We cultivate leaders
We equip and connect leaders across education, community, and local systems to take on the long-term challenge of building better support for children.
Our national work
Our local work
We equip and connect leaders across education, community, and local systems to take on the long-term challenge of building better support for children.
Our national work
The x100 series is our flagship leadership development programme, running in regions across the country—from the South West to Yorkshire, the East of England to Greater Manchester.
Each programme is focused on identifying and nurturing 100 headteachers, creating a unique space for aspiring school leaders to reflect, grow, and take on the long-term challenge of building better support for children.
Participants are equipped with practical tools, connected with peers, and supported to explore new ideas in the context of their place.
The programme matters because school leaders are pivotal in shaping the lives of children; their choices ripple across classrooms, families, and communities.
By investing in them, we strengthen the leadership capacity needed to address complex challenges and unlock opportunity.
The x100s sit at the core of our mission to cultivate leadership: a bold, connected, and resilient workforce ready to drive systemic change.
LeadingTrusts is a national programme for aspiring CEOs of school trusts. It creates the rare space for leaders to step back from the immediacy of daily pressures and focus on their own growth, as well as the growth of their organisations.
Through structured inquiry, shared learning, and peer challenge, system leaders are invited to reflect on their practice, test new ideas, and strengthen the habits that sustain leadership over time.
The work matters because decisions made at trust level ripple out to thousands of children and families. When trust leaders are equipped to lead with clarity, generosity, and long-term ambition, they can shape organisations that are not only effective but enduring.
LeadingTrusts builds this leadership capacity at the system’s upper tier, helping those at the helm of trusts to steward change in a way that is coherent, connected, and consistent for the communities they serve.
Our local work
Our youth engagement work identifies and supports young leaders each year through programmes like the Summer Programme, Young Leaders, Young Researchers, and FCP Ambassadors.
Through enrichment activities and local partnerships, young people build skills, explore their potential, and take on active roles in their community.
Many young people in Feltham have extraordinary insight and leadership potential, but few structured opportunities to develop them. This work helps them build confidence, agency, and practical skills—from teamwork and communication to research and advocacy—that can open up new possibilities for their futures.
By connecting them with local networks and decision-makers, we help them see themselves as leaders of change, not just participants in it.
Our youth programmes embody what it means to cultivate leadership: helping young people find their voice, strengthen their sense of belonging, and act on the issues that matter to them.
Girls on the Spectrum is a community-based group for neurodivergent girls and their families.
Each year, around 10-15 girls will take part in regular sessions that develop confidence, social connection, and life skills, while parents gain the tools and knowledge to sustain the group and support their children effectively.
Autistic girls and young women are often under-identified and under-supported, leaving families feeling isolated. This work will create a safe and affirming space for girls to connect with peers, build resilience, and develop practical skills for the future. Over time, parents will take ownership of the group—establishing it as a self-sustaining, parent-led charity that continues to grow in reach and impact.
We hope Girls on the Spectrum will exemplify our belief that leadership can emerge anywhere. By empowering both girls and parents to lead, it will cultivate community capacity and foster a culture of belonging and mutual support that benefits families well beyond the group itself.
James reflects on what we can learn from two decades of place-based work in the U.S. through the StriveTogether network, interrogating both the promise and the pitfalls of collective impact—and why the next stage of educational reform will depend on leaders who can share responsibility while holding differentiated responsibility.
Mohamed reflects on why mattering isn’t a soft idea but a moral necessity, and what it takes to make it real. Drawing on research and his recent reflections from the Confederation of School Trusts conference, he explores how belonging and mattering move from intention to action, and why this work sits at the heart of flourishing schools.
Tamsin Frances, Executive Director at the Ted Wragg Trust, shares some personal reflections from a recent LeadingTrusts study visit to New York City—capturing the energy, optimism, and deep commitment we encountered in the schools and leaders we met along the way.