Blog

The next government needs to fight for deep social justice for all children and young people; and prepare young people, whatever their ability or context, to leave school fully equipped to lead fulfilled and purposeful lives.

More people in schools, whatever the setting or phase, should take up SSAT’s Lead Practitioner accreditation to benefit themselves and their school in equal measure.

What comes to mind when we think of an exceptional leader, or an exceptional school? There are many ways in which a leader or a school might be exceptional, but a characteristic they often share is that they do not consider themselves to be anything special.

I have begun tracking Ofsted reports: ‘What does the school need to do to improve?’ I’ve identified 3,858 specific areas from inspections since January 2024.

To coincide with the launch of our new behaviour audit tool and support programme, Jackie Rose, Senior Education Lead, describes two ‘reminders’ about behaviour practice that educators should know and utilise in current practice.

“We would like you to act up until we can recruit a permanent headteacher.” My CEO sat in the still warm seat of the previous headteacher and looked at me across the desk. I agreed, reluctantly, as I knew the enormity of the task ahead, but also knew as I spoke that my two conditions, finding a permanent solution, and giving me more financial support, were unlikely to both be met.

We are delighted to offer a new programme for serving and experienced headteachers, SSAT’s Rethinking Headship. In preparation for this programme, we have summarised and synthesised recent research focused on headteacher retention. Our aim, in this phase of our work is to stimulate discussion about how individual headteachers rethink their approach to headship. At the same time, we want to draw on your insights gained through the wisdom of your experience to provoke a rethinking of headship at a systemic level.

Laura Burton, Senior Education Lead at SSAT and Head of the Primary network, reflects upon the important, yet unique role of the Subject Leader in a Primary School and considers the value of professional development to maximise the effectiveness and confidence of our teachers who undertake this role.

This week I am sharing what I have been doing with the ‘Thoughts and Crosses’ strategy in my Year 9 English lessons.

So, here we are: deep in Workshop 4 and trialling ways to make the EFA programme not just a programme but an adaptable programme that empowers staff and pushes people to move out of their comfort zones – not an easy task, I must say.