Leading Data-Driven School Improvement

Course Code: T0405 £249.00

ABOUT THIS COURSE

This brand-new leadership course is designed for headteachers, senior leaders, middle leaders, and governors who want to harness the power of data to drive strategic school improvement. From tracking progress to evaluating interventions, this course explores how to use data not just for accountability, but for genuine impact.Rooted in best practice and the latest thinking on leadership and evaluation, delegates will leave equipped to lead meaningful conversations about data, align data use with school priorities, and build a culture where insight leads to action. 

BENEFITS OF ATTENDING

  • Understand the purpose and potential of data in driving school improvement
  • Understand what makes data ‘useful’, and what practices undermine its value
  • Learn how to streamline data collections to focus on meaning
  • Build staff confidence in using and interpreting data
  • How to develop robust systems for tracking impact and evaluating interventions
  • Reflect on your school’s current data culture and identify areas for improvement
  • Improve your communication of attainment, progress, and impact to governors, staff, and stakeholders
  • Access real-world case studies, templates, and frameworks for effective data leadership

PROGRAMME

10.00am: Welcome & Introduction
  • Outline of course aims, key outcomes, and the day’s agenda
  • Unpacking the role of data in school improvement: myth vs reality
  • A critical look at the types of data school leaders rely on and where it's overused
  • The “cult” of data and where schools are getting it right, and wrong
11.00am: Break
11.15am: Data with Purpose: From Collection to Insight
  • What makes ‘good’ data? Prioritising quality over quantity
  • How often is enough? Avoiding over-collection and the illusion of rigour
  • Avoiding data fatigue: designing processes for insight and action
  • Identify common pitfalls in school data practices and how to design smarter approaches
12.15pm: Lunch
1.15pm: Making Data Work: Systems, Conversations, and Strategy
  • Building staff confidence and competence in data use
  • Shift the culture: from compliance to ownership and professional curiosity
  • Using data to track academic, behavioural, attendance, and wellbeing trends
  • Exploring triangulation: multiple data sources to inform robust school decisions
2.15pm: Break
2.30pm: Monitoring, Evaluation and Communicating Impact
  • Evaluating interventions effectively: measuring what matters
  • Building a feedback loop between data, action, and outcomes
  • Communicating insights clearly to staff, governors, and external stakeholders
  • Planning your next steps: prioritising meaningful data use for your school context
3.30pm: Depart
Leadership - Code: T0405

Leading Data-Driven School Improvement

Mike Leaman

Course Leader

Mike Leaman is an experienced educational consultant, career coach, former Deputy Headteacher, and national CPD leader. With over a decade of leadership experience in schools, including strategic responsibility for over 150 staff, Mike brings deep insight into the practical and cultural challenges facing school teams today.

Throughout his career, Mike has led successful whole-school improvement strategies, redesigned workload systems, and introduced staff development programmes that improved retention, morale, and outcomes.

Mike draws on his career coaching with hundreds of school leaders and teachers across the UK to help leadership teams build psychologically safe environments, foster coaching cultures, and implement sustainable wellbeing strategies. Known for his balance of warmth, challenge, and clarity, Mike's sessions are praised for being highly relevant, research-informed, and immediately actionable.

 

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Course Brochure

Leadership 2