Speaker
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Paul LongdenPaul is a highly experienced and respected independent education consultant with over 30 years in education. He provides training, consultancy, and school improvement support to individual schools, clusters, multi-academy trusts (MATs), and local authorities across the UK. He also produces and delivers a wide range of webinars covering key educational themes.
A former headteacher of three schools, Paul has extensive leadership experience and a proven track record in driving school improvement. He has supported the development of leadership training programmes for the Centre for Educational Leadership in Manchester and served as a Regional Facilitator for the Training and Development Agency (TDA) in the West Midlands, delivering tailored consultancy and professional development.
Paul spent over five years working with an independent education consultancy before establishing his own company in 2015. Since then, his business has grown significantly and now supports more than 200 schools nationally through his school improvement work and webinars.
As a former Ofsted inspector, Paul brings deep insight into inspection frameworks and expectations. His work during Ofsted and HMI inspections was regularly praised for his dynamism, strategic vision and impactful leadership.
Earlier in his career, Paul worked with the Dudley PE and Numeracy advisory services, contributing to curriculum development and staff training.
Location
- Online
Category
Identifying your SDP Priorities
Focus: Leadership and Management
For: Headteachers, Principals, Senior Leaders, Aspiring Middle Leaders
Description:
Your school development plan (SDP) should do more than tick boxes – it should be a strategic, purposeful tool that shapes your school’s future.
In this dynamic and practical 90-minute webinar, you’ll be guided step by step through the process of writing a powerful, sharply focused SDP that connects your school’s vision to clear priorities, measurable success and tangible action.
Led by an experienced school improvement specialist, this session will help you:
- Understand the true purpose of the SDP – beyond compliance and paperwork
- Align your plan with your school’s values, self-evaluation and Ofsted expectations
- Use a clear 8-stage thinking process to move from identifying issues to defining strategic high-impact priorities
- Write SMART success criteria that bring clarity and accountability
- Plan actionable time-sensitive steps across curriculum, CPD and leadership strands
- Build in effective monitoring and evaluation so your plan stays live and relevant all year round
It will include:
- Real-life SDP excerpts and sample SMART targets
- Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
- Planning templates and thought prompts you can use immediately
Whether you’re leading the process or contributing to it, this webinar will leave you with renewed clarity, practical tools and a more strategic mindset for school improvement.
Director’s Note:
An unmissable session for both new and experienced heads.