The Leadership Lens

Managing Emotionally Heightened Conversations in Schools

In this episode of The Leadership Lens, we explore the powerful ideas behind Talking to Crazy by Mark Goulston and what school leaders can learn about managing emotionally heightened conversations with parents. Drawing on Goulston’s background as both a psychiatrist and former FBI hostage negotiation trainer, this episode explores why difficult conversations so often escalate in schools, why logic alone rarely calms emotionally overwhelmed people, and how leaders can reduce emotional threat so that rational thinking can return. Across the episode, we walk chapter by chapter through some of the book’s most useful ideas, including: - Why parents become emotionally reactive - The “mirror technique” and how it works in practice - Why evidence alone often escalates conflict - How to use tactical empathy effectively - Avoiding the trap of needing to “win” complaints - Managing emotionally charged SEND and behaviour conversations   Using real school-based examples, this episode applies the book directly to the kinds of conversations school leaders, teachers, office staff and pastoral teams navigate every week. Premium members will also receive: a full CPD slide deck and training script so that you can train your own teams easily and cost effectively. Join the premium membership here: https://the-leadership-lens.mykajabi.com/premium-membership

Beyond labels - Getting inclusion right for children known or previously known to social care

BEYOND LABELS: GETTING INCLUSION RIGHT FOR CHILDREN KNOWN OR PREVIOUSLY KNOWN TO SOCIAL CARE In this week’s episode, we explore one of the most important—and often misunderstood—areas of the renewed inspection framework: inclusion. This isn’t a standalone priority. It runs through everything—quality of education, behaviour, leadership—and is ultimately about how well schools work for those pupils facing the greatest barriers to their learning and wellbeing. We take a deep, practical look at what we really mean by children known to, or previously known to, social care, unpicking the complexity behind terms like children in need, child protection, looked after children and care leavers. Most importantly, we focus on what this means for schools in practice: how we identify need, work in partnership, use funding effectively, and ensure that our actions genuinely improve pupils’ lived experiences and outcomes. This episode moves beyond labels and categories, challenging leaders to think carefully about inclusion as a coherent, intentional strategy—one that is visible not just in policy, but in the day-to-day reality of school life. 💡 Premium Members Premium members will receive a complete, ready-to-use slide deck and full training script linked directly to this week’s episode—designed for immediate use in staff CPD. You’ll also unlock access to the full back catalogue of premium resources from the previous 39 episodes, covering: Personal development Behaviour Safeguarding Curriculum design Alternative provision Strong foundations in the early years The writing framework …and much more All of this is available for just £11 per month—less than the cost of a takeaway or a couple of coffees, for a growing library of high-quality, professionally crafted leadership resources that you can use immediately in your setting. 🔗 Join here: https://the-leadership-lens.mykajabi.com/premium-membership

Teacher Recruitment and Retention: Why Getting the Right People Matters – and Why Keeping Them Matters Even More

🎧 The Leadership Lens Teacher Recruitment and Retention: Why Getting the Right People Matters – and Why Keeping Them Matters Even More In this week’s episode, we explore one of the most complex and consequential aspects of school leadership: teacher recruitment and retention. This is often framed as an operational challenge—vacancies, adverts, interviews—but in reality, it goes much deeper than that. Recruitment and retention sit at the heart of school improvement, culture, and ultimately the quality of education that pupils experience every day. Drawing on research, leadership experience, and practical examples, this episode unpacks: Why “wise selection” is one of the most important things leaders do—but also why it is inherently difficult The limits of predicting teacher success at interview, and why this requires humility in recruitment How clarity in your message, motivation and medium can transform the quality of applicants Why retention is not an afterthought, but a strategic priority linked directly to pupil outcomes The three key drivers of retention: workload, environment and leadership support How professional development, trust and culture shape whether staff stay, grow or quietly disengage We also explore practical approaches to strengthening recruitment processes, including: Designing meaningful interview tasks Using values-based scenarios to test professional judgement Avoiding bias and improving fairness in selection Learning from staff voice, including exit interviews, to strengthen long-term retention At its core, this episode challenges leaders to reflect honestly: If a brilliant teacher spent a day in your school, would they believe they could flourish there? ⭐ Premium Member Resource Premium members will receive an exclusive recruitment and retention resource pack, including: A values-based selection activity to support interview processes and help leaders identify candidates who are truly aligned with their organisation’s culture and expectations Ready-to-use scenario-based questions to test professional judgement and integrity 👉 Join here: https://the-leadership-lens.mykajabi.com/premium-membership [https://the-leadership-lens.mykajabi.com/premium-membership]

I thought we had our Personal Development offer sorted... Then I properly looked at it!

I Thought We Had Our Personal Development Offer Sorted… Then I Properly Looked at It This week’s episode is an honest reflection on what started as a simple PSHE/RSHE update… and quickly became something much deeper. With the revised DfE RSHE guidance coming into force from September 2026, this episode explores why reviewing your personal development curriculum is not about adding more content, but about sharpening what already exists. It focuses on the shift from coverage to coherence, precision and sequencing, and asks a crucial question: Are pupils actually learning what they need to stay safe, thrive and navigate the world they’re growing up in? In this episode, I explore: Why “we cover it” is not the same as a well-sequenced curriculum The key shifts in the 2026 RSHE guidance, including: Teaching before risk arises Greater transparency with parents A stronger focus on prevention and safeguarding The growing importance of teaching around: Online safety, AI and digital manipulation Gendered narratives and harmful social norms Boundaries, relationships and help-seeking How personal development is being more sharply evaluated in inspection, including: Curriculum coherence and sequencing What pupils actually know and remember Inclusion, pastoral care and real-world preparedness Why experiences alone are not enough — and must sit alongside a knowledge-rich curriculum. Key takeaway This isn’t about doing more. It’s about being much more deliberate — knowing exactly what pupils should learn, when they should learn it, and how it prepares them for real life. 🎧 Premium Resource (This Week) This week’s premium offer is especially practical. When you join, you’ll receive: ✔️ My fully updated Primary Personal Development Curriculum Clearly sequenced from EYFS to Year 6 Aligned with RSHE 2026 and safeguarding expectations Designed for coherence, progression and impact ✔️ Full access to 37+ previous premium episodes and resources, covering: Safeguarding Curriculum design Behaviour Inclusion Inspection readiness Early years and Strong Foundations Personal development and wellbeing 🔗 Join Premium Membership Access this week’s curriculum and the full resource library here: 👉 The Leadership Lens Premium Membership https://the-leadership-lens.mykajabi.com/premium-membership

Premortems: The Missing Step in School Improvement Planning

In last week’s episode, I explored why so many school development plans don’t quite do what we hope they will. We looked at the idea that we often focus too heavily on goals, rather than the day-to-day systems and habits that actually drive change in schools. We also reframed the starting point for planning away from “what do we want to achieve?” and towards “what are our persistent problems?” This week builds directly on that thinking. Because once you’ve identified your persistent problems, the next step is deciding what to do about them. That’s the moment where most plans either become genuinely powerful… or quietly fall apart. In this episode, I introduce the concept of premortems, a simple but incredibly powerful way of strengthening your school improvement plans before you implement them. Rather than waiting to evaluate something after it hasn’t worked, a premortem asks you to imagine that your plan has already failed, and then work backwards to understand why. It sounds uncomfortable, and it is, but that discomfort is exactly where the insight sits. In this episode, I explore: Why we tend to move too quickly from identifying problems to implementing solutions What a premortem is and where it comes from How premortems create space for honest, risk-aware thinking within leadership teams A step-by-step walkthrough of how to run a premortem effectively in your school A detailed school-based example focused on improving reading fluency in lower KS2 Three non-examples of premortems that look right on the surface but fail in practice — and what goes wrong in each case How to use premortems to strengthen your school development plan before it reaches the classroom 🧠 Key takeaway Identifying the right problem is only half the work. Designing the right response, and properly stress-testing that response before you implement it, is where school improvement either succeeds or quietly falls apart. Premortems help you do exactly that. 💡 Premium Membership If you want to take this straight into your own setting, this week’s premium resource is designed to do exactly that. As a premium member, you’ll receive: A full slide deck that walks you step-by-step through the premortem framework Clear guidance on how to structure and facilitate the session with your team A resource you can use immediately in SLT meetings or wider leadership discussions Premium membership also gives you access to the full back catalogue of 36 episodes, each with accompanying resources including: Training scripts Slide decks School development frameworks Practical tools you can use straight away Topics covered include safeguarding, behaviour, personal development, curriculum design, retrieval practice, alternative provision, and much more. 👉 You can join here: https://the-leadership-lens.mykajabi.com/premium-membership It’s £11 per month, and each week you’ll receive a resource linked directly to the episode, designed to support your work as a school leader in a practical, usable way.