Systems don’t change children’s lives.
People do.
We develop the leaders this work needs—people who can think and act across institutions, not only within them.
THE PREMISE:
Less heroic, more civic.
For decades, the answer to hard problems in education has been heroism—the exceptional head who beats the system so their children can beat the odds. It's remarkable, but it isn't a plan.
The leadership this work needs is civic, not heroic: leaders who change the odds for every child, not just the ones lucky enough to find a hero. That's a different craft, and it can be learned.
And it’s not just about senior leaders, either. A childhood is held by a whole workforce—teachers, early years practitioners, youth workers, family support workers, the people who see children every day. Coherence is built by everyone around a child, not just the person at the top.
We develop
aspiring headteachers
Our flagship leadership programme, run region by region—from the South West, through the West Country, to Yorkshire, the East of England, and in Greater Manchester. Each cohort brings around 100 aspiring and serving heads together to build the skills and the relationships to lead beyond their own school gates. They learn from each other, from schools doing this well, and from places already organising differently around children.
We develop
aspiring CEOs
A national programme for leaders preparing to run a school trust. LeadingTrusts offers what the job rarely allows: time away from daily pressure to think clearly about the organisation you want to build. Through structured inquiry and honest peer challenge, participants develop the judgement to lead a trust that shapes the places its schools sit in—not only the schools themselves.
