Headship After Hours

Paul Collin
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This podcast is for headteachers, executive heads and trust leaders who want to lead well without losing themselves in the process. I'm Paul Collin, former head and leadership coach. I talk about isolation, pressure, governing bodies, staff dynamics, attendance and the inner work of staying grounded. I also run a funded Senior Attendance & Leadership Resilience Check for heads in complex schools — for when attendance feels fragile and rests on too few people. Apply now → https://atrejwhi.formester.com/f/hwL9GCyin/

  1. 1d ago

    Jack Mallaby: Stop Making Pupils Fit the System

    In this episode of Headship After Hours, Paul Collin is joined by Jack Mallaby, assistant headteacher and SENCO, for an honest conversation about SEND, neurodiversity, emotionally based school avoidance and attendance. Most heads aren't short on effort when it comes to attendance. The harder truth: so much of it often rests on one or two people — and when that's the case, it never feels steady, however hard everyone works. That's the work I do. I run a funded Senior Attendance & Leadership Resilience Check for headteachers and trust leaders in complex schools. It starts with a short strategic assessment. For eligible schools, it opens into a full process: On-site school visitDetailed, school-specific reportFollow-up strategy sessionPractical leadership tools for a clear 90-day plan Typically valued at £1,000 — currently funded for eligible schools. Apply here → https://atrejwhi.formester.com/f/hwL9GCyin/ Jack reflects on his own experiences of ADHD and dyslexia, his journey from mainstream education into specialist provision, and why inclusion must sit at the centre of school culture rather than being treated as an additional intervention. Together, they explore why many neurodiverse pupils experience anxiety around school, how educational trauma can shape attendance, and why relationships with young people and families are essential when attendance becomes fragile. This episode discusses: SEND leadership in mainstream and specialist schoolsEmotionally based school avoidanceNeurodiversity, anxiety and attendanceWhy relational practice mattersThe importance of primary-to-secondary transitionChild-centred attendance strategiesPreparing young people for adulthoodWhy schools should adapt systems around pupilsJack’s central message is clear: It should not be about making young people fit the system. It should be about making the system work for them. 00:00 – Educational Trauma and School Avoidance01:21 – Introducing Jack Mallaby02:20 – Jack’s Role in Specialist SEND Provision03:12 – Growing Up With ADHD and Dyslexia05:00 – Why Jack Moved Into SEND Leadership07:05 – Leaving Mainstream for Specialist Education08:10 – Inclusion as Culture, Not a Bolt-On09:28 – Relationships and Consistency in Specialist Schools12:07 – What Is Emotionally Based School Avoidance?12:53 – Educational Trauma and Distrust13:26 – How COVID Affected Neurodiverse Learners14:25 – Why Attendance Systems Respond Too Late15:31 – Identify, Stabilise and Restore Attendance16:40 – Relationships With Pupils and Families17:37 – Supporting Anxiety Without Labelling the Child18:50 – Preparing Neurodiverse Pupils for Adulthood20:08 – Compassion, Consistency and Capacity21:34 – What Schools Still Get Wrong22:36 – Primary-to-Secondary Transition25:03 – Why One Transition Day Is Not Enough27:04 – Supporting Complex Attendance Cases27:41 – A Child-Centred Attendance Strategy29:55 – Rethinking Educational Success33:41 – Jack’s Advice for School Leaders34:00 – Make the System Work for the Child

    Jack Mallaby: Stop Making Pupils Fit the System

  2. Jul 31

    A Few Families Can Shape Your Attendance Data

    Sometimes a small number of families shape a large part of your school's attendance picture. Most heads aren't short on effort when it comes to attendance. The harder truth: so much of it often rests on one or two people — and when that's the case, it never feels steady, however hard everyone works. That's the work I do. I run a funded Senior Attendance & Leadership Resilience Check for headteachers and trust leaders in complex schools. It starts with a short strategic assessment. For eligible schools, it opens into a full process: On-site school visitDetailed, school-specific reportFollow-up strategy sessionPractical leadership tools for a clear 90-day plan Typically valued at £1,000 — currently funded for eligible schools. Apply here → https://atrejwhi.formester.com/f/hwL9GCyin/ In this episode of Headship After Hours, we explore one of the most emotionally demanding realities of attendance leadership: how a handful of complex cases can disproportionately affect your school's overall attendance figure. When leaders respond with generic attendance strategies to deeply individual circumstances, progress often stalls. Trauma, mental health, SEND, housing instability, family breakdown and trust all influence attendance in ways that spreadsheets alone cannot explain. In this episode we discuss: Why a small number of pupils often shape headline attendanceRelational practice over generic interventionsAccountability versus complexityWhy attendance leadership requires patience and strategyBuilding confidence through structured attendance systemsAttendance is never just about numbers. It is about people, relationships and trust. 00:00 – When a Few Families Shape Your Attendance 00:34 – The Hidden Reality Behind Attendance Data 01:18 – Why Generic Attendance Strategies Fail 01:58 – The Human Stories Behind Persistent Absence 02:33 – Attendance Leadership Resilience Check 03:58 – Patience Before Progress 04:17 – Relational Practice Over Generic Responses 05:04 – Case-Based Attendance Strategy 05:26 – Why Hope Matters in Leadership 06:02 – Staying Strategic Without Becoming Cold 06:25 – What Will Adults Do Differently Tomorrow? 06:48 – Attendance Lives in Everyday Practice 07:25 – Build Systems, Not Heroics 07:51 – Strategic Alignment Across Teams 08:40 – Confidence Changes Attendance Leadership 09:15 – Attendance Is Connected to Culture 09:59 – Redesign the Conditions, Not the Effort 10:25 – Complex Cases Need Better Strategy

    A Few Families Can Shape Your Attendance Data

  3. Jul 17

    Schools Remember How Leadership Feels

    School culture isn't created by a vision statement. It's created by how leadership feels every day. Most heads aren't short on effort when it comes to attendance. The harder truth: so much of it often rests on one or two people — and when that's the case, it never feels steady, however hard everyone works. That's the work I do. I run a funded Senior Attendance & Leadership Resilience Check for headteachers and trust leaders in complex schools. It starts with a short strategic assessment. For eligible schools, it opens into a full process: On-site school visitDetailed, school-specific reportFollow-up strategy sessionPractical leadership tools for a clear 90-day plan Typically valued at £1,000 — currently funded for eligible schools. Apply here → https://atrejwhi.formester.com/f/hwL9GCyin/ In this episode of Headship After Hours, we explore one of the biggest misconceptions in education: that culture can be launched through policies, values or strategic plans. Real culture is built much more quietly. It develops through repeated leadership behaviours, emotional consistency, psychological safety and the thousands of small interactions that shape how staff and pupils experience school each day. In this episode we discuss: Why culture is built through repeated experiencesLeadership behaviours that quietly shape schoolsEmotional safety and psychological trustWhy systems alone never create strong culturesHow relational leadership transforms schoolsSchools don't remember what leadership intended. They remember what leadership repeatedly felt like. Timestamps: 00:00 – Why Schools Don't Build Culture Through Posters 00:35 – Schools Remember Leadership Differently 01:35 – The Biggest Myth About School Culture 01:52 – Culture Is Built Through Repeated Experiences 02:36 – Attendance and Leadership Alignment 03:51 – Systems Don't Create Trust 04:08 – What Real Culture Looks Like 04:38 – Why Micro Moments Matter 05:03 – When Adults Change, Everything Changes 05:43 – Emotional Safety vs Emotional Fragility 06:21 – Why High-Trust Schools Perform Better 06:42 – The Calm Schools That Thrive 07:17 – Accountability and Relationships Together 07:54 – Leadership Is Emotional Modelling 08:30 – Why Culture Slowly Drifts 09:05 – The Emotional Architecture of Schools 09:24 – The Question Every Leader Should Ask 09:48 – Schools Remember How Leadership Feels

    Schools Remember How Leadership Feels

  4. Jul 10

    The Monday Morning Attendance Trap

    Why does opening the attendance dashboard on a Monday morning feel like a verdict rather than information? Most heads aren't short on effort when it comes to attendance. The harder truth: so much of it often rests on one or two people — and when that's the case, it never feels steady, however hard everyone works. That's the work I do. I run a funded Senior Attendance & Leadership Resilience Check for headteachers and trust leaders in complex schools. It starts with a short strategic assessment. For eligible schools, it opens into a full process: On-site school visitDetailed, school-specific reportFollow-up strategy sessionPractical leadership tools for a clear 90-day plan Typically valued at £1,000 — currently funded for eligible schools. Apply here → https://atrejwhi.formester.com/f/hwL9GCyin/ In this episode of Headship After Hours, we explore the emotional weight many school leaders attach to attendance data and why a single percentage point can influence confidence, decision-making and school culture. Attendance matters deeply. But leaders are often held accountable for outcomes they can influence, not fully control. That tension creates pressure, encourages reactive leadership and can lead schools to chase weekly fluctuations instead of long-term improvement. This episode explores: Why Monday morning attendance reviews feel emotionally chargedAccountability versus control in school leadershipReading trends instead of reacting to weekly spikesBuilding confidence through strong attendance systemsCreating a calmer, more sustainable attendance cultureThe strongest attendance leaders don't ignore the numbers. They learn to read them with clarity, proportion and confidence. Timestamos 00:00 – Why Monday Morning Attendance Feels Like Judgment00:59 – When One Percentage Carries Too Much Weight01:56 – Accountability Without Full Control02:47 – Stop Chasing Weekly Attendance Spikes03:06 – Attendance Leadership Resilience Check04:00 – Reading Data Like a Skilled Clinician04:49 – Signal vs Noise in Attendance Data05:27 – Three Questions Every Leader Should Ask06:09 – Creating a Calm Attendance Culture06:24 – Replace Dread With Grip07:07 – Attendance Lives in Everyday Practice07:42 – Build Systems, Not Heroics08:10 – Strategic Alignment Across Your Team08:57 – Confidence Changes Attendance Leadership09:30 – Attendance Is Really About Culture10:11 – Redesign the Conditions, Not Just the Response10:27 – When Data Stops Feeling Like Judgment

    The Monday Morning Attendance Trap

  5. Jul 3

    Pressure Doesn't Break Schools. It Changes Leaders.

    Pressure rarely arrives dramatically. It accumulates quietly. In this episode of Headship After Hours, we explore one of the most overlooked realities of school leadership: pressure changes leaders long before it changes schools. Most heads aren't short on effort when it comes to attendance. The harder truth: so much of it often rests on one or two people — and when that's the case, it never feels steady, however hard everyone works. That's the work I do. I run a funded Senior Attendance & Leadership Resilience Check for headteachers and trust leaders in complex schools. It starts with a short strategic assessment. For eligible schools, it opens into a full process: On-site school visitDetailed, school-specific reportFollow-up strategy sessionPractical leadership tools for a clear 90-day plan Typically valued at £1,000 — currently funded for eligible schools. Apply here → https://atrejwhi.formester.com/f/hwL9GCyin/ As accountability, attendance, behaviour, staffing and parental expectations continue to increase, many leaders unknowingly shift from reflective to reactive leadership. Over time, that pressure changes relationships, decision-making, emotional regulation and ultimately the culture of the school. In this episode, we explore: • Why leadership pressure quietly reshapes school culture• Emotional regulation versus emotional suppression• Psychological safety and staff retention• Why behaviour and attendance improve when people feel safe• How leaders can create emotional predictability during challenging times Schools don't simply respond to strategy. They respond to emotional climate. This episode is for headteachers, senior leaders and trust leaders who want to lead sustainably while protecting both themselves and the cultures they are building. Timestamps 00:00 – Pressure Changes the Leader First01:03 – Why This Podcast Exists02:08 – Leadership Behaviour Shapes School Culture02:52 – When Schools Begin Operating Through Anxiety03:09 – Attendance and Leadership Alignment04:12 – The Hidden Weight of Modern Headship04:59 – How Pressure Changes Leadership Behaviour05:52 – Why Schools Feel Pressure So Deeply06:29 – Systems vs Emotional Culture07:05 – Toughness Is Not the Same as Resilience07:44 – Psychological Safety in Schools08:12 – Schools Need Regulated Leaders08:45 – Emotional Safety Changes Everything09:07 – Emotional Containment Explained09:51 – When Leaders Stop Processing Pressure10:25 – Why Urgency Destroys Culture11:06 – Leadership Drift Under Pressure11:43 – The Question Every Leader Should Ask12:02 – Schools Respond to Emotional Climate

    Pressure Doesn't Break Schools. It Changes Leaders.

  6. Jun 26

    Steve Willshaw: What Secondary Schools Miss About Reading

    What do schools really know about their readers? In this episode of Headship After Hours, Paul is joined by Steve Willshaw to explore reading culture, literacy leadership, school transition and the importance of recognising the rich reading histories that pupils bring with them into secondary education. Most heads aren't short on effort when it comes to attendance. The harder truth: so much of it often rests on one or two people — and when that's the case, it never feels steady, however hard everyone works. That's the work I do. I run a funded Senior Attendance & Leadership Resilience Check for headteachers and trust leaders in complex schools. It starts with a short strategic assessment. For eligible schools, it opens into a full process: On-site school visitDetailed, school-specific reportFollow-up strategy sessionPractical leadership tools for a clear 90-day planTypically valued at £1,000 — currently funded for eligible schools. Apply here → https://atrejwhi.formester.com/f/hwL9GCyin/ In this episode, Steve shares the story behind the nationally recognised Rooted in Reading project and explains why reading passports, transition work and intellectual equity matter more than ever in today's schools. Together, they discuss how schools can create stronger reading cultures, support literacy development and ensure that young people are not treated as blank slates when they move between phases of education. The conversation also explores Steve's four leadership pillars: • Radical Simplicity• Intellectual Equity• Relational Agency• Professional Craft Alongside a deep dive into Functional Fluency, coaching, behaviour, relationships and how educators can move from reacting to responding. This episode is for headteachers, literacy leaders, English teachers, curriculum leaders and anyone passionate about reading, equity and school improvement. 🎧 Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, culture, attendance, behaviour and sustainable school improvement. 00:00 – The Reading Histories Schools Miss01:12 – Steve Willshaw’s Journey Into Education03:03 – Inclusivity, Equity and Early Leadership Lessons05:26 – Keeping Leadership Simple06:43 – The Four Leadership Pillars08:32 – The Story Behind Rooted in Reading12:53 – Reading Passports and Literacy Culture16:24 – Why Reading Transition Matters19:30 – Professional Craft and School Context20:31 – What Is Functional Fluency?25:11 – Radical Simplicity Explained26:20 – Intellectual Equity and Ambitious Curriculum30:41 – Relational Agency in Schools32:34 – Professional Craft and Teacher Development36:32 – The Functionally Fluent Teacher43:31 – Steve’s Advice for School Leaders46:20 – Respond More, React Less #HeadshipAfterHours #Literacy #SchoolLeadership #ReadingForPleasure #EducationPodcast #SchoolImprovement #Curriculum #ReadingCulture #Transition #SteveWillshaw

    Steve Willshaw: What Secondary Schools Miss About Reading

  7. Jun 19

    The School Always Knows

    Before attendance drops, before behaviour shifts, before staff morale declines, the school already knows. I am currently offering a funded £1,000 Senior Attendance & Leadership Review for headteachers navigating attendance pressure. It begins with a short strategic assessment. If eligible, this leads to a full review process including: • On-site school visit• Detailed, school-specific report• Follow-up strategy session• Practical leadership tools Apply now – https://atrejwhi.formester.com/f/hwL9GCyin/ In this episode of Headship After Hours, we explore one of the most overlooked aspects of school leadership: emotional climate. Schools are highly sensitive environments. Students, staff and families respond not only to systems and policies, but to leadership presence, consistency and emotional regulation. This episode explores why leadership is not just strategic — it is atmospheric. We discuss: • How schools absorb leadership emotionally• Why culture changes before leaders notice• The role of trust, consistency and psychological safety• Why behaviour and attendance often reflect emotional climate• How leaders unintentionally transmit pressure Sustainable school improvement is not just about systems. It is about creating a culture where trust, stability and emotional consistency can thrive. Timestamps 00:00 – Before the School Tells You, It Knows02:43 – Schools Are Emotionally Sensitive Systems03:20 – Leadership Presence vs Leadership Strategy03:57 – The Signals Leaders Transmit04:42 – How Culture Changes Quietly04:58 – Why Trust Starts to Erode05:15 – Emotional Problems vs Operational Problems05:33 – Systems Are Interpreted Through Culture05:57 – Children Experience Systems Through Relationships06:17 – Students Detect Inconsistency Fast06:55 – Leadership Is Atmospheric07:14 – What Pressure Does to Leaders07:32 – When the Weather Changes in a School07:48 – Why Psychological Safety Matters08:28 – Leadership Is More Than Formal Moments08:48 – The Power of Micro Interactions09:25 – Schools Stabilise Through Predictable Leadership09:44 – The School Always Knows10:20 – What Emotional Climate Are You Creating?

    The School Always Knows

  8. Jun 12

    Behaviour and Attendance Follow Adult Behaviour

    Behaviour and attendance are not separate problems. They are reflections of adult practice. I am currently offering a funded £1,000 Senior Attendance & Leadership Review for headteachers navigating attendance pressure. It begins with a short strategic assessment. If eligible, this leads to a full review process including: • On-site school visit • Detailed, school-specific report • Follow-up strategy session • Practical leadership tools Apply now – https://atrejwhi.formester.com/f/hwL9GCyin/ In this episode of Headship After Hours, we explore why behaviour and attendance improvement starts with consistency, relationships and leadership. Across UK schools, leaders face increasing pressure to improve behaviour and attendance. While systems, policies and processes matter, sustainable improvement happens when adult responses become calm, consistent and predictable. This episode explores three key shifts: • Consistency is the foundation • Knowing the child changes the response • Relational practice at scale We discuss the influence of relational practice, the importance of strong pastoral systems, SEND leadership, multi-agency collaboration and why students respond to environments that feel safe, fair and predictable. Sustainable improvement is not built through stronger sanctions alone. It is built through consistent adult behaviour and strong relationships. Timestamps 00:00 – Behaviour and Attendance Start With Adults 02:17 – Why Behaviour and Attendance Remain Challenging 02:54 – Systems vs Student Experience 03:14 – What Relational Practice Really Means 03:53 – Consistency Is the Foundation 04:29 – Why Behaviour Systems Often Fail 04:46 – Stability Creates Improvement 05:02 – Data Describes Patterns, Not Causes 05:18 – Knowing the Child Changes Everything 05:38 – The Role of SEND and Pastoral Leadership 05:55 – Why Multi-Agency Working Matters 06:13 – Relational Practice at Scale 06:58 – Why Students Attend Schools Where They Feel Safe 07:13 – The Problem With Quick Fixes 07:33 – Three Questions Every Leader Should Ask 07:52 – Behaviour and Attendance Are Reflections 08:10 – Leadership Shapes Adult Practice

    Behaviour and Attendance Follow Adult Behaviour
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About

This podcast is for headteachers, executive heads and trust leaders who want to lead well without losing themselves in the process. I'm Paul Collin, former head and leadership coach. I talk about isolation, pressure, governing bodies, staff dynamics, attendance and the inner work of staying grounded. I also run a funded Senior Attendance & Leadership Resilience Check for heads in complex schools — for when attendance feels fragile and rests on too few people. Apply now → https://atrejwhi.formester.com/f/hwL9GCyin/

Information

  • Creator
    Paul Collin
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    35
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Paul Collin
  • Show Website
    Headship After Hours