Trust Matters: Lessons in Leadership

In this episode, we’re joined by Professor Becky Francis CBE, Chief Executive of the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and one of the leading voices in England on educational inequality and the attainment gap.

Across her career in research, policy and education leadership, Becky has focused on one central question: why do educational outcomes remain so closely tied to disadvantage – and what would it actually take to change that?

In this conversation, Becky reflects on what first drew her to this work, why the attainment gap remains so stubborn, and what it would mean for the system to genuinely treat closing it as its “north star”. She explains why high-quality teaching remains the single biggest lever schools have to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils, but also why schools cannot tackle educational inequality alone when poverty, attendance, language development and wider family hardship sit outside the school gates.

We also explore the Curriculum and Assessment Review that Becky chaired, including the idea of “high standards for all”, the challenge of curriculum overload, and why England needs an education system that offers both excellence and equity.

We explore:

What first drew Becky to the issue of educational inequality, and why it has remained central to her work

Why the attainment gap narrowed for a period, but has since stalled and widened again

What it would mean for closing the attainment gap to become the education system’s true “north star”

Why high-quality teaching has the biggest impact on outcomes for disadvantaged pupils

What great teaching looks like in practice – and the misconceptions schools need to avoid

Why disadvantaged schools face a “double penalty” when it comes to teacher recruitment and retention

What the evidence says about attracting and retaining excellent teachers in the schools that need them most

Why early language development and early intervention are so crucial in tackling inequality

How much schools can realistically do on their own when child poverty and wider disadvantage are driving educational outcomes

What Becky has learned about the relationship between research, policy and political decision-making

The key themes that emerged from the Curriculum and Assessment Review, including curriculum overload and the balance between breadth and depth

What Becky means by “high standards for all” – and why different routes for disadvantaged pupils can risk entrenching inequality

How the attainment gap grows from early years through to secondary school, and why acting early matters so much

Why attendance is such an important part of the picture for disadvantaged pupils

Looking ahead to 2035: what success would look like if England genuinely began to shift educational inequality

This is a thoughtful and timely conversation for trust leaders, school leaders and anyone interested in what the evidence really tells us about educational inequality and what it will take to build a system that delivers both excellence and equity for every child.

LINKS

For more on how The Key can support your trust, visit: key.sc/trustsupport 

Subscribe to our newsletter, Trust Matters: key.sc/trustmatters 

Connect with Becky on LinkedIn.

All views expressed in this episode are the guest’s own. Any mention of commercial providers, resources or products is on the guest’s recommendation and should not be considered an endorsement by The Key.

In this episode, we're joined by Michael Kane, Policy Manager at Public First and one of the lead researchers behind the Commission into Countering Online Conspiracies in Schools.

Drawing on new national research with pupils, parents and teachers, Michael explores the growing spread of misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy beliefs among young people, and what this means for schools.

From deepfakes and AI-generated content to online conspiracy theories and extremist narratives, schools are increasingly finding themselves on the front line of a rapidly changing digital landscape. As smartphones become more common at younger ages and social media continues to shape how young people consume information, teachers are being asked to navigate complex conversations that many feel underprepared for.

Michael shares insights from the Commission's latest report, including the impact misinformation is having on classrooms, the challenges teachers face when responding to false or misleading content, and why media literacy is becoming an increasingly important part of education.

We explore:

Why young people are finding it harder than ever to tell what's real and fake online

The growing influence of AI-generated content, deepfakes and misinformation

What teachers are hearing from pupils in classrooms across the country

Why misinformation and conspiracy theories are becoming a bigger issue in schools

The impact smartphones and social media are having on younger children

Why many teachers feel underprepared to tackle these conversations

The challenges schools face around political impartiality and safeguarding

What the latest updates to Keeping Children Safe in Education mean for schools

The role parents play in helping young people navigate online information

Why media literacy needs to be a whole-school priority

What practical steps leaders can take to better support staff and pupils

This is a timely and thought-provoking conversation for trust leaders, school leaders and anyone interested in helping young people navigate an increasingly complex digital world.

LINKS

For more on how The Key can support your trust, visit: key.sc/trustsupport 

Subscribe to our newsletter, Trust Matters: key.sc/trustmatters 

Connect with Michael on LinkedIn.

All views expressed in this episode are the guest’s own. Any mention of commercial providers, resources or products is on the guest’s recommendation and should not be considered an endorsement by The Key.

In this episode, we're joined by John Yarham, Chief Executive of The Careers & Enterprise Company, the national organisation working to help every young person access high-quality careers education, employer experiences and pathways into future employment.

With more than 25 years' experience across education, skills and careers, John shares his perspective on one of the biggest challenges facing schools today: preparing young people for a future of work that is changing faster than ever.

We discuss why traditional work experience placements are becoming harder to sustain, what a modern approach to work experience could look like, and how schools can help prevent more young people from becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training).

John also explores the growing importance of essential skills, the role of confidence in career success, and how schools should respond to the opportunities and challenges created by AI.

We explore:

Why the traditional work experience model is no longer enough

Whether the government's ambition for every young person to complete 2 weeks of work experience is realistic

How schools can build meaningful employer encounters from Year 7 onwards

The early warning signs that a young person may be at risk of becoming NEET

What schools with exceptionally low NEET rates are doing differently

The barriers SEND students and pupils in alternative provision face when accessing work experience

Why confidence is often as important as capability when preparing young people for employment

What employers mean when they talk about "skills gaps" and the essential skills they value most

How AI is reshaping the future of work and what schools should prioritise in response

The importance of helping young people see opportunities beyond their immediate surroundings

Why careers education should be embedded into a school's wider strategy, not treated as an add-on

This is a practical and thought-provoking conversation for trust leaders, school leaders, careers leaders and anyone interested in helping young people make successful transitions into education, employment and future careers.

LINKS

For more on how The Key can support your trust, visit: key.sc/trustsupport 

Subscribe to our newsletter, Trust Matters: key.sc/trustmatters 

Connect with John on LinkedIn.

All views expressed in this episode are the guest’s own. Any mention of commercial providers, resources or products is on the guest’s recommendation and should not be considered an endorsement by The Key.

In this episode, we’re joined by Cathie Paine CBE, Chief Executive of REAch2 Academy Trust, the largest primary-only trust in England.

Cathie has been part of REAch2 since the very beginning, joining as the trust’s first employee in 2012. Since then, she has helped grow the organisation from 4 schools to a national organisation of 65 schools across 20 local authorities, many of which joined the trust after experiencing significant challenges.

Drawing on more than 30 years in education, Cathie reflects on what it takes to scale a trust while maintaining a strong culture, clear purpose and unwavering focus on children. She shares lessons from leading school improvement at scale, why leadership remains the most important lever for transformation, and how Reach2 is working to ensure every child receives the best possible start in life.

We explore:

How REAch2 grew from 4 schools to one of the largest trusts in the country while maintaining a strong sense of belonging and purpose

Why leadership is the single biggest factor in school improvement

The importance of early years education and why getting the foundations right changes outcomes for children

What strong multi-academy trusts look like in practice and why culture matters as much as structure

Cathie’s perspective on SEND reform and the opportunities and challenges facing schools

Why REAch2 moved to GAG pooling and what it means for equity, sustainability and collaboration across schools

How trust leaders can balance individual school identity with a shared organisational mission

The thinking behind REAch2’s ‘11 Before 11’ promises and the experiences every child should have before leaving primary school

Why school leaders should think beyond autonomy and embrace the opportunities of being part of something bigger

Cathie’s vision for the next decade of REAch2 and the future of primary education

This is a thoughtful and inspiring conversation for trust leaders, school leaders and anyone interested in culture, school improvement, inclusion and what it takes to build a trust where every school can thrive.

LINKS

For more on how The Key can support your trust, visit: key.sc/trustsupport 

Subscribe to our newsletter, Trust Matters: key.sc/trustmatters 

Connect with Cathie on LinkedIn.

All views expressed in this episode are the guest’s own. Any mention of commercial providers, resources or products is on the guest’s recommendation and should not be considered an endorsement by The Key.

In this episode, we’re joined by Robyn Ellis, school and college trust leader at Dixons Academies Trust, whose career spans both global corporate leadership and education system transformation.

Drawing on her experience leading leadership development at Booking.com and now working across a major multi-academy trust, Robyn shares what education can learn from the corporate world, and where schools must lead differently. She explores how leadership systems, culture and organisational design shape staff experience, and why bold decisions — including removing job titles, introducing coaching-led performance development, and implementing a 9-day fortnight — can transform how organisations operate.

We explore:

What education can learn from global corporate leadership development

Why relationships, coaching and organisational health sit at the heart of effective leadership

Dixons’ decision to remove traditional job titles and what it changed about culture and collaboration

The thinking behind the 9-day fortnight for teachers and what has been learned about making flexible working viable in schools

Why leaders should focus on protecting energy, not just time

Leadership habits that matter most in high-pressure environments

Why joy, purpose and mission are essential to sustaining leadership over time

This is a thoughtful and practical conversation for trust and school leaders thinking about leadership development, flexible working, culture and building sustainable organisations where both staff and pupils can thrive.

LINKS

For more on how The Key can support your trust, visit: key.sc/trustsupport
Subscribe to our newsletter, Trust Matters: key.sc/trustmatters
Connect with Robyn on LinkedIn.

All views expressed in this episode are the guest’s own. Any mention of commercial providers, resources or products is on the guest’s recommendation and should not be considered an endorsement by The Key.