S11. Break Through Limits toolkit
Toolkit
Breaking through limits means challenging assumptions about what is possible, shifting from “this is the ceiling” to “what could we achieve if we thought differently?” This planner helps leaders identify self-imposed barriers, reframe them as opportunities, and adopt a 10x mindset while still anchoring growth in deliberate, incremental practice.
| Current Limit |
| What is the performance ceiling or barrier we have accepted as fixed? (e.g. “Attendance has never risen above 92%,” “Our disadvantaged gap is always 0.5 grades.”) |
| Reframe & Growth Culture |
| How can we reframe this challenge as an opportunity? What assumptions need to be questioned? How will we embed growth mindset thinking here? |
| 10x Vision |
| If we imagined a tenfold improvement, what would it look like? What extraordinary version of success could we work towards? |
| Bold Actions & Deliberate Practice |
| What bold, innovative actions could move us towards this vision? What small, deliberate practices can we trial and refine to make consistent progress? |
| First Step |
| What is the first immediate step we will take to move beyond the current limit? Who owns it? When will it be done? |
| Reflection Prompts |
| What limits have I accepted without questioning? Am I balancing bold vision with deliberate, incremental practice? How am I modelling a growth mindset for my team? Are we celebrating small wins while keeping sight of the big vision? How am I supporting staff and students to confront and overcome their own self-imposed barriers? |
S11. Break Through Limits: example toolkit
Role: Headteacher
| Current Limit |
| For several years, our school’s attendance has plateaued at around 92%, and this figure has been informally accepted as the best we could achieve given our context. The narrative that “our families just don’t prioritise attendance” has become self-reinforcing. This limit has quietly shaped our ambitions and dulled the urgency of our improvement work. |
| Reframe & Growth Culture |
| We began by reframing attendance from being a compliance issue to being a culture and belonging issue. The question shifted from “how do we make students come to school?” to “how do we make students want to be here every day?” This change in language helped staff see attendance as everyone’s responsibility, not just that of pastoral teams. We challenged the assumption that socioeconomic barriers define outcomes by highlighting examples of high-performing schools in similar contexts. Through staff briefings and leadership meetings, we reinforced the idea that our ceiling is self-imposed, not structural, and that small, creative interventions can drive significant improvement. |
| 10x Vision |
| If we applied a 10x mindset, we imagined achieving an attendance rate of 97%, a figure that would position us among the top-performing schools nationally. The vision was not just numerical but cultural: a school where every student felt that being present each day mattered, where parents saw attendance as non-negotiable, and where teachers took pride in full classrooms. We visualised this goal as part of our “Every Day Matters” campaign, aligning it with our school values of pride, integrity, and hard work. |
| Bold Actions & Deliberate Practice |
| We introduced a suite of bold yet practical actions. First, every student with over 98% attendance received a personalised postcard each term signed by their Head of Year. We launched a weekly “Attendance Spotlight” at assemblies, celebrating the form groups with the best improvement rather than just the top percentages, reinforcing growth over perfection. Simultaneously, we trialled a rapid-response protocol where the attendance officer contacted parents within 30 minutes of a student’s unexplained absence, combining accountability with care. These bold actions were paired with deliberate daily practices: staff greeting students by name at the gate, tutors reviewing attendance data weekly, and leadership tracking persistent absentees with precision. |
| First Step |
| The first immediate step was to hold a short, values-driven briefing with staff to share the new framing and launch the “Every Day Matters” campaign. The Assistant Headteacher overseeing attendance owned this task, ensuring that every tutor and teacher understood their role in the culture shift. This was done within one week, signalling urgency and intent. |
| Reflection Prompts |
| What limits have I accepted without questioning? Am I balancing bold vision with deliberate, incremental practice? How am I modelling a growth mindset for my team? Are we celebrating small wins while keeping sight of the big vision? How am I supporting staff and students to confront and overcome their own self-imposed barriers? |