Dear colleagues
"Deeply understand the present before designing the future. For improvement to succeed, leaders need to focus as much, if not more, on understanding the practices they wish to change as on designing the alternatives they seek to introduce."
— Viviane Robinson
This principle has been on my mind lately, particularly when thinking about how we select professional development. With budgets tight and time precious, we need to be strategic about where we invest in CPD – but that requires honest reflection about where we actually are now.
Too often, we choose professional development based on what sounds interesting or what everyone else is doing, without first considering what we already know and can do, what training we've already accessed, and what experiences have shaped our practice. The most effective CPD doesn't start from scratch, it builds on existing knowledge and expertise, filling genuine gaps rather than covering familiar ground. Crucially, one size doesn't fit all. Research consistently shows that professional development needs to be responsive, just like teaching.
This is especially true for trust leaders, where the role can feel isolating and the challenges context-specific. That's why our Trust Leaders: Executive Programme, with a new cohort starting in April 2026, is designed differently. Rather than a one-size-fits-all curriculum, the programme begins by understanding what you already know and builds from there. Designed by current and previous trust CEOs alongside ASCL specialists and experts from Nottingham University, it's deliberately practical – interrogating what works in different contexts through ten modules covering everything from leading sustainable trust culture to communication and reputation management.
What makes this programme distinctive is the space it creates for deep reflection. Over twelve months, including a two-day residential and seven one-day events, you'll work alongside fellow trust leaders, sharing practice and exploring your role within the education system's infrastructure. There are no assessments because this isn't about proving what you know – it's about building on your expertise through expert insight, peer learning, and genuine reflection on your own context.
This matters because the real value of any CPD isn't just in the learning itself, but in what happens afterwards – how you make sense of it, how you adapt it to your setting, and how you share that thinking with others. A programme that starts by understanding the present creates the conditions for genuinely shaping your future leadership.
Best wishes
