The Headteacher Update Podcast

The Schools White Paper includes plans for an attendance target of more than 94%. In this episode, we talk best practice for reducing pupil absence and consider how primary schools might meet this ambitious goal. We speak to two experienced school leaders about the initiatives that have worked in their primary schools to improve attendance as well as pitfalls to avoid. We hear case studies of specific attendance interventions as well as about things that have not worked and the lessons learned. We consider the attendance challenges schools continue to face post Covid-19 and issues such as term-time holidays and find out what our guests think of the White Paper’s proposed 94% target. We talk about how we can engage with parents as well as considering how to address specific barriers to attendance such as mental health, SEND and poverty.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode we ask two experienced school leaders one simple question – What makes a great headteacher? – and see where the conversation goes. Our two guests enjoy a wide-ranging discussion about what a great headteacher looks like from the perspective of each of the key stakeholders in the school community – pupils, staff, parents and others. The pupil lens: We talk kindness and honesty, but also the importance of holding children to high standards. The staff lens: We talk trust, integrity, and leading by example. The parent/carers lens: We talk being visible, communicating clearly, and listening well. The governor lens: We talk respect and relationships. We also consider Ofsted and how we can maintain our values as a great headteacher while also meeting inspectors' expectations. Ultimately, we consider the characteristics, skills, traits and experiences that combine to make brilliant headteachers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode we discuss how we can improve the quality of teaching across the primary school, with practical advice and insights for school leaders. We begin by discussing the role of the curriculum in improving teaching quality, including the importance of inclusion and oracy. We focus too on the importance of planning teaching and learning – both short-term action planning and longer-term planning. Our panel also discusses effective approaches to teacher CPD, including coaching and mentoring and we consider why a people-focused, collegiate approach to the monitoring of teaching and learning is crucial – and what this can look like in practice. Finally, we discuss how we can hold teachers to account in positive and supporting ways and offer a few top tips.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the midst of a teacher retention crisis, this episode asks how primary schools can keep hold of their teaching staff, especially their early career teachers. With more than 114,000 teachers having quit teaching for reasons other than retirement in the last three years, our expert panel discuss general principles for creating a school environment that encourages teachers to want to stay. We talk about pay, equity of opportunity, creating belonging and psychological safety across our workforces, the vital role of CPD and support for career progression, and much more. We ask what effective school leadership for retention looks like, including the support we must offer and how to build trust and those vital relationships. We discuss strategies to address workload, a key driver of teacher retention, including flexible working, and how schools can help teachers to achieve a better work/life balance. We focus in particular on strategies to support early career teachers, a third of whom are likely to quit after their first five years. Ultimately, we ask how headteachers can make their school a place where teachers want to work and feel they belong.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode considers what an inclusive primary school looks like and how we can create a culture of inclusion that enables every pupil to thrive regardless of starting points. We interview two experienced educators and discuss how we can support all learners, no matter their background and barriers to learning. We talk about how to create the right ethos and culture of belonging and family in our schools, including and how we can overcome barriers to pupil wellbeing. We discuss how we can address equity and equality of opportunity and we hear a number of real-life examples of inclusive practice. The conversation also touches upon how to use external and additional expertise to deliver true inclusive practice.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we discuss how primary schools can maximise the impact of our staff team to deliver excellent SEND provision, with our panel offering a range of innovative ideas and approaches. Our three experienced guests begin their discussion with nine quick ideas and go on to develop these during the podcast, considering how the impact of our SEND staffing can be optimised to ensure we support our most vulnerable pupils. We ask how we can work within incredibly tight budgets to maximise the staffing of SEND – what approaches have been shown to be effective. We talk about ideas for the effective and efficient deployment of staff and we consider how we can get CPD right for all our colleagues who work to support SEND children, especially our teachers and teaching staff. We discuss the challenging role of the SENCO and how they can be supported by school leadership to oversee and lead SEND staffing and provision in the school. We talk about provision mapping and discuss how we can keep our practice and our SEND pupils central to our planning and at the heart of our inclusive school culture.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode dissects the revised Ofsted inspection framework, setting out actions that school leaders can take now to prepare and offering expert insights and tips. Our panel has extensive experience of Ofsted inspection, and they break down the key changes that schools should be focused on and how best we can respond. We highlight key aspects of the revised framework, including the implications of the new evaluation areas and grading points. We interrogate the new "secure fit" model of inspection and Ofsted's new "expected standard". We delve into the inclusion thread that runs throughout the framework and will dominant inspections from now on and we discuss the new focus on school context, asking how school leaders can best communicate this information during inspection. We offer top tips for the Monday phone call, tips for identifying strengths/weaknesses, touch upon the new role of the "nominee" and the case sampling of pupils. Finally, we list actions that schools should be taking now to set themselves in good stead for inspection under the new regime.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode offers advice for school leaders on how they can handle parental complaints, including de-escalation tips and dealing with vexatious complaints. With NAHT research showing a rise in parental complaints and vexatious complaints, this episode is packed full of useful tips and practical advice for school leaders. Our three experienced panellists describe what they are seeing on the ground in terms of rising complaints and discuss the reasons why more parents are complaining. We ask how we can best respond to complaints, including the steps we should take to take and how best to communicate with parents throughout the process. We discuss ways to de-escalate complaints and how we can protect ourselves personally and professionally during what can be a very stressful time. We discuss the nature of vexatious complaints and how we should handle these, including how we can response to parents who refer their complaints directly to bodies such as Ofsted or the DfE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode looks at environmental work across the primary school, including how we can reduce our carbon emissions and integrate climate education into the curriculum. We look at where school leaders can begin when it comes to reducing carbon emissions across the primary school, including creating a Climate Action Plan and ideas for some quick wins. Our guests include experts from the National Education Nature Park and Let's Go Zero as well as a primary school doing amazing work in this area. We look at how we can engage pupils in this work without worrying or scaring them about the dangers of climate change. We ask how we can create an effective and engaging climate education. We also discuss ways to mitigate the impact of climate change in our schools. Throughout the episode our guests signpost to useful resources, initiatives and tools that schools can tap into to support this work, including educational resources. We also ask what support, grants and resources are out there for schools.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode looks at a range of routines, systems and protocols that can help you to create a calm and efficient primary school environment – with lots of practical ideas to adapt and adopt. Our panel of school leaders discuss a range of evidence-based ideas for useful school routines that help the school day to run smoothly – whether that be in the classroom, corridors or playground. We look specifically at consistent classroom routines across the school, including how to give teachers appropriate freedom and agency within a teaching and learning framework. We look at leadership routines, including effective headteacher practices and we ask: where do you stand during your day as a headteacher in order to be visible, to gauge how your school is doing, and to engage positively with parents, staff and students? We look at lunch-time routines and useful ideas for structuring the beginning and end of the school day. The also discuss the power of the timetable. We also ask what quick wins are available for new headteachers or those beginning in a new school when it comes to establishing effective routines.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.