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Ofsted: What needs to change?
Jonathan and Lucy Coy discuss the impact of Ofsted inspections on leader wellbeing and the need for nuanced grading and annual safeguarding reviews.
Headteacher interview questions
Questions and answer guidance for headteacher interviews, covering school vision, safeguarding, curriculum, and financial management.
Headteacher Transition Checklist
The Headteacher Transition Checklist is for outgoing and incoming headteachers to work through together during a handover. It helps the new head get a clear…
Class teacher interview questions
Questions and answer guidance for class teacher interviews, covering teaching quality, pupil behaviour, assessment and safeguarding.
Should Schools Be Googling Staff?
KCSIE suggests leaders consider online searches for shortlisted candidates. Schools must balance safeguarding and reputational risk with privacy.
1decision Ltd | Award-Winning PSHE
Award-winning PSHE resources, used in 47+ UK counties, support life skills, SMSC, safeguarding & more!
Deputy headteacher interview questions
Questions and answer guidance for deputy headteacher interviews, covering strategic leadership, safeguarding, and school improvement.
Free Breakfast Clubs Checklist 2026/27
The Free Breakfast Clubs Checklist 2026/27 is for school leaders running a free breakfast club in 2026/27, for pupils from reception to Year 6. It replaces our…
Improving School Attendance Audit Tool
An audit tool, created by school leaders, for evaluating your school's attendance practice across five areas . It is based on the November 2023 blog by…
Parent-Facing Policy Tracker (2026/27)
Parents read your policies when something has already gone wrong, so an out-of-date version on the website causes real trouble. This editable tracker keeps…
How Can Headteachers Really Switch Off?
Headteachers share strategies for switching off during holidays, including setting communication boundaries, using rotas, and managing safeguarding cover.
DSL Interview Evaluation Template (2026)
The DSL Interview Evaluation Template (2026) is an evaluation template for appointing a designated safeguarding lead. A DSL appointment is a test of statutory…
Time Management Prompts for Headteachers
Time Management Prompts for Headteachers is a pack of 10 AI prompts for headteachers and school leaders, with daily time-blocking and Eisenhower Matrix tools.…
GROW Coaching Questions for School Leaders
GROW Coaching Questions for School Leaders is a guide to GROW coaching, to help you plan and run coaching conversations with colleagues. Use it for coaching a…
New Staff Induction Checklist (KCSIE 2026)
A four-phase induction checklist that takes new staff, leaders and regular volunteers from pre-arrival checks to their three and six-month safeguarding…
SENCO Interview Evaluation Template (2026)
The SENCO Interview Evaluation Template (2026) is an evaluation framework for panels appointing a SENCO, testing both technical SEND knowledge and inclusive…
Book Review: The Honest DSL by Hannah Carter
Hannah Carter’s The Honest DSL examines the emotional labour and systemic pressures of child protection. This account combines professional insight with practical frameworks to address burnout and the reality of leading safeguarding.
Sample Headteacher Interview Questions (2026)
A bank of sample headteacher interview questions, grouped by theme, for candidates preparing for headship and for governing boards building their interview.…
Headteacher Interview Evaluation Template (2026)
The Headteacher Interview Evaluation Template (2026) is a complete evaluation framework for governing boards and panels appointing a headteacher. 2026 edition…
Class Teacher Interview Evaluation Template (2026)
The Class Teacher Interview Evaluation Template (2026) is an evaluation framework for panels appointing class teachers in England, with every section mapped to…
Before October Half Term: Leadership Checklist 2026
A checklist for headteachers and senior leaders to work through in the last fortnight before the October half term, so nothing is waiting for you when you come…
Pastoral Leader Interview Evaluation Template (2026)
The Pastoral Leader Interview Evaluation Template (2026) is an evaluation framework for appointing a head of year, pastoral lead or head of house. Pastoral…
Understanding Ofsted's Changes to School Inspections
Ofsted changes include quicker re-inspections for safeguarding inadequacy, revised complaints processes, and shifting report language towards the school.
Early Years Lead Interview Evaluation Template (2026)
The Early Years Lead Interview Evaluation Template (2026) is an evaluation framework for appointing an early years lead, covering both statutory EYFS…
Summary of Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023
Statutory guidance for England on multi-agency safeguarding, outlining responsibilities for schools, health services, and police to protect children.
The Most Popular Books for School Leaders: Autumn 2025
Nine community reviews cover books on early years behaviour, RE leadership, safeguarding culture, staff wellbeing and school improvement strategies.
Deputy Headteacher Interview Evaluation Template (2026)
The Deputy Headteacher Interview Evaluation Template (2026) is an evaluation framework for panels appointing a deputy headteacher: testing leadership…
Head of Department Interview Evaluation Template (2026)
The Head of Department Interview Evaluation Template (2026) is an evaluation framework for appointing a head of department or subject leader, testing middle…
WhatsApp in Schools: Helpful Shortcut or GDPR Headache?
School leaders debate using WhatsApp for quick updates against risks to GDPR, safeguarding, and staff wellbeing. Governors may question its use.
Ofsted Documents Schools Must Provide: Checklist 2026/27
The Ofsted Documents Schools Must Provide: Checklist 2026/27 lists the documents schools must make available to inspectors by 8am on the first day of…
Ofsted’s Big Shake-Up - What School Leaders Need to Know
Ofsted is phasing out overall effectiveness judgements for a report card system, alongside changes to safeguarding inspections and national hubs.
Assistant Headteacher Interview Evaluation Template (2026)
The Assistant Headteacher Interview Evaluation Template (2026) is an evaluation framework for panels appointing an assistant headteacher, a role that usually…
Struggling to Keep Your Notes Organised? You're Not Alone!
School leaders share methods for managing notes, from e-ink tablets and apps like OneNote to planners. Safeguarding concerns must go into approved systems.
School Business Manager Interview Evaluation Template (2026)
The School Business Manager Interview Evaluation Template (2026) is an evaluation framework for appointing a school business manager, built around the ISBL…
Understanding AI and the risks it could bring to your school
Professor Rose Luckin and Dina Foster discuss AI benefits, risks, and ethical concerns, including data protection and safeguarding in schools.
A Head’s Checklist for New Headteachers: Your Essential Guide
New headteachers can use this checklist to review school systems, curriculum, safeguarding, and operations during their first weeks on site.
Cyber Security Core Standard: what changed on 16 September 2026
The document now explicitly links cyber security measures to the statutory responsibility for online safeguarding as detailed in Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE).
Keeping Children Safe in Education: what changed on 7 July 2026
A new 'Part one: overview for all staff' has been introduced as a quick reference, and Annex A (the condensed version of Part one) has been removed. Consequently, all staff are now required to follow the same safeguarding expectations.
Governors Audit for Schools: Governance Self-Evaluation (2026/27)
The Governors Audit for Schools (2026/27) is an editable audit that helps governing boards and trustees evaluate, challenge and assure the school's work across…
Early Years Foundation Stage framework: what changed on 17 July 2026
The EYFS framework now includes a link to a free online safeguarding training package developed by the DfE in collaboration with the NSPCC.
Keeping Children Safe in Education: what changed on 1 September 2026
The shorter version of Part one has been removed from Annex A. All staff must now follow the same safeguarding expectations by reading the full 'Part one' of the guidance.
Recruitment and Selection Process Checklist (KCSIE 2026, Part three)
The Recruitment and Selection Process Checklist (KCSIE 2026, Part three) covers safer recruitment from advert to first day, following Part three of Keeping…
Single Central Record Checklist, September 2026 edition (KCSIE 2026)
The Single Central Record Checklist, September 2026 edition (KCSIE 2026) sets out what the single central record must hold under Keeping Children Safe in…
Starting out in Headship: What you need to know, do and prepare for.
Starting out in Headship is a checklist for newly appointed headteachers and school leaders, covering relationships, safeguarding, finances and which jobs come…
The Transition from Deputy to Headteacher: Challenges and Strategies
Moving from deputy to headteacher shifts focus from daily operations to strategic vision and increases accountability for safeguarding and finance.
Leadership and Governance Audit for Schools (2026/27, Ofsted Toolkit)
The Leadership and Governance Audit for Schools (2026/27) is an editable audit for the leadership and governance evaluation area of Ofsted's school inspection…
Ofsted report cards, the toolkit and the renewed inspection framework
Ofsted no longer gives a school in England a single overall grade. A full inspection now ends in a report card: a grade for each evaluation area on a five-point scale, from ‘exceptional’ to ‘urgent improvement’, with safeguarding reported separately as ‘met’ or ‘not met’.
School Evaluation and Improvement Plan for Independent Schools (2026/27)
An editable, ready-written evaluation and improvement plan for independent schools, set against Ofsted's independent schools inspection toolkit for inspections…
Naace - Empowering Your School's Digital Future Insights from the Naace's ERF
Practitioners explain how the Naace EdTech Review Framework helps develop a digital vision through infrastructure, staff CPD and digital safeguarding.
EYFS: statutory framework, reception baseline assessment and profile (England)
The EYFS framework in force from September 2026, reception baseline assessment dates for 2026 to 2027, and the profile, staffing and safeguarding requirements for primary headteachers and EYFS leads.
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