Liz Robinson, CEO of multi-academy trust and charity Big Education, believes there’s a significant gap between what national professional qualifications (NPQs) cover and what school leaders really need in order to be equipped with the knowledge and skills for their role. Here, she speaks to NAHT assistant general secretary James Bowen about Big Education’s Rethinking Leadership report What else? What next? What if? that looks at what is missing from leadership development provision in England and what we can do to close this gap ..read more

It is more than two decades since academies were first introduced to the English education system, and around half of all state-funded pupils now attend one. Yet, in its new report 20 Years of Muddling Through, think-tank EDSK argues not only that the language around academisation has become too politicised, but that the system itself is unsustainable. Here, Tom Richmond, EDSK’s founder and director, speaks to NAHT assistant general secretary James Bowen about why he thinks it’s time we leave behind the political baggage and build a coherent, collaborative and transparent system based on the p ..read more

Could AI reduce workload by cutting the time teachers spend on marking and lesson planning – is it a time-saver or time-waster? What are ‘hallucinations’ and why should educators be aware of them? And what about its use by students? In this episode of the School Leadership Podcast, former teacher, author and director of education at No More Marking Daisy Christodoulou MBE shares her insights with NAHT assistant general secretary James Bowen ..read more

Research suggests that by age 11, a disadvantaged child is on average nine months behind their peers in English and Maths – and that only 14% of this is related to what happens at school, while 49% is related to what happens at home. But what can schools do differently to engage parents? How can they find out what the barriers facing the most disengaged families really are? And how do power dynamics, time and child enjoyment have a role to play? Hear Tom Harbour, founder of the charity Learning with Parents, discuss these questions and more with NAHT assistant general secretary James Bowen. Le ..read more

From demystifying mindfulness to rethinking resilience, hear thought-provoking conversations with key speakers at this year’s Inspiring Leadership Conference, which took place at the ICC in Birmingham last month. Best-selling author and former Twitter Europe vice president Bruce Daisley is one of the UK's most influential voices on fixing work. Here, he joins educator and consultant Maggie Farrar, Bedfordshire Schools Trust CEO Alan Lee and NAHT assistant general secretary James Bowen in a series of interviews for the School Leadership Podcast. Booking is now open for next year’s event: find o ..read more

How can schools decide what education technology (edtech) to invest in? Has the edtech agenda been overrun by technologists – and if so, how can it be reclaimed? And what about AI? Hear edtech experts discuss these issues and more, along with a new Edtech Leadership Briefing Paper aimed at helping school leaders make informed, data-driven decisions about their ICT investment. In this episode of the School Leadership Podcast, you'll hear Dave Smith, head of partnerships and events at the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA), Gavin Hawkins, chair of the board of management at NAACE ..read more

In this special episode of the School Leadership Podcast, NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman talks about the upcoming industrial action ballot and what it means for school leaders ..read more

What does life-friendly leadership look like in schools? And why do so many women aged 30 to 39 – more than any other group – leave teaching every year? Emma Sheppard, founder of the MaternityTeacher PaternityTeacher (MPTP) Project, explores these questions and more in this conversation with NAHT’s senior equalities officer Natalie Arnett. Along with networking and support for teachers on maternity/paternity leave, the MPTP Project carries out research, provides case studies, and runs coaching and training sessions for teachers and leaders. It aims to influence organisations to be more equal a ..read more

NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman gives his analysis of the current dispute over pay for teachers and school leaders, and explains why the government must act now to resolve the recruitment and retention crisis facing the sector. In this conversation with NAHT’s director of policy James Bowen, he addresses the impact of strike action, the ongoing negotiation with the education secretary and the role of the teachers’ pay review body ..read more

How can schools help tackle climate change? Are solar panels, heat pumps and retrofitting realistic solutions – particularly for older school buildings? And what exactly is the government’s plan to help schools reduce their carbon footprint? NAHT director of policy James Bowen puts school leaders’ key concerns to Sharon McHale, a project director in the Department for Education’s new Sustainability and Climate Change Unit ..read more