LEADERSHIP SERVICES
Primary & Secondary School Improvement
School improvement strategies drive school success. I can offer a range of training packages, face-to- face, online, keynotes for a wide range of audiences focused on teaching pedagogy, learning, assessment and leadership of learning.
Primary & Secondary School Design & Learning Spaces
Learning space design is critical to support success in learning. Drawing on my Free School experience and refurbishment experience, I can provide consultancy on curriculum visioning, learning space design to support vision, procurement of furniture, IT solutions, signage and decoration to create outstanding environments.
Multi Academy Trust Leadership Improvement
Building on my MAT executive leadership; I can provide MATs with support in engaging staff, cultural change, common approaches and embedding consistency of practices , marketing your MAT to prospective schools, team building and systems for MAT wide school Improvement.
Governor & Trustee Leadership Improvement
Governance is key to effective school improvement. I can offer support as a practising governor for primary, secondary and MAT contexts and look at how best to ensure governors interact with executive leadership teams to both hold to account and support so that school improvement is sustained.
Mental Health & Wellbeing Staff & Students
Every School must have a Mental Health and Wellbeing Champion. I can provide bespoke job descriptions, implementation plans, training and support so that you can evaluate your practice and excel in supporting the wellbeing of your staff and students. I can prepare your school for The Mental Health Quality Mark.
Safeguarding Children
Keeping children safe and the Prevent agenda are critical training needs for all schools. But there is more to just training and I can provide schools with a highly effective safeguarding audit tool, action planning and review so that safeguarding is embedded in the DNA of your school culture.
Special Education Needs & Talented and Gifted
Preparing individual challenge plans for identified SEND Children is a key priority and I can offer training to SENCOs, leadership teams and teachers/ Teaching assistants with the most up-to date best practice in SEND provision. Major expertise in SEMH. I can also advise schools and provide support for robust Alternative Provision
IT solutions driving school improvement
Strategic planning for IT solutions is a costly and complicated process. Having negotiated bespoke multi-million pound IT solutions for two Free Schools, I can offer expertise with IT strategic planning, implementation to support the curriculum and website/App applications to support learning.
Teaching, Assessment & Learning
Teaching and learning needs to be consistently good every day for a school to be effective. How do you maintain high standards of Teaching and Learning? I can offer a range of strategies to support learning and teaching at individual, team and whole school and school to school level within a MAT.
Talent Management- Recruiting and retaining brilliant staff
Staff are the greatest resource. Securing their commitment, especially during times of change is a key leadership skill. I can offer schools and MATs tailor made talent development programmes aligned to school improvement. I can offer expertise in robust performance management and capability support.
Bid Writing to secure additional resources
Over the last six years I have secured over £7 million in capital investment to schools through bid writing. I can offer expertise in bid writing, write actual bids such as teaching school, capital grants and also provide support to leaders in securing additional resources from charity trusts and business.
Bespoke Consultancy for Schools & MATS
I can offer tailor made consultancy for schools or MATs which can be fully aligned to your priorities. This may include face to face training, e-learning, coaching, key notes or organizing away day conferences or residential team leadership events. Flexible packages can be assembled that support your individual needs.
About Me
Colin has expertise in primary, secondary and Special school sectors and is passionate about how leadership can act as a key catalyst to school improvement. He is passionate that schools must be places where all children thrive and have access to a ‘Curriculum of ‘Opportunity’ which transforms life chances.
Colin works in schools, MATs and small businesses supporting pupils, teachers and leaders about learning, leadership and has particular interests in curriculum development, visioning, mental health and wellbeing of school staff and pupils. He is also an expert in SEND education. He is a pragmatic leader who believes that there are no ‘quick fixes’ to school improvement but that leadership must have positive impact. He writes and speaks at conferences about leadership, school culture, curriculum, mental health and school improvement.
What People Say About Colin
Colin can provide a more detailed list of testimonials on request
Discover how Colin Cattanach Leadership can help your school or organisation
Latest Blog Posts
100 Second Blog: Former NSC Sir David Carter has suggested that Ofsted should consider having three grades – Requires Support, Good and Outstanding. There is real merit in this idea. Colin Cattanach tells us why he would support new Ofsted grades.
So, at the moment a school can be judged Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, Inadequate and be further categorised as special measures or serious weaknesses. The stakes are very high for education leaders and for many a poor judgement can mean a school is forced to be academised, gains a poor reputation and enters a Read more about 100 Second Blog: Former NSC Sir David Carter has suggested that Ofsted should consider having three grades – Requires Support, Good and Outstanding. There is real merit in this idea. Colin Cattanach tells us why he would support new Ofsted grades.[…]
100 second Blog: Toxic climates for learning- what are the leadership factors contributing and what do we need to do to improve leadership?
The 100 second blog I’ve been reading about toxic work environments in schools this week. So for my first 100 second blog, I want to provide a brief commentary on what might be going wrong in our schools and what needs to happen to have a positive climate for learning Characteristics of toxic climate Read more about 100 second Blog: Toxic climates for learning- what are the leadership factors contributing and what do we need to do to improve leadership?[…]
Ofsted wants a fairer way to judge schools in 2019. I’m not convinced and there are more questions to be answered.
Ofsted wants a fairer way to judge schools in 2019. I’m not convinced and there are more questions to be answered. I was struck by Amanda Spielman’s interview on BBC Radio 4 Today programme this morning. Articulate, earnest and confident, Spielman outlined what the future will likely be for the revised Inspection framework in 2019. Read more about Ofsted wants a fairer way to judge schools in 2019. I’m not convinced and there are more questions to be answered.[…]
Are school leaders increasingly at risk of losing their moral compass given the high stakes accountability landscape they operate within? Colin Cattanach, former Headteacher and Education leadership specialist considers what may be going on.
As a school leader, I was often asked what my values and vision for education were. Indeed, every decent school leader held to account in today’s turbulent education landscape holds basic values and a vision of what constitutes good education. These values and ideals held by leaders provide the framework for which decisions are made Read more about Are school leaders increasingly at risk of losing their moral compass given the high stakes accountability landscape they operate within? Colin Cattanach, former Headteacher and Education leadership specialist considers what may be going on.[…]
As Brexit fast approaches, Colin Cattanach asks: What does Brexit mean for education in his home city of Bath?
As the UK comes to terms with leaving the European Union after the historic referendum Colin Cattanach, former Principal of a Bath secondary school asks ‘What does Brexit mean for education in Bath?’ Bath is a global city. This is not just a factor of mass tourism and the attraction of Bath as a tourism Read more about As Brexit fast approaches, Colin Cattanach asks: What does Brexit mean for education in his home city of Bath?[…]
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then you are a leader
I want to be a successful school leader? So, what does it take to be a great school leader? I love working with people. That may sound an obvious statement for a leader but to me its pivotal to being a great leader. For me, leadership isn’t just simply about selling an idea, engaging with people and Read more about If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then you are a leader[…]
Does Pupil Premium actually help transform life chances of our most vulnerable pupils or does it just create a ‘frenzy’ of incoherent school intervention?
For my first blog, I thought I’d share with you my views (light hearted and serious) on ‘Pupil Premium’; often viewed erroneously by some school leaders as some sort of ‘magic money’ store that if spent carefully will raise standards in our schools for disadvantaged children. I have been a Headteacher for 6 years and Read more about Does Pupil Premium actually help transform life chances of our most vulnerable pupils or does it just create a ‘frenzy’ of incoherent school intervention?[…]