S13. Aspire to Greatness toolkit
Toolkit
Aspiring to greatness means setting bold, transformative goals that push beyond current limits and inspire belief in what is possible. This planner helps leaders define a Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG), clarify why it matters, and break it into milestones that create momentum. By pairing ambition with precision and ownership, leaders ensure aspiration drives meaningful action rather than remaining an abstract vision.
| BHAG |
| What is the bold, long-term goal that feels both inspiring and challenging (e.g. eliminating the disadvantage gap, doubling post-16 progression to university/apprenticeships)? |
| Why It Matters |
| Why does this goal inspire belief and commitment? What difference will achieving it make for students, staff, and the wider community? |
| Milestones |
| What are the key steps or markers on the journey that will demonstrate progress and maintain momentum? |
| 10x Upgrade |
| Looking at each milestone, how could it be re-imagined to create tenfold impact rather than incremental progress? What radical shifts or high-leverage actions would turn this from 2x to 10x thinking? |
| Owner |
| Who is responsible for driving the BHAG forward and keeping it alive across the school community? |
| Reflection Prompts |
| Is our BHAG audacious enough to inspire? Have we articulated clearly why it matters? Are our milestones stretching yet achievable? Are we celebrating progress along the way? How are we ensuring that aspiration translates into daily actions and not just words? |
S13. Aspire to Greatness: example toolkit
Role: Assistant Headteacher
| BHAG |
| Our Big Hairy Audacious Goal is to eliminate the attainment gap between disadvantaged students and their peers by 2030. For years, our gap has narrowed slowly but stubbornly persisted, hovering around half a grade. This goal feels both inspiring and daunting because it means committing to a cultural and systemic shift across every layer of school life, from classroom practice to enrichment, curriculum design, and family engagement. |
| Why It Matters |
| This goal matters because it strikes at the heart of our mission to transform life chances. Every time the gap remains, it represents untapped potential. Achieving this goal would mean that students’ outcomes are defined by effort and opportunity, not circumstance. It would change the narrative of what is possible for our community and send a powerful signal to staff, parents, and students that our ambition for equity is not rhetoric but reality. It would also drive deeper professional learning and cross-school collaboration, since closing the gap requires collective expertise and consistency. |
| Milestones |
| Our first milestone is to ensure every subject has fully mapped and embedded adaptive teaching strategies that support challenge for all learners. The second is to increase the proportion of disadvantaged students achieving above their target grades by 15% within two years. The third is to establish a structured mentoring programme, pairing each disadvantaged student in Key Stage 4 with a trained staff mentor. A final milestone will be the creation of an alumni network to support students through post-16 transition and beyond, reinforcing aspiration through visible role models. |
| 10x Upgrade |
| To create a tenfold impact, we are re-imagining our mentoring programme not as an add-on but as a core part of school culture. Every staff member will have at least one student they champion through regular one-to-one meetings, creating 10x relational depth. We will also reframe the curriculum milestone through a trust-wide lens, sharing best practice across partner schools so that improvement scales rather than remains localised. Finally, we will measure not just academic progress but long-term outcomes, for example university entry, sustained apprenticeships, and employment, to drive a 10x sense of purpose and accountability. |
| Owner |
| The Assistant Headteacher responsible for disadvantaged students owns the BHAG, supported by the Head of Teaching and Learning. Department Heads each own one milestone, ensuring alignment between the strategic ambition and subject-level practice. The Headteacher acts as sponsor, ensuring the BHAG remains a standing item in leadership meetings and staff briefings so that it stays alive across the community. |
| Reflection Prompts |
| Is our BHAG audacious enough to inspire? Have we articulated clearly why it matters? Are our milestones stretching yet achievable? Are we celebrating progress along the way? How are we ensuring that aspiration translates into daily actions and not just words? |