Paul K Ainsworth
@pkainsworth.bsky.social
NO SILVER BULLETS 2.0: https://www.amazon.co.uk/NO-SILVER-BULLETS-2-0-IMPROVEMENT/dp/B0CW9GSK94/
Author | EdDirector | EHT | Chair | SpeakerTEDx | JoyDivision | SUPYogaTeacher | Wild🏊♂️ | 🛵🇫🇷
My website: https://paulkainsworth.wordpress.com
Author | EdDirector | EHT | Chair | SpeakerTEDx | JoyDivision | SUPYogaTeacher | Wild🏊♂️ | 🛵🇫🇷
My website: https://paulkainsworth.wordpress.com
Pinned
Paul K Ainsworth
@pkainsworth.bsky.social
· Nov 12
Do Silver Bullets Exist? | A Conversation with Paul Ainsworth
Podcast Episode · Global Ed Leaders | International School Leadership Development · 12/11/2024 · 35m
podcasts.apple.com
𝗗𝗼 𝗦𝗶𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁?
𝗙𝗶𝘅𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗽𝗲?
𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆’𝘀…
Have a listen to the conversation with the wonderful Shane Leaning for Global Ed Leaders
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
𝗙𝗶𝘅𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗽𝗲?
𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆’𝘀…
Have a listen to the conversation with the wonderful Shane Leaning for Global Ed Leaders
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
New Blog: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗽 - wp.me/p9tOLc-Ew
Hope sustains us. Hopium deceives us.
Like believing England will win the Ashes when the collapse is already underway.
Leaders must resist false hope and hold on to the real thing.
#HopeNotHopium #LeadershipResilience
Hope sustains us. Hopium deceives us.
Like believing England will win the Ashes when the collapse is already underway.
Leaders must resist false hope and hold on to the real thing.
#HopeNotHopium #LeadershipResilience
November 26, 2025 at 9:02 PM
New Blog: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗽 - wp.me/p9tOLc-Ew
Hope sustains us. Hopium deceives us.
Like believing England will win the Ashes when the collapse is already underway.
Leaders must resist false hope and hold on to the real thing.
#HopeNotHopium #LeadershipResilience
Hope sustains us. Hopium deceives us.
Like believing England will win the Ashes when the collapse is already underway.
Leaders must resist false hope and hold on to the real thing.
#HopeNotHopium #LeadershipResilience
Reposted by Paul K Ainsworth
‘Sometimes I wonder with awe at how many of us are walking around, trying to survive our trauma like saddle bags’ - Lucy Easthope continues to inspire.
📝 paulkainsworth.wordpress.com/2025/11/11/f...
📑 substack.com/@pkainsworth...
📝 paulkainsworth.wordpress.com/2025/11/11/f...
📑 substack.com/@pkainsworth...
November 25, 2025 at 6:55 PM
‘Sometimes I wonder with awe at how many of us are walking around, trying to survive our trauma like saddle bags’ - Lucy Easthope continues to inspire.
📝 paulkainsworth.wordpress.com/2025/11/11/f...
📑 substack.com/@pkainsworth...
📝 paulkainsworth.wordpress.com/2025/11/11/f...
📑 substack.com/@pkainsworth...
𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 - 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱?
I found this a fascinating piece to write. If inclusion is the golden thread what are the implications for school leaders… ⬇️
I found this a fascinating piece to write. If inclusion is the golden thread what are the implications for school leaders… ⬇️
The new @ofstednews.bsky.social school inspection framework has a golden thread of #inclusion – with a particular focus on four categories of disadvantage. @pkainsworth.bsky.social considers what this means for #schools & their leaders as they prepare for #inspection: buff.ly/OI4YbEd
Inclusion and disadvantage: Exploring the golden thread of Ofsted inspection - Headteacher Update
An analysis of Ofsted’s golden thread of inclusion and disadvantage in school inspection & how headteachers can prepare
buff.ly
November 25, 2025 at 7:31 PM
𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 - 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱?
I found this a fascinating piece to write. If inclusion is the golden thread what are the implications for school leaders… ⬇️
I found this a fascinating piece to write. If inclusion is the golden thread what are the implications for school leaders… ⬇️
‘Sometimes I wonder with awe at how many of us are walking around, trying to survive our trauma like saddle bags’ - Lucy Easthope continues to inspire.
📝 paulkainsworth.wordpress.com/2025/11/11/f...
📑 substack.com/@pkainsworth...
📝 paulkainsworth.wordpress.com/2025/11/11/f...
📑 substack.com/@pkainsworth...
November 25, 2025 at 6:55 PM
‘Sometimes I wonder with awe at how many of us are walking around, trying to survive our trauma like saddle bags’ - Lucy Easthope continues to inspire.
📝 paulkainsworth.wordpress.com/2025/11/11/f...
📑 substack.com/@pkainsworth...
📝 paulkainsworth.wordpress.com/2025/11/11/f...
📑 substack.com/@pkainsworth...
New Blog: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗽 - wp.me/p9tOLc-Ew
Dr Lucy Easthope reminds us: recovery is not instant.
Her wisdom in Come What May shows how schools, like communities, must pace themselves for the long haul.
#CrisisRecovery #Leadership
Dr Lucy Easthope reminds us: recovery is not instant.
Her wisdom in Come What May shows how schools, like communities, must pace themselves for the long haul.
#CrisisRecovery #Leadership
November 24, 2025 at 7:50 PM
New Blog: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗽 - wp.me/p9tOLc-Ew
Dr Lucy Easthope reminds us: recovery is not instant.
Her wisdom in Come What May shows how schools, like communities, must pace themselves for the long haul.
#CrisisRecovery #Leadership
Dr Lucy Easthope reminds us: recovery is not instant.
Her wisdom in Come What May shows how schools, like communities, must pace themselves for the long haul.
#CrisisRecovery #Leadership
Reposted by Paul K Ainsworth
Headteacher Update Podcast: A new episode dissects the revised #Ofsted inspection framework, setting out actions #schools can take now to prepare. With practical advice & tips from the amazing @pkainsworth.bsky.social, Anne Peck from @hfleducation.bsky.social & Clare Duffy:
Headteacher Update Podcast: Preparing for the new Ofsted school inspection framework - Headteacher Update
This podcast episode offers advice for primary school leaders on changes to the new Ofsted school inspection framework
buff.ly
November 24, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Headteacher Update Podcast: A new episode dissects the revised #Ofsted inspection framework, setting out actions #schools can take now to prepare. With practical advice & tips from the amazing @pkainsworth.bsky.social, Anne Peck from @hfleducation.bsky.social & Clare Duffy:
New Blog: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗽 wp.me/p9tOLc-Ew
After crisis, after inspection, after the lasagne phase fades.
It is long, lonely, and slow.
Leaders must keep walking, one step at a time.
#SchoolLeadership #Resilience
After crisis, after inspection, after the lasagne phase fades.
It is long, lonely, and slow.
Leaders must keep walking, one step at a time.
#SchoolLeadership #Resilience
First Responder: Getting through the slump
How you can learn the lessons from emergency planners to support communities to recover. When schools receive an adverse OFSTED inspection, there is a horrible period of time between inspection and…
wp.me
November 24, 2025 at 7:28 AM
New Blog: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗽 wp.me/p9tOLc-Ew
After crisis, after inspection, after the lasagne phase fades.
It is long, lonely, and slow.
Leaders must keep walking, one step at a time.
#SchoolLeadership #Resilience
After crisis, after inspection, after the lasagne phase fades.
It is long, lonely, and slow.
Leaders must keep walking, one step at a time.
#SchoolLeadership #Resilience
Reposted by Paul K Ainsworth
SecEd Podcast: A new episode dissects the revised #Ofsted inspection framework, setting out actions #schools can take now to prepare. Advice on the 'secure fit' model, the 'expected standard', the #inclusion thread, the focus on context, the 90-minute call, the nominee role & more: buff.ly/Fhtumbi
November 23, 2025 at 8:01 PM
SecEd Podcast: A new episode dissects the revised #Ofsted inspection framework, setting out actions #schools can take now to prepare. Advice on the 'secure fit' model, the 'expected standard', the #inclusion thread, the focus on context, the 90-minute call, the nominee role & more: buff.ly/Fhtumbi
𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗽… 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄
3️⃣ 3rd and final blog in the series is out tomorrow.
💭What have you thoughts so far?
3️⃣ 3rd and final blog in the series is out tomorrow.
💭What have you thoughts so far?
𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘆
But you’re not alone.
Read the full blog for reflections, strategies & solidarity:
🔗wp.me/p9tOLc-E6
📰 substack.com/@pkainsworth...
What’s your best advice for the moment the phone rings?
But you’re not alone.
Read the full blog for reflections, strategies & solidarity:
🔗wp.me/p9tOLc-E6
📰 substack.com/@pkainsworth...
What’s your best advice for the moment the phone rings?
November 23, 2025 at 12:05 PM
𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗽… 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄
3️⃣ 3rd and final blog in the series is out tomorrow.
💭What have you thoughts so far?
3️⃣ 3rd and final blog in the series is out tomorrow.
💭What have you thoughts so far?
Reposted by Paul K Ainsworth
Polanski went to private school, Farage went to private school, Badenoch went to private school. You can either conclude that their education gave them special agency and/or you can argue that they should not be trusted with any decisions over our state education system.
November 20, 2025 at 11:18 AM
Polanski went to private school, Farage went to private school, Badenoch went to private school. You can either conclude that their education gave them special agency and/or you can argue that they should not be trusted with any decisions over our state education system.
Reposted by Paul K Ainsworth
🎁How to win a bundle of our book and a free CPD session for a school of your choice...
thatpovertyguy.substack.com/p/i-dont-wan...
thatpovertyguy.substack.com/p/i-dont-wan...
"I don't want a lot for Christmas"
There is just one thing you can do...
thatpovertyguy.substack.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:21 PM
🎁How to win a bundle of our book and a free CPD session for a school of your choice...
thatpovertyguy.substack.com/p/i-dont-wan...
thatpovertyguy.substack.com/p/i-dont-wan...
Reposted by Paul K Ainsworth
This is great 👍
I’ve written my first post on Substack. It’s about ‘meeting the needs of pupils with SEND’.
(Well, it is & it isn’t):
open.substack.com/pub/ldonaghy...
(Well, it is & it isn’t):
open.substack.com/pub/ldonaghy...
open.substack.com
November 20, 2025 at 1:36 PM
This is great 👍
Reposted by Paul K Ainsworth
Adios Mani
open.spotify.com/track/5ikdUU...
open.spotify.com/track/5ikdUU...
I Am the Resurrection - Remastered 2009
open.spotify.com
November 20, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Adios Mani
open.spotify.com/track/5ikdUU...
open.spotify.com/track/5ikdUU...
Good luck everybody ⬇️
Ofsted has confirmed routine inspections under its new ‘report card’ framework will be beginning at state schools on December 1
schoolsweek.co.uk/ofsted-confi...
schoolsweek.co.uk/ofsted-confi...
Ofsted confirms routine inspections to resume on December 1
Ofsted has confirmed routine inspections under its new 'report card' framework will begin in state schools on December 1, following a months-long pause
schoolsweek.co.uk
November 20, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Good luck everybody ⬇️
This is the worry for so many initiatives… the job of a school leader becomes ever longer. When will the powers that be realise to do more of something you have to do less of something else 🤔⬇️
This has been my worry all along with the breakfast club nonsense. You can talk about funding all you like, the long and the short of it is that school leaders end up with another job on the list, another extension to their working day, and the job becomes ever harder...
And this is from DfE advice!
And this is from DfE advice!
November 20, 2025 at 7:51 PM
This is the worry for so many initiatives… the job of a school leader becomes ever longer. When will the powers that be realise to do more of something you have to do less of something else 🤔⬇️
Reposted by Paul K Ainsworth
𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘆
But you’re not alone.
Read the full blog for reflections, strategies & solidarity:
🔗wp.me/p9tOLc-E6
📰 substack.com/@pkainsworth...
What’s your best advice for the moment the phone rings?
But you’re not alone.
Read the full blog for reflections, strategies & solidarity:
🔗wp.me/p9tOLc-E6
📰 substack.com/@pkainsworth...
What’s your best advice for the moment the phone rings?
November 19, 2025 at 9:13 PM
𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘆
But you’re not alone.
Read the full blog for reflections, strategies & solidarity:
🔗wp.me/p9tOLc-E6
📰 substack.com/@pkainsworth...
What’s your best advice for the moment the phone rings?
But you’re not alone.
Read the full blog for reflections, strategies & solidarity:
🔗wp.me/p9tOLc-E6
📰 substack.com/@pkainsworth...
What’s your best advice for the moment the phone rings?
Reposted by Paul K Ainsworth
SecEd Podcast: A new episode dissects the revised #Ofsted inspection framework, setting out actions #schools can take now to prepare. With practical advice & tips from the amazing @pkainsworth.bsky.social, Anne Peck from @hfleducation.bsky.social & Clare Duffy: buff.ly/Fhtumbi
November 20, 2025 at 10:52 AM
SecEd Podcast: A new episode dissects the revised #Ofsted inspection framework, setting out actions #schools can take now to prepare. With practical advice & tips from the amazing @pkainsworth.bsky.social, Anne Peck from @hfleducation.bsky.social & Clare Duffy: buff.ly/Fhtumbi
𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘆
But you’re not alone.
Read the full blog for reflections, strategies & solidarity:
🔗wp.me/p9tOLc-E6
📰 substack.com/@pkainsworth...
What’s your best advice for the moment the phone rings?
But you’re not alone.
Read the full blog for reflections, strategies & solidarity:
🔗wp.me/p9tOLc-E6
📰 substack.com/@pkainsworth...
What’s your best advice for the moment the phone rings?
November 19, 2025 at 9:13 PM
𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘆
But you’re not alone.
Read the full blog for reflections, strategies & solidarity:
🔗wp.me/p9tOLc-E6
📰 substack.com/@pkainsworth...
What’s your best advice for the moment the phone rings?
But you’re not alone.
Read the full blog for reflections, strategies & solidarity:
🔗wp.me/p9tOLc-E6
📰 substack.com/@pkainsworth...
What’s your best advice for the moment the phone rings?
If you’re for different ideas to help your staff prepare for the new Ofsted framework- why not try one or two of these ⬇️
The #Ofsted framework comes with a new inspection toolkit, operating guide & information documents. Drawing on these, @pkainsworth.bsky.social offers 16 activities for senior leadership teams in #schools to help you prepare:
New Ofsted inspection framework: Sixteen activities for school leaders - Headteacher Update
A list of 16 leadership team activities to help prepare for the requirements of the Ofsted school inspection framework
buff.ly
November 19, 2025 at 6:52 PM
If you’re for different ideas to help your staff prepare for the new Ofsted framework- why not try one or two of these ⬇️
🛠️𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝘽𝙡𝙤𝙜 wp.me/p9tOLc-E6
When school’s in crisis, life piles on.
The car breaks down. The abscess flares. The washer floods.
It’s never just one thing.
Don’t ignore the creaks.
Self-care isn’t indulgence—it’s survival.
#WellbeingForLeaders #FirstResponders
When school’s in crisis, life piles on.
The car breaks down. The abscess flares. The washer floods.
It’s never just one thing.
Don’t ignore the creaks.
Self-care isn’t indulgence—it’s survival.
#WellbeingForLeaders #FirstResponders
November 19, 2025 at 6:51 PM
🛠️𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝘽𝙡𝙤𝙜 wp.me/p9tOLc-E6
When school’s in crisis, life piles on.
The car breaks down. The abscess flares. The washer floods.
It’s never just one thing.
Don’t ignore the creaks.
Self-care isn’t indulgence—it’s survival.
#WellbeingForLeaders #FirstResponders
When school’s in crisis, life piles on.
The car breaks down. The abscess flares. The washer floods.
It’s never just one thing.
Don’t ignore the creaks.
Self-care isn’t indulgence—it’s survival.
#WellbeingForLeaders #FirstResponders
🌫️ 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗴 substack.com/@pkainsworth...
Then the fog rolls in.
Isolation. Complaints. Blame.
Staff morale dips, parents lose faith.
This is the slump.
And it’s when leaders need the most courage.
#LeadershipResilience #NavigatingCrisis
Then the fog rolls in.
Isolation. Complaints. Blame.
Staff morale dips, parents lose faith.
This is the slump.
And it’s when leaders need the most courage.
#LeadershipResilience #NavigatingCrisis
November 19, 2025 at 10:06 AM
🌫️ 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗴 substack.com/@pkainsworth...
Then the fog rolls in.
Isolation. Complaints. Blame.
Staff morale dips, parents lose faith.
This is the slump.
And it’s when leaders need the most courage.
#LeadershipResilience #NavigatingCrisis
Then the fog rolls in.
Isolation. Complaints. Blame.
Staff morale dips, parents lose faith.
This is the slump.
And it’s when leaders need the most courage.
#LeadershipResilience #NavigatingCrisis
Reposted by Paul K Ainsworth
The #Ofsted framework comes with a new inspection toolkit, operating guide & information documents. Drawing on these, @pkainsworth.bsky.social offers 16 activities for senior leadership teams in #schools to help you prepare:
New Ofsted inspection framework: Sixteen activities for school leaders - Headteacher Update
A list of 16 leadership team activities to help prepare for the requirements of the Ofsted school inspection framework
buff.ly
November 18, 2025 at 7:42 AM
The #Ofsted framework comes with a new inspection toolkit, operating guide & information documents. Drawing on these, @pkainsworth.bsky.social offers 16 activities for senior leadership teams in #schools to help you prepare:
🔥𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗴: substack.com/@pkainsworth...
A single sentence can ignite the mine.
A death. A murder. An OFSTED verdict.
In that instant, the old world ends.
School leaders don’t just manage—they absorb the blast.
#LeadershipInCrisis #LucyEasthope
A single sentence can ignite the mine.
A death. A murder. An OFSTED verdict.
In that instant, the old world ends.
School leaders don’t just manage—they absorb the blast.
#LeadershipInCrisis #LucyEasthope
November 18, 2025 at 8:14 PM
🔥𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗴: substack.com/@pkainsworth...
A single sentence can ignite the mine.
A death. A murder. An OFSTED verdict.
In that instant, the old world ends.
School leaders don’t just manage—they absorb the blast.
#LeadershipInCrisis #LucyEasthope
A single sentence can ignite the mine.
A death. A murder. An OFSTED verdict.
In that instant, the old world ends.
School leaders don’t just manage—they absorb the blast.
#LeadershipInCrisis #LucyEasthope
Reposted by Paul K Ainsworth
SecEd Podcast: A new episode dissects the revised #Ofsted inspection framework, setting out actions #schools can take now to prepare. With practical advice & tips from the amazing @pkainsworth.bsky.social, Anne Peck from @hfleducation.bsky.social & Clare Duffy: buff.ly/2oRpBc9
November 18, 2025 at 9:28 AM
SecEd Podcast: A new episode dissects the revised #Ofsted inspection framework, setting out actions #schools can take now to prepare. With practical advice & tips from the amazing @pkainsworth.bsky.social, Anne Peck from @hfleducation.bsky.social & Clare Duffy: buff.ly/2oRpBc9