Strategy behaviour S9
Leverage Marginal Gains
Stop waiting for one big fix. Small 1% improvements, tested and repeated, compound into a real difference for pupils and staff.
Jump to S9 resources ↓What this behaviour looks like
Every 1% counts
A leader breaks a routine into its smallest parts and tests one small change at a time, keeping what works and sharing each win. Teaching assistants, teachers, office staff and pupils are all invited to spot the next improvement.
A practical example
Reclaiming time lost between lessons
One big overhaul“Pupils arrive late after changeover, so we're rewriting the whole behaviour policy this term.”
One small gain“For two weeks, a member of staff will stand at each Year 8 corridor junction at changeover. We'll time arrivals, ask pupils and staff how it felt, then keep, adapt or stop it. Two minutes saved in every lesson soon adds up to whole teaching days.”
Year 8 pupils arrive late to lessons after changeover.
Staff at each Year 8 corridor junction for two weeks.
Time arrivals, ask pupils and staff, then keep, adapt or stop.
Pick one routine that wastes time or effort. Choose one small change to test with a few colleagues, and set a date to decide whether to keep, adapt or stop it.
S9 · Resources for your setting
Put ‘Leverage Marginal Gains’ 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 S9 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 S9 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 S9 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
A calmer morning arrival
Sally · Headteacher · 205-pupil one-form-entry primary school
Worked example at a glance
A calmer morning arrival
The challengeOn the slowest mornings it takes seventeen minutes from the gate opening to pupils being ready in class, and an average of fourteen children arrive unsettled.
What the leader doesThe headteacher and duty team test three welcome points with the same brief greeting for five mornings, then review timing, readiness and family experience before choosing any second change.
What success looks likeBy day 30 three welcome points should be safely staffed and the five-morning test complete; by day 60 the smallest effective arrival routine should be calibrated; by day 90 no morning should exceed ten minutes from gate to ready, with unsettled arrivals below six.
Clare · Assistant Headteacher for Early Years · 650-pupil three-form-entry primary school
Worked example at a glance
One Reception transition record
The challengeThe same Reception transition information is typed into three records, yet the school still starts September with essential gaps for 21 children.
What the leader doesThe assistant headteacher tests one shared transition record, with a named check for missing information, on the next ten children, keeping access controls, consent and safeguarding boundaries intact.
What success looks likeBy day 30 ten records should be tested with secure ownership; by day 60 effective fields should replace the old internal duplication; by day 90 no more than three children, against 21 last year, should start September with an unresolved essential gap.
Meredith · Music Lead and Year 4 teacher · 366-pupil two-form-entry primary school
Worked example at a glance
Quicker music lesson set-up
The challengeKey Stage 2 classes lose an average of nine minutes at the start of music while instruments are handed out, checked and tuned.
What the leader doesThe Music lead tests labelled instrument stations and two rotating pupil equipment roles in one Year 5 class for three lessons, timing set-up and checking safety and who takes part.
What success looks likeBy day 30 one class should complete a safe three-lesson test; by day 60 the effective routine should extend carefully across Key Stage 2; by day 90 average set-up time should be below five minutes, with no unsafe handling.
Geoff · Headteacher · ages 11 to 16 secondary school, 840 pupils
Worked example at a glance
Shorter, sharper staff meetings
The challengeStaff meetings average 68 minutes across nine agenda items, actions are not reliably completed and colleagues leave unsure what was decided or why.
What the leader doesThe headteacher limits the next two staff meetings to three decision or development items, each with a purpose, output, owner and time, moves notices to the bulletin and reviews the result with staff representatives.
What success looks likeBy day 30 two staff meetings should complete the bounded test; by day 60 the three-item agenda, with notices in a bulletin, should be the settled routine; by day 90 meetings should average 50 minutes and 90% of actions close before the next meeting.
Clive · Deputy Headteacher for assessment and examinations · ages 11 to 18 secondary school, 1,690 pupils
Worked example at a glance
Fewer rejected data entries
The challengeDepartments enter assessment data through two systems and 28% of entries need correcting before reports can go out, with the same errors found late every time.
What the leader doesThe deputy headteacher tests a pre-submission validation check with three contrasting departments in one data window, separating genuine errors from legitimate subject variation, without adding another system.
What success looks likeBy day 30 three departments should complete a source-audited test; by day 60 a second varied sample should verify reliability; by day 90 entries needing correction should fall below 8% through one validated route.
Sian · Reintegration and Alternative Provision Lead · ages 11 to 18 secondary school, 1,510 pupils
Worked example at a glance
A one-page return handover
The challengeAlmost a third of pupils returning from alternative provision miss at least one agreed adjustment in their first week, and the pupil ends up coordinating the information.
What the leader doesThe reintegration lead tests one pupil-centred handover, agreed with the pupil and shared with authorised staff 48 hours before return, for the next three pupils, reviewing each case on day five.
What success looks likeBy day 30 three pupils should complete a safely prepared first-week test; by day 60 the handover and exception route should be reliable; by day 90 at least 95% of returning pupils should receive every agreed adjustment in week one and name their trusted adult.
Aisha · Head of Religious Education · ages 11 to 16 secondary school, 760 pupils
Worked example at a glance
Faster feedback in RE
The challengePupils wait an average of twelve school days for feedback on extended Religious Education responses, and only 37% then improve their reasoning.
What the leader doesThe head of RE tests whole-class feedback naming the key misconception, with contrasting examples, in two Year 10 classes, giving response time within seven school days and checking that revisions are not copied.
What success looks likeBy day 30 two classes should complete one focused feedback cycle; by day 60 the smallest effective routine should be calibrated; by day 90 feedback should reach pupils within seven school days and successful improvement rise from 37% towards 65%.
Frances · Trust Director of People and Operations · twelve-school multi-academy trust
Worked example at a glance
Faster support-staff recruitment
The challengeIt takes a median of 47 days to move from approved vacancy to accepted offer, the same information is clarified at four handovers, and candidates wait without news.
What the leader doesThe director tests one approved vacancy brief as the single source of truth on the next three support-staff vacancies for two weeks, keeping every safer-recruitment check, before choosing any further change.
What success looks likeBy day 30 three vacancies should use one calibrated brief; by day 60 the tested fields should become the smallest reliable routine; by day 90 the median time from approval to accepted offer should move from 47 towards 35 days.
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 reading
Dave Brailsford’s case studies on British Cycling
These examples deepen the behaviour by showing how small, disciplined improvements compound into transformational results.
References from the Everyone Succeeds book
- Hardy, D. (2010) The Compound Effect: Multiplying Your Success, One Simple Step at a Time. New York: Vanguard Press. Buy on Amazon ↗
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