Growing PainsGoing from Headteacher to CEO

David Waugh, Trust Leader, TRUE Learning Partnership, ASCL VPRichard Sheriff, Trust Leader, Red Kite Learning Trust, ASCL IPP

Our Trusts…is mine bigger than yours?

RKLT• 1 ‘all through’ Free School• 3 Secondary 11-18 schools• 8 Primary Schools• 1 Junior School• 1 Children’s Centre• 1 ‘Associate’ Member school• 8,000 children• 1200 Staff• £48million Budget• 3 ‘Outstanding’ schools• 1 RI school• FSM % range from 5%-76%

TRUE• 1 Secondary 11 – 18• 1 Primary School• …2 Secondary Schools • …2 Primary School• Small Rural Primary• Sponsored 11 - 18• 2 Nursery 1 & 2

provisions• 3000 children• 450 staff• £tuppence £ha’penney

Values and CultureWorking ethically to achieve excellence for all

Don’t forget the Why……..

Communicating the vision, establishing the culture• How you work now won’t work as a Trust Leader• Attempting this may harm your health• Think carefully about the purpose of a ‘CEO’ in an

organisation• Servant leadership?• Don’t expect to be known and loved by anyone• But you can make a difference……

The Wall of Sh1t

Communicating as a Headteacher

Communicating as a Trust LeaderThe Headteacher/Principal group Monthly meetings

Face to faceEmails/TeamsWhatsapp

Trustees and Members Board meetingsOne to ones

Chairs of LGB’s Termly meetings, email updates

Your ‘core’ team Weekly meetingsOne to ones

DfE, ESFA, LA’s etc Endless emailsMeetings

Trust employees Half termly newsletterTraining day presentationVisits to schools/settings

It’s a Wonderful Life…or is it?

• Pooling financial and intellectual capital

• Changing mindsets• Trustees and LGB’s are key• All our children• Our Trust not The Trust

The autonomy continuum

Be-spoke Flat-pack

What does autonomy really mean and is it worth having?

the right of an organization, country, or region to be independent and govern itself:

interdependencenounthe fact of depending on each other:

What I have learned:Words really matter in building trust

Your place on the continuum

• Defined by your starting point• Shifting more towards centralisation?• Responsive to school context and capacity • Subsidiarity, agency and empowerment• The influence of Trustees and Members• National expectations…the Trust Review meeting

Managing risk

• You can’t avoid risk but you can manage it• Risk audit and management • Single points of failure• Simultaneous multiple failures• Investing in capacity at the right time• Quality of leadership and governance• Manage risks locally when possible

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Riding the capacity wave

Pupils Schools

Key areas of activity• HR• Finance• Facilities management• IT infrastructure• School improvement• AP/SEND

What do your schools want?What do they need?What are they prepared to pay for?

Those new skills and habits

• Don’t try and be a Huge Headteacher • Adapt your communication style and approach• Use language carefully• Build a team of school leaders• Think about succession and sustainability• Focus on governance• Learn to accept and work with risk• Don’t forget the Why?