Headmaster/Headmistress cheat sheet

Vision = desired future state; mission = current purpose and how it is pursued; strategy = the plan connecting the two.

A strategic plan typically spans 3-5 years; the annual school improvement or development plan operationalises it.

SWOT separates internal factors (strengths, weaknesses) from external ones (opportunities, threats); PESTLE covers political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental drivers.

Kotter's eight-step change model begins with creating a sense of urgency and ends with anchoring change in culture.

Lewin's model: unfreeze (build readiness) -> change (implement) -> refreeze (embed in routine and norms).

SMART criteria: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound.

Self-evaluation precedes priority-setting: self-evaluation -> priorities -> plan -> implement -> monitor -> review.

In maintained schools in England the headteacher is accountable to the governing body; in academies, to the trust board.

Distributed leadership assigns defined leadership responsibilities to middle leaders, but accountability for outcomes stays with the headteacher.

Ofsted's education inspection framework (2019) judges quality of education through intent (aims and sequencing), implementation (how it is taught) and impact (outcomes).

Formative assessment is ongoing and diagnostic; summative assessment measures attainment at a fixed point in time.

Black and Wiliam's assessment for learning strategies: clarify and share criteria, engineer effective discussion and questioning, give feedback that moves learners forward, activate peers and activate learners as owners of their own learning.

Cognitive load theory separates intrinsic load (task difficulty) from extraneous load (poor presentation); reducing extraneous load aids schema formation in long-term memory.

Rosenshine's principles include daily review, small steps, many questions, modelling, guided practice and weekly/monthly review.

Bloom's revised taxonomy order: remember -> understand -> apply -> analyse -> evaluate -> create.

Spaced and interleaved practice produce stronger long-term retention than massed practice of a single topic.

Adaptive teaching adjusts scaffolding and support for individuals within the same curriculum content, rather than setting different content.

Retrieval practice is most effective when recall is effortful and is followed by feedback on accuracy.

Cycle: planning meeting to set objectives -> mid-year monitoring -> end-of-year review; objectives must link to school improvement priorities.

Feedback following observation is most effective when specific, evidence-based and given close to the lesson.

Lesson study cycle: collaboratively plan -> teach -> observe -> reflect -> re-plan and re-teach.

Capability procedures address sustained inability to meet standards (including health-related); disciplinary procedures address misconduct. The two must not be used interchangeably.

In England, early career teachers serve a two-year induction period with a mentor and additional support time.

The Equality Act 2010 requires reasonable adjustments for disabled staff; failure to make them can amount to discrimination arising from disability.

Judgements about performance should rest on multiple evidence sources, not a single lesson observation.

CPD is most effective when sustained, collaborative and focused on subject and content knowledge rather than one-off generic sessions.

360-degree feedback gathers perceptions from managers, peers and reports; it is used developmentally, not as a stand-alone pay determinant.

Budget cycle: forecast -> set -> monitor monthly -> report to the governing body -> review and close.

The financial year for most English maintained schools runs 1 April to 31 March; many academy trusts use 1 September to 31 August.

Staff costs typically absorb 75-80% of a school budget, so workforce planning dominates financial strategy.

Best value test: economy (price paid), efficiency (output per unit of input), effectiveness (outcomes achieved), equity (fair access).

Internal controls include separation of duties, dual authorisation, competitive tendering and bank reconciliation by someone who is not a signatory.

Ring-fenced or restricted funds cannot lawfully be diverted to other purposes; expenditure must match the conditions of the grant.

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 requires employers to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of employees and others affected.

Risk rating = likelihood x severity; controls follow the hierarchy: eliminate, reduce, isolate, control, personal protective equipment.

Statutory premises checks include fire risk assessment, asbestos management, legionella testing, fixed-wire electrical testing and gas safety.

Governance is strategic and accountability-focused; management is operational and delegated to the headteacher.

Three core functions: ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategy; holding leaders to account; overseeing financial performance.

Maintained schools have a governing body; academies have members and trustees; multi-academy trusts may delegate to local governing bodies through a scheme of delegation.

Decisions are invalid without a quorum; the instrument or articles of government specify quorum and voting arrangements.

Governors must declare pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests and withdraw from related discussion and voting.

Parent complaints escalate: informal -> formal written complaint to the headteacher -> governing body panel -> external body (ESFA for academies, local authority for maintained schools).

Ofsted grades in England: outstanding (1), good (2), requires improvement (3), inadequate (4).

Effective community engagement includes parent surveys, partnerships with employers and feeder schools, and published information on outcomes.

Safeguarding is broader than child protection: it covers health, safety, attendance, bullying, online safety and the physical environment.

Keeping Children Safe in Education requires all staff in England to read at least Part 1 and to receive safeguarding training at induction and annually thereafter.

The designated safeguarding lead is the named lead for safeguarding; deputies must be appointed to cover in the DSL's absence.

Four categories of abuse: physical, emotional, sexual and neglect.

Staff must report concerns to the DSL without delay, record facts rather than opinions, and must not investigate allegations themselves.

SEND graduated approach: assess -> plan -> do -> review; the cycle repeats to test whether provision is working.

The Equality Act 2010 lists nine protected characteristics; schools must make reasonable adjustments and publish accessibility arrangements.

Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of possible sessions; severe absence means 50% or more.

Sanctions must be lawful, reasonable, proportionate and consistent with the published behaviour policy, with SEND and mental health needs taken into account.

Nolan principles of public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.

The public sector equality duty has three aims: eliminate unlawful discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations.

UK GDPR principles: lawfulness, fairness and transparency; purpose limitation; data minimisation; accuracy; storage limitation; integrity and confidentiality; accountability.

Subject access requests must be answered within one month; Freedom of Information requests within 20 working days.

A protected disclosure under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 protects a worker from detriment or dismissal for reporting wrongdoing in the public interest.

Negligence requires four elements: a duty of care, a breach of that duty, causation, and resulting damage.

In England, concerns about a teacher's conduct may be referred to the Teaching Regulation Agency; a prohibition order bars the person from teaching.

Gifts and hospitality above a locally set threshold must be recorded in a register and declined where a conflict of interest arises.