Leadership and Policy

How flexible working can succeed in your primary school

Flexible working is increasingly seen as a solution to recruitment and retention challenges, especially given our recent experience during Covid. Colin Hooker advises on some effective ways to offer flexible options which benefit schools, staff and pupils

How to protect your school from cyber-attacks

With an increasing number of schools falling victim to cyber-attacks, cyber-security is becoming more important than ever. Sarah Bull outlines seven steps school leaders can take to protect their schools

Taking a step back from burn-out...

Burn-out is not inevitable. As a school leader, how do you take care of yourself? Frances Robertson urges you to avoid burn-out by making time to reflect and step back from the chaos...

The four pillars of parental engagement

Now is a pivotal moment to take parental engagement seriously and review our approaches. Justin Robbins and Karen Dempster describe their four pillars of effective practice

Case study: Keeping the MFL flag flying

Languages education has been hit hard during the pandemic, while an Ofsted subject report has indicated varied quality in MFL delivery at primary level. Suzanne O’Connell finds out how Hounslow Heath Junior School is maintaining languages as a priority

The Pupil Premium strategy statement

The DfE’s new Pupil Premium strategy statement is aimed at helping schools to explain how they are using this crucial funding. Suzanne O’Connell looks at what it entails and what’s involved

Animal therapy: Down on the school farm

From lambs to donkeys to pigs, the animals at York House School are helping pupils to adopt and model positive behaviour. Head Jon Gray explains why all schools should consider ‘animal therapy’

Flexible working: How can it work for your school?

Over the last 18 months more school staff will have worked flexibly than ever before, but what does flexible working actually mean in the school context? Louise Hatswell looks at employment law, best practice and offers some guidance for employers

Meaningless words? How to build a genuine school ethos

Building a school ethos can so easily become an exercise in jargon and meaningless words. James Handscombe says that it is not until your ethos gets in the way of a hard decision that you know if you really believe in what you’re saying…

No going back: Choosing the right MAT for your school

Once your school has joined a multi-academy trust there is rarely any going back. As such, we must choose the right MAT for our ethos and community. Paul K Ainsworth offers some advice to primary heads and governors when taking this important decision

A six-step guide for new mental health leads

The emerging role of designated or senior mental health lead in schools has become even more vital in light of the impact of the pandemic. Wellbeing expert Kelly Hannaghan discusses effective practice for those taking on this new position and six steps for success

Covid-19: Ideas for taking learning outside this autumn

During the pandemic, many schools have become more adept at making the most of their outside spaces. How can we ensure that teaching outdoors continues to feature in our planning? Suzanne O’Connell gets some tips from headteacher Emma Barker and the charity Learning through Landscapes

Leadership: Certainty in uncertain times

A new academic year dawns and we continue to live with the uncertainty of the pandemic. Dr Pooky Knightsmith offers us some simple ideas for leading with certainty in uncertain times

LGBT+ and gender: Auditing your school’s curriculum

It is vital that your school curriculum represents the diversity seen in modern Britain. Katherine Fowler outlines what to consider when carrying out a curriculum review focused on gender and LGBT+ and considers how to instil a cross-curricular sense of inclusivity

Five priorities for your safeguarding checklist

It is the start of an intense year for everyone working in schools, especially designated safeguarding leads. Hannah Glossop details her priorities to help DSLs be fully prepared for the months ahead

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Headteacher Update is a magazine, website, podcast and regular ebulletin dedicated to the primary school leadership team. We tackle a wide range of leadership issues, offering best practice, case studies and in-depth information, advice and guidance. Headteacher Update magazine is distributed free to approximately 20,000 primary school headteachers.

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