by Alex Galvin
How do strong schools stay strong?
Great schools do ordinary things
extraordinarily well
Over the last year, the SSAT Leading Edge network of
schools have been considering the question ‘How do
strong schools stay strong?’ Leading Edge is a long-es-
tablished national network of high performing second-
ary and special schools committed to collaboration
and innovation. We aimed to draw together the exper-
tise of school leaders from across the network and
to capture how some of the most successful schools
nationally achieve and sustain high performance in a
range of contexts.
This report is the result of discussions that have
taken place this year – through a Leading Edge
member survey, working parties in London and
Manchester, contributions to our annual confer-
ence and over 20 interviews with headteachers.
Defining ‘strong’
We are all familiar with the external measures used to
support judgements about the performance of schools.
No-one would dispute that student outcomes and
progress are, and should be, the key measure of any
successful school. A strong school will always have
strong outcomes for all students. Over time a strong
school will see fewer fluctuations in performance and
gain a clear sense of what works in their context and
for their community.
In the discussions, school leaders noted that external
accountability is important and can play a helpful role
by setting the bar high and providing clarity in terms
of expectations. However, in recent years they have
been concerned that at times accountability measures
for schools have placed leaders in a situation where
the route that would be most beneficial for the stu-
dents could be seen to be at odds with what is in the
best interests of school performance measures. There
should never need to be a choice between working
towards the school that the school community wants
and maximising results.
1.
Confidence is a defining feature of strong schools –
confidence in leadership, in establishing and sharing
a coherent vision and understanding of what out-
standing pedagogy looks like. Strong schools are good
at knowing what to say ‘no’ to, and avoiding unneces-
sary change. They maintain an unswerving focus on
the needs of young people and ensuring the highest
standards of teaching and learning. They are restless
and always looking to improve, but they are not driven
by fads and are highly selective about where they put
their efforts. Strong schools recognise that they do
not always get it right, but are quick to recognise when
something isn’t working and able to put things back on
track when they go wrong.
Strength needs to be underpinned by honesty – a will-
ingness to admit where there are weaknesses. Heads
aim to ensure that staff at all levels feel secure enough
to admit when things haven’t gone to plan. This hones-
ty is also demonstrated by the headteacher and leader-
ship team, all of whom welcome feedback, reflect crit-
ically on their work and demonstrate a willingness to
recognise when something hasn’t worked.
Strong schools have a shared vision, one which is
co-constructed with and owned by the whole commu-
nity. This ensures that everyone is working towards
shared goals, has a clear understanding of what success
looks like and of the flags that indicate things are not
working as they should. Relationships across the school
and systems work to support this shared vision.
‘You aim for perfection. You never
get there, but along the way you
pick up excellence’
Ani Magill
Some strong schools are highly innovative, others not,
but all strong schools focus on doing the important
things really well. They know that their most impor-
tant job is to provide the highest standards in teach-
ing and learning. They make sure that the school has a
positive learning environment that enables students to
learn and teachers to do their job well. They never take
their eye off the ball in monitoring progress, tracking
data and providing targeted support. They engage all
members of the community and as a result all stake-
holders are advocates for the school. They are ambi-
tious for their students and the school community as
a whole. As Ani Magill, the CEO of Xavier Catholic Edu-
cation Trust, says ‘you aim for perfection. You never get
there, but along the way you pick up excellence.’
Students in strong schools have access to a broad and
balanced curriculum – one which is carefully tailored
to the needs of the community and which is motivating
and inspiring. Strong schools have confidence in their
judgements about what is right for their students and
avoid being drawn into fads. School leaders avoid jump-
ing on curriculum bandwagons and maintain a longer-
term perspective, enabling them to manage change
effectively. Strong schools also take a broader view of
curriculum, continually monitoring and looking to
improve the entirety of students’ experiences.
Throughout all of our work this year, one word kept
coming back when we reflected on what it means to be
a strong school – happy. Perhaps, in all of the talk about
performance measures and Ofsted judgements, this
doesn’t get enough attention. A strong school is a happy
school. Students are happy to be there and proud to be
a part of the school community. Staff feel valued and
enjoy their jobs. Parents are positively engaged with the
school and know that their opinion matters. Relation-
ships across school are positive – between students,
between staff and between staff and students.
And while talk of creating a happy school community
might sound a bit vague, happy schools – schools in
which students and staff feel safe, valued and motivat-
ed – produce better outcomes.
Building strength
There was a good degree of consensus across the net-
work about what enables a school to build strength.
Most importantly, schools aiming to get to ‘strong’
need to be able to see the wood from the trees. School
leaders need to determine what is most important and
focus relentlessly on those issues. This can be difficult
when they are receiving advice from a range of sources.
Many schools struggle due to initiative overload, trying
2.
to work on too many things at once or changing focus
too frequently. Leaders need to be clear on what they
want – on their personal values and principles, and to
be resilient in their pursuit of these. Clear and consist-
ent systems need to be established to support the work
of staff at all levels and governors.
Strong school leaders try to stay
connected, and look to learn from other
schools and the collective wisdom of
the wider system
The school leaders we spoke to agreed that teaching
and learning must be always be the key focus – ensur-
ing that the conditions for learning are right, that staff
are putting their efforts into providing the best possible
lessons and that teachers work collaboratively to find
creative solutions. School leaders balance robust sys-
tems for quality assuring teaching and learning with
carefully structured support when delivery does not
meet expectations. They need to strip back anything
that makes it difficult for staff to focus on teaching
and learning: they simplify expectations of teachers,
minimise paperwork and focus on doing the important
things really well.
Ambitious schools need to create a culture of posi-
tive accountability, where all staff understand what is
required of them and know that any judgements made
of them are fair. They know that underperformance will
be addressed but also that success will be recognised.
This ensures that all staff work together collaborative-
ly to improve outcomes for young people. Staff need to
feel comfortable in seeking help to develop their teach-
ing and deal with student behaviour. Leaders recog-
nised how important it is that people feel they can raise
concerns without being worried it will reflect badly on
their capabilities as a teacher.
This culture of positive accountability needs to be
matched with a ‘no excuses’ ethos – one in which there
is no ceiling to the ambitions the school has for the
young people in its care. And in which it is never accept-
able to suggest that success isn’t possible for ‘children
like these.’ Strong schools are never complacent and 
keep challenging people’s preconceptions about what
is possible. This approach also extends to staff, creat-
ing a belief that everyone has the potential to improve
their practice and championing the idea that everyone,
staff member and student alike, is always learning and
looking to progress.
Senior leaders shape the climate – seeing their role
as supporting the wider staff team and empowering
people to work at their best rather than establishing
top-down models. Every member of the leadership
team needs a clearly defined role that contributes to
improving outcomes for young people. Every member
of the leadership team needs to be visible around
school and embody the ideals that underpin the vision
for the school.
In this improvement process the importance of nur-
turing staff at all levels was stressed in all discussions.
Harness collective expertise and look to build on areas
of strength. Sustainable success is built on strong and
motivated teams. It is important to invest time and
energy in professional learning for staff – creating a
dynamic environment in which expertise at all levels is
championed and staff work collaboratively to continu-
ally improve teaching and learning.
When a school is working to build strength, there can
be a temptation to focus inwards and feel that there
isn’t time to engage with other schools. However, school
leaders found they gain a great deal looking outwards
and learning from the expertise of other school lead-
ers. The answers to the questions any school is grap-
pling with are out there in the wider system. Whether
through a multi-academy trust, local connections or
national networks, school leaders don’t have to face
challenges alone. Strong school leaders try to stay con-
nected, and look to learn from other schools and the
collective wisdom of the wider system.
The magic quick fix doesn’t exist. Schools don’t become
strong overnight; school leaders need to hold their
nerve and recognise that building high performance
takes time. Sustainable success is built on strong foun-
dations. Leaders recognise the need to be resilient and
maintain a clear focus on what is in the best interests
3.
of the young people in their care, rather than being
swayed by the perceived requirements of Ofsted or the
latest trend.
Staying strong
While a strong school may have developed effective
leadership, a team of highly able practitioners and a
positive attitude to learning among students, this does
not mean it is the end of the story. There are very real
challenges in maintaining momentum and driving
ongoing progress over a sustained period.
The biggest risk to strong schools is that complacency
can set in. Once initial goals have been achieved, once
perhaps the school has been judged to be Ofsted ‘out-
standing’, it can be difficult to maintain the focus and
drive that got them there in the first place. It is essen-
tial that a ‘know-it-all’ culture is not allowed to devel-
op and that there is an understanding of the potential,
always there, to be better. Darren Turner, principal at
Tudor Grange Academy, Solihull, speaks of the need to
maintain a ‘healthy dissatisfaction when achieving at a
strong consistent level.’
Much of this can be about attention to detail – main-
taining a clear focus on the daily experiences of stu-
dents and continually asking how different aspects of
practice might be improved. This requires a relentless
focus on standards – forensic data analysis, rigorous
tracking and quality assurance and effective problem
solving.
Excellent schools consistently ask
the question, ‘is every member of
staff better than they were
this time last year?’
Details count – for example monitoring how frequently
classes are disrupted or what proportion of a student’s
lessons are taught by a trainee.
Maintaining high expectations of the entire school
community is key – the behaviour of students, the
expectations of staff, the way in which staff speak to

students, the consistency with which concerns are fol-
lowed up. Many of the key principles for schools look-
ing to achieve high performance continue to be vitally
important – particularly the ability of leaders to main-
tain an unwavering focus on what they want to achieve
and to shield staff from unnecessary turbulence.
These leaders never forget that the quality of teaching
and learning must continue to be at the heart – a school
can never be better than the quality of the teaching
that goes on there. But as many of these schools have
experienced, successfully maintaining high stand-
ards in teaching and learning can be difficult as staff
change and recruiting the right people often proves
problematic. Consistently strong schools work hard to
create a shared enthusiasm for teaching and learning
and a shared set of expectations that everyone buys
into. This requires strong and effective leadership, but
also an environment in which teaching and learning
is at the heart of all conversations, where effective
practice is recognised and championed and staff at
all levels are supported to work collaboratively to
improve their practice.
High quality professional learning is essential. Excel-
lent schools consistently ask the question, ‘is every
member of staff better than they were this time last
year?’ They carefully monitor the progress of every
member of their team and identify what is needed to
support them. They look at emerging whole-school
training needs and think strategically about how to
address them. Strong schools also utilise the capacity
and expertise of every individual – recognising abili-
ty in staff at all levels and using this to upskill others,
whether through training, coaching or opportunities
for collaboration. Great care is taken to induct new
members of staff, recognising that even if a new col-
league has developed an impressive skillset elsewhere,
they will still need to be supported to ensure that they
are fully on board with the ethos and standards of their
new school. Equally, strong schools recognise that any
member of staff is initially ‘deskilled’ as they step up
to a promoted post.
Middle leaders are key to maintaining strong perfor-
mance; schools that stay strong put considerable effort
4.
How do strong schools stay strong?
into their development. Senior leaders work alongside
middle leaders to ensure that there is a shared vision
and ethos and that leaders at all levels can consistently
meet expected standards. Careful consideration is given
to ensuring that the right people are in the right places
and that middle leaders are empowered and motivated.
Middle leaders have a vital role to play: in staff develop-
ment, quality assurance of teaching and learning and
shaping the school’s ongoing development.
Strong schools maintain an intellectual curiosity and
an enthusiasm for learning from others. They are good
at scanning the horizon, exploring the implications
of research for their school community and seeking
to learn from other schools. They recognise that no
matter how well they are performing and how skilled
their team are, they can still learn from the solutions
and approaches developed elsewhere. As a result they
maintain communication with local and national
networks and embrace opportunities for partnership
working. For some schools, membership of a MAT has
proved very helpful in this, providing opportunities
for collective problem solving and for collaboration for
staff at all levels.
Middle leaders have a vital role
to play: in staff development,
quality assurance of teaching and
learning, and shaping the school’s
ongoing development
Consistently strong schools are guided by their ethos
and values and a sense of moral purpose rather than
any externally imposed standards. Their focus is on
working towards being truly excellent and on creating
the school that best serves their students, staff and the
community. These values guide all decision making:
their curriculum offer, development of teaching and
learning and determining of whole-school priori-
ties. They are consistent in their focus, which enables
them to maintain a steady ship through periods of
change. No matter how strong their performance, they
never lose their focus on doing the important things
really well. And they recognise that they can always
find ways to improve. 
Staying strong but not staying still
One of the key challenges for any school trying to stay
strong is managing transition. This is particularly chal-
lenging when there are difficulties in recruitment.
The loss of a key member of staff, whether or not it is
expected, can cause significant upheaval if not careful-
ly managed and planned for.
Consistently successful schools maintain a constant
focus on staff development. They regularly review the
progress of everyone on their staff, asking not only who
needs support, but also who needs further develop-
ment. Many of the schools in the network have a regu-
lar agenda item at leadership team meetings to discuss
which departments might be at risk of losing people
and how best to manage this. This involves considering
what the plan should be if key people leave or move into
a different role – whether there might be someone in
the staff who is ready to step up, or it would be better
for the school to have an external candidate. These dis-
cussions mean that there is always a plan; that when
change happens they are not caught unawares. Crucial-
ly, this strategic planning is not only looking at chang-
es that might be about to occur, but also looking three
years ahead: who might be looking to move on in the
next three years, who should be ready for promotion
in that time?
Strong schools develop talented leaders even if that
means them moving on to another school. They recog-
nise that there are benefits from having fairly regular
change and see this as an opportunity to develop those
people who have the potential to step into more senior
roles. As Stephen Munday, CEO of CAM Academy Trust,
puts it ‘see this is an opportunity to develop rather than
a problem.’ Creating temporary, acting-up positions
such as becoming an associate member of the leader-
ship team, or giving the opportunity to lead a whole-
school project, provides valuable development oppor-
tunities and brings fresh perspectives to the table.
Ongoing investment in professional learning for all
staff not only generally encourages people to stay, but
also ensures that the next generation of leaders are
always waiting in the wings. At the same time, strong
5.
schools are aware that even the most talented individ-
uals will need initial support when they take on a new
role, so they ensure that they have the careful induction
and coaching they need to succeed.
Creative approaches to staffing can build capacity and
expertise. It is important to remember that members of
staff don’t need to be replaced like for like – a different
model might make better use of available expertise.
Should a new role be created to provide the right devel-
opment opportunity for someone?
In a truly collaborative environment,
staff gain insights into the skills they
would need to take on a promotion,
and leaders can talent spot as they see
colleagues work in different contexts
Developing a truly collaborative environment across
the school helps to ensure that the school’s strength is
built on teams, not on particular individuals. This way,
staff learn from experience as they work alongside col-
leagues, even before they are ready to take on a lead-
ership role themselves. Staff at all levels gain insights
into the skills they would need to take on a promotion,
and leaders are able to talent spot as they see colleagues
work in different contexts.
Staying strong in the current climate
Strong schools, and the leaders who shape them, tend
by nature to be optimistic in their outlook. They are
quick to find solutions and opportunities rather than
being dragged down by problems. The schools in the
Leading Edge network always remain excited by teach-
ing and learning, positive about the potential of the
young people they work with to succeed, and keen to
find new ways to develop their practice.
However, it must be noted that schools are currently
facing some significant obstacles, many of which make
the challenge of staying strong all the more difficult.
The most frequently mentioned concern is the cur-
rent difficulty in recruiting and retaining high quality

staff. This issue has become more acute in recent years,
despite many strong schools offering extensive pro-
grammes of initial teacher training. School funding
issues also have an impact here, making it difficult to
be creative in how they create new posts and develop
staff. Whereas, before, strong schools often operated
an extended leadership team and maintained extra
capacity in core departments with the aim of support-
ing other schools in their local area/MAT and growing
leaders for themselves and the wider system, financial
constraints now make this very difficult. Additionally,
financial limitations make it more difficult to build and
sustain strength, due to the pressure it tends to put on
class sizes, curriculum provision and workload.
The accountability system continues to dominate
and drive schools’ decision making in a way that is
often counter-productive. Less confident schools will
often feel that their choices are determined by Ofsted
and performance measures, no matter how often it is
stressed that leaders should determine what is right
for their community. Frequent national policy shifts,
including changes to curriculum, have also made build-
ing sustainable performance more challenging.
If the ambition is for as many schools as possible to
achieve and sustain strong practice, then some of these
key issues must be addressed. Schools would welcome
a longer term, big picture approach that is less suscep-
tible to political shifts, perhaps a 15-20 year strategy
developed by a cross-party group in consultation with
the profession. While the need for national accounta-
bility is accepted, schools would welcome a less adver-
sarial approach, with time and support allowed for
leaders to address any issues of concern.
6.
How do strong schools stay strong?
Conclusion
There is no one recipe for building and
sustaining strength in school performance,
nor should we seek to find one. It is for school
leaders to determine the approaches that
will best serve the young people in their care.
However, our work this year – in particular
the survey, working parties, conferences and
interviews with school leaders – has revealed
a few key principles that may go some way to
answering the question ‘how do strong schools
stay strong?’
Strong schools:
TT focus on doing the important things really
well: maintaining an unwavering focus
on teaching and learning and avoiding
initiative overload.
TT have effective leaders, who empower and
support others and are good at filtering out
unnecessary ‘noise’ to protect their team.
TT build depth in leadership, supporting
leadership development and capacity at every
level among teaching and non-teaching staff.
TT take a measured approach to managing
change, building consensus, consulting
and being prepared to change again if
things don’t work.
TT value every member of their team, prioritise
professional development and recognise the
different ways in which individuals contribute.
TT maintain effective systems which quality
assure all aspects of their work and act quickly
when there is an issue.
TT take a longer term view of school
improvement, avoiding fads and quick fixes.
TT are never complacent – they recognise that
they can always be better and remain excited
about their potential to improve.
TT are outward-facing, connected to local and
national networks and in touch with research
and policy developments.
TT never forget the purpose of education.
Staying strong - practical ideas and tips from the network
Building
depth in
leadership
Work with other schools to
provide broader leadership
opportunities – eg shadow
leadership programme
with six to eight sessions,
each run by different
schools. This gives people
a way of establishing links
with colleagues at a similar
stage of their career.
Hold an annual leadership
conference with all middle
and senior leaders and
anyone on a TLR. Develop
a collaborative approach to
whole-school planning for
the coming year.
Teaching
and learning
Keep asking what’s next – so
important not to be com-
placent. Keep changing and
adapting.
Tighten up to become
good, loosen up to
become outstanding.
7.
Establish an academic
and pastoral board that
meets on a regular basis
to review progress.
Consider rotating responsi-
bilities among the leader-
ship team on a regular basis.
This means that there is a
broad understanding of
key tasks and you can
manage if someone leaves
or needs to be deployed to
another school. It also sup-
ports a collaborative culture
in the team.
Have VPs/deputies/assistant
heads sharing offices.
This has a huge impact
in terms of supporting
collaborative working across
the leadership team, is a
really good way for more
experienced senior leaders
to support newer members
of the team, and encourag-
es shared approaches to
problem solving.
Great schools do ordinary
things extraordinarily well.
Don’t forget the theory of
marginal gains – but also
marginal losses. Letting little
things go contributes to
gradual decline.
Narrow down your focus.
Look at one key ‘golden
thread’ at a time – eg oracy,
literacy, formative assess-
ment, etc. This has much
more impact than trying to
do everything at once.
Advertise whole-school
leadership opportunities
and allow anyone to apply
for them on a project by
project basis. These don’t
need to be a full leadership
position – just an opportu-
nity to lead an aspect of
school development.
Organise your structure
around your team, not the
other way around. Be
creative to maximise your
team’s effectiveness. For
example, if you are missing
a strong head of year,
make one of the others a
performance director for
two year groups rather than
compromising and putting
someone in post who is not
up to the job.
Use Max Landsberg’s
skill/will matrix to map out
where different members
of your team are and plan
appropriate support.
Use a bottom-up approach
to the development of
teaching and learning, with a
team of staff acting as lead
practitioners/lead learners/
pedagogy leaders. This is a
really positive way of devel-
oping classroom practice,
with strong practitioners
driving whole-school strategy
on teaching and learning. It
encourages creativity and ex-
citement about pedagogy. It
is also a good opportunity for
talented colleagues where
Maintain a regular agenda
item every three or four
weeks at SLT to review how
staff are working – who is
doing well and might need
more opportunities, who
needs support, who might
be applying for other jobs?
These discussions then
drive decisions about
professional learning.
Make all faculty leaders
members of the wider SLT.
This reinforces their role as
strategic leaders.
When auditing the perfor-
mance of your team, look
particularly at new appoin-
tees who were external
candidates, anyone who has
been in post less than two
years, anyone who came
from a school with a dif-
ferent culture, anyone who
might be planning to leave
or move on.
there is not an appropriate
middle leader/senior leader
post yet available.
Really engage with students
about what helps them
learn. Talk to them about
what works. Ask for feedback
about their experience in
different subject areas.
Teaching and learning needs
to be truly at the heart of
everything that you do –
the focus of all training,
all meetings.
Provide structured opportu-
nities for assistant middle
leaders to connect with each
other and take responsibility
for leadership beyond their
department. For example,
ensure that assistant curric-
ulum leaders are involved in
lesson observations along-
side their head of faculty
and that assistant pastoral
leaders regularly deputise
for pastoral leads in key
meetings. Think about how
to provide a broad experi-
ence that will prepare them
for leadership.
Bring all staff on the upper
pay spine together to
discuss and review school
development priorities.
Collaborate with other
schools to run a ‘women
into secondary headship’
programme – such a pro-
gramme is already operat-
ing in the North West.
Need to establish an ap-
propriate mindset when it
comes to change: are teach-
ers focused on impact on
them or impact on students?
Focus on ‘essentials’,
reinforced through lesson ob-
servations and professional
learning: formative assess-
ment, marking and feedback,
stretch and challenge.
Keep talking about teaching
and learning, keep reviewing
and adapting what you do.
Give them a chance to
discuss ways in which they
can contribute on a whole
school basis - often draws
out particular interests
and expertise that is not
being fully used.
Remember that everyone is
(relatively) de-skilled imme-
diately after promotion and
needs nurturing, coaching
and induction even if they
are promoted internally.
Have a flexible approach to
the leadership team – rather
than having a set structure,
adapt to particular circum-
stances. Sometimes it might
need to be bigger: if you
have a few people you want
to offer opportunities, make
the team bigger temporarily.
What do they think needs to
change? Give them responsi-
bility for agreeing key areas
and an action plan.
It is important that any
attempt to describe what
effective teaching looks
like arises from discussions
among the whole staff –
an agreed consensus, not
imposed by the leadership
team. Use lesson observa-
tions, evidence over time,
staff surveys, staff groups.
Cross-department working
is really helpful: departments
paired to review each other,
heads of department coach-
ing each other.
Establish a points-based Offer an honorarium to
system for CPD with a higher support research projects,
expectation for staff on UPS. with outcomes presented in
Higher number of points
allocated for delivering train-
a very concise way to enable
others to engage with them.
ing or supporting others –
incentivise experienced staff
Make sure that everyone’s
voice is heard – give permis-
to see a key part of their role
sion for staff at all levels to
as supporting others.
lead. Ask ‘have you got a
Don’t save staff inter- better idea?’ and encourage
views for when someone everyone to make sug-
is leaving. Schedule reg- gestions for whole-school
ular interviews with each improvement.
member of staff to discuss
Make sure that all processes
how things are going and
for reviewing effectiveness,
to discuss development
development and succes-
needs. Pre-empt issues
sion planning are applied
rather than reacting.
to all staff - teaching and
Support middle leaders non-teaching.
where difficult conversations
When working in a group of
are required. Discuss ways
schools, see heads as a team
of approaching challenging
in their own right. This can
conversations in middle
be a real benefit of being
leadership training. Where
part of a TSA or a MAT.
appropriate join the meet-
ing – good cop/bad cop.
Find a range of ways to share Simplicity, clarity
great ideas for teaching and and consistency.
learning - morning brief-
Outline non-negotiables
ings, teaching and learning
bulletin etc. Make sure that
in the classroom but offer
freedom to innovate. It
everyone contributes.
is important to have a
Create a shared bank of shared philosophy and
teaching and learning re- language for learning.
sources that all teachers can
dip into - both electronic and
physical items. These might
include templates, ideas and
games that can be adapted
in different subject areas.
8.

Recruitment
and
professional
learning
Managing professional learn-
ing across a MAT/TSA and
even beyond can work well,
supporting links between
people, eg two MATs working
together to deliver training to
all staff at the same stage.
Establish an agreement
with local schools that you
will share details of any
good candidates that
you can’t appoint.
Ethos
and
culture
Establish a language of
aspiration for your school.
Develop it in partnership with
all staff and then rehearse it
and keep reinforcing it. For
example this might include
highlighting the phrase,
you can’t do it yet.
9.
Opportunities to work
with colleagues from another
school can offer really power-
ful PD – particularly where an
ongoing link can
be established.
Promote teaching to
current students and stu-
dents at local universities by
offering work experience/
opportunities to work as
mentors. Offer internships in
the summer term.
Hold 10-minute teach meets
at the start of the day, led by
different members of staff.
Book a space in the local
library at a busy time during
the day. Take a few students
with you. This is a great way
to speak to local parents
about different teacher train-
ing options you offer.
Apply for grants in your local
community – eg for students
to make films of local com-
munity issues or celebrating
aspects of your local area.
Community engagement
builds students’ self-esteem,
their reputation in the com-
munity and the reputation of
the school locally.
Consider how well aligned
everyone is with your vision;
like the vertebrae of a spine,
everyone needs to have a
role and be well connected.
Having one person out
of alignment can cause
pain elsewhere.
Offer part-time ITT.
Create small communities
within and across school.
Offer open mornings for
people interested in teacher
training. Have your middle
leaders run sessions and talk
about their roles.
Be really flexible to ensure
that you get the right people.
If someone needs to work
part time or have a different
work pattern, try to accom-
modate that. Eg, allowing
someone to start later to
manage childcare but finish
later and teach an additional
class after school.
Give a member of SLT
the job of looking after
NQTs and make ensuring
100% retention rate one
of their targets.
Ensure that all staff (teach-
ing and non-teaching) do
duties and interact with
students outside lessons.
Spend time on your long-
term vision: where do we
want to be? What is distinc-
tive about what we currently
offer, and what would we like
to be distinctive about our
offer in coming years?
Ensure vision and ethos is a
question at every interview –
teaching and non-teaching
staff alike.
Be clear on professional
expectations for both staff
and students.
See having PGCE students in
as a recruitment opportunity:
treat them really well, provide
lunch and additional learning
opportunities.
Place emphasis on teachers’
impact over time, rather
than one-off observations.
RAG rate teachers and look
carefully at where support
needs to be.
Maintain alumni networks
and use these to promote
training opportunities to
former students.
Review both structured
and unstructured approach-
es to professional learning
and consider what different
people are accessing.
Where staff are not well
engaged consider how
best to link them in to wider
learning opportunities.
Really focus on the extent to
which your middle leaders
share the whole-school
vision. If there is an ‘us
and them’ culture between
middle and senior leaders,
take time to work collabo-
ratively with middle leaders
looking at whole-school aims,
the quality assurance process
and their role within those.
Discuss what national issues
and policy changes mean
in light of your ethos and
values. How can you stay
true to your school ethos
while also responding flexibly
to changing expectations?
Establish a professional read-
ing group and encourage
staff at all levels to take part.
Create a team of lead
practitioners/leaders of
learning/pedagogy leaders
to work with peers. They can
be very helpful in working
with less engaged staff.
Appoint specialist, graduate
TAs. This makes the TA
team more dynamic even
if they move on more regu-
larly. Usually at least some
will convert to a teacher
training programme.
Use teacher rounds, following
the model of doctor rounds.
Establish groups of around
seven, taking it in turns for
each teacher to be visited by
the rest of the group. They
provide observations but
don’t make judgements.
Recognise that ethos
and culture must change
over time, responding to
changes in the student
population, the staff profile
and parental engagement.
Relationships and the human
face of the school are crucial.
Ensure students are greeted
in the morning by staff to
reinforce the sense that
the street is left outside.
Encourage staff to sit and
eat with students at lunch-
time – staff get free meals.
Conversations with staff over
lunch are helpful in develop-
ing cultural capital.
Encourage all staff to
engage with pedagogy
and research at every stage
of their career. Reinforcing
the message that they are
part of a purposeful, profes-
sional community supports
retention. Twitter can help
with this.
Having a shared focus, such
as SSAT’s Embedding Form-
ative Assessment project, is
very helpful in structuring
professional learning.
Ensure that the professional
development of all staff is
given adequate focus – eg
all support staff being able
to take NVQs.
Build professional learning
into objectives for all staff
– encourage them to see
professional learning as
their entitlement.
Encourage parents to
come into school on an
informal basis. Provide a
comfortable space for them
to wait; some schools have a
coffee shop on site.
Establishing high expecta-
tions is crucial: eg, ‘students’
expectations go up when
they enter our school; our
expectations don’t go down.’
Emphasise the ways in which
every single member of the
school community contrib-
utes to the school ethos.
Celebrate the successes of
all members of staff.
Staying strong - practical ideas and tips from the network
Provide support for teach- Building a culture of trust not
ers who want to work as fear is essential. Teachers
examiners. Being a marker should feel able to invite
is excellent professional
development for them and
people in to see their weak-
est class in order to access
can have a positive impact
on the wider team. Some
the right support.
Career stage expectations
schools offer a small hono-
are useful – schools across
rarium (eg £500) as
Slough have worked
an additional incentive.
together to produce
Offer flexibility in terms
agreed descriptors.
of time for marking.
Ongoing professional learn-
Run a breakfast club for
ing has more impact than
staff: sharing good practice;
one-off days.
repeating key points, eg of
Monday briefing, for people Peer-led learning tends to
who are part-time; opportu- have the most impact, con-
nity for emerging leaders to necting colleagues to work
take a lead in providing CPD together over time, building
for others on a small scale. professional relationships.
Send people out to visit
other schools in pairs or small
groups – that always gener-
ates lots of practical ideas.
Pay attention to ‘low advan- Importance of high expec-
taged’ students as well as tations in all things. Little
those who might be catego- details matter: appearance
rised as disadvantaged – eg
where there is low parental
of students and staff;
consistency in sanctions and
engagement/interest. expectations; well-estab-
lished systems.
Question the ways in which
you use targets - are they Provide opportunities for stu-
having the desired effect? dents, staff and parents to
At times, targets may learn something new along-
go against the moral side each other – eg offering
imperative to have no masterclasses after school
ceiling on achievement. for parents and students to
attend together.
Always teach to the top
and support down rather
than the other way around.
Question when it is right to
give students targets.
10.
 With particular thanks to the following headteachers: And to the following
schools which contributed
Anita Bath, Headteacher, Richard Laws, Principal, to the working parties for
Sacred Heart Catholic High Valentines High School, Essex
School, Newcastle this project:
Ani Magill CBE, Chief Executive,
Rob Carter, Headteacher, Xavier Catholic Education Bentley Wood High School, London
St Paul’s Catholic College, Sussex Trust, Surrey
Debenham High School, Suffolk
Sue Croft, Leading Edge consultant Darryl Morgan, Headteacher,
The Ridgeway Community School Hadley Learning
Meryl Davies, Headteacher, Community, Shropshire
Walthamstow School for Girls, London Stephen Munday CBE, Chief
Executive, CAM Academy Trust, Langley Grammar School, Berkshire
Andy Daly, Principal, Cambridgeshire
Swavesey Village College, Loreto Grammar School, Cheshire
Cambridgeshire Sue Marooney, Headteacher,
Ricards Lodge High School, London
Durrington High School, Sussex
Russel Ellicott, Headteacher,
Sandbach High School and Sixth
Pates Grammar School, Sir Pritpal Singh, Headteacher,
Form College, Cheshire
Gloucestershire Drayton Manor High School, London
Skipton Girls’ High School,
James Heale, Executive Headteacher, Colin Townsend, Headteacher,
North Yorkshire
Vyners School, London Denbigh High School, Bedfordshire
St John Bosco Arts College, Liverpool
Chris Holmwood, Principal, Darren Turner, Principal,
Leadership Training Centre, Shenley Tudor Grange Academy Solihull, West St John Plessington Catholic
Brook End School, Buckinghamshire Midlands College, Wirral
Nick Holmes, Principal, Julia Waters, Headteacher, St Peter’s RC High School, Manchester
De Ferrers Academy, Staffordshire Ursuline High School, London
Trinity Academy, West Yorkshire
Dr Janice Howkins, Headteacher, Alan Yellup OBE,
Bentley Wood High School for Leading Edge consultant Vyners School, London
Girls, London

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