Seek the Brutal Facts

The challengeTwenty-one of 24 pupils improved by the end of a reading intervention, but six weeks later ten had not sustained the gain in class and three had no follow-up measure.

What the leader doesThe headteacher asks staff and pupils where the strategy stops travelling with the child, then pilots a final-week transfer lesson, a shared prompt card and two classroom check-ins, reviewed at weeks two and six.

What success looks likeBy day 30 every pupil leaving intervention should have a six-week transfer measure and named handover; by day 60 at least 80% of pilot pupils should use the strategy independently in class; by day 90 durable gains should improve without extra workload.

The challengeSelf-evaluation calls engagement strong, yet across sixteen lessons 19% of pupils gave 61% of spoken answers, while many quieter pupils wrote accurate thinking.

What the leader doesThe assistant headteacher separates the pattern from individual teachers, publishes leadership corrections first, then asks four volunteer teams to trial think-pair-rehearse, planned sampling and dignified pass options for three weeks.

What success looks likeBy day 30 the school should validate the participation baseline and agree principles; by day 60 response concentration in trial classes should fall below 40% without losing pace; by day 90 every class should use a suitable participation routine.

The challengeThe Year 4 average rose four points, but disadvantaged pupils remain six points behind in reasoning, and the team worked hard for that rise.

What the leader doesThe mathematics lead shares anonymised work, asks where adult support may be doing pupils' thinking and tests think time, concrete representation and compare-and-revise prompts, fading sentence stems once pupils can explain.

What success looks likeBy day 30 the team should agree the evidence standard and rehearse the reasoning routine; by day 60 the disadvantaged reasoning gap should narrow to three points; by day 90 independent reasoning should improve, with the gap no wider than two points.

The challengeA stable workload score of 3.4 hides doubled support-staff turnover and two teams scoring below 2.2, and the headteacher had used that average as reassurance.

What the leader doesThe headteacher names their own decisions, asks which leadership demand is hardest to name, removes three duplicate returns and requires every new request to state its owner, hours and the work it displaces.

What success looks likeBy day 30 every recurring request should have a verified purpose, owner and time cost; by day 60 the two overloaded teams should see at least 20% less avoidable demand; by day 90 no team should score below 3.0 on workload confidence.

The challengeInternal alternative provision reports 91% attendance, yet only 38% of pupils sustain a return to mainstream lessons for six weeks, and five former pupils have no destination record.

What the leader doesThe assistant headteacher corrects the success claim, asks what responsibility has been left with the pupil and gives the next four returns a joint plan naming the receiving adult, curriculum bridge and daily check.

What success looks likeBy day 30 every current pupil should have complete destination evidence; by day 60 three of four pilot pupils should sustain 80% of mainstream lessons for three weeks; by day 90 all four should have a recorded six-week outcome.

The challengeMost repeat lateness sanctions (62%) involve pupils on two unreliable bus routes, and some pupils now skip breakfast or use an unsupervised gate to avoid detention.

What the leader doesThe head of year asks pupils and families what the data misses, then trials a verified-delay route: supervised breakfast entry and a brief check instead of automatic detention, with other lateness handled consistently.

What success looks likeBy day 30 every tutor should apply the verified-delay route accurately; by day 60 sanctions linked to verified transport delays should fall by at least 60%; by day 90 safe entry and trust should improve while punctuality stays above baseline.

The challengeBooks are orderly and practicals complete, yet four weeks later only 42% of sampled pupils recall the particle explanation and fewer than a third can apply it.

What the leader doesThe head of Chemistry examines anonymised work with the department, invites technicians and early-career teachers to challenge, and redesigns one practical sequence around predict, observe, explain and revisit.

What success looks likeBy day 30 the department should complete a representative baseline and agree the evidence standard; by day 60 at least 65% of trial pupils should explain the model after four weeks; by day 90 durable explanation should improve across classes.

The challengeEvery school reported the agreed teaching routine as green, but a common sample of 72 lessons shows it secure in only four of the six schools.

What the leader doesThe director withdraws the claim, invites two headteachers to test the interpretation first, allows confidential challenge and commissions paired modelling and weekly coaching for the two schools rather than ranking them.

What success looks likeBy day 30 all six schools should validate their evidence; by day 60 both supported schools should reach at least 75% secure practice in a fresh sample; by day 90 the trust should publish a defensible account and close the SEND experience gap.