The We Lead Well Podcast

Michelle Hague is the Founder of HEYD. She is an accomplished and inspirational school leader with a track record of developing high-performing cultures, systems, and strategies to enhance academic standards. With experience as a Rapid School Improvement Partner, Head of School Development, Head of an outstanding school, Teaching School Alliance, Interim Head, Ofsted Inspector (Early Years), and coach, Michelle has established her credibility and delivered tangible results. The HEYD Approach, partnered with EuHu, driven by Michelle's passion for excellence, enables organisations to unlock their full potential and achieve early years success consistently. Use the code WELEADWELLPODCAST for 10% off your supply cover premium with www.schoolsuk.com www.weleadwell.co.uk @WeLeadWellPodc1 vicki@weleadwell.co.uk www.headteacherchat.com www.progressivemasculinity.co.uk www.euhu.co.uk/heyd    

SuperKind is an award-winning, free platform for schools to bring social action and philanthropy into the classroom.  Their website and free resources can help you to create the next generation of change-makers in the easiest and most engaging way. Superkind's Co-founder Keren Mitchell joined us for this episode to tell us about the ways in which Superkind are supporting schools to help children engage in social action and philanthropy and the impact that this is having on not only the mental health and wellbeing of our young people but also their educational outcomes.   Superkind also runs the Social Impact Schools Award which recognises the dedication of schools and their students in having a positive impact on the world. The Award provides independent recognition of schools who are taking amazing social action. It is designed to be light-touch for teachers, and schools who take part will get access to a host of resources such as lesson plans, worksheets, assembly plans, fundraising guides, and certificates.   SuperKind are offering an exclusive 50% discount to schools who heard about the award through WeLeadWell - reducing the registration fee to just £50+VAT! Simply type 'WeLeadWell' in the 'How did you hear about us?' question in the registration form. For more information on the award (& to register), please visit the website here: https://superkind.org/social-impact-schools-award   Email Vicki at: vicki@weleadwell.co.uk Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @WeLeadWellPodc1 Visit our website at: www.weleadwell.co.uk www.schoolsuk.com www.headteacherchat.com www.progressivemasculinity.co.uk

In this episode of the show I'm joined by the brilliant John Cosgrove. After almost 40 years’ teaching John retired in the summer of 2019.  He still contributes significantly to the world of education and has so much to share and teach about the importance of compassion in leadership.   John is a firm believer in inclusion, having taught pupils of all ages from 3 – 18 in Cornwall, London, Lancashire and Reading. John is also a prolific writer; he has written: articles, news items, plays and books, both fiction and non-fiction. Most, though not all, of his writing has been about schools and education, and amongst other places it has been published in the TES, The Tablet, The Catholic Herald, The Daily Telegraph, Schools Week and The Universe. John speaks with passion about the importance of kindness in leadership and shares his experiences in both primary and secondary education and as a headteacher.   www.weleadwell.co.uk @WeLeadWellPodc1 vicki@weleadwell.co.uk https://johncosgrove55.wordpress.com www.schoolsuk.com www.headteacherchat.com www.progressivemasculinity.co.uk  

In this episode of the podcast it was a pleasure and a privilege to interview the CEO of Big Education, Liz Robinson. Liz’s motivation comes from a profound belief that schools can play a transformative role in children’s lives, but also in shaping whole communities. Social justice and wider change underpin her views that school simply must be about the whole child, the whole family and the whole community. As the head at Surrey Square for many years, Liz used values as a key driver to redefine the purpose of the school and radically reshape the culture and approaches. She is exceptionally proud of how the school continues to develop and innovate. Liz has deep expertise and a particular interest in capacity development and growing leadership. Her philosophy is based on a client-centred approach, actively empowering others into thoughtful action. She created The Big Leadership Adventure, our flagship programme supporting changemaker leaders in the sector. Liz co-founded Big Education to be a place where those who believe in more radical change in the sector can come together; to collaborate, share, challenge and encourage one another. Let’s do more, together. As mum to two young girls, Liz works flexibly to manage her role. She advocates for and seeks to model an authentic, reflective and relational approach to leadership. @WeLeadWellPodc1 weleadwell.co.uk vicki@weleadwell.co.uk bigeducation.org progressivemasculinity.co.uk headteacherchat.com  

In this episode, I talk to Jenny Bowers, supervisor and safeguarding expert and CEO of Purplemoon.  Jenny has worked in numerous leadership roles in which she has been responsible for safeguarding and SEN.  Her expertise has been developed over many years and she shares this with us in the episode.  If you're responsible for safeguarding or you want to be a safeguarding lead or senior leader, this episode is a must listen. www.weleadwell.co.uk vicki@weleadwell.co.uk @WeLeadWellPodc1 www.purplemoon.uk www.headteacherchat.com www.progressivemasculinity.co.uk  

Kate has been in primary teaching since 1993, and leadership since 1997. She first became a head in 2004, and has now been head in three schools, an executive head in a fourth, and supported two others in an interim capacity, both Church and Community schools, across four different LAs, and three Dioceses. From inner city Lambeth and Southwark to the London suburbs, and the market towns and villages of East Sussex, there is very little that Kate hasn’t experienced as a school leader. She is keen to share this experience with others to grow leaders for the future, and does this already through consultant head work and OfSTED inspecting.  Kate and I talked about what it really means to be a headteacher and why you should aspire to headship if you're a woman in leadership. If you're looking for supply cover insurance, make sure you get a quote from Schools Uk who have been providing insurance to schools for the last 24 years.  Their wellbeing package that is available to all staff in your school is second to none and provides, amongst many other benefits, access to a GP on the same day.  Use the discount code WELEADWELLPODCAST for a 10% discount on your premium. @WeLeadWellPodc1 vicki@weleadwell.co.uk weleadwell.co.uk schoolsuk.com headteacherchat.com progressivemasculinity.co.uk  

Ruth is an MCC (Master) level coach with over 10,000 hours of coaching experience with a wide variety of clients.  She left her role as a high school deputy headteacher and set up Optimus Coach Academy where she trains people to become professional coaches alongside running her own private coaching practice.  Ruth is a twice best-selling author and podcaster and an expert in Positive Psychology and Neuroscience.  optimuscoachacademy.com ruthkudzi.com This episode is sponsored by Schools UK who have been providing supply cover insurance to schools for 24 years.  For a 10% discount on your premium, use the code WELEADWELLPODCAST. schooluk.com weleadwell.co.uk @WeLeadWellPodc1 vicki@weleadwell.co.uk headteacherchat.com progressivemasculinity.com  

Stephanie Shaldas is a Deputy Headteacher in a secondary school in South East London with 20 years experience in education. She is a French and Spanish teacher who has been Head of Department, Head of Year and an Assistant Headteacher in a variety of schools across Essex and East London. In her current role, she is responsible for all things inclusion and pastoral care as well as diversity and equality.  In this episode, Stephanie and I explore lots of different topics with a focus on inclusion and school values.  Stephanie is great to listen to and has a wealth of knowledge.  You will learn so much from this episode!  For a 10% discount on your school's supply cover insurance, go to www.schoolsuk.com and use the discount code WELEADWELLPODCAST. @StephanieShald1 @WeLeadWellPodc1 www.weleadwell.co.uk www.headteacherchat.com www.progressivemasculinity.com vicki@weleadwell.co.uk    

In this episode, I talked to Emma Sheppard who founded The Maternity Teacher Paternity Teacher (MTPT) Project, the UK's charity for parent-teachers, whilst on maternity leave with her son in 2016. Having trained through Teach First as an English teacher in 2010, she continued to teach in the British International School, Ho Chi Minh, acting as Head of House, before returning to the UK as Lead Practitioner at an academy in South London. Here, she held responsibility for ITT provision, teaching and learning, and line managed the EAL department. In 2020, Emma began training as a coach with The Coaching Academy, and then relocated to the south of France with her family in 2021 to coach and run The MTPT Project full time. The MTPT Project is the UK's charity for parent-teachers. From humble beginnings as a blog and a Twitter handle, inspiring, empowering and connecting teachers choosing to complete personal and professional development whilst on parental leave, The MTPT Project has grown into the voice of parent-teachers in the UK. The charity runs training and networking events, provides 1:1 and group coaching to teachers on leave, and is the only organisation completing research into women aged 30-39 - the largest demographic to leave teaching every year. Since 2016, The MTPT Project has worked to tackle the motherhood penalty in education, to transform education into a sustainable and "life-friendly" career choice for all. @WeLeadWellPodc1 vicki@weleadwell.co.uk weleadwell.com headteacherchat.com progressivemasculinity.co.uk For a 10% discount on your supply cover insurance with Schools UK, use the code WELEADWELLPODCAST

In this episode, I speak with Catrina Lowri the founder of Neuroteachers. Catrina is a neurodivergent teacher with dyslexia and bipolar condition. She has over 20 years experience as a SENCO and special needs teacher. Catrina is passionate about improving outcomes for children, young people, and adults with Autism and neurodiversity. She works with schools, colleges, nurseries, parents and businesses to improve inclusion for neurodivergent people by providing a bespoke mix of online resources, training, mentoring and action research projects to enable educational settings, families and employers to provide equity of opportunity for unique, neurodivergent, minds. Schoolsuk.com - Having served schools and academies for the past 23 years, Schools UK is now one of the longest-serving and leading providers of staff absence insurance within the education sector. Their philosophy is simple: to provide coverage to accommodate every eventuality, which is why their Schools UK insurance includes a 5-in-1 policy to ensure they are adequately supporting your staff through all incidents of both physical and mental health challenges. For a 10% discount on your premium, use the code WELEADWELLPODCAST vicki@weleadwell.co.uk weleadwell.co.uk neuroteachers.com @neuroteachers headteacherchat.com progressivemasculinity.co.uk