Free leadership tool for schools and MATs
Find the Hot Window
Somewhere in your week, the same pressure keeps forming. Same point in the day, same handful of staff, same outcome.
A free 10-minute check that helps you name it, see what sits underneath it, and decide what to do, before it becomes escalation, absence or a complaint.
- Name your priority pressure point in one sitting
- See who is carrying it, and where ownership is unclear
- Produce the evidence trail your inclusion strategy review needs
Created by Naomi Withers, founder of The HRologist. BPS-accredited qualification in psychology, CIPD Level 7, and 29 years working with families, schools and organisations.
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Does this sound familiar?
The same issue keeps reaching SLT. One person keeps carrying it. Or the evidence trail is unclear when governors, trustees or Ofsted ask. For school and MAT leaders, the problem is rarely a lack of care. The pressure usually sits in the gaps between attendance data, behaviour logs, SEND records, safeguarding notes, parent communication and staff confidence.
This check helps you see whether you are dealing with a one-off concern or a repeat pressure point, especially around:
- Attendance and emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA)
- SEND escalation
- Behaviour after unstructured time
- Year 6 to 7 transition
- Parent communication
- Reintegration after absence or suspension
- Staff confidence under strain
- Gaps in inclusion strategy evidence
What you get
A 10-minute check
Five steps and one pressure point, with a score out of 24 so you can see how far it has already travelled.
Your priority pressure point
Prompts to pinpoint where pressure repeats, who is carrying it, what it costs, and which pupils, families or staff are most affected.
An evidence trail
Noticed, Decided, Changed, Tracked. The four moves that turn a noticing into something you can put in front of governors, trustees or an inspector.
Why now
Your inclusion strategy statement is due by 31 December
Publishing one is a condition of your Inclusive Mainstream Fund allocation for 2026 to 2027. The guidance itself is non-statutory. The deadline is not optional if you have taken the money.
Two things catch leaders out. In a multi-academy trust, every academy publishes its own statement, even where the trust pools the funding. And the review of the previous academic year is a required section in this first year, so you are reviewing what you were already doing, not a strategy you have not written yet.
That review needs evidence of what you noticed, what you decided, what changed in practice, and what you tracked. This check produces exactly that, for one pressure point, in ten minutes.
Who it is for
- Headteachers and executive heads
- MAT CEOs, COOs and directors of education
- SENCOs and inclusion leads
- Safeguarding, attendance and pastoral leads
- Governors and trustees responsible for inclusion
What it is, and what it is not
It is a practical leadership lens: a quick way to see where pressure is repeating and what evidence gap needs attention.
It is not a behaviour policy template, a SEND audit, a wellbeing checklist or a full implementation plan. And it is not clinical advice.
Who made it
Naomi Withers, founder of The HRologist
I hold a BPS-accredited qualification in psychology and a postgraduate qualification in strategic human resource management (CIPD Level 7), and I have spent 29 years working with families, schools and organisations. This check is informed by SENSE™, my framework for turning emotional safety into practical inclusion routines: Support, Educate, Nurture, Share, Evaluate.
Based in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, working with schools and trusts across the UK. See how we work with schools.
“She is a breath of fresh air.— Head of School
Questions leaders ask
Is it really free?
Yes. You get the check by email straight away, with no obligation to buy anything.
How long does it take?
About 10 minutes for one leader, or use it as a focused SLT conversation.
Does this help with our inclusion strategy statement?
For one part of it. The statement needs a review of the previous academic year and evidence of impact. This check gives you a documented pressure point, what you decided, and what you tracked. It will not write the strategy for you.
What happens if my score shows high pressure?
You can book a call with Naomi to talk through whether it is something you can hold internally or whether it needs a focused diagnostic. Book a call.
Will you send me other emails?
You will get the check and occasional practical emails for school leaders. You can unsubscribe at any time with one click.
See where the pressure is building before it escalates
Free, 10 minutes, and sent straight to your inbox.
