Search results

🆓 Free download – aligned to Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026

Share the key KCSIE 2026 updates with your staff quickly and confidently with this ready-made information sharing session. 

This free PowerPoint and accompanying handout gives DSLs, safeguarding leads and school leaders a clear, structured way to walk staff through the Part One updates, without having to build anything from scratch.

Use it to complement your existing INSET programme, as a short briefing in a staff meeting or as a standalone update session. If 

⚠️ Please note that this is not full annual safeguarding refresher training. It covers the Part One updates to KCSIE 2026 only – not the complete refresher content all staff need annually. If you're looking for a complete INSET-ready training pack, see the KCSIE 2026 Annual Safeguarding Refresher Training Pack.

Every summer term brings the same pressure: too much to do, not enough time to do it.

This free end-of-year checklist gives headteachers and senior leaders a clear, structured overview of everything that needs to happen before the doors close for summer – from pupil transition, end-of-year performances and statutory reporting to site maintenance, staff wellbeing and autumn term preparation.

All tasks include a notes column, delegation field and deadline tracker so you can distribute responsibilities across your team rather than carrying everything yourself. And best of all? The resource is free! ☀️

Start meaningful conversations about AI use in schools without needing all the answers. This free editable download offers sample reflection questions across key areas of school life, plus prompts to help you think more widely about the ethical use of AI in education.

It’s designed for headteachers, SLT, trust leaders and any school leaders starting to explore how AI might support or impact their setting.

Use it to begin strategic thinking, shape SLT discussions or evaluate where AI fits into your wider school planning. You can also upgrade to the full toolkit if you're ready to go deeper.

Are you stepping into the role of Behaviour Lead 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 Behaviour Lead, you have the important task of supporting positive behaviour and culture across your school, 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 Behaviour Leads. Whether you're a newly appointed Behaviour Lead, taking over from a previous postholder, or moving from assistant to lead role, we've outlined key tasks for your first few weeks, half-term and full term to help you feel organised and confident.

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.

🔒 Ofsted School Inspection Toolkit Briefing – Free PowerPoint for School Leaders – Fully Aligned to 2026 Ofsted School Inspection Toolkit

Give your team a clear, confident understanding of how school inspections work under the current framework with this comprehensive briefing presentation. Perfect for headteachers, SLT members and school leaders briefing their teams on Ofsted's inspection framework and toolkit.

What's included in this free Ofsted update presentation for staff:

☑️ A clear before-and-after comparison for staff who've never experienced inspection under this framework

☑️ The five-point grading system and report card system explained in full, including the secure fit method inspectors use

☑️ All eight evaluation areas broken down for staff

☑️ How the inspection process works now, including case sampling and why deep dives no longer feature

☑️ Practical next steps for school leaders and staff, with discussion prompts and reflection activities

This ready-to-present PowerPoint saves you hours of preparation time whilst ensuring your team understands exactly what's changed in Ofsted inspections. Designed specifically for whole-school INSET sessions, staff meeting, leadership briefings or departmental meetings.

Perfect for: Headteachers, Deputy Heads, SLT members, trust leaders and anyone responsible for Ofsted preparation, school improvement and staff development.

Are you a new school governor wondering where to begin? Or are you a headteacher, governance lead or chair of governors looking for a practical induction resource to share with someone joining your board? Either way, this free Honeyguide checklist is exactly what you need.

Becoming a school governor is genuinely important work but the role can feel bewildering at first. Understanding the difference between strategic and operational governance, getting to grips with school data, fulfilling safeguarding responsibilities and preparing for link governor visits all take time and guidance. This checklist breaks it all down into clear, manageable tasks, from the reading you should do before your very first meeting through to the contributions you should be making by the end of your first full term.

Whether you're a parent governor, a community governor, a staff governor or a co-opted governor, this resource will help you settle into the role with confidence. 

👉 For heads and SLT looking for ideas of what tasks they could undertake to support a new governor, see our free Start Point: Supporting a New Governor Checklist too!

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. 

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.

Are you stepping into the role of Attendance Lead but feeling unsure where to begin or how to get a grip on everything at once? Firstly, congratulations! And secondly, you're in exactly the right place – this free Honeyguide checklist is here to support your thinking from the very first day.

As an Attendance Lead, you're responsible for one of the most complex and data-driven challenges in school leadership – one that cuts across safeguarding, SEND, pastoral care, family engagement and school improvement all at the same time. That can feel like a lot, especially at the start! This checklist breaks it down into clear, manageable tasks across your first few weeks, your first half-term and your first full term, so you can approach the role with confidence and clarity.

Whether you're a newly appointed Attendance Lead or Attendance Champion, stepping up from a pastoral or admin role, or taking over from a previous postholder mid-year, this checklist will help you hit the ground running. Ideal for new Attendance Leads, Attendance Champions, Senior Attendance Champions and anyone with combined attendance and pastoral responsibilities.

This budget planning checklist and calendar set is designed to help you with staying on top of managing your budget across the school year. The editable budget planning checklist has suggested tasks to attend to when planning your next budget, including for school improvement planning, curriculum budgeting and expenditure, staffing and payroll, pupil premium and SEND. There are also suggestions for when to follow up and monitor each element across the school year. The accompanying calendar provides a month-by-month overview, giving you a quick and easy breakdown of what to explore each month when it comes to monitoring your budget - you could print it out and pin it to your noticeboard as a handy reminder (plus there's a print-friendly version included too). And best of all? This pack is free!

👉Looking for more budget support? This template is also available in the full School Budget Management Pack, which can also help you to upskill yourself on financial management, identify where cost savings can be made and work with your finance governors. This pack offers you best value for money if you want to get a better grip on your budget, but each strand is also available as a separate purchase should you need to explore a single area of budget management: School Budget Planning and Cost Saving Toolkit, School Budget Management Skills Bundle and Budget Planning Questions for Governors.

Are you stepping into the role of Pastoral Lead but not sure where to begin or how to prioritise everything on your plate? Firstly, congratulations! And secondly, you're in the right place – this free Honeyguide checklist is designed to support your thinking right from day one.

As a Pastoral Lead, you hold a uniquely far-reaching role – one that touches safeguarding, well-being, behaviour, SEND, attendance and personal development all at once. That breadth can feel overwhelming at first. This checklist breaks it down into manageable tasks across your first few weeks, your first half-term and your first full term, so you can feel organised and confident as you settle into the role.

Whether you're a newly appointed Pastoral Lead, stepping up from a teaching, head of year or form tutor role, or an experience Pupil Welfare Leader taking over from a previous postholder, this checklist will help you hit the ground running.

Ideal for new Pastoral Leads, Heads of Year, Personal Development Leads and anyone with combined pastoral and well-being responsibilities.

Taking on a new school business manager role or school finance position brings exciting opportunities alongside plenty of questions about where to begin. Whether you're stepping into your first SBM position, finance officer role, or any school finance responsibility, this new school business manager checklist supports your successful start.

What you'll get in this free resource:

• First 100 days school business manager task lists covering before you start through your first full term
• School finance priorities to help establish credibility and build relationships
• Essential SBM processes and compliance areas to master early on
• Fully editable document so you can tailor tasks to your specific school setting
• Peace of mind covering the fundamentals every new school finance manager needs

Perfect for new SBMs, school finance officers, finance leads, school administrators, bursars, finance assistants, or anyone starting school finance jobs for the first time.

Let us take some of the pressure off by supporting your thinking as you navigate this important transition into school finance leadership.

Effective governors are one of a school's strongest assets but a new governor who feels unsupported, uncertain about their role or unclear about the school's context is unlikely to contribute with confidence from the start. This free Honeyguide checklist is designed to help headteachers and senior leaders get governor induction right.

Welcoming a new governor well takes more than sending over a few documents before the first meeting. It means taking the time to explain the strategic versus operational distinction, introducing them to the right people, building their confidence around school data and Ofsted expectations, and helping them find a link governor role where they can genuinely contribute. Done well, a strong induction process means governors who are engaged, effective and a real support to school leadership.

This checklist walks you through everything you need to do, from the initial welcome through to a formal check-in at the end of their first term. It's ideal for headteachers, deputies, governance leads and chairs of governors welcoming a new governor to the board.

👉 Looking for more support for new governors? The free Start Point: New to Governance Checklist gives the new governor themselves ideas of tasks to do in their first term as a member of the governing body.

Updated for 2026

Have you made a list and are you checking it twice? No? Well don't worry - getting ready for Christmas and the end of term in school doesn't have to be overwhelming. This FREE comprehensive checklist helps headteachers, deputies and SLTs organise everything from nativity performances to staff appreciation so nothing gets forgotten in the December rush.

🎄 Christmas Event Planning – nativity performances, carol services, Christmas dinner organisation and festive assembly scheduling

🎄 End of Term Essentials – staff wellbeing checks, term-end communications to parents and final assessment deadlines

🎄January Preparation – spring term planning, CPD scheduling and post-holiday transition planning

🎄 Leadership Tasks – delegation strategies, quality assurance and school evaluation priorities

Perfect for headteachers and senior leaders who want to finish the autumn term organised and start January ready.

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!