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High quality school leadership advice, tailored to individual needs

  • Trusts 

  • School improvement

  • CEO and headteacher performance management

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View our servicesMake an enquiry

About us

Andrew Lagden is an experienced independent education consultant, supporting many national organisations, trusts, schools and local authorities, with a very successful track record of securing significant improvement.

He currently works on behalf of the Confederation of School Trusts, National College, Association of School and College Leaders, Manchester and Nottinghamshire LAs and individual trusts and schools as well as many other national education organisations.  Additionally, he has been an external education adviser for the Department for Education, particularly supporting the development of free schools, academies and trusts.

Andrew was a school inspector, on behalf of Ofsted contractors, for over 15 years and currently works as a school improvement consultant for trusts and schools, as well as for two LAs, in both primary and secondary phases.  Additionally, he is also an external CEO and headteacher performance management adviser for many trusts and governing bodies. 

He has provided significant support for the development of trusts and free schools, including in the areas of the vision, partnership models, growth plans, mergers, strategic planning, due diligence, quality assurance and governance arrangements.

Andrew has delivered many national leadership conferences and courses, always receiving excellent evaluations, and is currently supporting trusts and schools in implementing new policies, including the 2025 Ofsted school inspection framework, 2026 white paper ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’ and proposals for the inspections of trusts.

Services

High quality support is provided in three key areas, including for the development of trusts, particularly for forming, growing and joining trusts, as well as for reviewing their performance.  Additionally, school improvement support is provided for quality assurance, self-evaluation and planning processes together with regular school improvement partner reviews.

Excellent advice is also provided for trustees and governors completing CEO and headteacher performance management, ensuring clear evidence of progress towards existing targets and realistic new objectives.

Support for trusts

 

  • The 2026 white paper sets an expectation that all schools should join or form a trust
  • How existing trusts can grow in size, including through mergers
  • Developing growth strategies and plans
  • Identifying potential partner trusts and schools
  • Developing trust partnership agreements with schools
  • Completing due diligence on behalf of trusts and schools
  • Supporting trust strategic planning
  • Reviewing trust performance, including the impact on school improvement
  • Developing quality assurance processes and preparing for the inspection of trusts
  • Using trust quality descriptors
  • Evaluating the impact of trust improvement and growth plans
  • Exploring the current options for maintained schools and single academy trusts
  • Developing local authority and community trusts
  • Supporting the development of free schools, UTCs and mathematics schools
  • Developing the business case for making changes to academies, free schools and UTCs

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Support for school improvement

 

  • Based on the 2025 Ofsted school inspection framework
  • Providing support for schools in all Ofsted categories
  • Ensuring regular school improvement partner support
  • Quality assuring Ofsted inspection aspects
  • Developing monitoring and self-evaluation processes
  • Writing robust self-evaluation summaries and improvement plans
  • Providing support for leadership development, including reviews of senior and middle leadership
  • Evaluating the effectiveness of appraisal programmes
  • Supporting governors with the recruitment of headteachers
  • Completing governance and pupil premium reviews
  • Undertaking 360 reviews of the skills and expertise of chairs, CEOs and headteachers

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Support for CEO and headteacher performance management

 

  • Providing external adviser support in primary, secondary, special and alternative provision phases
  • Ensuring full involvement of governors and CEO or headteacher
  • Supporting the preparation of all documents
  • Documenting evidence of progress towards existing objectives
  • Writing realistic new objectives with suggested performance indicators 
  • Completing annual and mid-year reviews of performance
  • Undertaking 360 reviews of skills and expertise of chairs, CEOs and headteachers

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Testimonials

"Very thought provoking and independent."

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Testimonials

"He has been able to ask difficult questions in a supportive and constructive way and has both coached and mentored staff to effective solutions."

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Testimonials

"He is an incisive, analytical, objective and challenging consultant who is able to see the larger picture whilst maintaining a good contextual grasp."

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Testimonials

"The school has clearly benefitted at a strategic level from his input."

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Testimonials

"A clear understanding of the subject which was transmitted very clearly."

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Testimonials

"The consultant displayed a real desire to work with the school in partnership to improve outcomes for all students"

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Testimonials

"He is prepared to both challenge and support school leaders in a manner that is constructive and very positive"

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Testimonials

"He has the wisdom and diplomacy to deal with all the issues discussed with us and I feel confident in taking his advice"

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Testimonials

"The SLT and the chair said it was challenging but very well facilitated and that they learned so much from the experience that will support their development as school leaders"

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