2026 Summer Term

The know zone

  • Disadvantaged pupils: Decoding the data
    With growing policy focus on disadvantaged pupils, schools must utilise data to improve student outcomes. Tiffnie Harris explores what leaders should prepare for. More
  • Breaking the cycle
    Claire Green says meaningful reform means moving beyond endless GCSE resits and tackling the causes of low attainment much earlier. More
  • The power of three
    As schools face growing financial and operational pressures, Emma Harrison explores how a new joint report makes the case for a more integrated approach to leadership across governance, education and business. More
  • The missing 'word'
    As debate continues about how to solve the teacher recruitment and retention crisis, pensions remain largely absent from the conversation. Melanie Moffatt argues that overlooking the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS) risks undermining one of the profession's greatest strengths. More
  • No phone zone
    With the government set to place existing mobile phone guidance on a statutory footing, we're keen to hear how schools are responding. Do you already have a policy in place, and what does it look like? Here, ASCL members have their say. More
  • Open-door leadership
    Deputy Headteacher Kate Johnston reflects on ASCL Council, shaping policy, and how an open-door approach underpins her leadership. More
  • Ofsted for Parents
    School leaders often feel they're held accountable for almost every aspect of young people's lives. But what if parents faced similar scrutiny? Carl Smith explores an Ofsted inspection for parents. More

Deputy Headteacher Kate Johnston reflects on ASCL Council, shaping policy, and how an open-door approach underpins her leadership.

Open-door leadership

Tell us about your role 

I’m Deputy Headteacher: Head of Sixth Form at Clitheroe Royal Grammar School. I lead our sixth form of more than 660 students and I’m responsible for school self-evaluation and improvement, as well as being lead designated safeguarding lead (DSL). Our school is a single-academy trust on two sites, with a selective 11–16 school and an open-access 16–18 provision. Approximately 60% of post-16 students join us from other schools, and we serve a diverse pupil population travelling from nearby industrial towns including Burnley, Nelson and Accrington.

Why did you decide to become an ASCL Council member? 

I joined ASCL when I was first appointed to senior leadership in 2013, but the pandemic made me truly value its support, guidance and encouragement. During rapidly changing circumstances, I relied on then general secretary Geoff Barton’s video messages to stay informed and feel less alone. 

Standing for Council, I simply applied after seeing a vacancy in the newsletter, keen to influence education policy. Now, nearing the end of my first year, I look forward to termly meetings, recognising both the privilege and responsibility of contributing to discussions. 

As a member of the Ethics, Inclusion and Equalities Committee, I have engaged with mobile phone guidance, social media proposals and SEND reforms. Hearing from experts such as Dr Kaitlyn Regehr of University College London (UCL) on social media policy has been a particular highlight of my Council experience. 

These discussions will shape schools, colleges and families for years to come, making this work meaningful and impactful.

Why did you decide to get into teaching/leadership? 

My mother was a primary school teacher for more than 30 years, so I spent lots of time helping at school events and going on trips from pantomimes to the zoo. However, I didn’t consider teaching and was dismissive when my headteacher, Miss Lawley, suggested it as a career. 

Several decades later, I wish she were still alive so I could tell her how right she was and thank her for her encouragement. The teacher and leader I am today is strongly influenced by her positive, compassionate approach. She always propped her door open if she wasn’t in a meeting to show she was ‘open for business’, and every time I do the same, I think of her.

How do you like to unwind? 

My husband and I have two adult sons and as a family we all enjoy being outside and active. I particularly love swimming, yoga and playing tennis. 

Reading has always been an important part of my life, and it is a rare day when I don’t find at least a few minutes to escape into someone else’s story. 

Tell us an interesting fact about you 

Each summer for the last 17 years, we have spent the first three weeks of the holiday camping by Lac d’Annecy (Lake Annecy), not just on the same campsite but on the same actual pitch.

What’s your favourite book and film of all time? 

BOOK I really can’t pick one favourite, but the best book I read last year was There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak.

FILM I’m going to cheat and give my favourite TV show, The West Wing. I must have watched the series through at least five times. 

What advice would you give to someone new to leadership? 

I think Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson puts it well when he said: “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you sow.”

ASCL Council

Council membership offers school and college leaders a unique opportunity to influence national policy, collaborate with peers, and ensure that the profession’s collective voice is heard. Members contribute expertise, challenge thinking, and help shape a fairer, more inclusive education system for staff and students alike, while developing confidence, insight, and leadership capacity that benefits their own schools, colleges, and communities. This engagement strengthens professional identity, purpose, impact, and career development. 

LEADING READING