The Curriculum Network

by The Curriculum Network

Leading When You're the New One In with UK & International School Leader, Rob Ford

Take 1: Do Your Homework Learn the school’s history, values, strengths and unique character before starting. Understand the team, board and wider community you will be joining. Show from day one that you are fully invested in the school. Take 2: Avoid Change for Change’s Sake Resist introducing short-term initiatives simply to make your mark. Establish stability and understand the school before making changes. Ensure future improvements are meaningful and owned by the community. Take 3: Listen and Learn Be visible, approachable and present across the school. Listen to staff, pupils, parents, governors and support teams. Use these conversations to understand the culture and build trust. Take 4: Plan for Your Time in Post Develop a flexible four-to-six-year vision for meaningful improvement. Adapt your plans as you learn more about the school’s context. Strengthen leadership at every level and prepare a succession plan. Take 5: Accept That You Will Not Know Everything Lead with confidence, curiosity and humility. Draw on the expertise of the people around you. Build strong relationships based on trust, respect and shared responsibility.

Aug 28, 2026

12:17

Bringing Wellbeing into Careers Education with Education Leader, Cliona McMenamin

1) Start with Self-Discovery, Not Decision-Making Most careers programmes jump too quickly to the “what” (university courses or job titles) before helping students understand the “who.” When students explore their strengths, values and motivations first, they make more authentic and confident choices later. By integrating reflection tools, personality frameworks and “career conversations” into tutor time or PSHE, we give students permission to see career exploration as part of their wellbeing journey, not a pressure-filled process. Take 2) Make Wellbeing the Foundation, Not an Add-On A student who is anxious, burnt out or comparing themselves to others can’t meaningfully engage in future planning. Embedding wellbeing strategies (mindfulness, gratitude, resilience or even time to pause and reflect) into careers lessons helps students manage uncertainty with calm and confidence. When students feel psychologically safe, they are more open to growth and more resilient in navigating rejection or change. Take 3) Redefine Success: From Prestige to Purpose Too often, students equate success with prestige - top universities, big salaries or brand names. Our role is to shift that narrative. We should celebrate diverse definitions of success: joy in learning, alignment with values, contribution to society. Using alumni stories and real-world examples helps students see that there are many ways to live a successful, meaningful life. Take 4) Connect the Dots Between Curriculum and Careers Students often ask, “When will I ever use this?” Careers education becomes transformative when we bridge classroom learning with the world beyond school. Whether through curriculum-linked career talks, employer projects or cross-subject challenges, this approach builds both relevance and confidence, showing students that what they learn today genuinely matters for tomorrow. Take 5) Build a Culture of Conversation The best careers education doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens in conversations. Creating spaces where students can talk openly about uncertainty, comparison or changing plans builds resilience and agency. Teachers, parents and peers all play a role here. When a school normalises these conversations (from staffroom to classroom) students learn that their pathway doesn’t have to be perfect to be purposeful.

Aug 28, 2026

13:52

How Positive Leadership Creates Flourishing Schools with School Leader Abigail Alexis-Olubuyide

1) Positive Emotions Create Upward Spirals 2) Engagement Flows Through Strengths 3) High-Trust Relationships Underpins Flourishing 4) Connect to a Higher Purpose Through Meaning 5) Frame Accomplishments as Progress That Inspires Growth

Aug 28, 2026

8:22

Overcoming Fear and Anxiety in Teaching Maths with Mathematics specialist, Patrick Renouf

Take 1: Maths is about thinking, not performing Take 2: Number sense is key to a child's success in Maths Take 3: Mathematics is a connected, beautiful, creative and visual subject Take 4: Talk about Maths Take 5: Celebrate struggle!

Aug 28, 2026

20:47

Sustainability Education for Primary Children with Climate Education Consultant Edd Moore

Take 1: Create Eco Warriors Appoint an Eco Lead Teacher and an eco representative from each class. Audit current practice and create an annual action plan. Work towards the internationally recognised Eco-Schools Green Flag. Take 2: Build a Sustainable Culture Encourage staff to model sustainable choices, including reusable products, waste-free lunches and greener travel. Make school and parent-led events sustainable. Share clear sustainability expectations with families. Take 3: Lead Environmental Projects Focus on one topic at a time, such as waste, energy, biodiversity or transport. Use the 8Rs: Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Refill, Repair, Repurpose and Recycle. Reduce packaging and food waste through supplier engagement, monitoring and composting. Take 4: Involve the Community Involve pupils in growing fruit and vegetables and maintaining a school garden. Make and sell sustainable products at local markets and events. Use these projects to build practical skills and community connections. Take 5: Embed Sustainability in the Curriculum Use enquiry-based learning to explore real environmental questions. Connect sustainability across different subjects. Create an action group involving pupils, schools, businesses, councillors and environmental organisations. Links Learn more: ecoedd.com Connect with Edd: linkedin.com/in/edd-moore-a0369b86

Aug 28, 2026

9:58

Transitioning from the Classroom into Leadership with Senior International School Leader, Dr Kenneth Bence

Take 1: Make it known what your goals are and seek out a mentor Make your leadership aspirations known and seek a mentor who can provide guidance, support, and opportunities aligned with your goals. Take 2: Facilitate workshops and professional learning experiences Facilitate professional learning opportunities to develop your leadership skills and demonstrate your ability to lead and influence others. Take 3: Join (or create) committees Join or establish school committees to showcase your collaboration, initiative, and ability to drive meaningful change. Take 4: Upskilling with qualifications and certifications Strengthen your leadership credentials by pursuing relevant qualifications and professional development aligned with your career goals. Take 5: Network Build and maintain a strong professional network that can provide ongoing support, insights, and future leadership opportunities.

Aug 28, 2026

11:33

Creating a culture of Mental Health Support with Dr Kenneth Bence, Senior International School Leader

Take 1) Creating a Culture of mental health support Whatever role you play in a school or organization, it’s important for you and everyone you work with to be someone willing to act if a person may be in need of mental health support. This can be through starting a committee, facilitating a workshop, writing newsletters or any other way you can communicate and remind people of what to do if you are worried about someone. The culture created should be that is a collective responsibility to recognize, understand, and respond appropriately to someone experiencing a mental health issue. Take 2) Notice the signs and trust your gut The signs of someone who may be in need of mental health support can be obvious or subtle but it is important to notice when they happen. Has there been a change in their behavior, are they experiencing mood swings, becoming withdrawn, voicing concerns, or are they going through high levels of stress, grief, or health issues? This is often the first sign to an outsider that something may be happening to a friend or colleague. If you feel something is amiss, or there has been a change, it could be hard to place exactly what that may be. It is important to trust your gut. It is far better to try and support someone and be wrong than to have a feeling about it and fail to act. Take 3) Have the conversation If you suspect someone may be experiencing mental health distress, it is important to speak to them. Most of us are not trained psychologists and the conversation needs you to just ask the person if they are ok. Mention a behavior you may have noticed, share that you are worried and most importantly, actively listen with empathy. Allow them to speak and validate their feelings. We can’t fix their problems for them, but we can be a pillar of support and encouragement. Take 4) Signpost If the conversation has led to the person potentially needing help, it is important to signpost them to appropriate support. In schools I have worked in we have kept an up-to-date contact list of doctors and therapists faculty can access and shared this in newsletters and kept available to everyone on shared drives. This can then be used to provide the person who may be in need of support with the resources to access professional help. This is especially important in schools with staff from around the world who may be new to a country and unaware of the help available. If applicable, also share how the health insurance operates if they do seek help and a step-by-step guide on what to do. These don’t have to be country specific if resources are limited in person, there are also excellent tele-health services available that some insurances will cover the cost for if other options aren’t viable. Take 5) Follow Up It will often take more than one conversation and more than one attempt to signpost before a person feels safe enough to get help. Follow up with the person, ask if they were able to contact the services you signposted, offer any help such as calling to make an appointment, or accompanying them to the location.

Aug 28, 2026

11:56

Cultivating Belonging In Schools with Hannah Wilson

Drawing on her new book, Hannah Wilson, Director of The Belonging Effect, shares five practical insights on building belonging in schools Take 1) Introduction: Why should we care about DEIB? It does not have to happen to you to matter to you. Understanding power and privilege. We need to stand up, speak out, show support for issues impacting others. Take 2) Belonging in Society: How do we develop it? Increased hate crimes. Riots. Flags. Media and social media. Derogatory language. Take 3) Belonging in Schools: How do we change it? Intentional inclusion. By design. Challenging assumptions and biases. High attrition and exclusion rates. Strategic intent from governance. Take 4) Belonging in the Staffroom: How do we disrupt it? Designing for inclusion. Diversifying recruitment. Talent pipeline and retention initiatives. ITTE and governance. Inclusive workplaces. Take 5) Belonging in the Classroom: How do we foster it? Inclusive classrooms. Psychological safety. Diverse curriculum. Better representation. Call to Action: What do we do next? Consciousness, Confidence, Competence Curiosity v Criticality Allyship Shaping intention into impact. Links and Resources Learn more about The Belonging Effect here: https://www.thebelongingeffect.co.uk/

Aug 28, 2026

10:15

Connection as Strategy - Leading School Mental Health in Disconnected World

Take 1) We’re Living Through a Trust Recession – And Schools Are Feeling It There’s a phrase I keep coming back to: ‘the trust recession’. It describes something we’re all navigating but rarely name outright. Parents trust schools less than they used to. Staff trust leadership less (there is data around this from Education Support and their Teacher Wellbeing Index). Young people trust institutions less and with the transient nature of International schools, this can add a layer in the importance of building trust. And the rise of AI is accelerating this – not because AI is inherently bad, I’m certainly not against it – but because it’s changing how people access information, support and even connection. So the question isn’t how do we compete with disconnection? Take 2) Relational Culture Needs Strategic Leadership, Not left to chance In many schools, wellbeing is something that happens as reactive result to issues which arise. A planned relational culture and shared language which develops a shared ownership of mental health and wellbeing becomes a collective endeavour rather than one person’s job. Take 3) Measure What Matters – And Use Data as a Conversation Many schools care deeply about wellbeing but struggle to understand the scale of need across their student body. When schools use validated wellbeing tools and listen carefully to student voice and staff voice, patterns begin to emerge. Leaders can see which groups of students are struggling, where support is working and where additional intervention may be needed. Used well, wellbeing data doesn’t replace professional judgement. It strengthens it. Take 4) Staff Wellbeing not as a Perk – It’s the Foundation The relational opportunity here is about modelling and the dynamics we can play out as we are in a relationship based profession. Staff who feel trusted, cared for and supported they extend trust. In a world where AI can deliver content and answer questions, what makes a school irreplaceable is the quality of its human relationships. A key factor of that is how you support your staff and connection as a feature of that. Take 5) You Cannot Do This Alone – And You Shouldn’t Have To What I’ve noticed is that many leaders responsible for wellbeing are doing excellent work, but they’re often doing it without a professional reference point beyond their own school. The difference a network makes is that you’re no longer designing strategy alone. In Jan 2026 I started a network for Senior Mental Health Leads. I’d love you to join us and if there’s enough interest I will start an International focused one. Enjoyed the episode? Discover more discussions, events and articles for free with The Curriculum Network: https://edco-curriculumnetwork-live.edcowebsites.co.uk

Aug 21, 2026

15:21