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How to Fix a System That Rewards Avoidance Over Inclusion

If you’ve been around long enough in educational leadership, you start to see cycles. One statement that never seems to go away is the - We take all the children with SEND whilst that school up the road does nothing....... Continue Reading →

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Lessons From Running a Specialist Unit Within a Mainstream School

On Inclusion:​ From my book - Lessons From the Heads Office - Sage 2023 "Creating a sense of belonging within and beyond the boundaries of our school is a fundamental cog in the system of good educational leadership. Inclusion should... Continue Reading →

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The Model Is Broken, Not the School: Evidence on Flawed Comparisons

5 minutes read time.

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Is the New Ofsted Framework Creating an Uneven Playing Field for LA Schools? 

Why “Internal vs External Support” Risks Becoming a New Source of Unfairness The 2025 Education Inspection Framework (EIF) brings a major shift in how leadership, governance, and improvement capacity are judged.Much of this shift is positive: schools should know themselves... Continue Reading →

Investing in Inclusion – has the Government got it right this week? 

This week’s Government announcement of at least £3 billion to expand specialist places within mainstream schools could be a significant moment for creating more inclusive schools. The plan is to create tens of thousands of tailored spaces in local schools,... Continue Reading →

Challenges in SEND: Accountability vs Actual Needs

After three decades in education, 22 of those as a headteacher I’ve seen trends rise, fall, and occasionally come back with a new hat. But SEND has morphed from a challenge into a full-blown daily crisis, with a price tag... Continue Reading →

Stuck in the Mud: The New Ofsted Era 

There's a new Sheriff in town—and any excuse-making, low-standard varmint better brace themselves. This isn't just a shift; it's a full-blown reckoning.  If you thought the old Ofsted regime was relentless, think again. This new era is all about passion—fearless,... Continue Reading →

Atelophobia – why school leaders fear mistakes

Atelophobia is an extreme fear of imperfection. Someone with this disorder may be terrified of making mistakes, or go to great lengths to avoid new situations because they can't guarantee that they'll succeed. The current education system is adding to School Leader Atelophobia... Continue Reading →

Heads in the Sand.

Last week More Than a Score hosted a webinar in which school leaders clearly expressed why they felt that standardised testing should be scrapped this academic year. I had a few words to say but my mic failed. So I... Continue Reading →

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