Creating Value in Schools | Sustainability | People, planet and resources

Listen first, act better: why listening matters in schools

In this episode, Liz Worthen explores what happens when we listen first – and how it can actually save time and lead to better outcomes in schools.
Aldaine Wynter, Director of International Mindedness, Diversity and Inclusion at Washington International School, reflects on spending his first year listening – meeting parents, staff and community groups before launching major initiatives, so he could “meet the community where they are.”
Sean Harris from Tees Valley Education shares how social listening transformed a glossy school newsletter into a termly community magazine, co-produced with families, children and local partners.
Leadership mentor Nickii Messer explores what it means to listen to understand in honest conversations – allowing space, avoiding assumptions, and using more collaborative language.
Wendy Litherland describes how asking a homeless charity what was really needed led pupils to create support for dogs as well as people – deepening empathy and impact.
Together, these examples show how listening first can build trust, strengthen collaboration, and lead to better outcomes in schools.
Liz Worthen is an educator, researcher, podcaster and writer. Her career in education spans teaching, training, commissioning and programme development, creating resources which enable leaders to flourish in their roles. Creating Value in Schools is about the exploration of sustainable working in education, to secure better outcomes for learners and communities.
Download top tips for an honest conversation: https://createvalueschools.com/media/79-Honest-conversation-checklist-guide.pdf
More from Sean Harris on social listening in practice: https://createvalueschools.com/blog/social-listening-in-practice-books-beds-and-curious-myth-busting/
Fishbone analysis and five whys strategy: https://www.sec-ed.co.uk/content/best-practice/school-leadership-how-to-respond-to-and-solve-problems 
Join the Creating Value in Schools community: https://createvalueschools.com/subscribe/
Podcasts featured in this episode
Listening to the community: diversity and inclusion strategies for lasting impact, with Aldaine Wynter
Know your place: how to tackle inequality in education, with Sean Harris
Call them honest: conversations to empower, understand and resolve, with Nickii Messer
From prom shop to polytunnel: sustaining eco-activity in school, with Wendy Litherland
00:00 Why listening matters
00:45 Aldaine listening tour
01:40 Drop In Sessions
03:13 Sean social listening
03:48 Newsletter feedback
06:12 Trust and coproduction
07:06 Nickii honest conversations
10:10 Assumptions and truth
10:53 Wendy unexpected needs
11:55 Dog bags breakthrough
12:45 Key takeaways and wrap
#education #sustainableschools #leadership

Getting curious about behaviour: a relational approach

Host Liz Worthen talks with Dee Higgins, therapeutic thinking lead and former PRU senior leader, about reducing stress for staff in schools and improving pupil behaviour through relational, restorative and reflective practice. Listen for:
What a relational approach means (and why it’s not a soft option)
Calmness, consistency and connection before correction
Lunchtime equity and the importance of play
The case for earlier intervention and ways to create hope
Why transitions need more focus
Tips for productive multi-agency working
Recommended reads.
‘It doesn't mean that a relational approach is a soft option. It just means that we consider the behaviour curriculum and the positive responses that you can have with children to get them to think around their behaviour. And I firmly believe it extends beyond the classroom.’
After years of experience as a teacher and senior leader in an alternative provision setting, Dee Higgins is now Therapeutic Thinking Lead for a local authority. She also holds MAs in psychotherapy and in education leadership. 
Liz Worthen’s career in education spans teaching, training, commissioning and programme development. Creating Value in Schools is all about sustainable working: taking care of people, planet and resources to secure better outcomes for children and communities.
Check out Dee’s recommended reads in the Creating Value in Schools bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/createvalueschools
What is OPAL? https://outdoorplayandlearning.org.uk/
Why play matters: https://theresehoyle.com/why-play-matters-the-hidden-cost-of-screens-and-a-play-poor-childhood/
Research from The Engagement Platform: https://www.tep.uk/research-and-resources/mind-the-engagement-gap-a-national-study-of-pupil-engagement-in-englands-schools
Find out about the Rights Respecting Schools Award: https://www.unicef.org.uk/rights-respecting-schools/
How to create a positive behaviour culture: https://createvalueschools.com/need-to-know/how-do-we-create-a-positive-behaviour-culture/
Join the Creating Value in Schools community: https://createvalueschools.com/subscribe/
00:00 Welcome and focus
00:48 Therapeutic thinking role
02:50 Regulation over punishment
03:54 Connection before correction
06:19 What relational means
08:15 Beyond the classroom
11:37 Parents and co-production
12:53 Debating compliance
14:16 PRU lessons and early help
19:00 Transitions and belonging
21:47 Inclusion and value
23:03 Multi-agency collaboration
25:46 Recommended reading
28:12 Closing thanks
 
#behaviour #education #sustainableschools

Unbound SBLs: Reconsidering Risk

‘One of the dangers is that we think it's a risk assessment and that it's only a paper exercise. And actually if you fall into that trap, you are missing out on the opportunity to navigate the organisation in a structured and considered way.’
Host Liz Worthen gets together with school business leadership champions Helen Burge and Emma Gray to talk about all things risk. Why does risk matter? Whose responsibility is it? Is it a tickbox at the end of your meeting agenda, or something more meaningful?
We discuss:
Risk as a proactive starting point for planning – not a reactive response. 
The roles of leaders and governors in strategic risk management.
The types of risk affecting schools and trusts currently. 
The impact on pupils and the community if you don’t address risk. 
Lines of defence – the role of internal scrutiny and the schools financial value standard (SFVS).
Support for school business leaders with Risky Business events. 
‘It's the community and the pupils that will suffer if you don't look at risk or if you don't have those strategic plans.’
Emma Gray and Helen Burge have both been executive business leaders in trusts, and now support school business professionals through coaching, training and consultancy. Emma is a DfE accredited school resource management advisor, and Helen co-chairs the UK Schools Sustainability Network Operations Group. They are fans of risk management, internal scrutiny and operational excellence. 
Liz Worthen’s career in education spans teaching, training, commissioning and programme development. Creating Value in Schools is all about sustainable working: taking care of people, planet and resources to secure better outcomes for children and communities.
Join the Creating Value in Schools community: https://createvalueschools.com/subscribe/
Schools financial value standard (SFVS) checklist and guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-financial-value-standard
Risky Business Manchester, 19 March 2026, 9am-12pm: https://shorturl.at/M7B9T
Upcoming Risky Business Events:
Launceston, 22 April 2026
Leeds, 21 May 2026
Isle of Wight, 17 September 2026
SBL Retreat 2026: Reflect, Restore & Reconnect: https://shorturl.at/Asy1p
Diploma for School Business Managers: https://www.isbl.org.uk/level-4-ilm-diploma-for-school-business-managers
Contact Emma Gray: 1stpillar.co.uk
Contact Helen Burge: buoyantimpact.co.uk
Browse the Creating Value in Schools bookshop: bookshop.org/shop/createvalueschools
Top tips summary: https://createvalueschools.com/need-to-know/top-tips-for-rethinking-risk/ 
#SustainableSchools #Education #SchoolBusinessLeadership

AI in schools: harnessing the potential, protecting the human

How do we prepare for the changing world of AI? James Browning, COO at Lift Schools, encourages us to think of artificial intelligence as a collaborator for tackling real world problems, not just tools and fancy tech. We reflect on his organisation’s journey so far, the potential positives of AI, and protecting what matters.
Can AI help personalise learning? Reduce workload? Support high quality thinking?
How do we ensure AI doesn’t exacerbate educational inequality? 
How can the Three Horizons framework support your planning?
How is AI saving time for staff? What do pupils need to know about AI? 
What do we do about the environmental impact of AI? 
What are your organisational guardrails? AI in a supporting role, not replacing teachers.
‘What really excites me about AI is it feels like genuinely now for the first time, we have a technology that can make a difference… And I think there is a risk that if we get it wrong, we could create a bigger divide and a bigger disadvantage gap.’
James Browning is Chief Operating Officer at Lift Schools, a Chair of Governors, and has previously worked in edtech roles. He’s on the DfE’s estates strategy group and digital standards working group. 
Liz Worthen’s career in education spans teaching, training, commissioning and content development. Creating Value in Schools is all about working sustainably: taking care of people, planet and resources to secure better outcomes for children and communities. 
Brisk Teaching: https://www.briskteaching.com/
James Browning on how Lift Schools is using and benefitting from AI: https://www.projecth.org.uk/post/embracing-ai-in-education-a-leadership-perspective-from-lift-schools
Ethan Mollick on Substack: https://www.oneusefulthing.org/
AI training resources: https://createvalueschools.com/need-to-know/ai-training-resources-for-schools
10 tips for implementing AI in education settings: https://createvalueschools.com/media/210-10-tips-for-implementing-AI-in-schools.pdf 
Find recommended reads in the Creating Value in Schools bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/createvalueschools
Join the Creating Value in Schools community: https://createvalueschools.com/subscribe/
#SustainableSchools #Education #ArtificialIntelligence

From prom shop to polytunnel: sustaining eco-activity in school

‘Things don't happen overnight... You've got to be in this for the long haul.’ 
Drawing on her 15 years’ experience as a school sustainability director, Wendy Litherland shares lessons learned in getting staff, pupils, governors and community members engaged in eco-action. How do you sustain impact and bring people together? Wendy talks about:
Why making friends with the caretaker is your first priority
Building bridges with the cleaners by minding muddy feet
Learning from the wealth of experience in the PTA (as well as fundraising with them)
Getting from jumble sale vibes to a popular prom shop
The impact of a hot drink when you’re sleeping rough
Teaching children for jobs that don’t exist yet
How solar panels can be a learning resource, before they’re even installed. 
Wendy Litherland combines her role as Associate Assistant Headteacher and Director of Sustainability at Accrington St Christopher’s CE High School with being Head of Education at Solar for Schools. She is a long-term eco-champion and co-facilitator of the Sustainability Learning Conference North West.
Liz Worthen’s career in education spans teaching, training, commissioning and programme development. Creating Value in Schools is all about working sustainably: taking care of people, planet and resources to secure better outcomes for children and communities. 
What is a circular economy? https://createvalueschools.com/need-to-know/what-is-a-circular-economy
Download 10 tips for school climate activities: https://createvalueschools.com/need-to-know/10-tips-for-integrating-climate-activities
How green is your school: https://createvalueschools.com/need-to-know/how-green-is-your-school
Check your school’s solar viability: https://www.solarforschools.co.uk/
School example: https://www.solarforschools.co.uk/schools/accrington-st-christophers-church-of-england-high-school-bb5-4ay-137421
Education support from Solar for Schools: https://education.solarforschools.co.uk/
Wendy’s eco-group on X: https://x.com/Eco_Group
Find recommended reads in the Creating Value in Schools bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/createvalueschools
Join the Creating Value in Schools community: https://createvalueschools.com/subscribe/
#SustainableSchools #Education

How do we create a sustainable SEND system?

‘Not only is it unsustainable, but it’s not delivering results.’ We bring together Benedicte Yue’s passion for inclusion with her financial expertise for a deep dive into the world of SEND. 
What’s making the current system unsustainable? What are the barriers to a more inclusive system? What would a more equitable and effective approach look like? Who can we learn from? And what needs to change in terms of accountability for this to work? 
‘We must transition from a narrow individual focus on accountability to a collaborative system.’
Benedicte Yue is Chief Financial Officer at River Learning Trust, bringing over 30 years’ experience in audit and finance to the role. Awarded CFO of the Year at the 2023 MAT Excellence Awards, she is a sector leader and champion for change.
Liz Worthen’s career in education spans teaching, training, commissioning and programme development. Creating Value in Schools is all about working sustainably: taking care of people, planet and resources to secure better outcomes for children and communities. 
Benedicte Yue’s SEND priorities paper for ISBL: https://blog.isbl.org.uk/addressing-englands-special-educational-needs-crisis-key-priorities-and-solutions  
The Centre for Education Systems’ SEND policy reports: https://www.ces.partners/send-summary 
Sam Freedman on Substack: https://samf.substack.com/ 
Sam Freedman’s Substack on TikTok politics: https://samf.substack.com/p/three-seconds (for paid subscribers)
More from Creating Value in Schools on SEND reform: https://createvalueschools.com/need-to-know/ways-forward-for-send-reform 
From Benedicte’s previous podcast: https://createvalueschools.com/blog/values-impact-and-agency-lessons-learned-in-operational-leadership/ 
Join the Creating Value in Schools community: https://createvalueschools.com/subscribe/
#SustainableSchools #Education #Leadership #SEND

Crisis recovery in schools: ‘it will get better’

‘One of the things that I'm really aware of at the moment is so many school leaders are in this stage of it feels like it's one crisis after another. The perma-crisis. One more domino and another then another.’ 
Paul K Ainsworth shares how reading emergency planner Lucy Easthope’s book Come What May: Life-Changing Lessons for Coping with Crisis resonated with his experience of what happens when things go wrong in schools.  
Drawing on Lucy Easthope’s lessons, Paul talks about the phases of recovery, the dangers of hopium, acknowledging that it takes time for things to get better, and the importance of seeking help. 
‘But I genuinely believe it will get better. And I think that anything that we can do that rebuilds our reservoirs of hope is so important.’
Paul K Ainsworth is a school improvement champion. He has supported hundreds of schools on their improvement journey in his system leadership roles across four multi-academy trusts. Paul is the author of No Silver Bullets: Day In, Day Out School Improvement and writes on Substack as No Silver Bullets Man. 
Liz Worthen’s career in education spans teaching, training, commissioning and programme development. Creating Value in Schools is all about sustainable working: taking care of people, planet and resources to secure better outcomes for children and communities. 
Listen to Professor Lucy Easthope on Desert Island Discs: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002d87s
Find Come What May in the Creating Value in Schools bookshop: bookshop.org/shop/createvalueschools
Read Paul’s blogs: paulkainsworth.wordpress.com
Find Paul’s books: paulkainsworth.wordpress.com/books
Paul on sustainable school improvement: createvalueschools.com/blog/keep-going-routes-to-sustainable-improvement-and-finding-your-why 
Join the Creating Value in Schools community: createvalueschools.com/subscribe
#SustainableSchools #Education #Leadership

What do we mean when we talk about sustainability?

What does it mean to work sustainably or build a more sustainable organisation? Is it all about the environment? Drawing on contributions from podcast guests, host Liz Worthen questions what we mean when we talk about sustainability. What are the ingredients for a sustainable organisation and development? What does that look like for schools and education settings? 
Liz Worthen is an educator, researcher, podcaster and writer. Her career in education spans teaching, training, commissioning and programme development, creating resources which enable leaders to flourish in their roles. Creating Value in Schools is about the exploration of sustainable working in education, to secure better outcomes for learners and communities.
The Triple Bottom Line: online.hbs.edu/blog/post/what-is-the-triple-bottom-line 
United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: sdgs.un.org/2030agenda 
United Nations 17 goals: sdgs.un.org/goals 
More from Creating Value in Schools: createvalueschools.com 
Podcasts featured in this episode
Seeking the co-benefits: people, planet – and financial efficiency, with Paul Edmond
Be kind: how to entice teachers and governors into our schools, with John Viner
Keep sight of your North Star: navigating the school business landscape, with Benedicte Yue
#SustainableSchools #Education #Leadership
Code: DT1NN2J7TQUOGQZT

Unbound SBLs: sector support and striving for excellence

Host Liz Worthen gets together with school business leadership champions Helen Burge and Emma Gray to find out what they’ve been up to this term. 
Questions arising include: 
Who’s responsible for income generation in a school setting?
Why does integrated curriculum finance planning (ICFP) matter?
Where can school business managers, leaders or professionals turn to for support?
How does standing in a corridor full of teenagers help restore your vitality?
What is operational excellence, and why do we need it? 
Is sherry making a comeback? 
Why young people need trusted adults in their lives. 
Both Emma Gray and Helen Burge were executive business leaders in trusts, and now support school business professionals through coaching, training and consultancy. Emma is a DfE accredited school resource management advisor, and Helen co-chairs the UK Schools Sustainability Network Operations Group. They are fans of risk management, internal scrutiny and operational excellence. 
Liz Worthen’s career in education spans teaching, training, commissioning and programme development. Creating Value in Schools is all about sustainable working: taking care of people, planet and resources to secure better outcomes for children and communities.
More from Creating Value in Schools: createvalueschools.com 
More from Justin Smith on income generation: createvalueschools.com/blog/optimism-and-opportunity-creating-an-income-generation-culture/
DfE school business professionals survey: gov.uk/government/publications/survey-of-school-business-professionals-2025
School Business Leader Support Hub: sblsupporthub.com/
Operational Excellence in Education: isbl.org.uk/opex
What does a school resource management adviser (SRMA) do? gov.uk/government/publications/the-school-resource-management-advisers-srma-programme
Find out more about the SBL retreat: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sbl-retreat-2026-reflect-restore-reconnect-tickets-1812889113139
Browse the Creating Value in Schools bookshop: bookshop.org/shop/createvalueschools
Contact Emma Gray: 1stpillar.co.uk
Contact Helen Burge: buoyantimpact.co.uk
#SustainableSchools
#Education
#SchoolBusinessLeadership

Surviving the intensity of school life: lessons from leaders

What enables people to keep calm and carry on in the overwhelming intensity of school life? What helps people keep going, avoid burnout, and stay focused on the things that matter? 
Host Liz Worthen draws on lessons learned by previous podcast guests. What keeps them energised? What keeps them going?
Start with your why.
Stay focused on your priorities.
Don’t sweat if it doesn’t all go to plan. Things will happen! 
Take opportunities for creative problem solving.
Remember to rest… and count the flowers.
‘You need to keep pulling yourself back to those as priorities. Because otherwise, your priorities are the whack a mole school of educational leadership, coming in, responding to the first person at your door, the person that sent you those emails.’
Liz Worthen is an educator, researcher, podcaster and writer. Her career in education spans teaching, training, commissioning and programme development, creating resources which enable leaders to flourish in their roles. Creating Value in Schools is about the exploration of sustainable working in education, in order to secure better outcomes for learners and communities.
Podcasts featured in this episode
Keep going: routes to sustainable improvement and finding your why, with Paul K. Ainsworth
The art of balance: survival skills for school leaders, with Josephine Smith
You can't turn off the machine: investing time in school leadership, with Caroline Doherty
Navigating the unexpected: advice for school leaders, with Josephine Smith
Avoiding and addressing staff burnout in schools, with Nicola Harvey
Know your place: how to tackle inequality in education, with Sean Harris
Further resources
More from Paul K. Ainsworth: paulkainsworth.wordpress.com  
More from Nicola Harvey: harveyheals.com 
Follow Sean Harris on Substack: thatpovertyguy.substack.com
For more ideas and inspiration: createvalueschools.com
#SustainableSchools #Education #Leadership