New to Senior Leadership

Easy Accomplishments

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New to Senior Leadership – Easy Accomplishments Completed

Ask the question you’ve been thinking over and over about this
week, month or term.

? Has it kept you up at night? Have you spent hours researching it?
Give yourself a helping hand by sharing your query with others, whether
it’s senior leaders in other local schools or colleagues across the country
on social media.

Notes:

Take the time informally to find out what really ignites a passion
within your team members.

Jot these ideas down and think about how they could link to your school
vision and plans moving forward - they will come in handy later on.
Notes:

Congratulations – welcome to senior leadership! Whether you are a new or existing headteacher
(HT), deputy headteacher (DHT) or assistant headteacher (AHT), this document is intended as
a guide to support all school leaders throughout their first year of leadership and beyond. This
resource includes links to other Twinkl resources and templates that may be helpful. These can
Sign up for a CPD course or attend a virtual social media networking
also be found on the Leaders area of the Twinkl website. This document is interactive so that you
opportunity.
can tick items off as you go and add any relevant notes.

Choose an area that links to your school priorities or the issues that rear
their head regularly in your setting. Continue developing yourself as a
leader and valuing this time.
Treat these 39 ideas Write down two key things you have learnt or will take away from the CPD
and activities as mini opportunity – you will begin to see the crucial impact this has on your
challenges that will approach.
help you in a time-poor
environment, and ensure OneStep CPD
above everything else, Notes:
you look after yourself so
that you are able to look
after others. Use this
resource alongside our
Checklist for Leaders:
Planning across the Year.

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4x x5

Meet in person, or virtually, with a senior leader from another
school.
Talk through your school development plans (SDP) together. This is great
preparation for any other visitors you are expecting who may wish to talk
through your school SDP; it will also demonstrate to you how well you
know your school.
Hit the pause button.
The next time you’re asked to do something that doesn’t have a
straightforward answer, try using the phrase, ‘can I get back to you?’
Take a moment to think whether it aligns with the school vision, values
and ethos. What purpose or intended impact does this have? Don’t be
afraid to say ‘no’ if it isn’t a worthwhile use of your time.

You may also generate further ideas from the discussions you have
together. Notes:
Notes:

Identify the persistent problems.

Download the Wellbeing Challenge.

Every school has persistent problems. What are yours? Staff absence?
Behaviour?
Start with one or two activities, such as ‘eat your lunch in the staffroom’ or Write down those persistent problems as headings and leave them
‘listen to a child read’. there. If suitable, place them in a communal area; alternatively, initiate
conversations with others to delve deeper into the perceived problem and
What has been the impact of this? Why not try a few more activities later
current thoughts on ways to navigate a solution.
on?
Come back to this over the course of the week.
Notes:
Productivity Tool: Kaizen

Notes:

Think out loud.

Spend time with pupils.
Close the door, just for 5 minutes. Talk yourself through the priorities for
the day out loud and think about your next action. Hearing it out loud can
Feel like you’ve been at your desk working through the pile of paperwork for
help you to prioritise.
too long? Give yourself a break this week. Organise a deserving selection
of pupils to have hot chocolate or breakfast pastries with you on Friday
Notes:
morning.

Gain an insight into how they view school while enjoying quality time with
them.

Notes:

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6x x7

Assess school traffic and parking. Categorise staff feedback.

Put out an anonymous staff feedback box and encourage everyone to add
Take the opportunity to stand out on the roads leading to the school
a comment. Analyse the responses and look at the quick-wins and longer
building this week. What do you notice? Are there any health and safety
term projects. Not all suggestions will be possible to implement right now
issues or reminders that need to be sent out? If you notice something
and that’s OK. Take the time to explain this along with the reasons why to
bigger, make sure you inform your local council who might be able to
your team.
provide traffic enforcement support.
Staff Questionnaire
Notes:
Notes:

Reflect and celebrate you.

Increase your visibility.
Handing out praise to others regularly? Excellent! Don’t forget you need to
hear those encouraging words too. Whether it’s opening the gate to welcome the pupils in the morning,
supporting on break duty, helping to wipe tables at lunch time or answering
Write down 5 things that have happened or improved under your leadership calls in the office, choose a day to increase your visibility. This isn’t about
this academic year so far. doing other people’s jobs for them, it’s to help you gain an insight into how
Gratitude Journal your school is running in all areas. Turn this into a half-term habit and you
may find you increase proactivity rather than reactivity.
Notes:
Notes:

Head out with staff treats.

Organise a ‘coffee and catch up’ drop in session for the parents
and carers in one year group this week.
Grab some small chocolate bars or biscuits and head out onto the
playground this week. We know the staff out there will have rushed their
Keep it informal and light-hearted; this is a great way to hear feedback
break and may not have eaten anything. Go and give them a treat to keep
about your school. Share the positives you hear with staff and note down
them going and swap places with them to give them time to visit the
any areas for development to discuss at another time with the senior
bathroom too.
leadership team (SLT).
Notes:
Was the feedback useful? If so, arrange to engage with parents from
another year group.

Parent Focus Group Discussion Prompt

Notes:

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8x
Make eye contact.
This week, make eye contact and initiate conversation with as many
people as possible. Whether this is with parents and carers, colleagues on
a course, or with staff around your school, eye contact can be particularly
powerful and help you to bond with others, display your honesty and
empathy, build respect and improve communication and understanding.
Try it out this week.
Notes:
Open communication and learn from someone else.
Have you got a problem but don’t feel that you have enough knowledge in
that area to solve it? Ask a member of your team today to find out more.
Your team has a wealth of experiences and knowledge so utilise and draw
upon this regularly to help you learn from them. They will also feel valued
and trusted, meaning communication will work both ways and they will feel
able to come to you to ask for advice another time.
Notes:
Set your goals.
You’re at the midway point in the year. Write down three school goals and
one personal goal for the remaining half of the year. What is the first step
you need to take? Who do you need to draw on for support or guidance?
Notes:
x9
Check in personally with support staff.
It’s likely you’re not their line manager but checking in with support staff,
for example by having lunch with them, can help to develop relationships
and ensure they feel heard and listened to. This is a chance to hear about
your school across all age groups and from a different perspective to
yours.
Notes:
Take a lunch or break duty.
Set up a rota this week that enables you to cover one duty a week. Alternate
so that across the year, you take a duty from every staff member. Keep this
as a surprise so that they do not know when it is coming, and have another
member of SLT on stand-by, just in case you get caught up elsewhere.
Notes:
Visit a PE lesson.
Bring your trainers and go and join a PE lesson this week. It’s nice for
both the staff and children to see you in a slightly different light and good
for your wellbeing to have a little move around. You’ll get to know the
children’s personalities in a different way which will continue to build those
relationships.
Notes:
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10x
Meet with local councillors.
Whether you have a project in mind, want to know more about what’s going
on locally or wish to just share your school, building up a rapport with your
local councillor(s) can be really beneficial for your school. Invite them in
for a tea or coffee this week and see where the conversation takes you.
Notes:
Pick a day to leave early.
Pick a day and stick to it. Plan to do something for yourself, whether that’s
meeting with a friend for a coffee, going for a walk with your family or
watching the movie you have been waiting to see. It may feel strange but
try to make this a habit for yourself. You will also be setting a good example
to your team too.
Notes:
Spend time working as a teaching assistant (TA).
How can you truly know and understand the difficulty of a role until you
actually walk in that person’s shoes? Spend time, even if only an hour here
or there this week, working alongside your support staff. You’ll be surprised
how quickly you spot the issues and begin to think of quick-win solutions.
This will do wonders for staff morale too.
Notes:
x11
Start to think about the next academic year.
It may feel too soon but the earlier you begin to plan, the more time you
have to refine the plans. Think about what has worked well this year and
what three things you’d like to focus on next year.
Notes:
Upskill a member of staff.
Taking the time to upskill members of staff now will be highly beneficial in
the future. Create a rota this week that provides each staff member with
an opportunity to be upskilled through shadowing you or another member
of the senior leadership team. This may mean attending a learning walk
with you if they haven’t done this before, or attending an appropriate senior
leadership team meeting.
Notes:
Invite someone to your school who has never been before.
Invite someone new to your school. This could be another teaching
professional or someone from the community. Ask them to give
constructive feedback on your school environment from their perspective.
A fresh pair of eyes can help you to see the things you haven’t seen yet.
Notes:
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12x
Adjust your staffing.
It’s the time of year again where you map out where your staff will be
headed at the start of the new academic year. Start by thinking about
the passions and interests they shared earlier on - how can you support
them with these through staffing adjustments next year? Who works well
together and where does it need a little refresh?
Notes:
Invite your governors in.
While you will see many of them regularly during your governing body
meetings, inviting members of each committee into school can help to
further develop not only your professional relationship with each other, but
also their relationship with school. Even better, utilise the pupils to show
your governors around.
Notes:
Get involved with the ‘fun stuff’.
Seek out the moments that you would class as fun for you in school this
week. Do you enjoy science experiments or dancing? Love netball or
looking for insects? Join in on the things that will bring joy to you but also
help demonstrate your love of learning and interests. This will also help to
balance the work vs. fun aspect of your role.
Notes:
x13
Protect your wellbeing.
Book in a session with your mentor or a counsellor to talk about you. This
isn’t a time to talk through school issues but to think about ways in which
you can help yourself or think about things differently. Even if you don’t
feel it’s needed right now, the power of talking can be really beneficial.
Notes:
Send positive messages.
A simple thank you or positive message really can make someone’s day.
Have some cards or notelets to hand with you this week and share with
staff members the great things that you see via simple, little thank you
messages. You will probably make someone’s day!
Wave of Thanks Postcards
Notes:
Organise a ‘feel good Friday’ moment.
Whether it’s booking a coffee van, playing music in the staffroom or even
ordering lunch from the fish and chip shop, organising a ‘feel good Friday’
towards the end of term can lift everyone’s spirits. Organise it this week
and join in with the team to feel the morale boost for yourself.
Notes:
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14x x15

Trial the ‘Getting Things Done’ technique. Ask for a second opinion.

You’ve learnt to expect the unexpected by now but sometimes things can
Are there lots of things circling around in your head and you’re worried
really take us by surprise. If you’re feeling like you may be barking up the
about forgetting them? Perhaps they come to the surface when you are
wrong tree, why not ask someone else for a second opinion? Listening
trying to sleep? This week, organise your to-do list and actions required
to another perspective from someone not directly linked to the issue can
by trialling the ‘Getting Things Done’ (GTD) technique which focuses on
really help to narrow down the task or question and provide the refocus
breaking work problems down into actionable work items with deadlines.
needed to help you tackle it.
Productivity Tool: The Getting Things Done (GTD) Technique
Notes:
Notes:

Get down to decision-making.

Decorate your office.

Enhancing your office or workspace will not only make it feel like your own
but it will also ensure it is the best working environment for you. You will
spend many hours there so before the new academic year begins, paint it
your favourite colour, add photographs that are special to you on the walls,
and don’t forget a snack drawer - you’ll thank yourself later!
Notes:
Is something hanging over you that you haven’t been able to come to a final
decision on yet? Whether it’s the colour choice for an area of the school
being refurbished or something far greater, make it your priority to finalise
a decision this week.
Productivity Tool: Eat That Frog
Notes:

Break the barrier.

Embrace the ‘power hour’.
Invite someone new to your school. This could be another teaching
professional or someone from the community. Ask them to give
Dedicate an hour to tidying an area of the school that has been bothering
constructive feedback on your school environment from their perspective.
you. Even better if you can encourage others to join you to tackle those
A fresh pair of eyes can help you to see the things you haven’t seen yet.
corners of the school that have become a place to dump unwanted items.
Make sure you remove any items that won’t be used so that they don’t find Notes:
their way back.

Notes:

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