Key Voices

Recently published research* highlighted that school pupils who identify as LGBTQ+ have lower feelings of safety than those who identify as heterosexual. What can school and trust leaders do to change this? This is the question we explored in a recent webinar, which you can now listen to in this podcast. Our guests were Evie Cryer, LGBTQ+ advocate for staff and pupils across the Oasis Community Learning trust, and Jo Brassington, educator, author and co-founder of the Pride & Progress podcast.   We talk about:  Evie and Jo’s roles and how they influence and support schools to become safer spaces for all pupils   Practical advice and strategies to help school and trust leaders reflect on their own safeguarding provision How schools and trusts can equip their staff to support pupils who identify as LGBTQ+ … and much more   You’ll find Jo’s podcast and links to more resources that Jo mentions, here.  If you’re a member of The Key, you can use our resources to help you make school a safe space for all pupils

This week we talk to Sir Dan Moynihan, CEO of the Harris Federation about leading the trust through a major cyber attack last year. We also talk about some of the systems that underpin the Harris Federation’s school improvement and efficiency models, as well as hearing Sir Dan’s reflection on the role of the CEO.    We talk about:  How the cyber attack happen and how the story unfolded including how they got support to negotiate with the hackers  How prevalent such attacks are and how all schools should assume they will be targeted  The challenges the team at Harris faced and the support they got to recover including how the precautions they had taken had allowed them to open safely with all IT systems down Sir Dan’s own experience of being in charge during such a difficult time  Additional steps the trust is taking to protect itself in future  How Harris uses a team of subject specialists to support school improvement on the ground as part of its turnaround process How they have managed to find effi

This week we talk to Shaun Brown, Programmes Director at The Difference and Mohamed Abdallah, Head of The Difference Inclusive Leadership Course about their pioneering inclusive leadership training. We discuss the theory that underpins the learning and how to overcome some of the barriers schools can face when being truly inclusive in their approach.   We talk about:  Mohamed and Shaun’s experiences in mainstream and alternative provision What The Difference does as an organisation  Why the inclusive leadership course exists and how it is different from other training available  The theory that underpins the course and an understanding that all pupils have wellbeing, learning and safeguarding needs  How behaviour practice and behaviour systems should ideally fit together and align Some of the ways in which participants have implemented strategies from the course and the impact it has had on their schools  How the pandemic may have  provided an opportunity for schools to rethink their approach to beha

This week we talk to Mandy Coalter, Founder of Talent Architects about her recent paper on the role trusts can play in making schools great places to work. She also explains how policymakers should consider trusts more when making policy that impacts the education workforce. Mandy also talks about how schools and trusts are broadening their understanding of what can be achieved for pupils when you take a strategic approach to recruiting, retaining and developing your people.    We talk about:  Mandy’s career and why she founded Talent Architects  How trusts can create additional capacity for school improvement The role policymakers can have in shaping the sector and how they need people with education expertise to help them make the best policy  The vital role trust and school leaders play in shaping the culture in their own schools and trusts, and building their employer brand  The need for more joined-up thinking  in education policy so improvements in one area are not cancelled out by changes in ano

This week we talk to Iona Jackson, Head of Research at Edurio and Anna Menzel, a university student who got involved with Edurio’s research when she was still at school. We hear about what they discovered during the course of their surveys and their thoughts about what makes a difference to pupil well-being. Anna also shares her insights into being there for her friends as a “first responder” to their problems and her reflections on mental health while at school.    We talk about:  Why Edurio decided to design and run the survey  How Anna got involved with Edurio in the first place and how she inspired one of the questions in the survey  The main findings of the survey, including what it tells us about how well, safe, happy, lonely pupils are feeling and how that changes depending on various  student and school characteristics  Some of the factors that might be driving pupils to feel more stressed and anxious  Edurio’s finding that a higher proportion of pupils are now feeling lonely and who they go to

This week we talk to Asma Maqsood-Shah, Principal at High Hazel’s Academy in Sheffield and part of United Learning Academy Trust, about how she overcame her doubts about introducing flexible working at her school and how creating a flexible culture contributed hugely to the school’s improvement journey. We discuss the initial issues the school faced, how they adopted flexible working and what some of the benefits have been.    We talk about:  Asma’s background and career to date The school’s history, context and issues with staff turnover, absence and morale Why Asma was initially concerned about encouraging flexible working amongst her staff  The importance of developing a rationale around flexible working and a proactive, rather than reactive, approach to flexible working requests How flexible working fitted into work the school was doing to improve alignment, engagement and leadership  Some of the challenges Asma and her team overcame around cost, articulating equity of access  The benefits and im

This week we talk to Hannah Stolton, Chief Executive at Governors for Schools and Nisadha Bandhara, Chair of Governors at Webster Primary School in Manchester. We discuss what makes a good governor, trends in governor recruitment and Nisadha’s own experience taking over the chair at her school. Hannah and Nisadha also share advice for prospective governors and make the case for volunteering.    We talk about  The work of Governors for Schools  Nisadha’s experiences of governor recruitment and becoming Chair of a Single Academy Trust  Governors for Schools’ new ‘All Pupils Every Ambition’ campaign  The skills Nisadha has brought to the role and what she has learned from being a governor  The kinds of skills governing boards are looking for in new recruits  How Covid-19 has impacted governor recruitment  The benefits and challenges of remote governance  Advice from prospective governors      You can see some of the work going on at Webster Primary on their instagram page here   You can sign up t

This week speak to Adele Bates, behaviour and education specialist, keynote speaker and author. We talk about her ideas around behaviour and her new book ‘Miss, I don’t give a s**t: Engaging with challenging behaviour in schools.’  Adele talks about the importance of finding your own authentic way to ‘do’ behaviour, shares a range of tools and techniques for those working in schools to add to their “toolbox” and considers some powerful ways schools can develop their whole school behaviour policy.    We talk about:  Adele’s surprisingly long and varied teaching career  Why Adele decided to focus on behaviour and her work in alternative provision  Adele’s advice for being authentic in your approach to managing behaviour  Why Adele wrote her book and the thinking behind its eye-catching title  How Adele got to understand some of the reasons behaviour can become a barrier to learning  The difference between a behaviour policy on paper and understanding how it works in practice, and the need to involve all

This week we talk to Tom Harbour, CEO of Learning with Parents about how schools can make engaging parents in their children’s learning inclusive. Tom tells us why he was motivated to set up an organisation focussed on parental engagement. Tom shares what he has learned about how to break down all possible barriers and help every parent access ways to support their children at school.    We talk about: Why Tom set up Learning with Parents and how it has developed The various different strands to Learning with Parents’ work  What Tom and his team have learnt about effective pupil engagement, with a particular focus on how to make activities fully inclusive  Tom’s reflections on how schools and parents can best work together to support learning  What Tom thinks the impact of partial school closures has been on parental engagement    You can learn more about Learning with Parents here.   *You can read the original report from The Joseph Rowntree Foundation that Tom quotes here.

This week we talk to Andy Mellor,  Strategic Lead for the Carnegie Centre of Excellence in Mental Health in Schools based at Leeds Beckett University, and the National Wellbeing Director for Schools Advisory Service about mental health and wellbeing. We discuss the emerging role of the senior mental health lead and the various aspects of this role and associated training. We also consider the need for whole-school preventative approaches, as well as support for those most acutely affected by mental health difficulties. Andy also shares some successful strategies from his own time as a headteacher.   We talk about:  Andy’s own long career working in and with schools  The changing landscape with regard to volume and complexity of mental health need  Andy’s advice for serving headteachers based on his experience The links Andy has observed between schools that have a strong wellbeing approach and sustained school improvement  The role of senior mental health leads and what their training might involve

This week we speak to Sarah Dove, Director of Phoenix Education Consultancy about her diverse experience of supporting children outside of mainstream schooling in a variety of different contexts. We discuss what prompted Sarah to write her book ‘Behaving together in the Classroom’. Sarah shares what she’s seen change in the last 20 years of working in education, the changes she’d like to see in the future and what she learnt from conducting her own surveys into pupils' experiences of remote learning.    We talk about:  The different types of settings Sarah has worked in  Sarah’s collaborative and curious approach to behaviour  The importance of thinking about different ways to respond to challenging behaviour, rather than repeating the same tactics  What has changed about the way alternative provision and mainstream interact How social media has brought more behavioural issues inside the school gates  What further change is needed to make sure alternative provision and mainstream can work together in

This week we speak to Claire Oatway, a Leadership and Strategy Consultant, and Sam Smith, Headteacher at Stoke Damerel Primary Academy about some work they did together to imagine the future of schooling. Claire created an immersive representation of what a completely AI and technology enabled school could look like. This was then passed on to Sam and her team, who used it as a jumping off point for thinking more about how they could prepare their pupils for the future, and embrace technology in their curriculum and practices.    We talk about:  Sam and Claire’s backgrounds and past experiences How their partnership came about  How Claire created an immersive vision for the future of education for Sam and her team to respond to The importance of giving children at primary school a better understanding of STEAM careers  What a fully AI/ tech enabled school environment could look like without teachers and what that tells us about the highest value work teachers can actually be doing in schools  Why and

This week we talk to Mike Foster, Assistant Head at Thorntree Academy in Middlesbrough, Tom Hooper, Founder and CEO of Third Space Learning and Baz Ramaiah, an associate at The Centre For Education and Youth (CFEY). We hear more about CFEY’s report ‘A Space for Maths: Exploring the need for maths tutoring and the potential role of Third Space Learning’,  the importance of early maths achievement and getting children confident with numeracy.  Mike tells us about his school’s experience of using Third Space Learning and we discuss what makes for a really effective maths tutoring intervention.   We talk about:  Mike’s school and the community it serves  The case for early intervention building strong maths skills early  The findings of the ‘A Space for Maths’ report and how teaching and learning numeracy differs from literacy  The difference tutoring can make to pupils  The impact of the pandemic on maths skills and the issues with parental support for maths home learning  How difficulties with and anxi

This week we talk to Nav Sanghara, CEO of The Woodland Academy Trust  and Alice Gregson, Chief Operating Officer at Forum Strategy about Forum Strategy’s recent publication ‘Equality, Diversity and Inclusion amongst Academy Trust CEOs’. We discuss why the research was conducted and  the challenges that persist when it comes to tackling the lack of diversity at senior levels within trusts. We also delve into some of the more positive findings emerging from the research, and discuss the recommendations and potential solutions raised in the report.    We talk about: Alice and Nav’s careers and backgrounds Why Forum Strategy wanted to conduct the research  Some of the positive findings that denote a level of progress on this issue The more challenging findings from the report and the work still to be done, particularly around data collection  Some of Nav’s experiences as a senior leader within a trust The importance of inclusive practices as well as having diverse teams The fear of using the wrong langua

This week we speak to Professor Becky Allen, Co-Founder of Teacher Tapp, Ben White, Assistant Headteacher of a secondary school in Kent and Matthew Evans, Headteacher of a secondary school in Gloucestershire, about a book they wrote together entitled, ‘The Next Big Thing in School Improvement’.  We discuss the main themes of the book, namely: the complexity of the school system, the limits of our knowledge and the problems that arise when an approach to school improvement (that might well be effective in some contexts) becomes a generalised “fad” and actually has limited impact.    We talk about:  How the three authors met and why they decided to write a book together on this topic  What it means when we say schools are “complex” systems and why they are difficult to improve Some of the important things about learning and education that we just don’t know yet and may never know Advice for headteachers contemplating school improvement  The limits of the education system as it has currently been designed

This week we talk to Katy Pinchess, Headteacher at Bentley Church of England Primary School about her school’s approach to reading. Katy shares how they have used a digital tool (Lexplore) that uses artificial intelligence and eye-tracking technology to dig further into exactly what children find challenging about reading. We also talk about other ways in which Katy has built a strong reading culture at her school, discuss briefly her recent experience of an Ofsted inspection and hear her observations of how pupils are adjusting to being back in school.    We talk about:  Reading as a focus across the school  What using the digital tool adds to the school’s approach to teaching reading  How administering reading assessments works and how the results are used to support pupils progress  The school’s context and the importance of reading across the curriculum  How using the digital tool has supported parental engagement with reading The impact of Covid-19 on pupil’s academic resilience How the team at

This week we talk to Anna Trethewey, Head of Strategy and Andrew Cook, HMI and  Regional Director North West, both from Ofsted about Ofsted’s rapid evidence review into peer-on-peer sexual abuse. We talk about how the review was conducted, the findings that emerged and how schools can start to take steps to respond to this issue. We also discuss the nature of the challenge in more detail and the importance of taking a deep and considered approach to building a safe and inclusive culture. We also touch on the role that governors can play in supporting schools with this work.    We talk about:  How Ofsted worked to produce a high impact report that conveyed the scale of the problem at speed The pivotal importance of pupil experience and testimony to this review and how organising single-sex discussion groups proved to be a valuable way to capture views during the school visits  How problematic sexual behaviour seems to have become almost normalised and the need to be more clear about thresholds and really

This week we talk to Dr Helen Edwards, Co-Founder of Tapestry about changes happening in the Early Years (the new Early Years Framework and updated Development Matters). Helen shares some really useful tips for governors visiting the EYFS. We also reflect on the impact of the pandemic and the opportunity it presented for those working in the early years to embrace technology, particularly as a way to maintain the connection between their setting and home, and consider what the future might look like.    We talk about: The changes to the EYFS Framework, Development Matters and Early Learning Goals and what these mean in practice How to be a curious governor when visiting the EYFS and some good questions to ask Some of the ways in which settings and Edtech providers had to adapt during the pandemic The importance of achieving a balance around use of technology in the Early Years and balancing the workload associated with recording and reporting  The role EdTech can play in CPD, especially in a nursery se

“Heck! The reason this job is so hard is not just because we believe it to be so, but because a lot of the expectations of what headteachers have to do day-to-day... are implicitly demanding of a very high stage of adult ego development.”   This week we speak to Dr Neil Gilbride, Senior Lecturer in Education at the University of Gloucestershire. We discuss his research into School Principals at Different Stages of Adult Ego Development: Their Sense-Making Capabilities and How Others Experience Them. Neil tells us about why and how he conducted the research, what it tells us about leadership in a school setting and the particular challenges school leaders face.    We talk about: Neil’s career and background  Why he chose to undertake the research and the possible implications the findings might have What the ‘ego’ is, what it does and how it develops according to Loevinger’s model of the 8 stages of adult ego development  More details about the 3 stages of ego development the study focuses on  What th

This week we talk to Kat Howard, Head of Professional Learning at David Ross Education Trust Teaching School Hub,  Author and Founder of Litdrive. We talk about some of the key themes of Kat’s books: Stop Talking About Wellbeing and Symbiosis. We also talk about some of the lessons that can be learned from remote learning for both teaching and flexibility in schools, and how to have meaningful conversations about curriculum development.    We talk about:  Why we should stop talking about wellbeing Some of Kat’s observations coming from another sector outside education  The opportunities the pandemic has presented to do things differently such as; Engaging in more CPD Collaborating more easily Working more flexibly Using remote learning as a chance to watch other teachers and really honing in on certain aspects of teaching Kat’s approach to blogging and writing books  How Kat chose to use time while on maternity leave to participate in and deliver CPD The vital role curriculum can play in engagin