Refuse average.
Lead the way.
Leadership isn't learned from a textbook. It's forged under pressure. Practical programmes built on 27 years of leading real schools through real crises — not theory, not frameworks, not endless PowerPoint.
No fluff. No endless PowerPoint. Just lessons earned through experience.
— The Project Principal promiseFour courses. Zero textbooks.
Whether you're thinking about stepping into leadership or already in the hot seat, these are the four courses I wish had existed when I started out.
Project:Principal
The NPQH is a great start — but this is designed for ambitious SLT members ready to step into headship, or those who have just taken the chair. Gritty, real, and unapologetic.
Project:Leadership
Designed for ambitious middle leaders ready to step into senior leadership, or those who have just started in senior leadership. Prepares you for the realities of leading beyond your classroom, department or faculty.
Project:Culture
The culture of your school defines everything — and that culture is created by its leaders. Identify poor cultures, and learn how to challenge, change and support them.
Project:Impact
Cake sales and duck races won't close a black budgetary hole. For leaders and commercial managers who need real financial and reputational impact.
Leadership has changed.
Has your training?
Schools don't need more managers. They need courageous leaders who can inspire people, build culture, make difficult decisions and transform organisations.
I've transformed failing schools, rebuilt toxic cultures, reversed declining enrolment and turned significant deficits into sustainable surpluses. And I did it by being different.
These programmes won't just make you think. They'll make you feel, challenge your assumptions, and give you the confidence to lead when it matters most.
Beyond the courses
Direct, honest support for schools and leaders who want an outside eye and an inside track.
Secret Shopper
I join your school as a genuine member of staff and report back the truth — not the performance staged for inspection day.
Consultancy
An honest outside view for your board or SLT, from someone who has actually carried the responsibility — not just observed it.
One to Ones
One-to-one interview preparation for leadership roles, from someone who has sat in both chairs — interviewing and being interviewed.
Already sold?
Skip ahead — register your interest now and be first to hear when enrolment opens.
What people say
“My eyes were opened to totally new ways of leading and delivering — these sessions are off the scale unbelievable.”— Dom, Head of Department, UK Community College
“I have learnt so many valuable lessons: buying time, data, thinking outside the box, and not fixing what's not broken!”— Helen, Head of Primary, Private International School
“He's like John Wayne: rough, tough and takes no rubbish! I have him to thank for developing my career at such a young age and for giving me the belief to step up and be counted.”— Gary, Assistant Principal, British Independent School
From the blog
"You Have So Many Stories" — Yes, and Here's Why That's the Point
Refuse Average: Lead the Way I hear it often: "You have so many stories." Sometimes it's said with genuine curiosity. Sometimes, if I'm hone…
Read → 20 August 2026The £700,000 Deficit and the Barbara Hepworth Hiding in the Long Grass
Refuse Average: Lead the Way This British state school was £700,000 in deficit. That's the kind of number that tends to dominate every conve…
Read → 10 August 2026Beyond the School Gates: Why a Building Company Called Project Principal
Refuse Average: Lead the Way I've recently been asked to bring my thinking to a local, well-established building company, helping them expan…
Read →Ready to refuse average?
Register your interest and be first to hear when course enrolment opens.
