If it feels like every conversation in education right now eventually lands on outcomes, you’re not imagining it. Outcomes are everywhere. In meetings. In inspections. In improvement plans. In emails you haven’t quite had time to read yet. Outcomes. Progress. Impact. Evidence. On repeat.

One of the most powerful — and often overlooked — leadership skills under the new EIF is noticing. Inspectors are placing high value on how leaders understand the real lived experience of staff and pupils: confidence levels, attendance patterns, small shifts in behaviour, subtle barriers emerging in particular groups.

Term has finished. Classrooms are quiet. You’ve finally stepped out of “school mode” and into something slower, softer, and—hopefully—restorative. Before you switch off completely, I wanted to send a small Christmas message and a few thoughts that might make your January return feel a little steadier.

Under the new EIF, staff voice is no longer incidental — it is a core part of how Leadership + Governance is evaluated. And inspectors aren’t listening for slogans. They’re listening for alignment, confidence, understanding, and culture.

Curriculum conversations during inspections are already looking different. Inspectors are digging into how knowledge is introduced, revisited, and adapted - and how teaching works for every learner, not just those who pick things up quickly.

Now that the new EIF is live, the old comfort blanket of a single overall judgement has disappeared. Instead, schools receive a profile across multiple evaluation areas, each graded from Exceptional to Urgent Improvement. It creates a fairer picture but demands much clearer evidence.