During this course you will be encouraged to consider the impacts that staff restructuring and redundancies can have on a school community.
This masterclass equips school leaders with the knowledge, confidence, and practical strategies to manage restructuring and redundancy processes with clarity and compassion. Participants will begin by exploring the wider context—examining national trends in school closures, staffing pressures, and financial constraints—to understand the external factors driving organisational change. They will learn how to clearly articulate the rationale behind difficult decisions, foster a constructive and transparent culture, and avoid blame or retrospective criticism dominating the narrative.
Drawing on real-world examples and peer discussion, attendees will gain valuable insights into managing communication, timelines, and stakeholder expectations while maintaining morale across the school community. Through practical activities and scenario-based exploration, participants will have the chance to apply their learning to their own contexts and develop tailored strategies for effective change management. The session concludes with an open Q&A, giving delegates the opportunity to seek specific advice and leave feeling more equipped to lead their schools through challenging transitions with professionalism, empathy, and confidence.
KEY LEARNING OBJECTIVES
This masterclass will enable you to:
• Develop an understanding of the time scales required to manage restructuring and redundancy efficiently and effectively.
• Gain a deeper understanding of the impacts that restructuring and redundancy can have on school communities.
• Develop an understanding of the practical steps that can be taken to reduce the impacts of these processes.
• Develop a good understanding of the statutory obligations you have to your staff when considering redundancy.
• Understand how to communicate restructuring decisions with clarity and empathy.
• Learn how to engage governors and trustees in the process.
• Identify early warning signs and proactive strategies to avoid redundancy.
FACILITATOR
Brendan started his teaching career in 1997 at Colfe’s School in SE London as a teacher of geography and games. During his career he has worked as Head of Department, Head of Sixth Form, Housemaster, Headteacher and most recently as Executive Headteacher for Cognita Schools. In this capacity Brendan also sat on the European Leadership Team. During this time Brendan oversaw the restructuring a group of schools across 5 school sites that were working largely independently from one another to a unified school with four headteachers and an executive head. As with much of London at that time, the falling numbers of nursery and primary aged children resulted in Brendan having to restructure his cost base and to reduce the number of classes in his schools, as well as closing one of the sites. Despite this being a very difficult time, Brendan learned a lot in the process about redundancy processes, how to manage schools through these incredibly challenging times and how to manage his teams. During this course, Brendan will share his experiences in order to help other leaders to navigate the redundancy process.