I've really enjoyed reading the EEF's new Guide to Inclusive Teaching. It's a good reminder that inclusion isn't about having lots of separate strategies. It's about making everyday teaching as strong as it can be for every child. paulurry68.substack.com/p/the-eefs-g... #SchoolLeadership #EEF

The EEF's Guide to Inclusive Teaching

Why strengthening everyday classroom practice is the foundation of inclusion

paulurry68.substack.com

This week's DfE releases: Cyber Security Inclusion Bases Inclusive Mainstream Fund EHCP Statistics Teachers Aren't Leaving Because They Don't Love Teaching Schools are being asked to do more than ever before. paulurry68.substack.com/s/dfe-decoded

DfE Decoded | A Headteacher's Perspective | Substack

Education policy moves quickly — and school leaders don’t always have the time to read every guidance document in full. This section breaks down the latest Department for Education updates into clear,...

paulurry68.substack.com

Hope isn't optimism Optimism waits Hope builds In a world that often rewards division,schools quietly do something different every day—they practise hope through relationships, trust, belonging & purpose Hope is the most important leadership quality of all paulurry68.substack.com/p/hope-is-no...

Hope Is Not Optimism. It Is Leadership.

“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”

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Every school system tells a story about the future. That's the idea behind Tomorrow's Children – a new series exploring how different societies have used education to shape the next generation, and what that means for us today. paulurry68.substack.com/p/tomorrows-...

Tomorrow's Children - An Introduction

How Every Generation Has Tried to Prepare the Next Generation for the Future

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3 important messages for school leaders from the DfE this week Enrichment matters Reception matters Professional judgement matters I've unpacked all three in the latest articles paulurry68.substack.com/p/dfe-decode... paulurry68.substack.com/p/dfe-decode... paulurry68.substack.com/p/dfe-decode...

DfE Decoded #133 The Enrichment Framework – Why School Leaders Should Pay Attention

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-enrichment-framework-for-schools-and-colleges

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I nearly skipped the DfE’s birthday absence story. The more I thought about it though, the less I think it’s about birthdays. Is it telling us something about how some families now view school after Covid. Maybe I’m overthinking it. Maybe I’m not. paulurry68.substack.com/p/dfe-decode...

DfE Decoded #130 The Birthday Bunk-Off Story Is Not Really About Birthdays

I nearly didn’t write this article.

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Thank you for the interest shown in the Contextual Vulnerability Index A number of you have asked for more information, so I’m happy to share both the full framework document and the supporting spreadsheet 
paul.urry@ststephens.bradford.sch.uk article here
paulurry68.substack.com/p/introducin...

Introducing the Contextual Vulnerability Index: A New Framework for Understanding Children Beyond Outcomes

Why understanding context may be one of the most important challenges facing education

paulurry68.substack.com

This week's DfE Decoded series is now live. I've taken five major areas of education policy and broken them down into practical implications for schools: • nspection changes • Communicating with parents • Transforming children's social care • SEND • ECT development paulurry68.substack.com

A Headteacher's Perspective | Substack

Reflections on 20 years of being a primary school headteacher in 5 schools, 3 LAs, Academy, Catholic, Anglican and Local Authority. Click to read A Headteacher's Perspective, a Substack publication wi...

paulurry68.substack.com

Thanks Sue, it is proving really popular as a process as well as analysing the outcomes. I have a spreadsheet that also slices the data, if you are interested.

SueP@sparkes66.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Very interested in this! We are 66% PP and 40% SEND. Because we are small (123) we sort of do this all the time informally but it would be very interesting to look at it in a more formal manner.

What if schools could understand children's strengths, challenges and circumstances with the same rigour that we analyse attainment data? At St Stephen’s Primary, that question led us to develop the Contextual Vulnerability Index. paulurry68.substack.com/p/introducin...

Introducing the Contextual Vulnerability Index: A New Framework for Understanding Children Beyond Outcomes

Why understanding context may be one of the most important challenges facing education

paulurry68.substack.com

Best review I’ve had for my blog paulurry68.substack.com I find your writing invaluable for its clarity and practical insight. You articulate complex leadership dilemmas with honesty and offer grounded, workable solutions. Your perspective bridges theory and practice that supports school leadership.

A Headteacher's Perspective | Substack

Reflections on 20 years of being a primary school headteacher in 5 schools, 3 LAs, Academy, Catholic, Anglican and Local Authority. Click to read A Headteacher's Perspective, a Substack publication wi...

paulurry68.substack.com

A small shift I’ve been exploring: Learning objectives as questions, not statements. Instead of: “Understand…” Try: “Why…?” “How…?” It changes the feel of the lesson. Pupils aren’t just completing tasks — they’re working towards an answer. paulurry68.substack.com/p/the-excell...

The Excellent Teacher Programme Module 3 Unit 3

Designing Clear Learning Objectives and Success Criteria

paulurry68.substack.com

Big week for education policy. Yes, the White Paper matters — but so do: • Neurodivergence report • Children of the 2020s data • English Hubs evaluation • School & College Voice surveys • Kinship care reform School leadership guides for each of these here: paulurry68.substack.com/s/dfe-decoded

DfE Decoded | A Headteacher's Perspective | Substack

Education policy moves quickly — and school leaders don’t always have the time to read every guidance document in full. This section breaks down the latest Department for Education updates into clear,...

paulurry68.substack.com

I’ve been thinking a lot about leadership cohesion recently. Not the kind that looks neat on an organogram — the kind that feels safe in a room. This clip is a short reflection on building that safety deliberately. The full piece is here paulurry68.substack.com/p/the-art-of...

The Art of the Deputy Module 2 Unit 1

Building a Cohesive Senior and Middle Leadership Team

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Pupils don’t learn what we say. They learn what they think about. If learning looks secure in the lesson but disappears a week later, this unit digs into why. Memory. Attention. Schema. Clip below. Full article here paulurry68.substack.com/p/the-excell...

One of the most underestimated aspects of deputy headship is personal credibility. Module 1, Unit 5 of The Art of the Deputy explores how trust is built quietly — through presence, consistency, and how leaders show up under pressure. 🔗 paulurry68.substack.com/p/the-art-of...

The Art of the Deputy Module 1 Unit 5

This article is available as podcast here

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Leadership gets harder when you realise nothing happens in isolation. This unit explores what it means to see the whole school as a system — and lead more thoughtfully because of it. Read here: paulurry68.substack.com/p/stepping-i...

Stepping into Leadership Module 1 Unit 5

Seeing the Bigger Picture: How Schools Function as Systemsg Goals for Your Professional Growth

paulurry68.substack.com

I’ve written a short reflection about creating space for better leadership — space to pause, think clearly, and respond rather than react. Nothing clever. Just honest. If you’re in school leadership, you might recognise it. paulurry68.substack.com/p/making-spa...

Some weeks, leadership isn’t about plans or data. It’s about belief—in people, in the work, and in why you started. This piece explores how vision, faith (not just religious), and service actually keep leaders standing when things get tough. Full read here: paulurry68.substack.com/p/becoming-a...

Vision isn’t the statement on the wall. It’s how people behave when things get busy or uncomfortable. This unit explores how leaders (at every level) shape culture through the small, daily choices they make — often without realising it. Here’s the piece: paulurry68.substack.com/p/stepping-i...

Stepping into Leadership Module 1 Unit 4

Understanding the School’s Vision, Values, and Culture

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New article in my series The Psychological Work of Headship. This one focuses on the headteacher as an emotional container — holding staff, pupils, parents, and systems without absorbing everything. Part 4 here: paulurry68.substack.com/p/the-psycho...

The Psychology of Headship #4 The Headteacher as Emotional Container

Holding staff, pupils, parents, and systems without absorbing everything

paulurry68.substack.com

I’ve only just spotted this change to PPG on the DfE website from June 2025 There’s been a quiet change to FSM / Pupil Premium eligibility for families with no recourse to public funds. Easy to miss, but significant for schools and children. paulurry68.substack.com/p/dfe-decode...

DfE Decoded #66 Free School Meals and No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF)

A quiet but important update school leaders should be aware of

paulurry68.substack.com

Norway doesn’t ask how children with SEND can fit into schools. It asks how schools should be designed so everyone belongs from the start. This piece explores inclusion as architecture. Global Insights #17 Norway: Inclusion, SEND, and Belonging by Design 🔗 paulurry68.substack.com/p/global-ins...

Global Insights #17 Norway – Inclusion, SEND, and Belonging by Design

When Inclusion Is Not an Add-On, but the Architecture

paulurry68.substack.com

Leadership feels different when values and culture pull in the same direction. This clip explores alignment — not as comfort, but as integrity. The longer piece reflects on why misalignment drains energy. full article: paulurry68.substack.com/p/becoming-a...

Leadership isn’t a performance. This clip explores why self-awareness matters more than style, confidence, or authority when stepping into leadership. Clip + full article here: paulurry68.substack.com/p/stepping-i... Leadership grows when identity is understood.

Stepping into Leadership Module 1 Unit 3

Exploring Your Leadership Identity and Style

paulurry68.substack.com

I used to go to find useful stuff or systems for school, now I go to look at and compare ideas. This year I'm on the hunt for data visualisation ideas and budget friendly science ideas/kit.

Schools don’t just respond to what leaders decide. They respond to how leaders carry emotion This latest article in my psychology of headship series looks at emotional regulation as a core leadership skill—and why calm matters more than charisma in headship paulurry68.substack.com/p/the-psycho...

Heading to the BETT Show this Wednesday with a simple intention: to discover what I don’t yet know that I don’t know. If you’ve seen something genuinely useful or future-facing at BETT, I’d love your recommendations. #BETT #EdTech #Education #SchoolLeaders #ProfessionalLearning

This week’s DfE Decoded covered four different areas of policy — reading, attainment, elective home education and children missing education. Together, they point to the same leadership challenge: visibility, belonging and early support matter more than ever. paulurry68.substack.com/s/dfe-decoded

Australia’s education system offers a familiar lesson for England:teacher wellbeing doesn’t fail because people care too little My latest global education insights piece explores workload, professional agency,and why wellbeing must be designed, not delegated paulurry68.substack.com/p/global-ins...

Global Insights #16 Australia – Teacher Workload, Wellbeing, and System Coherence

When Good Intentions Become Heavy Systems

paulurry68.substack.com