How it works
Your year as a leader
What one leader does across a school year, and how long it takes. About 45 minutes to start, then about 10 minutes a fortnight, with a Playbook alongside each 90-day plan.
Leading it for a whole school? See Your school’s year.
Your year, at a glance
- First weekAbout 45 minutesTake the self-diagnostic, set one goal for pupils and choose the behaviour that will get you there.
- Every fortnight10 minutesLook back on your last action, check your measure and plan your next action.
- Autumn90-day plan 1Work through the behaviour’s Playbook online with the ES Coach. Review at 30, 60 and 90 days. Ask colleagues for a 360.
- Spring90-day plan 2Read your combined report. Carry the goal on, or set a new one.
- SummerYearly check-inRetake the self-diagnostic and the 360, look back at your plans and actions, and set next year’s goal.
Then the cycle starts again. Each year’s plans, actions and diagnostics are kept in My leadership journey, so you can see how your leadership has changed.
The year in brief
- Start with a picture of your leadership. The free self-diagnostic takes about 10 minutes and shows where you are across all 54 behaviours.
- Set one goal for pupils. A 90-day plan has four parts: a goal, two or three key results that show it is working, the behaviour that will get you there, and the actions you will take. The ES Coach helps you write it.
- Ten minutes a fortnight. Look back on your last action, check your measure, plan your next action. Your desk ticks each step for you and keeps the run going through the holidays.
- At least two 90-day plans a year. You can run up to two at once. School holidays do not count towards the 90 days.
- A yearly check-in. In the summer term you retake the self-diagnostic, ask colleagues for a new 360 and see how far you have come. Each year is added to My leadership journey on your desk.
Term by term
The same rhythm whenever you start. If you join in January, your first term is the spring term.
| When | What you do | Time |
|---|---|---|
| First week | Tell your desk your role and type of school. Take the self-diagnostic. Set a goal for pupils with two or three key results, and choose the behaviour that will get you there (or your school’s shared behaviour). | About 45 minutes |
| Every fortnight | Look back on your last action, check your measure, plan your next action. | 10 minutes |
| Autumn term | Your first 90-day plan. Work through its Playbook online, with the ES Coach helping you write each section and worked examples for your role. Your 30-day and 60-day reviews. Ask colleagues to give feedback through the 360 diagnostic. | A Playbook takes about 2 hours over the term |
| Spring term | Your 90-day review. Read your combined report. Start your second plan: carry the same goal on, or choose a new one. | 10 minutes a fortnight, plus the Playbook for your new plan |
| Summer term | Review your second plan, and start another if you are ready. Your yearly check-in: retake the self-diagnostic, ask for a new 360, look back on the year and set next year’s goal. | About 30 minutes for the check-in |
| Any time | The ES Coach, the Leadership Challenge Finder, The First 100 Days in a new role, Your next step when you are thinking about promotion, and the desk’s tools for a meeting, a decision or a full plate. | When something comes up |
Year after year
Leadership does not finish in July. Each summer’s check-in adds a year to My leadership journey on your desk: the 90-day plans you finished, the actions you kept, the behaviours you worked on and the Playbook steps you completed, alongside your self-diagnostic and 360 scores. Diagnostics do not always show change straight away; what you have done does. Over two or three years you can see your leadership change, and so can the people you lead.
Who sees what
What you write on your desk is yours. Your headteacher’s overview shows combined results for groups of five or more, never one person’s answers. If your school uses line management to talk about 90-day plans, you choose what to bring.