For leaders new to a role
The First 100 Days
Four stages for your first hundred days in a new leadership role: understand before you act, listen widely, choose the main thing, then build the rhythm that makes it stick. Choose your role.
Primary · Headteacher
- 1
Before you start
Understand the school before you arrive
Meet the outgoing head, chair of governors and office manager with the same five questions. Read the last inspection report, the SEF and the budget, and write down what you do not yet understand.
Sign it is working: You can explain the school's three biggest strengths and three biggest risks in plain words.
- 2
Days 1 to 30: listen and learn
Be seen, ask, and notice
Visit every class in the first fortnight. Hold a 20-minute conversation with every member of staff, including lunchtime and site staff. Ask what they are proud of and what gets in the way.
Sign it is working: Staff tell others you listened. You have a written list of what people value and what frustrates them.
- 3
Days 31 to 60: choose the main thing
Name one priority and explain why
Share what you have found with governors and staff, then name the one priority that will make the biggest difference. Explain the why before the how.
Sign it is working: Every adult can say what the priority is and why it matters.
- 4
Days 61 to 100: build the rhythm
Set the rhythm that makes it stick
Set a predictable meeting cycle, weekly briefing and termly review. Protect time for one-to-ones with your senior team.
Sign it is working: The priority is on every agenda and people know when progress will be checked.
Primary · Senior Leader
- 1
Before you start
Clarify your remit
Agree with your headteacher exactly what you own, how success will be judged and how often you will meet.
Sign it is working: A one-page summary of your remit, agreed and signed off.
- 2
Days 1 to 30: listen and learn
Learn the classrooms and the people
Spend time in every year group. Look at books, routines and behaviour with curiosity, not judgement. Talk to each teacher about what helps pupils most.
Sign it is working: You know each teacher's strengths and can describe what great looks like in your area.
- 3
Days 31 to 60: choose the main thing
Agree the one improvement
Choose one improvement with the staff who will make it happen. Agree the lead measure you will check every fortnight.
Sign it is working: One improvement, one measure, owned by the team.
- 4
Days 61 to 100: build the rhythm
Follow through visibly
Check in on the agreed actions when you said you would. Celebrate the first signs of progress specifically.
Sign it is working: Colleagues expect you to come back, and see that small wins are noticed.
Primary · Middle Leader
- 1
Before you start
Know what you are leading
Read the curriculum plan for your subject or phase. Ask your line manager what good would look like by Christmas.
Sign it is working: You know the current strengths and gaps in your area.
- 2
Days 1 to 30: listen and learn
Listen to colleagues and pupils
Talk to each teacher about how the subject is going for them. Ask a small group of pupils what they remember and enjoy.
Sign it is working: You can name one thing that is working and one that needs attention.
- 3
Days 31 to 60: choose the main thing
Choose one practical change
Pick one change teachers can make tomorrow, explain why it matters and model it in a staff meeting.
Sign it is working: Every class is trying the change and knows why.
- 4
Days 61 to 100: build the rhythm
Check, support and share
Visit lessons with a single focus, give short useful feedback and share good examples at the next meeting.
Sign it is working: The change is visible in books and lessons, and colleagues feel supported, not checked up on.
Secondary · Headteacher
- 1
Before you start
Build a picture of the school
Meet the outgoing head, chair of governors, business manager and senior team with the same questions. Read the data, SEF, budget and safeguarding reports.
Sign it is working: You can write one honest page on where the school is now.
- 2
Days 1 to 30: listen and learn
Be present and listen widely
Be at the gate, on the corridors and at break every day. Meet every leader, then groups of teachers, support staff, pupils and parents. Ask what the school does well and what gets in the way.
Sign it is working: People see you everywhere and feel you understand their school.
- 3
Days 31 to 60: choose the main thing
Set direction
Tell the story of where the school has come from and where it is going. Name the main thing and one collective goal that everyone can contribute to.
Sign it is working: Staff can repeat the goal and explain their part in it.
- 4
Days 61 to 100: build the rhythm
Build the leadership rhythm
Set the senior team meeting cycle, line management and a termly review. Make the senior team a team that solves problems together.
Sign it is working: The goal is reviewed on a fixed cycle and senior leaders hold each other to it.
Secondary · Senior Leader
- 1
Before you start
Agree your portfolio
Agree your remit, measures of success and meeting rhythm with the head. Read the data and plans for your area.
Sign it is working: A clear, agreed one-page remit.
- 2
Days 1 to 30: listen and learn
See it for yourself
Walk the school with your focus in mind every day. Meet each middle leader you line manage and ask what support they need.
Sign it is working: You can describe what is really happening, not what the plan says.
- 3
Days 31 to 60: choose the main thing
Choose and plan
Choose one improvement. Run a premortem with the people involved: imagine it has failed and ask why.
Sign it is working: A short plan with risks named and actions owned.
- 4
Days 61 to 100: build the rhythm
Make it happen
Launch the change with clear actions, owners and dates. Check in on the agreed dates without fail.
Sign it is working: Actions are completed on time and follow-up feels normal, not threatening.
Secondary · Subject or Academic Leader
- 1
Before you start
Know your department
Read last year's results, the curriculum plan and schemes of work. Ask your line manager what they expect by Christmas.
Sign it is working: You know the results story and the main curriculum gaps.
- 2
Days 1 to 30: listen and learn
Meet every teacher and look at learning
Hold a one-to-one with each teacher. Visit lessons and look at books across year groups to see the curriculum in action.
Sign it is working: You know each teacher's strengths and where pupils struggle.
- 3
Days 31 to 60: choose the main thing
Agree one department priority
Agree one priority with the department and explain why it matters for pupils. Model it yourself first.
Sign it is working: The team owns the priority and can explain it to pupils.
- 4
Days 61 to 100: build the rhythm
Build the department rhythm
Use every department meeting for the priority. Keep routines consistent across classrooms and check in regularly.
Sign it is working: Department meetings are about teaching, and consistency is visible in every room.
Secondary · Pastoral Leader
- 1
Before you start
Know your pupils and team
Read attendance, behaviour and safeguarding information for your year group or area. Meet your tutors and key staff.
Sign it is working: You know the pupils who need the most support before day one.
- 2
Days 1 to 30: listen and learn
Be visible and set expectations
Be at the gate, on the corridor and in tutor time. Launch clear routines with pupils and tutors, and explain why they matter.
Sign it is working: Pupils know what you expect and see you every day.
- 3
Days 31 to 60: choose the main thing
Focus on one pastoral measure
Choose one lead measure, such as attendance for a key group, and agree the actions that will move it.
Sign it is working: A weekly check on one measure, with actions owned by tutors.
- 4
Days 61 to 100: build the rhythm
Keep families and tutors close
Set a regular rhythm of contact with parents and tutors. Celebrate improvement publicly and specifically.
Sign it is working: Families hear good news as well as concerns, and tutors feel part of a team.
Across schools · Trust Leader
- 1
Before you start
Understand each school's context
Visit each school with humility. Meet headteachers and ask what support they need and what gets in the way.
Sign it is working: You can describe each school's position and priorities in its own terms.
- 2
Days 1 to 30: listen and learn
Listen across the trust
Spend time in every school, not only in meetings. Notice what works in one school that others could learn from.
Sign it is working: Heads trust that you understand their schools.
- 3
Days 31 to 60: choose the main thing
Agree a few shared priorities
Co-create a small number of trust priorities with headteachers. Keep central asks few and clear.
Sign it is working: Heads say the priorities help rather than add work.
- 4
Days 61 to 100: build the rhythm
Set the trust rhythm
Set a predictable cycle for headteacher meetings, reviews and support. Share good practice regularly.
Sign it is working: Every head knows when and how progress is reviewed, and the trust rhythm protects school time.
Members can turn any stage into actions on their leadership desk, and plan the first 90 days with the 90-day planner.