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Leading Change Together

A discussion for senior leaders

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If your SLT were a rock band, which band would they be and why?

 What would be their signature song?

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If you were a member of a rock band, what would your role be and why?

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If you could front a rock band, which one would it be an why?

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If your school had a motto that was the title of a famous rock song, what would it be and why?

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Setting Our Direction  Together

How will we work to get the best out of…

  • …you?
  • …each other?

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Setting Our Direction Together

  • Chatham House Rules
  • A secure space
  • No judgement
  • Stay curious
  • Hive mind
  • Be generous

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Reflection questions from Alex Atherton

As some possible discussion points

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  • What was your biggest takeaway from ‘managing the multigenerational workplace’?
  • What will be your first two actions as a result?
  • If you could only communicate three things that everyone in your organisation must have in common, what would they be? How likely is it that everyone could repeat them?
  • How effectively does your school ‘innovate from the bottom up’?
  • How well placed are you to recruit and retain the best of Gen Z, the youngest generation in the workplace?
  • How strong is your onboarding programme for new staff? How do we know?
  • How do you balance clarity and thoroughness in job descriptions without overwhelming candidates with information?
  • How well does communication work within your schools? If there are boundaries that we need to establish then what are they?
  • To what extent does your staff body have a strong sense of ‘collective responsibility’? How does it vary and why?
  • What flexible working arrangements are actually viable in education, and how do we make them equitable across all age groups?

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Ofsted Questions from Nick Turvey

As some possible discussion points

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  • What aspects of your school’s specific context would you want to highlight to the inspection team? What specific vulnerabilities and/or barriers to learning do some of your pupils face?
  • As school leaders, what ‘inspection myths’ is it important to tackle with staff and other stakeholders?

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Scenarios

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Decision making

Expansive vs reductive thinking

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Expansive thinking questions

If there were no barriers, what would you do?

If you knew it couldn't go wrong, what could you do?

What would you do if you had unlimited time/people/resources?

What assumptions might be holding you back?

What could make the biggest impact?

If you approached this with curiosity instead of certainty, what might you discover?

What could become possible if you stopped trying to do this the 'right' way?

What’s the boldest version of this idea even if it feels unrealistic right now?

If future-you had already solved this, what advice would they give you?

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Provocations

What if Ofsted came next week – what would you do?

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What if Ofsted didn't come this year -  what would you do?

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What if all staff had permission to innovate from the bottom up?

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What if your whole school was staffed by Gen Z, what would be different? What wouldn't change?

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What if your budget was increased by 10% what would you do first?

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What if your budget was decreased by 10% how might your plans change?

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Decision making

Expansive vs reductive thinking

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Decision making

  • Analysis Paralysis

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  • Type 1 and Type 2 decisions

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  • 15 / 30 / 60

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Decision making

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Discussion Time

Reflect on Your Context

Share Your Experience

Ask Questions

What would you like to explore further with REP?

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The Change Management Model

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This model breaks down the journey into four distinct phases.

Awareness

Recognising the need for change

Desire

Building commitment and willingness

Knowledge & Ability

Developing skills and capacity

Reinforcement

Embedding and sustaining change

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On your post-its:

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Pink – What do you commit to doing?

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Yellow- What support do you need?

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COM – B – Conditions for Change

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Capability

Opportunity

Motivation

Cultivating capability involves both the physical and psychological skills required to excel. In schools, this means providing staff with training, resources, and a culture of continuous development. Educational leaders can foster this by ensuring staff feel competent. Exceptional leaders cultivate capability by encouraging professional learning opportunities and critical reflection. As Peps Mccrea notes, “expertise is about consistently strong performance against a core task,” and leaders should focus on building their team’s expertise. When staff feel capable, they are more likely to engage in innovative teaching and take ownership of their roles, which, in turn, enhances student outcomes.

Opportunity refers to external factors that influence behaviour. In schools, this includes the physical environment, resources, and school culture. Leaders can create these opportunities by ensuring equitable access to materials, time, and support. School leaders can do this by fostering a collaborative, inclusive culture that removes barriers to success and encourages creativity. When leaders make these opportunities available, they provide the social structures and autonomy that are key drivers of motivation and well-being.

Motivation thrives when people feel they have control over their work (autonomy), are supported in their social environment (relatedness), and feel competent. Educational leaders can cultivate motivation by building positive, reciprocal relationships and by recognising achievements. This approach shifts away from simply rewarding behaviour towards fostering a deep sense of belonging and purpose. When leaders focus on intrinsic motivation, they help staff and students develop the internal drive to succeed, which is more sustainable than relying on external rewards.

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