader in the time of Covid-19: Five leadership lessons

15 June 2020

The challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic are some of the most difficult school leaders will ever face. Continuing her focus this year on leadership lessons learnt from experience and professional reading, Caroline Sherwood considers five relevant leadership lessons

The virtual staffroom: Morale and engagement during lockdown

6 May 2020

During lockdown, we must not neglect staff morale and wellbeing. Denise Barrows looks at how school leaders can deepen trust and connections with and between staff. She considers our one-to-one interactions and how to build a virtual staffroom environment
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