Dear Parents and Families
When I first joined Cransley, before becoming Head, my Junior School values revolved around 4 Cs: Consideration, Courage, Creativity and Courtesy and weekly trophies were duly presented. My colleagues at the time, said that the list was unfinished, missing the mention of care, coffee and, of course, cake, such was the frequency and quality of our bake sales.
The clinical, and less tasty, reality is that the school is run with compliance.
Getting a trophy for compliance isn’t always worthy of mad celebration. However, the pace of change in regulation means that, for many settings, compliance becomes ever harder to achieve. A recent study showed that 22% of schools were still failing inspection for such reasons.
Failure to maintain robust pupil attendance protocols; failure to maintain good safeguarding records and logs; failure to ensure secure internet use; failure to provide safe working environments.
I attended the Independent School Associations Headteacher’s Conference last week in Bristol. Anyone thinking that conferences are a Head’s jolly, would be a little surprised by the themes of discussion - more and more stories of schools, of all sizes, in difficulty, non-compliance, news of group takeovers, low birth rates and demographics, cost of living crises, volatile global economies.
Furthermore, the coming academic year contains the largest concentration for many years of regulatory change in schools, both independent and state. Statutory guidance on attendance and punctuality; online school internet filtering and monitoring of pupils; phone use; restrictive intervention; allergen management; Fundamental British Values, RSE/Health Education and PSHE.
If that wasn't enough, the expected latest substantial additions to the 2026 updated government safeguarding legal framework ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ which will require changes to most of the 35+ policies we keep to ensure the consistent, sound and secure operations of the school.
All of which is utterly necessary to safeguard children in an increasingly unsafe world.
With so many demands placed on schools, this is not an easy time to be a School leader. Not that I’ve ever known a time when it was.
And yet, at such conferences, I listen, I consider, I check, I alter, I review, and, above all, I feel assured.
As you no doubt want to hear: I am continuously assured of our compliance, our financial security, effective education, and safety (both physical and pastoral). We are adaptive, we are aware and informed, we are working very hard and we are able to horizon-scan: to still be pedantically innovative, flexible and appealing, despite the constant focus on maintaining high standards of underlying operations.
Much of these changes are effective by law on 1 September 2026 - two months before we are due to be inspected by ISI, however much naturally is already in place, such is our focus on our pupils' wellbeing. My current focus in particular is in ensuring a clear understanding of the requirements, conducting reviews, adaptations and subsequent ratification of policies by the Board, arranging suitable training for colleagues and pupils, sharing information with parents and pupils, and ensuring their subsequent compliance with our policies.
Have no worry: we will be completely ready, but much of it has to be read and understood, and followed, by you, by pupils and by colleagues. Following months of training, policy-writing, retraining, rewriting, review and revision, I have no doubt you will give the documents and details suitable attention.
Please therefore look out for future messages from me regarding stricter guidance on Attendance and Punctuality, a revised policy on Relationships and Sex Education and PSHEE, guidance on restrictive intervention, safety systems in school and on medicines and allergy management.
Our historic cake sales will not disappear, but they will evolve to ensure that our approach to allergen management is as inclusive as it is delicious.
I don't wish to be compliant. I wish to be very compliant. I want that trophy!
After three days of deep diving into matters of regulation, statutory guidance and compliance at the conference, I left eagerly looking forward to joining the Junior Speedworks Sparks and Raptor Racing teams on the Friday afternoon, as we crack on with the rear-wheel axle and motor assembly, giving my daughter a cuddle as she finishes her Performing Arts club, and seeing pupils returning from Horse-riding and golf club.
All of which was more satisfying, knowing that all such glorious and exciting things can only happen with the school’s underlying regulatory structure and operational compliance and care.
Although maybe not as much cake as in the past.
Have a lovely Bank Holiday and Spring half term.
Richard Pollock
Headteacher