I know the school day is always running away from you.
School leaders don’t need more to chase, they need somewhere to think.
You spend every day responding, deciding, solving and keeping your school moving.
This community gives you the space, perspective and practical support to notice what is happening beneath the surface and lead your culture more intentionally.
Join for free during the founding year: September 2026–July 2027
You care about your school’s culture. But when do you get the space to think about it?
You notice things. Something feels off but you can’t quite put your finger on it…
The same problems keep returning.
You’ve written the policies, offered the training but nothing has really changed.
People that used to speak up becoming quieter.
You’re constantly fighting fires.
There’s never enough time in the day.
You sense that something is happening beneath the surface. But when every day brings another urgent decision, it is difficult to step back for long enough to see the pattern, let alone decide what to do about it.
That is why I created the Living School Leadership Community.
Culture is not another item on your improvement plan.
It is the environment in which every part of that plan will either flourish or struggle to take root.
The problem is rarely that school leaders do not care about culture.
The problem is that you are expected to respond to its symptoms before you have had the space, language or perspective to understand what is creating them.
Another initiative may create activity.
But lasting cultural change begins by seeing what is already happening.
A guided journey beneath the surface of your school
Between September 2026 and July 2027, we will explore the stories, behaviours and systems shaping how people experience our schools. Not simply the culture described in policies or displayed on walls. The living, breathing culture being created through everyday conversations, decisions and moments.
Each month, we will explore one big cultural question through a simple rhythm:
SEE DIFFERENTLY
✔ A monthly Living School Insight introduces a new cultural lens and helps you look beneath the surface.
TAKE ONE STEP
✔ Your weekly Tuesday Truth offers a short reflection and one achievable leadership action.
THINK TOGETHER
✔ A live online exclusive Listening Circle gives you space to reflect alongside other school leaders, without having to arrive with all the answers.
This is for you if…
You are a headteacher, senior leader, trust leader, governor or someone with responsibility for culture, inclusion, staff experience or wellbeing.
You do not need to be an expert in organisational culture.
You simply need to be willing to look honestly at what is happening, remain curious about what sits beneath it and take one intentional step at a time.
Imagine having dedicated time each week to breathe, reflect and see your school differently.
Every Tuesday, you are invited to step back from the urgency for a moment and look at your school through a different lens.
One meaningful question might help you notice a pattern you have sensed but never quite named.
Each month, you will receive a practical resource you can use and share with your leadership team, so the responsibility for understanding and shaping culture does not sit with you alone.
Then, in the Listening Circle, you will have a carefully held online space to reflect on what has surfaced, hear what other leaders are noticing and explore the month’s question without needing to arrive with all the answers.
Because sometimes, you cannot see the wood for the trees.
Not because you are not looking, but because you are standing right in the middle of it.
This community gives you enough distance to see the wider pattern, consider a different perspective and return to your school with greater clarity about what to do next.
Hi I’m Donna, and I’m honoured to be your cultural guide this year.
I’m Dr Donna de Haan, a sociologist, culture consultant and creator of The Living School Model™.
I help school leaders make the invisible culture visible: the stories people tell, the patterns they repeat and the everyday experiences revealing what life inside a school is really like.
I created this community because school leaders do not need more noise or more leadership homework.
They need meaningful questions, practical ways forward and somewhere they can hear themselves think.
Before you decide you’re too busy for this…
I know what school leadership asks of you.
Your diary is already full. Your inbox rarely stays quiet. And the last thing you need is another commitment that begins with good intentions and ends up feeling like unfinished homework.
This community has been designed with that reality in mind.
Will this create more work?
Every Tuesday, one short reflection will arrive in your inbox. You can engage with it in the time and way that works for you.
The monthly resources are practical and ready to share with your leadership team, helping you think together rather than carrying the work alone.
Do I have to attend every Listening Circle?
No.
When you join, you will receive the Listening Circle dates and times so you can protect the space in your diary for the academic year ahead.
I hope you will attend whenever you can, because thinking alongside other leaders is an important part of the experience. But perfect attendance is not expected.
What will I be expected to share?
Only what feels appropriate.
The Listening Circles will be carefully facilitated spaces for reflection, curiosity and shared learning. You will never be asked to disclose confidential information or identify individual members of staff.
We will talk about patterns rather than people and every member will be expected to treat the experiences shared by others with care and confidentiality.
What if the community has already started?
You have not missed your chance.
You can join at any point between September 2026 and July 2027. Each month’s question has value in its own right, so there is nothing to complete before you begin.
Simply step into the journey wherever we are.
You do not need more time, perfect attendance or all the answers.
You just need enough curiosity to look at your school differently and a willingness to take one intentional step at a time.