The phrase “doing more with less” has become a familiar refrain in education; a mantra repeated so often it risks becoming background noise to a deficit model. But for school and trust leaders facing real-terms funding cuts, rising costs, and growing expectations, it is the reality.  

Leading under financial pressures demands high-quality and wise strategic leadership. But it isn’t enough to be strategic in your thinking; it calls for clarity, courage, creativity and connection, the ability to maintain educational quality while navigating complexity and constraint. 

As we enter the final half of the summer term, we outline key thoughts for school leaders to consider as they review their strategy and consider the upcoming academic year.  

GOVERNANCE! It may not be something we typically think of in our day-to-day work, but it is always there! Governance ensures that we are ethical in our work, that we understand our responsibilities and that we are held to account for our professional decisions and actions. But whilst these are important and necessary components, governance has a whole lot more to offer our schools!