Strategy behaviour S11
Break Through Limits
The hardest limits are often the ones we set ourselves. Question what seems fixed, reimagine what is possible and take a credible first step.
Jump to S11 resources ↓What this behaviour looks like
Limits are often self-imposed
A leader asks which assumptions are holding current results in place and separates real constraints from self-imposed ones. Colleagues and pupils are invited to rethink the task, try a bold idea safely and treat setbacks as learning, with the leader openly modelling the same.
A practical example
Responding to low engagement
Accepting the limit“Some pupils switch off before they start. They can't manage tasks on their own, so we'll keep giving them extra prompts.”
Testing the limit“Some pupils disengage before they begin. Are we assuming they cannot manage the task independently? Let's ask where they get stuck, model the first step differently in one Year 7 class and check for four weeks who starts without extra prompting.”
We assume some pupils cannot start tasks independently.
Ask where pupils get stuck instead of adding prompts.
Remodel the first step in one Year 7 class for four weeks.
Write one 'we can't because' statement about your school. Check the evidence, turn it into a 'how might we' question and plan one small, safe test.
S11 · Resources for your setting
Put ‘Break Through Limits’ into practice
Develop your own practice or lead the learning with your team. Use the chapter and workbook to explore the behaviour, then choose the resources that fit your next step.
Apply · Your leadership practice
Put it to work
Use the S11 Playbook to turn the behaviour into practical action on a real leadership challenge.
- Practical toolkit and coaching prompts
- A practice script to rehearse your approach
- A 90-day plan to guide your next steps
Members only · Explore membership →
Apply · Learning with your team
Lead a team session
Use the S11 INSET PowerPoint to help colleagues explore the behaviour and plan how to put it into practice.
- Editable slides to adapt to your setting
- Speaker notes to support facilitation
- Discussion, rehearsal and planning
Members only · Explore membership →
Completed Playbooks
See S11 applied in eight leadership contexts
Choose your role to explore the challenge, the leader’s response and the intended result. Members can read the complete example and download an editable Word copy.
In a primary school
In a secondary school
Across schools
Selected completed example
In a primary school · Headteacher
Support before the crisis
Gillian · Headteacher · 440-pupil two-form-entry primary school with enhanced inclusion provision
Worked example at a glance
Support before the crisis
The challengeEight pupils account for 73% of suspensions, and for most of them the strongest help still arrives only after a crisis.
What the leader doesThe headteacher co-designs one-page plans for three pupils naming the high-risk moment, early signs, preventive adult action, boundary and repair route, and staff rehearse a scenario before launch.
What success looks likeBy day 30 three co-designed plans should be in use before high-risk moments; by day 60 effective preventive actions should extend to the next pupils; by day 90 suspensions for the focus group should be falling while safety and participation improve.
Tariq · Assistant Headteacher for attendance and family support · 640-pupil three-form-entry primary school
Worked example at a glance
Barrier-specific attendance plans
The challengePersistent absence among disadvantaged pupils is 24.8%, yet every family receives the same letters and calls whatever the barrier: anxiety, transport, unmet need or housing.
What the leader doesThe assistant headteacher tests a 20-minute barrier conversation and seven-day plan with six contrasting families, naming the school action, family action and trusted adult, while statutory and safeguarding duties continue.
What success looks likeBy day 30 six pupils should have a verified barrier, trusted adult and plan tested over two seven-day cycles; by day 60 the best responses should be available through clear triage; by day 90 persistent absence should be tracking below 16%.
Max · Design and Technology Lead and Year 4 teacher · 285-pupil primary school
Worked example at a glance
Pupils making real design decisions
The challengeIn most design units adults choose the product before pupils meet a user, and only 24% of sampled pupils can explain a user need, a test or a design decision.
What the leader doesThe design and technology lead has Year 4 teach a four-lesson unit designing a model shelter for a named school user, with two possibilities, shared criteria and stability tests, keeping safety secure.
What success looks likeBy day 30 the Year 4 pilot should be planned, rehearsed and taught; by day 60 a refined design cycle should be used in a second year group; by day 90 every class should be on track towards 70% evidence-based justification.
Bridget · Headteacher · ages 11 to 16 secondary school, 1,020 pupils
Worked example at a glance
A Key Stage 3 with purpose
The challengeOnly 48% of pupils say Key Stage 3 learning has a clear purpose, and elective arts numbers have fallen for three years as the curriculum narrows towards GCSE.
What the leader doesThe headteacher asks English, science and design technology to co-design a six-week Year 8 project on a local public space, each subject owning its knowledge, with a steering group deciding what continues.
What success looks likeBy day 30 the entitlement, subject outcomes and two-band pilot should be agreed; by day 60 the project should show secure subject work and clearer purpose; by day 90 a tested model should keep progress on track towards 80% of pupils seeing purpose.
Natalia · Deputy Headteacher for curriculum and post-16 · ages 11 to 18 secondary school, 1,720 pupils
Worked example at a glance
A new post-16 pathway
The challengeSixth-form retention is 86%, and students with lower prior attainment leave at twice the school average, often after joining prestigious but poorly matched programmes.
What the leader doesThe deputy headteacher convenes a design group for a costed ten-student prototype, invites current and former students to critique it and gives governors a clear choice to pilot, redesign or stop.
What success looks likeBy day 30 a costed, quality-tested ten-student prototype should be complete; by day 60 governors should make an evidence-led pilot, partnership or stop decision; by day 90 the agreed route should be ready to improve retention and pathway equity.
Kofi · Head of Year 10 · ages 11 to 18 secondary school, 1,480 pupils
Worked example at a glance
A trusted adult who notices
The challengeThirty-two Year 10 pupils are persistently absent, and only 29% of the focus group say an adult notices quickly when they start to drift.
What the leader doesThe head of year lets eight pupils choose a trusted adult, gives tutors a two-minute weekly check-in, arranges same-day contact after unplanned absence and removes a low-value administrative task to make time.
What success looks likeBy day 30 eight pupils should have a chosen trusted adult and three weeks of reliable contact; by day 60 the routine should extend with sustainable caseloads; by day 90 the group should be on track to halve persistent absence.
Isla · Head of Art and Photography · ages 11 to 18 secondary school, 1,240 pupils
Worked example at a glance
Widening GCSE Art uptake
The challengeGCSE Art uptake is 18% overall and 7% among disadvantaged pupils, who cite cost, lack of space at home and not feeling good enough.
What the leader doesThe head of Art runs a six-week portfolio taster for 16 Year 9 pupils, at least half disadvantaged, with all materials provided, a staffed weekly studio session and an honest progression briefing.
What success looks likeBy day 30 the taster should be three weeks in, with materials and studio time funded; by day 60 the access model and options information should be refined; by day 90 the department should be on track to double disadvantaged uptake.
Diana · Trust Director of Estates and Sustainability · eleven-school mixed-phase trust
Worked example at a glance
Healthy classrooms in older buildings
The challengeEnergy use differs by 46% between comparable buildings and four schools regularly record classrooms above the comfort threshold, while ageing buildings are assumed to make improvement impossible.
What the leader doesThe director runs a six-week pilot in one primary and one secondary school, testing zoning and heating schedules with comfort and air-quality limits as safeguards and pupils gathering structured feedback.
What success looks likeBy day 30 two pilot schools should have baselines, safeguards and four weeks of testing complete; by day 60 viable operational changes should be secure and capital needs evidenced; by day 90 the trust should have an evidence-led scale and investment plan.
The complete Playbook is for members
Turn this example into action
Read the full toolkit, coaching and practice scripts, and 90-day plan. Members can view the PDF here and download an editable Word copy.
Further reading
Recommended book
Great by Choice – Jim Collins & Morten Hansen (2011)
This text strengthens your practice by illustrating how bold thinking, disciplined experimentation and resilience enable leaders to achieve 10X results.
References from the Everyone Succeeds book
- Dweck, C.S. (2006) Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York: Random House. Buy on Amazon ↗
- Clance, P.R. (1985) The Impostor Phenomenon: Overcoming the Fear That Haunts Your Success. Atlanta: Peachtree Publishers. Buy on Amazon ↗
- Doidge, N. (2007) The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science. Melbourne: Scribe. Buy on Amazon ↗
- Ericsson, A. and Pool, R. (2016) Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Buy on Amazon ↗
- Lemov, D., Woolway, E. and Yezzi, K. (2012) Practice Perfect: 42 Rules for Getting Better at Getting Better. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Buy on Amazon ↗
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