New To Leadership Resources

Are you stepping into the role of SENDCo but wondering where to start or which tasks to prioritise? Firstly, congratulations! And secondly, don't worry – this free Honeyguide checklist will support your thinking right from the start.

As a SENDCo, you have the important task of supporting students with special educational needs and disabilities, something which can feel challenging as you get used to the role. But don't worry, we're here to support you every step of the way with our comprehensive list designed specifically for new SENDCos. Whether you're a newly appointed SENDCo, taking over from a previous SENDCo, or moving from assistant SENDCo to lead SENDCo, we've outlined key tasks for your first few weeks, half-term and full term to help you feel organised and confident. 

Embarking on the journey of headship is an exciting and transformative experience but one that can come with a lot of uncertainties at the beginning. Fear not! At Honeyguide, we understand the challenges and aspirations of new school leaders like you. That's why we've created this comprehensive document. It’s designed specifically to guide you through the first few crucial stages of your new role, including before you start, your first few weeks, first half-term and first full term. The document is fully editable so add or delete any tasks that are specific to your setting, and allow us to take some of the pressure off by supporting your thinking in your exciting new role!

Stepping into the role of a deputy headteacher is the next transformative step in your school leadership journey but now you’re in this role, where do you start? Rest assured, Honeyguide is here to provide unwavering support with this comprehensive resource designed specifically for deputy headteachers. From preparing for your new position to navigating your initial weeks and beyond, we've created this customisable checklist with tasks spanning the breadth of school leadership to ensure your success. Let us do some of the thinking for you so you can get on with what you do best.

Are you stepping into your first subject leadership role? Congratulations! Balancing the responsibilities of leadership and teaching can be challenging, but fear not. Honeyguide is here to support you on this exciting journey. Our comprehensive resource for new subject leaders provides you with all the ideas for tasks to complete in your first week, half-term and term as a subject leader. Designed to be fully editable, adapt and amend it with support from a mentor in school to tailor it to your new role. Let us support your thinking and workload so you can find balance as a new subject leader.

Becoming an assistant headteacher is an exciting step into senior leadership but with a new role comes new responsibilities. At Honeyguide, we understand the unique challenges and aspirations of new leaders like you. Our comprehensive resource is specifically designed to support you through the crucial first stages of your new position, empowering you to make a positive impact in your first term and beyond. Use this checklist, specifically written for assistant headteachers, to take some of the pressure off the initial thought processes required and instead, start to take action for yourself and your school community.

Are you stepping into your first EYFS leadership role? Congratulations! This comprehensive and FREE checklist for new early years leaders is here to provide you with different ideas for how to get started in your new post over the first few weeks, half term and term. Designed to be fully editable, adapt and amend it to tailor it to your new EYFS role. Let us support your thinking and workload so you can find balance as a new EYFS leader.

A key responsibility for headteachers and principals in schools is to support the wellbeing of your staff team... but what about you and your own wellbeing? You don't need us to tell you that the pressures of school leadership can often feel overwhelming but our FREE Headteacher Wellbeing Audit and Action Plan is here to help. Designed with the unique challenges of headship in mind, this tool helps you take stock of what or who is currently supporting you in a professional capacity and where there could be room for development to improve your wellbeing in school. It's perfect for heads, executive heads, school principals or anyone leading a school to use as a self-reflection tool, as well as being useful for trust leaders, CEOs, governors, trustees or anyone line managing a headteacher to utilise as part of a full support package.

Dealing with complaints - whether from parents, carers or community members - can be one of the most challenging aspects of school leadership. With vexatious complaints against schools and the number of instances of parents complaining on the rise, headteachers and SLT need ways of managing complaints and, crucially, preventing complaints from occurring when possible.

This checklist is designed to do exactly that and allows school leaders to review their processes in order to prevent complaints from parents but also to manage legitimate complaints carefully. It covers the following key areas:

• Complaint prevention
• What to do following the receipt of a school complaint
• Complaint investigation
• Complaint resolution
• Managing persistent, serial and vexatious complaints

Use the checklist to evaluate your current position when it comes to school concerns and complaints, such as how effectively you build and manage relationships with parents/carers and your use of communication to maintain a culture of mutual respect in school. This can help you to identify areas to develop to bolster your efforts in maintaining strong relationships and addressing concerns before they develop into a bigger issue, thus helping to prevent complaints from forming.

When complaints do occur, the checklist can support you to think about your processes in order to listen, investigate and respond to complaints in order to find a resolution for all parties. It also allows you to consider your complaints policy and whether the details in it support you, as a school leader, to deal with complaints, including complaints that are persistent, serial or vexatious.