Why Great Headteachers Know When to Slow Down | Rob Connolly

What makes a school somewhere people genuinely want to belong — and stay?Most heads aren't short on effort when it comes to attendance.The harder truth: so much of it often rests on one or two people — and when that's the case, it never feels steady, however hard everyone works.That's the work I do. I run a funded Senior Attendance & Leadership Resilience Check for headteachers and trust leaders in complex schools.It starts with a short strategic assessment. For eligible schools, it opens into a full process:On-site school visitDetailed, school-specific reportFollow-up strategy sessionPractical leadership tools for a clear 90-day planTypically valued at £1,000 — currently funded for eligible schools.Apply here → https://atrejwhi.formester.com/f/hwL9GCyin/In this episode of Headship After Hours, Paul Collin sits down with Rob Connolly, Executive Headteacher of Harleston Sancroft Academy, to explore school culture, belonging, authentic leadership and what it takes to sustain yourself through the pressures of headship.Rob has spent 15 years serving the same school community. Today, he leads an all-through school spanning nursery to Key Stage 4, having led the process of bringing previously separate primary and secondary schools together. The conversation explores:Why Rob believes people must come firstBuilding school culture intentionally, every dayWhy relationships can't be reduced to a leadership strategyRecruiting the person, not simply the CVBringing primary and secondary cultures togetherCreating curriculum continuity from Early Years to Key Stage 4Belonging, trust, respect, care and love in schoolsHolding high expectations without losing humanityProtecting culture when leadership pressure increasesStaff retention and investing in peopleWhy leaders don't need to have every answerFinding an identity outside headshipWhy sustainable leaders sometimes need to slow downRob also shares a powerful lesson from more than two decades in education:'“Lead who you are. Teach who you are.” This is a conversation about creating great schools without losing sight of the people inside them — including yourself.🎙️ Headship After Hours — honest conversations about school leadership and the realities of leading schools.Chapters:00:00 – Building Community Through Relationships01:02 – Meet Rob Connolly03:10 – Rob's Journey Into Headship07:16 – Putting People Before the CV08:57 – The Challenge of Leading an All-Through School13:16 – How Do You Actually Build School Culture?18:41 – Protecting Belonging Under Leadership Pressure23:56 – High Expectations Without Losing Care26:09 – Finding an Identity Beyond Headship27:44 – Rob's Advice to New Headteachers29:46 – Lead Who You Are