The Leadership Lens - Free Podcast

The Leadership Lens - Free Podcast

Hosted by: Rachael Snowdon-Poole

The Leadership Lens Free Podcast is your weekly dose of insight, inspiration and practical strategies for school leadership. Each episode gives you bite-sized reflections, tools and ideas to help you grow in...

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Episodes

Staff Wellbeing Is Not Yoga (And Other Things We Need to Stop Pretending)

Over the last few years, staff wellbeing has become one of the most commonly used phrases in education leadership. Yoga after school. Mindfulness apps. Staff breakfasts. Wellbeing days. And yet — teachers and support...
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Getting the 'Achievement' evaluation judgement right using the Ofsted toolkit and your school's IDSR

Achievement is one of the most misunderstood aspects of Ofsted toolkit on inspection — and even the most experienced leaders can misjudge it. In this flagship episode of The Leadership Lens, I take a deep, unhurried...
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Time Management Hacks for School Leaders: Why I Believe in a Work Life Blend vs. a Work Life Balance

As we reach the end of the autumn term and step into the Christmas holidays, this episode of The Leadership Lens takes a different pace. This is a reflective, honest, and practical conversation about time management...
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Pupil Premium in Practice: Using the DFE Menu of Approaches With Integrity

🎙️ THE LEADERSHIP LENS Episode: Pupil Premium in Practice: Using the DfE Menu of Approaches With Integrity In this in-depth episode of The Leadership Lens, Rachael Snowdon-Poole explores one of the most significant...
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Teaching That Sticks: The Mechanisms Behind Truly Effective Professional Development

⭐ Show Notes — The Leadership Lens: Teaching That Sticks: The Mechanisms Behind Truly Effective Professional Development Welcome back to The Leadership Lens — the podcast for primary and secondary school leaders who...
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Building Strong Foundations in Pre-Reception: How Young Children Grow and Learn

📋 Show Notes Episode 4 – Building Strong Foundations in Pre-Reception: How Young Children Grow and Learn In this episode, Rachael explores what high-quality early-years provision looks like for children aged two to...
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Talking Our Way to Learning: How Language Shapes the Early Years

Strong Foundations, Part Three: Talking Our Way to Learning - How Language Shapes the Early Years Episode of The Leadership Lens with Rachael Snowdon-Poole Series: Strong Foundations in the First Years In this week’s...
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Strong Foundations, Part Two: Designing a Curriculum That Builds from the Ground Up

In this episode, I continue the Strong Foundations series by exploring what strong curriculum design looks like in the earliest years of education — how it’s structured, how it’s experienced, and how it prepares...
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From Strong Foundations to Even Stronger Futures – What Great Early Education Looks Like

In this episode, I explore what “strong foundations” really mean in early education — why they matter, how they’re formed, and what effective leadership looks like in making them secure. You’ll learn about: The...
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Achieve, Belong, Thrive: Leading with Confidence under the Renewed Ofsted Framework

Episode Title The Leadership Lens: Achieve, Belong, Thrive – Leading with Confidence under the Renewed Ofsted Framework ✨ Episode Overview From November 2025, Ofsted’s renewed inspection framework will change the way...
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Behaviour for Learning: Building Cultures that Last

🎙️ The Leadership Lens Episode Title: Behaviour for Learning – Building the Conditions for Thinking Episode Summary: In this episode of The Leadership Lens, Rachael Snowdon-Poole — serving Headteacher in a recently...
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Getting Inclusion Right - What Ofsted Really Mean by Inclusion

Getting Inclusion Right – What Ofsted Really Means by Inclusion Episode Summary: In this episode of The Leadership Lens, host Rachael Snowdon-Poole — serving Headteacher in a recently Outstanding school and Director...
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