A new headteacher has been appointed to the school. Outcomes are mixed, staff morale is cautious, and recent history includes instability or stalled improvement.

Staff are watching closely. They are alert to early signals about priorities, expectations, and leadership style. Some are hopeful, others sceptical. Informal narratives about “what happened last time” are still influential.

The risk is not lack of action, but mistimed action. Moving too fast risks resistance and loss of trust. Moving too slowly risks drift, uncertainty, and loss of confidence.

The challenge is to build legitimacy before change, using behaviour rather than position to establish authority.

Year 1 focus: Credibility before change

Phase 0. The headteacher listens, observes, and builds trust

May to early June (or first half term in post)

The new headteacher does not begin by setting priorities or launching initiatives.

Instead, they focus deliberately on understanding the school through leadership behaviour.

What happens:

• the headteacher listens extensively to staff, pupils, and parents,
• patterns of leadership practice are observed, not judged,
• existing routines, norms, and informal rules are surfaced,
• the Leadership Behaviour Review is not yet rolled out widely.

The headteacher may complete the review privately or with a very small senior group, but resists the urge to formalise conclusions.

Why this matters:

• credibility is built through curiosity, not certainty,
• premature diagnosis would lack context,
• staff need to see restraint before direction.

Foundational leadership behaviours

These behaviours are treated as non-negotiable from the outset and are modelled relentlessly, even before they are named.

• L1: Lead by example Staff are watching what the headteacher notices, reinforces, and tolerates more than what they say.
• L8: Don’t drop the ball Reliability in small commitments quickly establishes trust.
• S7: Communicate often Silence creates anxiety. Regular, measured communication builds reassurance without overpromising.

These behaviours are not announced as priorities. They are demonstrated until they are felt.

Whole-school focus behaviours (Year 1)

Once trust and understanding are established, the headteacher introduces a small number of explicit focus behaviours.

• S1: Explain the why To help staff understand the rationale behind decisions and reduce speculation during transition.
• C4: Maintain consistency To address uneven expectations and signal that follow-through matters.

These behaviours are chosen to stabilise the organisation before attempting improvement.

How Year 1 unfolds in practice

Phase 1 and Phase 2. Establish shared understanding without urgency

June to September

The framework is introduced carefully and transparently.

The headteacher explains:

• why leadership behaviours matter,
• why the school will move slowly at first,
• why consistency and clarity come before change.

Leaders receive the book and workbook to build shared language and reflect on practice without pressure.

They engage with:

• leadership behaviour toolkits, which break behaviours into concrete leadership actions and common pitfalls during transition,
• Coach and Practice sheets, which allow leaders to rehearse conversations they are likely to face, such as:
  • responding to scepticism,
  • reinforcing expectations calmly,
  • explaining decisions that disrupt established norms.

Discussion focuses on:

• how leadership behaviour has been experienced historically,
• where inconsistency has undermined trust,
• how leaders’ actions shape staff confidence during change.

What leaders practise

• explaining decisions clearly and repeatedly (S1: Explain the why)
• responding to similar issues in similar ways across teams (C4: Maintain consistency)
• modelling visibility, reliability, and calm presence (L1: Lead by example; L8: Don’t drop the ball)
• maintaining regular communication even when answers are incomplete (S7: Communicate often)

There are no diagnostics or plans at this stage. The priority is legitimacy, not momentum.

Phase 3. The headteacher models leadership under scrutiny

September to October

As the school year begins, pressure increases.

The headteacher deliberately models the agreed behaviours in:

• staff briefings,
• corridor interactions,
• pupil-facing decisions,
• responses to challenge or pushback,
• moments of uncertainty.

Consistency is demonstrated when it is uncomfortable, not when it is easy.

This phase is critical. Staff decide whether this leadership is different, or just new.

Phase 4. Diagnostics and collective sense-making

October to November

With lived experience in place, diagnostics are now introduced.

Leaders complete:

• the self diagnostic,
• the 360 diagnostic,
• the combined report.

Results are interpreted cautiously and collectively, alongside recent experience.

Leaders revisit:

• relevant workbook sections,
• leadership behaviour toolkits,
• Coach and Practice sheets linked to behaviours highlighted by the data.

Diagnostics are framed as a way of understanding leadership culture, not evaluating individuals.

Phase 5. First personalised 90-day development cycle

December to March

Leaders identify a real leadership challenge they are facing during transition and clarify:

• the outcome they want to achieve,
• the behaviours most likely to help them achieve it.

From this, leaders select a small number of behaviours and build a focused 90-day plan that includes:

• specific actions linked to those behaviours,
• opportunities to rehearse difficult conversations,
• agreed lead measures to monitor progress,
• structured reflection and review.

What leaders practise

• holding firm on expectations while maintaining relationships,
• responding consistently to predictable challenges,
• explaining change without defensiveness,
• seeking feedback on credibility and impact.

Toolkits and Coach and Practice sheets support deliberate rehearsal rather than reactive response.

Looking ahead: Year 2 and Year 3

Year 2 focus: From stability to improvement

Once credibility and consistency are secure, attention shifts to improvement.

Likely focus behaviours include:

• S5: Establish collective goals, to align effort,
• L4: Make it happen, to convert intent into action.

Year 3 focus: Distributed leadership and sustainability

As trust deepens, leadership is shared more widely.

Likely focus behaviours include:

• L10: Pass the baton, to grow leadership capacity,
• T4: Create a team, to strengthen collective responsibility.

Each phase builds deliberately. Change is earned, not imposed.

Common mistakes in this scenario

• Acting quickly to prove impact.
• Overusing vision before trust.
• Introducing diagnostics too early.
• Confusing visibility with effectiveness.

Why this approach works

This model:

• prioritises legitimacy before authority,
• uses behaviour to build trust,
• slows the pace to increase impact,
• and creates the conditions for lasting improvement.

For new headteachers, how you lead matters before what you change.