Lessons in negotiation: tools to help school leaders build better relationships and calm a crisis
In this episode, former Metropolitan Police hostage and crisis negotiator Nicky Perfect shares strategies to help school leaders deal with difficult everyday situations by improving communication with pupils, parents and colleagues when emotions are running high.Using lessons learned confronting the extremes of human behaviour, Nicky talks about what to say – and what not to say, explains the importance of a ‘really good listen’ and shares powerful tools that can help you communicate better, defuse conflict and negotiate effectively. Hear her in conversation with NAHT assistant general secretary James Bowen.Nicky will be a keynote speaker at this year’s Inspiring Leadership Conference, which takes place on 12 and 13 June in Birmingham. She is one of a line-up that includes naturalist Chris Packham and Olympic gold medallist Ben Hunt-Davis, who will all be there to share their stories and strategies with school leaders. Find out more.
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31:20
The future of school inspection: what school leaders need to know about Ofsted’s plans for reform
Plans to change the way schools in England will be inspected were unveiled by Ofsted earlier this month. These would see schools graded on a five-step scale across a wider range of individual areas – from ‘exemplary’ to ‘causing concern’, with a separate assessment of whether safeguarding standards are met.Here, NAHT's general secretary Paul Whiteman and assistant general secretary James Bowen address some of the issues the proposals raise – from ‘monitoring’, ‘sub-judgements’ and ‘stuck schools’ to the realities of a traffic-light system and the lack of quantitative questions in Ofsted’s consultation.NAHT believes the plans would replicate the worst aspects of the current system while doing little to reduce the pressure school leaders are under, and there’s a way to provide clearer information for parents and schools without resorting to grades.Ofsted’s consultation is open until 28 April 2025. See NAHT’s guidance for NAHT members on completing Ofsted’s consultation. For more education news and debate, join us on Facebook, LinkedIn, BlueSky or X.
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37:28
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill: what school leaders need to know
Published in December and currently making its way through parliament, the government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill would bring about changes to laws affecting safeguarding and schools.
The bill includes new rules on branded uniforms, an end to automatic academisation for schools judged to be ‘causing concern’, free breakfast clubs in state-funded primaries and a unique identifier for all children.
Join NAHT assistant general secretary James Bowen as he takes a closer look at the plans and what they would mean for school leaders.
See NAHT’s briefing on the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
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23:13
How can we make school leadership sustainable?
What does being a leader in a primary or secondary school today really involve? How does the role vary across the UK? And how can we make it more sustainable?
In this episode of NAHT’s podcast, Professor Toby Greany of the University of Nottingham and Dr Tom Perry of the University of Warwick are joined by NAHT’s assistant general secretary James Bowen in a conversation addressing these questions and more.
Researching Sustainable School Leadership is an ongoing project looking at the realities of school leadership in the UK today and how the role can be made more sustainable. Find out more about the project at
sustainableschoolleadership.uk.
The project’s current survey exploring the experiences of all head teachers, middle leaders and senior leaders is running until the end of January 2025 – take part at sustainableschoolleadership.uk/leadership-survey.
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34:25
So far, so good? What impact has the new government had on schools?
A little more than four months on since the general election, NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman reflects on working with the new government so far, why politicians must rebuild trust among school leaders and what social partnership in policymaking means in practice.
He’s joined in conversation for this episode of NAHT’s School Leadership Podcast by NAHT assistant general secretary James Bowen.
In NAHT's podcast series, you'll hear interviews with some of the leading voices in education covering topics and issues at the heart of leadership and learning.
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